Job Discussion Forums

[hybrid_monochrome]

Hi, everyone. I'm an American teaching in South Korea right now who is planning on relocating to Wroclaw, Poland sometime this year. I've tried to research the documents required by a school to get a job, etc. and to get a work visa, but it's kind of confusing. Can you guys recommend a website I can try or give me your own personal experience? It would help tons. Thanks!

[wojbrian]

Hello,

There are many things you need for temporary residence. I will let you know what I needed, however, they can ask for more or less.

1. background check I had my family member go to a local police station and print up my local history.

2. no taxes owed Call the IRS and they will send you a letter or 2 saying that you have paid.

3. copy of contract in Polish Your school should provide this anyway. You should get a copy of your contract in both Polish and English.

4. proof of income This is another thing your school will have to provide.

5. copy of lease You should get a copy of the lease from your landlord when you sign. Not sure what to do if your school provides an apartment.

6. registration with city This is where it can get tricky because not all landlords want you to be registered because they have to pay taxes. My landlord had to go with me.

7. proof your landlord can rent out the apartment This is proof that it is his apartment to rent. My landlord did not want to give this information. The secretary from my school went to the local government was able to procure this.

8. proof of insurance If you are an employee of the school they should provide you with insurance.

9. copy of landlords ID

10. copy of passport

11. pictures for documents These are cheap in Poland. I believe I needed to send in 3.

12. 14 page form filled out in Polish

13. 260pln

14 copy of work permit


Other things they could ask for
1. certification to teach
2. copy of college or university diploma
3. offer of employment from school
4. bank statement showing proof of funds
5. etc....................................


A word of warning. Do not work with out a work permit. It is easier to get this out of country then in.. If you can get this before you enter Poland it will make life much easier.

[scottie1113]

I also had to provide a copy of my birth certificate, CELTA certificate, and university degree as well as a copy of my contract with my school. I didn't have a background check done before I got here-didn't know I needed one. They accepted a signed statement that I wasn't an axe murderer. Same with proof of no back taxes. I signed another statement. At the time I didn't have a bank account so they gave me another document and I had to write in the amount of money I had. I wrote a number that satisfied them.

This is Poland and every office seems to have different requirements.

We've discussed this many times on this forum, but you don't need a work visa to teach English here. All the documents cited above were for your residency card (karta pobytu).

Now comes the tricky part. Once you apply they're supposed to give you an answer (a decision) within 45 days. If it's yes, they'll give you a copy of the decision which is valid until you get your actual card, and that can take 4-5 months, at least in my case. No big deal.

But as an American, you can only stay in Poland for 90 days unless you have a residency card, so you've got to get everything-job, flat, etc) pretty damn fast once you get here, and even then you'll probably need more than 90 days. That means a trip across the border to a non Schengen zone country like Ukraine.

If all that seems like a lot, well, it is. Welcome to Poland.

[dynow]

scottie 1113 wrote:

[simon_porter00]

People write advice like that because it's still possible.
It shouldn't be.
But it is.
The punishment for being caught is deportation, a ban and possibly a fine. This is the risk of jumping the border to Ukraine. The Ukraine border guards don't give a monkeys and in some cases fill in the cards for you as they're all (helpfully) in Ukrainian/Russian.

Therefore, you're correct Dynow, to say it shouldn't be written without the caveat that if you're caught (which let's face it, you'll have to be really really unlucky) there's be sanctions.[/b]

[wojbrian]

I agree with Simon.

I received a one year ban. I didn't get it for overstaying my time but for working without a work permit.

I was told that the US and Poland have an agreement so its only necessary to leave Poland not the EU. To be honest, I am not sure if this is true or not.

The best thing is to have your ducks in a row before you go. It's not really hard as it is an inconvenience. The school only has to do a few things extra to hire an American. It's not as easy as hiring a Brit but its not as bad as the schools think. To be honest, it's the person that has to do all the work. Filling out all the forms in Polish is impossible without help.

[hrvatski]

[scottie1113]

True. I know it's not "legal", but it's possible, and I know someone who did it about a month or two ago. But like everyone else said, me included, do as much as you can before you set foot in Poland.

Good luck.

[justflyingin]

The reason is it is SOO confusing is because this is what the office tells you to do! When our karty were not ready "on time" because of Christmas, etc. they just said, "No problem...go across the border" into the Ukraine.

??

Does that make sense?

I'm really surprised that anyone would get deported over it since apparently "one hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing".

[scottie1113]

You shouldn't have had to go at all if you were waiting for your card. If they had given you the copy of the decision, that's good until you get the actual card. In my case, that's always taken 3-4 months.

[simon_porter00]

[Master Shake]