Job Discussion Forums

[slynn]

Have any of the other Amis out there visited the Polish Consulate in Chicago? I'm wondering whether obtaining a visa there will take a long time, since I'm supposed to be in Poland and in the classroom in less than 3 weeks! I'd be grateful for any insight or advice on what I can do (if anything) to speed the process up.

Also, how is the town of Gorzow Wielkopolski? I haven't heard it mentioned as either a wonderful or horrible place on the forum. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who lives there or has visited! Thanks!

[Chris]

Hi there,

When I worked in Poland (just moved to Germany in Feb--lived in Poland from Oct 97 til then) I had to use the Polish consulate in Chicago. They were quite quick actually. One time I had to go to Chicago to get it done that day--cost me $35, but had it in hand within an hour. The other time was just after Sept 11. I sent them my passport along with a pre-paid registered mail envelope and it took about 1 week total.

Now, I'm assuming you have the paperwork from the labor office in Poland though....

[dtomchek]

Slynn:

I have been to Gorzow. Someone already accepted a job there partly on what I told them about the place. I have been there twice as they have a Model UN conference there and I had a friend there when I was in the Peace Corps.

It is a great town. Big enough to have a McDonalds and Pizza Hut but small enough to have a small town field. Great connections to Poznan and Warsaw by train. It has a cinema that plays American movies in English with Polish subtitles. There is also a bar there where the owner graduated from the English Teachers Trainer College so he speaks great English (guess he discovered that owning a bar is more lucrative than teaching English)

I was in Poland for 2 years and it is a great country and Gorzow was one of the best towns to visit. I would not have minded living there myself. As far as towns go, you cannot do much better in my opinion...

[slynn]

Thanks for the vote of confidence on Gorzow and the info about the Polish Consulate!

Papers from the Polish labor office, though....I don't have any of those. Do I need to mail and request those now (stateside) or are they something I can work on once I get to Poland? Is it enough for me to arrive with my visa and work permit? I guess I wouldn't be surprised at all if I arrived there and found I'm missing some big chunk of red tape....

My employer did tell me that I will need to prove I've paid my taxes and haven't been in prison. Someone else in the forum mentioned going to Krakow or Warsaw for that affadavit-- where could I go in the US to get this done in advance? I'm not sure that copies of my tax returns and a background check from the local police will be "official" enough for the Polish gov!

I'm glad I can ask these questions of people who have been there--thanks for your help!

[Chris]

Hi again,

The papers I mentioned from the Polish labor office are what you need to get the work permit/visa from the Polish consulate. However, if you are working for a certified "higher institute of learning" (university, college, etc) then all you need is a letter stating you will be working for them full time blah blah blah. Ok, now the rules may have changed since I left in FEb, but I don't really know...

If you want to get the tax and criminal check from home, you'll need to pay some money.. I had a friend who did this, and paid about $40 for everthing. At the consulate, it's free... Along with the required Polish translation. That's the best way to go, IMHO.

Good luck! Enjoy Poland! I'm going there this Thursday for the weekend to see some friends get married. Can't wait! I really miss my friends in Poland. It's rather difficult finding Germans to go out with (but I did find a Swiss boyfriend after only 4 weeks of living here--NO bf for the entire 6 1/2 years in Poland! Go figure... *shrugs*)

Ooops.. Maybe a little too personall..