What is Warsaw like for an expat?

November 13, 2022 4:47 AM

I've been offered the chance to move to Warsaw for a couple of years on a fellowship. I need to find a new job because my current contract ends soon, and this fellowship pays well and I like my prospective boss. But I have reservations about living in Warsaw with no Polish, about the overall scientific environment and its effects on my future career, and about my experience in the culture at large and my ethical position as a bisexual woman who has trans friends. I'd be grateful for any relevant input from people living or working in Warsaw themselves.

I am an EU citizen, currently working in biosciences (academia) in Barcelona ; I am fluent in English, French, Spanish and learned Catalan when I came here. But for a max. 2 year stay I have no desire to spend time learning anything beyond the bare minimum of Polish if I were to go there, given that I would be a complete beginner. I've been told that I can totally survive with just English, but I've learned to take this kind of assurance with a hefty train of salt (e.g. I am concerned about my ability to communicate with landlords, local administration, doctors, and have my needs meet without paying a hefty premium for services in English). I increasingly suspect that I'm not neurotypical, but I don't know whether I would have an avenue to look into that possibility, or generally have mental health support, living there with no Polish.

I have no desire to try to stay there longer/permanently, and so I want to make sure that I can thrive decently enough to gtfo after the fellowship ends. My prospective boss is well known in our field and i like her and her work, but other than her there doesn't seem to be anyone around in our field that I could collaborate with (unless I were to visit the Czech Republic, which had lots of excellent colleagues).

My prospective boss has told me that she feels I would have good chances for the fellowship. As an EU fellowship it would pay upwards of €4000/month - much more than I make now, and I think VERY good by Polish standards. I am quite anxious about finding something when my fellowship here ends next summer, as I feel my publication record isn't as strong as it should be and I worry about how competitive I am for alternative positions.

My perception is that Warsaw is pretty cosmopolitan and open, and of course so is academia as a whole, so I'm not worried about my safety. But my perception is that I would need to spend my time there without the safety net of abortion should contraception fail with a man (realistically this would scare me enough to just not sleep with cis men there), and that I would need to be discreet about liking women - not holding hands in public, maybe not being out at work? I would also worry about the safety of visibly trans friends or colleagues should they visit, and even though that's unlikely, the thought of all of those things is making me resentful. But that perception may be based on negative stereotypes, fed by recent news articles about Polish politics.

Thanks for your thoughts!

posted by jlibera to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Not an expat, but yes that's enough money to live comfortably here (but not extravagantly, inflation bites). Make sure your benefits include the fairly standard private medical care subscription or budget for one yourself, because that's key to finding English-speaking medical care. Offhand searching on the usual med search engine I can see over a thousand therapists who advertise as English-speaking. The subscriptions usually have limited therapy included, but private prices are in the 40-60 euro/h range, a bit more for psychiatrists - do note that ADHD medication is quite hard to get here if that's your flavour of ND, to the point I've been discouraged to pursue a formal diagnosis because I wouldn't get meds anyway as long as I have my life mostly together. Health-wise I could see trouble only if you have a major issue that includes a hospital stay (hospitals are generally state-run, which keeps the private subscription prices reasonable), because ward nurses and janitors might not speak English.

Generally anyone under 40 will have learned English in school, but the extent is variable. Out of your list I'd be the most worried about contact with local administration, though you shouldn't need much of it. There's a small premium on rentals aimed at expats on purpose, and most rental flats are privately owned, but if you deal with a broker they'll be fine with English.

Warsaw's fine for most queer people and "telling" behaviours or presentations, certainly on the left bank the most you'll get is someone making a face at you. I'd maybe keep a little more down-low in the older parts of the right bank (Praga, Grochów), like not have a Pride flag in your window, though I've seen them in Praga too. But outside the biggest cities and main tourist drags there are places where right-wingers bought the anti-LGBT bullshit, alas - while outright violence is rare enough to make the news, I'd be more wary of verbal aggression or refusal of service, plus stay away from the football matches and independence marches. Abortion-wise you need to have the funds to get out of the country or get the meds under the table (many online networks are facilitating), the worst situation is if you're poor, underage and/or with an advanced wanted pregnancy that isn't going the way you want to be.

And honestly if you can I'd put off this decision just a little, to see how we make it through the winter here. Coal shortage is still possible, as is another refugee wave due to Ukraine having its infrastructure blown to bits just in time for winter.

(Feel free to memail me if you want any advice on practicals.)
posted by I claim sanctuary at 5:40 AM on November 13, 2022 [11 favorites]

As another EU citizen: is that 4000€ gross or net? If gross, how much tax would you have to pay? That would make a big difference.
posted by gakiko at 12:59 AM on November 14, 2022

Oh right - salaries in Poland are generally quoted as gross per month. My answer assumed this was gross, working out to about 2800 net for the first half of the year, then falling to as low as 2120 euro in September before going back up to 2500-ish (don't ask, progressive tax levels and limits on national insurance). Still a quite comfortable middle-class existence even with current rental prices (a nice furnished one-bedroom can run you around 1000 euro per month with utilities, more in the city centre, lower on the outskirts, less if picture frame molding is not a must, you want a tram or metro line nearby if you value your time at all, and Białołęka and Ursus are only technically Warsaw :P).
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:57 PM on November 14, 2022