Job Discussion Forums

[elcabojota]

Have any other Americans had any troubles getting a work visa for Poland? Has anyone got a trick up their sleeve that I dont know about? A backdoor perhaps?? Please, help me out. I am looking to start work in Pl in Jan/Feb timeframe. Cheers!!!!

[misteradventure]

Get a job. Be in the States. Apply. Could you be more specific?

[Gajah Oling]

Yeah, like elcabojota said, you'll need a job first. Your employer will have to get you a work permit which you can then send to the Polish consulate in your area along with your passport. They will sticker the visa in your passport and send it back to you.

The one caveat I would like to add, having just arrived in Poland safe and sound, is to be aware of the varying sluggishness of the Polish consulates in the US. I was in the midwest and was told I had to go through the Chicago consulate. Never heard boo from them. I called, they never answered their phones (any time of day, any day of the week). I left messages on every extension I dialed, no one called me back. I e-mailed them, I still haven't heard back from them. I finally convinced the Los Angeles consulate to do the paper work for me at the eleventh hour and now I'm here because of it. So make sure you give yourself plenty of time between being offered a job and when you must show up. And if you can help it, don't buy your plane ticket until you have your work visa in front of you.

[elcabojota]

Right, I know about getting a job. Duh! I wasnt specific enough I suppose. Has any one had problems getting a school to sponsor your visa? Because of American citizenship?

[coffeespoonman]

Nope. Generally Poles love Americans. They're one of the few countries left that do

Like Gajah said, the Polish consulates rarely answer their phones, and when they do, they tend to treat you like you're the biggest moron in the world, and may even hang up on you if they get bored. The bigger problem, of course, is that pesky rule about only being able to get a work visa while in America. I can imagine that employers might consider that a big hassle, and try to avoid it by not hiring Americans...

Good luck!