This is part of my ongoing series of articles that I’ve written for Airgate magazine, one of my glamorous freelance writing gigs. This one is especially timely, considering I’m taking off for Texas in a couple of weeks, to escape the Polish winter (or at least a few months of it). Enjoy!
So, it’s your first Polish winter, you say? How hard can it really be to survive, you wonder. Or perhaps you’re a seasoned veteran of the blistering cold and are more interested in thriving rather than merely surviving? We here at Airgate care about your well-being, so whether you’d like tips for staying warm or enjoying your time out in the snow (or ideally, both!), read on.
Plan A: Get the **** out!
One might consider leaving Poland for the winter to be cheating, but I consider it as a way to maintain your sanity (and desire to live). Of course, it may be difficult or downright impossible to migrate south for months at a time due to your job, school, family responsibilities or lack of financial resources, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a more temporary escape when you need it most.
If you have a limited amount of holiday time allowed by your workplace, perhaps consider cutting that summer trip to the Baltic shorter this year (chances are it’ll rain anyway) and reserving yourself a “sanity week” come February or March or whenever you feel that spending another day looking at dirt- and dog dropping-covered snow might just drive you to consider a swan dive off the Town Hall Tower. There are plenty of warmer destinations within a few hours’ direct flight from Kraków (but you’re reading an airport magazine so you know that already), such as Rome, Italy or Alicante in Spain. You can even catch a charter flight to North African climatic paradises such as Egypt or the Canary Islands, where the average temperature in January is 17.6°C (quite nice when compared to Kraków’s January average of −2.1°C… ouch!).
Plan B: Bundle up
This may go without saying, but I have a word count to fill so I’ll say it anyway: durable, high quality winter clothes are worth their weight in gold during the cold months. Sure, your brand new trainers may be wicked right now, but come February you’ll regret sacrificing warmth for fashion when it’s -30 and you haven’t felt your toes since Christmas and are wondering if they’re still even there. A great pair of waterproof, insulated boots is indispensable come snowfall, as are the inserts (wkładki) you can buy at any shoe store for added protection. As far as jackets go, you don’t necessarily have to pay a small fortune for branded mountain trekking gear approved for -200°C with a built-in polar bear repellent (though if you plan on spending a lot of time in the Tatras, that might just come in handy), but one solid, thick jacket that’s waterproof and durable is worth shelling out a few more złoty for, particularly if you plan on spending many more winters here.
Finally, the art of layering is a good one to master. Just remember: it’s always easier to remove extra layers if you’re too warm than hope an extra layer magically materialises when you’re too cold.
Plan C: When in doubt, stay indoors
Part of Kraków’s charm is its abundance of cosy cafes, bars and restaurants, and that charm is only amplified when you’re sitting by a fire, drinking mulled wine or beer while outside snow is falling. Winter is the perfect time to explore all of those places you meant to check out during warmer days, especially if they serve hot beverages (and most do).
However, if you decide to spend most of your time in your own flat or home, be aware that your heating bills may reach astronomical proportions. There are two ways to prepare: first, put aside extra money into a “winter fund” when your bills are low in the summer, so that even a higher than expected electric or gas bill won’t put you out on the street. Some utility companies even do this automatically, by charging an averaged bill that’s identical each month and is based on your prior usage.
Second, be wise in your use of electricity or gas, both in terms of heating your flat as well as heating the water you use. Most utilities have “savings times” such as the hours between 10 pm and 6 am, and perhaps an hour or two in the afternoon, when the cost of that utility is half price (taryfy nocne). Ask your landlord or utility company when these times are, and then invest in a 12-złoty timer from Tesco or the like that will let you automatically set the heater or water heater to operate only during low cost hours.
Plan D: Embrace the cold!
The old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” certainly applies in the case of Polish winters. While you cannot change the fact that the next few months may be unbearably cold at times and weeks may pass without you seeing the sun, you can make the best of the situation by taking up a winter sport such as skiing or snowboarding. There are several slopes within an hour or even half-hour drive of Kraków, and for longer expeditions there is the relative proximity of Zakopane, northern Slovakia or even Austria. Missing the sun? Try night skiing! Need a break from the slopes? Just about every half-decent ski lift has an adjacent diner with plenty of hot soup and mulled wine to warm you back up.
If you spend your time enjoying the cold rather than griping about it (and I suggest leaving griping in the hands of the local professionals), before you know it the sun will return and the cafes on the Market Square will be pulling their outdoor furniture back out from the cellars. And remember – when in doubt, there’s always Plan A!
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Since I started my big round the world trip a few weeks back, I’ve heard the same exclamation from several people: “Wow, you’re really doing it!”
My initial, unspoken reaction is usually along the lines of, “Well, yeah. I said I was going to. What did you expect?”
What I’ve come to realize though is that not many people actually do follow through and walk their big dream talk. The fact that I’m doing just that doesn’t make me feel especially proud or exceptional. Rather, it makes me feel sad. Because what’s our word worth if most of us don’t even follow through on our biggest dreams? Making them real should be of the utmost importance to us, but it seems we let them slip away much too easily.
” —Checking In On Your Big, Ridiculous Goals: Are You Walking Your Talk?
It’s incredibly sad how many times I’ve had this same reaction, whether it was after my Trans-Siberian trip, or when I went to Iceland on my birthday, or even now when I went to Morocco for three days for the hell of it. Or even the fact that I’ve been freelance for almost a year now and haven’t starved to death (or haven’t even had to move out of my apartment).
It’s not that hard, people. Seriously.
“The speech deserves the attention it has brought. Whether or not it makes Germany change (or accelerate) course remains to be seen. But the historic moment is clear: to see a Polish foreign minister addressing a Berlin audience as a political heavyweight, with serious ideas and serious demands, is a huge change from the days when Poland was seen as a difficult and needy recipient of Western largesse.” —
Poland’s appeal to Germany: Sikorski: “I fear German inactivity” | The Economist
It’s about time.
“As the hierarchy of the traditional workplace breaks down, we are all gaining more freedom and flexibility. More and more, we can set our own long-term goals, we can determine our own work schedules, we can work at an office or at a coffee shop, we can make our own decisions about what we focus on today, and what we focus on tomorrow. But this “freedom” also brings responsibility — a responsibility that, I would argue, demands a vastly increased capacity for self-control.” —
If I had to pinpoint the single most difficult part of freelancing, this is it. Not the occasional poverty, not the lack of regiment (which I enjoy), not the instability (also a plus in my book), but the sheer amount of self-control it takes to get anything done, and more importantly, to build a business and a future rather than just getting by.
In essence, I began freelancing nearly a year ago as the kid who grabbed the marshmallow after two minutes. I may have left my old job, but I was still weighed down by my old habits, and it took months for me to even realize this, and the past two or three months of continuous, hard work to get a grip on it, which I still consider very much a work in progress. But I’ve gotten better. Even if I don’t always control my Facebook itch, I’m aware of it. Even if I don’t always wait until I’ve finished all of my work for the day to eat dinner (a surprisingly effective habit I’ve found), I know that’s what I need to do, and I do it more often from week to week. If nothing else, jumping off the deep end into the freelance pool has made me minutely aware of all of my faults, and singularly motivated to improve on each and every one. That’s why I’ve started getting in shape again. That’s why I’ve been setting goals and writing them down on a giant white board hanging over my desk in my apartment. That’s why I’ve made a lot of them public, to keep myself accountable. That’s why I want to stop drinking for a month or two, or at least severely cut down. That’s why I keep some semblance of a schedule, even though I don’t have to. That’s why I need to make myself write more, whether I feel like it or not, whether I have paid work to do or not, because everything depends entirely on me now, which is an equally terrifying and exciting prospect.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my few paid writing gigs is for Airgate Magazine, a high-brow arts publication travel rag published by the Krakow Airport. Occasionally I write quasi-interesting helpful articles for them, the newest of which you will find below.
While the summer is a time of travel and enjoying the weather (when it isn’t perpetually cold and rainy like this summer, anyway), now that autumn approaches it’s time to get back to work. But what kind of job can an expat expect in a country where he or she might not know the language, or be lacking a residency card? This month we’ll explore the available options as we look at the expat job market in Kraków.
Be the cliché
I admit that it would be pretty impossible to write an article about expat trades without starting with the most popular (or at least visible): English teacher. Contrary to popular belief, having knowledge of the language is not enough, at least in a competitive market like Kraków. Most schools today require a certificate showing your competence not only in British or US English, but also in communicating effectively to students. This is commonly met with a CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), TEFL Certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), or TESOL Certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or similar. A Bachelor degree helps, but is not always necessary depending on the school, and proof of experience can often substitute a specific degree.
If you’re an aspiring language teacher, there are two places to earn teaching certificates in Kraków: the British Council or the Tischner European University. The average salary for English teachers tends to hover around PLN 3000 per month, though hours tend to be shorter and more flexible than traditional office work (which might be the greatest appeal of the teaching profession), allowing for extra income to be earned from private lessons. As an added bonus, while the recession has hurt many other lines of work, it has also shown the importance of language skills in an increasingly competitive job market, thus paradoxically increasing the demand for language schools and teachers.
Selling out
If you’d like to work for a multinational company with offices in Kraków – perhaps one based in your home country – the good news is there’s plenty of choice, and the pay tends to be well above the average. Examples of international companies with offices/headquarters in Kraków include IBM, Indesit, Bayer, Motorola, Lufthansa, International Paper, BP, Orlen, Shell, UBS, Google, ABB, ComArch, Sabre, Linde Industrial Gases, Mittal Steel Company, and, if your soul is also on the market, Philip Morris has a Polish branch located in Kraków as well.
The bad news is, anecdotal evidence suggests that securing a position in these companies is more often than not based on the same system at work in most hiring decisions in Poland – connections. Though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send in a CV when you spot a job you’re clearly qualified for, an easier way might be to be hired in the national branch of the company in your home country and then request a transfer.
In recent years, Kraków has also become a business process outsourcing (BPO) and shared service centre (SSC) hot spot. These jobs usually pay less but are more abundant, and include positions in human resources, finance and accounting, and call centres for companies based in other countries. Examples of these types of firms include Capgemini, AFS, Ahold, Communication Factory, and others.
Going it alone
If the thought of spending eight or more hours in an office each day defeats the purpose of living in a beautiful city like Kraków for you, you’re not alone. Another way to find work in Kraków is to simply create it, by starting a business. There are two ways to do this, and your personality, skill set and interests will determine what kind of business you start. I won’t go into the specifics of actually registering a company in Poland as that’s been covered by our financial guru Tej Panesar in a previous issue of Airgate.
If your skills generally require you to sit in front of a computer to make money (i.e. programming, graphic design, writing, translating, photo editing, etc.), freelancing is a good option. There are plenty of expats in Kraków and around Poland supporting themselves this way by running a one-person company (jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza), yours truly included. Start-up costs are low, and generally include the cost of registration of the company, including accounting help if necessary (and if you don’t speak Polish, that’s definitely a necessity), website design, and marketing in order to secure clients. The downside: as with freelancing anywhere in the world, there are alternating times of feast and famine, and you may have to rely on one of the two previously mentioned sources of employment in downtimes. Note that non-EU citizens can establish a sole proprietorship only if they have a permit of settlement or asylum.
The second option is opening a brick and mortar shop or business. The start-up costs here are much higher and generally require investors as well as extensive accounting and legal help, but the rewards can be much higher as well. Here, residency issues can get quite tricky, and it’s not uncommon for non-Poles to have Polish business partners, as their native knowledge is often invaluable to the success of the company. If you’re interested in starting a business in Kraków, a helpful resource is the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency website.
Anything else?
While the above-mentioned livelihoods are certainly the most common, there are some other options. If you’re highly skilled in a technical field that’s in demand (such as electronics, engineering, some programming or AutoCAD), you may be able to work for a Polish company regardless of your Polish language skills. There’s also the possibility of working for film companies as an English-speaking actor or doing voice-overs – a long shot, sure, but it pays well and is probably more fun than most other options.
Most importantly, don’t be discouraged if you can’t land your dream job the second you arrive in Kraków. If you’re determined to make this city your home, all you need is the perseverance to build your network of contacts, improve and diversify your skills and language abilities and eventually you’ll find the right career for you.
“Ignore the pessimists who say journalism is dead. It’s never been more alive. Journalists are storytellers. Throughout history, people who have wanted to tell stories only had one option: work for someone else. He gets the profit; you get a paycheck. Now, for the first time in history — thanks to the internet — we can take the reins. We’re not forced to climb the corporate ladder. We can build rungs underneath.” —
Stop Crying That There Are No Jobs. Create One. | Afford Anything
I love this sentiment. And this is one of my favorite blog discoveries this year. Go read it.
I hope the fact that this is on an obviously jailbroken iPhone doesn’t make it disrespectful (on the contrary IMO). RIP Steve.
One thing I hadn’t really noticed since I’ve been freelance is my usually ever-present wanderlust. When I was working regularly, I would constantly dream of travel. Some of my most epic trips took place in the last few years - the Trans-siberian/China/Australia trip, Iceland on my birthday, several Scandinavian adventures. This summer I stayed relatively close to home. I only left Poland for a few days, and only to neighboring countries - the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine (though that last one was a first and quite an adventure).
Part of it is because I’ve been watching the excellent Long Way Round and Long Way Down series on the recommendation of a friend. Part of it is that my 29th birthday is approaching, adding some urgency to my goal of stepping on all of the continents except Antarctica by the time I’m 30. Either way, I have two very massive undertakings in the next year - Africa and South America - and I really need to get started on the planning stages.
So this is partly my asking for advice, particularly when it comes to Africa. That’s probably the first trip I’ll take, and the one that requires the most planning and security considerations. Oh, and I have to do all of this dirt cheap, on account of my constant near-poverty, which is probably another reason why I haven’t travelled much since going freelance - though hopefully with another writing gig or two that will change. It would be great to spend time working in Africa to at least pay for the travel there, so that’s something I’ll definitely look into. Oh, and going by boat would be awesome. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all the thought I’ve put into this so far.
Help?
I’m digging my new desktop.
It’s amazing how much the weather has an influence on me. I never really felt this in Texas. Sure, I bitched that it was hot, but it was ALWAYS hot, and for months and months that didn’t change. And anyway, I was always in an artificial climate - no matter what was happening outdoors, my day was an invariable 72 degrees and I was completely indifferent to the blazing heat or torrential downpours that were a norm. It takes a hurricane for people to notice the weather there, and only because they might be forced out of their air-conditioned homes and possibly spend some time in slightly less air-conditioned motels.
But here, weather matters. Especially now, when my days are often quite literally determined by what’s happening outside my window. Oh, it’s a sunny, beautiful summer day? Screw work, I’m going to bike 25 km because who knows when it’ll be this nice again. It’s above 30 you say? Well, that only happens a couple of times each year, so I’m definitely going swimming. It’s pouring and cold? Guess I need to leave 10 minutes earlier to catch the tram instead of taking my bike (yeah, I’m a pussy like that).
And layering - it’s really an art form. I can say I never really appreciated the amount of strategy a good layered outfit requires when I lived in a place with two fashion choices: t-shirt or t-shirt and light jacket. Here, depending on the occasion, I can go with as few as two or as many as four or five layers - and that’s just the top, there’s also the tights or long johns underneath the jeans when it gets really cold. So, a wintertime Friday night outfit can consist of a base layer of light dress over tights or a fancy t-shirt or tank top, layered with a sweater or hoodie, layered with a thick sweater if necessary, layered with a winter coat. Oh, and gloves and hat and the ubiquitous scarf (best if it can double as a hood) and perhaps another sweater in the purse, just in case. Even most summer days require light jackets or sweaters in reserve for the evenings.
But enough about fashion. What got me on the topic of weather in the first place was yet another realization of just how much influence the weather has on my mood. I feel powerless whenever I realize how little control I have over this effect, as if having control were the natural state of affairs, rather than the guise we all throw on to mask our impuissance. Heat, cold, rain, sleet - it means nothing! We mighty humans have conquered weather, have beaten Mother Nature at her own game. Watch us as we build our air-conditioned mansions and irrigate the deserts. What does it matter that it’s grey and dreary outside when I’m in my well-lit, heated office building?
It does matter, though. Being closer to the weather, having it directly affect your day also results in it gaining a direct ability in affecting your mood. In short - when it rains, I get less done. I’m sleepy and useless and have to force any semblance of productivity. And then the next day I’ve had even less sleep as I spent the previous day force feeding caffeine in order to work, but it doesn’t matter because the sun is out and I’m up and working out and working and the caffeine actually works too and isn’t it a beautiful day to be alive. And the difference is a few clouds releasing water molecules and lowering the temperature by an insignificant couple of degrees.
So maybe it is a kind of devolution - not exactly a return to nature, but at least a greater awareness of it. But it doesn’t feel like I’ve lost any kind of battle, because it seems like an awful waste of energy to be fighting this war in the first place. We evolved on a planet with seasons in most places, and despite our constant battle to ignore those changes in temperature and precipitation, as long as we’re not freezing to death or dying of heatstroke maybe it’s better to be affected by our surroundings, even if it means riding bikes instead of spending days in an office, or lying in bed watching TV instead of marking tasks off a never-ending to do list. Luckily, those are luxuries I can afford as a freelancer, but I still wonder if the rest of the Western world would be better off living like this as well.