Poland
Poland is a gateway to Eastern Europe, opening up new markets and offering opportunities not only for its citizens, but also for the other EU newcomers. It is in the middle of a large and rapidly evolving region where opportunities are numerous.
There are more than 400 local employment offices that offer services for both foreign and Polish jobseekers. You can register with the employment-agency services of the Polish District Labour Offices. To use these services an unemployed person or a jobseeker must be registered with the District Labour Office (bring school certificates, work certificates and a personal identification document).
You do not need to be in Poland to apply for a job; however you need to come to the country for the interviews. No one will employ you without having a face-to-face discussion. Telephone interviews are sufficient only in the first round. You also need to bring a references and copies of diplomas to the application interviews. The work records and references from your previous employer should be translated into Polish.
The Polish CV should be in reverse chronological order and be a maximum of two pages. Describe your level of verbal and written knowledge of languages. Mention your computer skills as well. Use the following headings: education, work experience, qualifications, positions of responsibility and interests and hobbies. You can decide to include the names of two referees as well.
In most cases, you can expect to be interviewed at least twice before an offer is made. The process will be very similar to the UK, but you need to wait much longer for the results. Do not be surprised if a recruiter gets back to you after six months of silence.
If you wish to compare your professional, vocational or technical qualifications with Polish qualifications, consult the UK NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom) . To compare academic qualifications, contact ENIC-NARIC .
If you are planning to live and work in Poland, check your UK tax and National Insurance position with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to ensure that you are not losing any UK pension rights.
The Polish Public Employment Service - keeps a register of private agencies that are recognised by the government, but not all agencies are registered.
Speculative applications are acceptable across the job market and are particularly effective for jobs in science. Details on where to find lists of companies can be found in the companies section of job market.
There are few formally organised work placement programmes for Poland. Placements can be arranged through organisations in the UK such as AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) and IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience).
Many international companies may also offer internships and it is worth looking at their individual websites.
UK students on undergraduate degree programmes or postgraduate Masters and some PhD programmes may be interested in spending time studying in Poland through Erasmus. This programme is open to all subject areas, but check with your institution's Erasmus coordinator first (usually based in the international office) to see which countries they have links with and in what subject areas.
If you are an English native speaker and need a job immediately; you will find it in education. The numerous opportunities are available in both state and private schools; for example ELS-Bell School of English, Masterschool and Promar - International.
Poland’s higher education system consists of state (public) and non-state institutions, including vocational education schools. Higher education may be studied full time, part time or as extramural programmes.
Polish institutions are going through the process of joining the three-stage system that is used throughout Europe and agreed in the Bologna Process. The three-stage system comprises of Bachelors, Masters and doctoral studies. According to the new Law on Higher Education of 2005, programs in all fields, except law, pharmacy, psychology, veterinary medicine, medicine and medicine and dentistry are provided on a two-cycle basis. The third cycle, doctoral studies are accessible to those who hold a degree of magister (Masters) or the equivalent. Doctoral studies usually take four years but can be shortened or extended in some cases.
There are over 500 universities and higher education colleges in Poland and the academic year runs from October to September - see the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for more information. Universities Worldwide has details of universities and higher education colleges in Poland.
For study programmes in Poland see the Europlacement, which also has details of internships and voluntary work.
Universities determine the rules and procedures for admission and these are listed on their websites. These rules and procedures do vary from year to year but by 31 May of each year, the requisites for postgraduate study will be listed.
More than 90% of programmes are provided in Polish. Some are available in English, but rarely in other languages. Foreigners who do not speak Polish must enrol on language courses at one of the centres recognised by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. These are:
The academic year consists of thirty weeks of study, with the winter semester starting in October and ending in February and the summer semester starting in February and ending in September.
Full-time education at Polish state higher education institutions is free for Polish citizens. It is also free for foreigners who commence studies in Poland at state HEIs on terms applicable to Polish citizens. See the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for details. All other foreigners are required to pay tuition fees. Professional higher studies, including Masters programmes, cost €2,000 (around £1,800) and doctoral, specialist and scientific courses, cost €3,000 (around £2,800).
From time to time, the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education has a number of scholarships available through international agreements or under the decision of the minister responsible for higher education. Individual HEIs may also have scholarship programmes.
UK students on undergraduate degree programmes or postgraduate Masters and some PhD programmes may be interested in spending time studying in Poland through Erasmus. This programme is open to all subject areas, but check with your institution's Erasmus coordinator first (usually based in the international office) to see which countries they have links with and in what subject areas.
Erasmus is a component of Socrates, targeting higher education institutions and aimed at coordinating student exchange.
The Leonardo da Vinci Programme co-finances activities such as practical training and preparing innovative course programmes, curricula or educational materials. The programme targets young people participating in the undergraduate vocational education.
More information is available on Ploteus, the Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European area.
Poland is a member of ENIC-NARIC, a network of national centres that aims to improve academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study in European Union (EU) member states, EEA countries and associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The website includes information on current issues in international academic and professional mobility, and on procedures for the recognition of UK (and other European) qualifications.
Citizens of European Union and EEA countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) are eligible to work in Poland without a work permit. If you plan to stay for longer than three months, you will need to obtain a residence permit from the local immigration office within these first three months. This permit is valid for a year and entitles the bearer to take up work.
If you are from a non-EU country, please check with your embassy about regulations for working in Poland.
If you are from a non-EU country, contact the Polish embassy in the country where you are currently residing. If you are living in the UK, go to the Polish Embassy in London. You might also find it helpful to contact your ministry of foreign affairs (or your own embassy if you are not living in your home country) to ask whether there are any issues to be taken into account when considering working in Poland.
A person is eligible to apply for the citizenship if they have resided in Poland as a lawful permanent resident for at least five years. The granting of the citizenship can be subjected to submission of evidence of the loss or renunciation of foreign citizenship.
There are more than 400 local employment offices providing services for both foreign and Polish job seekers. The Polish Public Employment Service consists of regional labour offices called Wojewodzki Urzad Pracy, and local labour offices (job centres) called Powiatowy Urzad Pracy.
The first careers service in Poland was established in 1993 with help from the UK at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. There are now more than 35 careers services in Polish universities and institutes of higher education, with more being set up.
Careers services provide guidance to students, help with job applications and information on further study. Services to employers include organising presentations and candidate pre-selection. Careers services are also responsible for running job fairs.
Find the latest travel advice and a traveller's checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.
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