[aguasin]

I work in IT in Australia. Cost of living is insane, spend way too much on accommodation than I would like to.
I have been thinking about relocating to Europe for awhile, and finally received a firm job offer in a small town in-between Poznan and Berlin, Germany.

I accepted the position, but now I'm in two minds about whether it's a good idea and I need some input.

What do you all think? Objectively...

Role is in database administration, which is what I do.
Cost of living is substantially lower, but so is the salary. Probably clear about 2000 euros a month after tax.

[Suits]

No one here can make the decision for you and you've provided us with very little data on which to offer our advice.

Are you interested in living in Poland? Are you willing to live in a small town? How small is small? What are the local dating prospects? Does that matter to you? Have you ever been to Poland or Europe? How old are you? What are your life goals? How well does this position fit into your life goals? Where is your family located? How important is being close to family for you? Have you ever lived abroad? How long of a commitment is this likely to be? Are you familiar with Polish culture and/or do you have any knowledge of the language? How many of the locals in the town where you are heading can communicate in English? Is that important to you? How often do you get laid in Australia? Do you think you'll be at an advantage game-wise in Poland over Australia? If you need a break from small town life in Poland how close and accessible are nearby large cities? What affect will this position have on your career trajectory? When you inevitable go back to Australia, will you be at a career advantage or disadvantage because of this job? How big of an expat community is there in this small town in Poland?

[Brodiaga]

I would say if you have some savings, no debt or family/other obligations, give it a try for a few months even if it's 2000 euros per month after tax. What do you have to lose? Worst comes to worst you come back home and either return to your current job or get an even better one.

Once you're there, you can decide if you want to stay in that city in Poland, move to another Polish city or somewhere else in Europe. You can also network and get a higher paying job.

Presumably you liked the people you interviewed with, the company has pretty good reviews or at least doesn't have shitty reviews based on your research. You don't want to end up working for assholes and not even making that much money (though it's a high salary by Polish standards).

I have never worked in Poland or even visited small towns, but I've been to Warsaw a couple of times. A friend of mine also lives in Warsaw and likes it as an expat.

[Crash_Bandicoot]

I would book a flight there now, spend a week there, see how much you like it, and then make a decision.

I once got a job offer with a boat load of money with a great company in an area I've never been in. I ended up visiting and the area was a complete shithole. Good thing I went and visited. If I didn't visit, then I would be stuck there.

Visit. And then decide. And if you can squeeze in a few approaches/bangs during your visit, even better. You'll get to know how you phase out there with the local women as well.

[Robert Plant]

Do you like your life in Australia? Do you live your preferred lifestyle there? How much money do you save each month after living your life?

Personally, I love the ocean (sailing/surfing) almost as much as women so would probably not do Poland. I've had job offers in Pussy Paradises before but turned them down due to the lack of quality ocean and surf, but then again I get a lot of time off each year to travel to women when needed.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

If it were me and I knew for sure that I could put food on the table and a roof over my head, I’d take the job and go. Hell, worst case you spend a few months to make sure you’re not missing one of the greatest opportunities of your lifetime.

Especially if nothing is holding you back.

You said you have an interest in Europe, being in Poland would allow you to see whatever you want much easier than where you’re at now.

You can always stay in Australia and do the same thing you’ve always done. Or you can pack a few things and see what’s out there.

To me it sounds like you should ask why wouldn’t you go?! If it’s just fear of change, there’s lots of ways to overcome it.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

[Nordwand]

Can't say that I 've really got my finger on the pulse, but €2,000 net in Poland sounds like a very good wage, which should enable you to live well, and have a good time. You'd also be able to travel to a lot of the countries mentioned on this forum, with little effort and expenditure.

[Tintin]

Well you can give it a go, 2k Euro a month gives you a very comfortable life in Poland, but you may want to consider investing some time in developing a location independent income if you want to be in Europe long term, otherwise Poland might get old after a while. Better to make that kind of money only working a few hours a day and from amywhere

[Barron]

I've lived in Ukraine three years, working in IT for two years now. For what I do here, I could make more back in California but wouldn't be able to save a dime. However by living in Kiev, I'm able to save over 75% of my monthly pay, tax free.

This doesn't include other perks like the women, living in the center, no need to own a car, etc. I plan to purchase an apartment in cash this year as an investment. Unless I suddenly become a SJW faggot that loves sharing heroine needles, I won't be returning to CA any time soon.

It's not about how much you can make, it's about how much you can save.

[Lino]

As suits mentioned, there are some important parameters that you don’t mention.

Your age, experience in this kind of job (DBA) and how far you are in your career are important elements.

If you don’t have a lot of experience and this job sounds interesting, like you could be doing things you weren’t allowed to do in Australia (because of a lack of experience or high competiton or wathever reason) then it is already worth going as you’ll be gaining skills. In today’s work market gaining new skills and improving your existing skills is extremely important and many companies hire you only to do things you are expert on, a company which allows you to grow is golden. Basically if it allows you to get new skills I would say GO. Simply because it can’t be a lose situation. You’ll discover a new culture, new country, new customs, new women, if you never lived abroad it will be at the same time exciting and stressfull but you need to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone to progress.

I travelled a lot for work opportunities and ended up sometimes in 2nd tier and 3rd tier western european cities, to me these are shitholes as well because people aren’t refined and are most of the time narrow minded.

I don’t regret these experiences because I learned from all of them,if not professionally it allowed me a least to grow as a person and know myself better. Would I go back to some of these places? Hell no, but when you are young you need to live different experiences, learn and grow. Too many guys here are in their 20s and are lazy, they all seek for the dream life without knowing much things about life.

Basically if you are young, don’t mind being out of your comfort zone and this role is interesting then go, salary comes way second, think in the long term. This job might open the door to better jobs, especially if you enjoy Poland, having a local experience will always give you extra points compared to other foreign applicants. I heard that the IT jobs are growing there so you might find something better if you don’t like this role.

If you are already very senior in this job and think you have nothing to learn from it and aren’t particularly attracted to Poland then moneywise it has to be attractive enough to be worth it.

There need to be a clear benefit: gaining skills or better lifestyle or more money, if you have at least one it is already worth considering going, if 2 then in my opinion it’s a no brainer.

Be aware though that each expat experience comes with a bit of pain and frustration, you’ll need to be patient and resilient and work to improve things over the time. Many people aren’t cut for it.

[Tintin]

(07-31-2018 02:04 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

I've lived in Ukraine three years, working in IT for two years now. For what I do here, I could make more back in California but wouldn't be able to save a dime. However by living in Kiev, I'm able to save over 75% of my monthly pay, tax free.

This doesn't include other perks like the women, living in the center, no need to own a car, etc. I plan to purchase an apartment in cash this year as an investment. Unless I suddenly become a SJW faggot that loves sharing heroine needles, I won't be returning to CA any time soon.

It's not about how much you can make, it's about how much you can save.

Good that you are focused, it's not easy in Ukraine, especially in Summer. Best to keep the curtains closed while you work at home, otherwise you will see the legs and bums and head out on the prowl.

[the-dream]

What is your current salary? Would the chance of living in this town be worth more to you than whatever you can buy with the money you'd have in Australia?

[Que enspastic]

2000 EUR after tax in Poland is probably worth the same as 4000 EUR after tax in Australia.

4000 EUR is $6320 AUD which gives a salary of around $105k salary.

What are you currently earning in AUS ?

[Naughty_Boy]

As a Poland Veteran I suggest you visit the city before you decide

Cons:
1# There no big city between Poznan and Berlin. Maximum population could be 130.000 which by polish standards a small town shithole. I guarantee you will bore yourself to death "As a player" when there is no student population and you will have difficulties gaming the leftovers (like polish single moms) without speaking the polish language
2# The weather will be depressing for at least 5 months in a year

Pros:

1# You will save money if dont travel or need a car to drive often to the bigger cities. But you will not be able to save 75% of your wage. Depending on your lifestyle I would say you would save between 500 - 1000 € per Month
2# Good place if you want just to have relatively stress free life in a LTR
3# If you are into outdoor activities you may like it. Many forrests, lakes close by and additionally within 3 - 4 hours by car like you have some small mountains for skiing or hiking and the Baltic Sea

[Que enspastic]

Following on from this I reckon more people earn $105k+ in AUS than 2000 EUR after tax in Poland so your relative status will be much higher - probably top 1-2%

[Garden]

I don't think the answer is easy. Everything depends on where do you stand currently in your life and what are your objectives.

Personally if I were you I would give it a try.
2000EUR is good salary there.
In Poznan you should be able to rent decent apartment for 500EUR and not much than 500EUR for life:
- around 15EUR daily for food, considering eating out all the meals, you can cut from it if you cook at home
- you will find decent gym for 15EUR monthly but highly likely your company will give you the sports card with access to most of the gyms as it's kind of a standard in Poland
- cinema ticket is around 5EUR

In reality you would be able to save 1000EUR (or have it as a budget for travelling or hobby) monthly living good standard life. If the city is smaller, probably you can save even more, as everything is cheaper (I would say even 1300EUR).

Partying is cheap. Most of the young people start "before party" at home to get into the mood and spend less for alcohol, but it opens a lot of opportunities for you after you will meet some local people. In the clubs prices varies but the average should be 5EUR for a drink (like mojito).

Poland is also quite good spot for travelling around Europe. In 2 hours, by plane, you can be almost anywhere in Europe (London, Paris, Rome), 1,5 hour fjords in Norway, 3 hours Spain, Turkey or Iceland.

But basically I agree that if you will not be in the big city, it can be boring.
If you share the name of the city (even in PM) you got offer from, I will be able to tell you more.

[travolta]

As others said, you don't have much to lose by trying, but living in a small town in Poland sounds boring as fuck. Is there anything to do in the town? How far away is Poznan? Australia sounds better than some podunk town in Poland, but if it sucks you can always leave. Maybe it'd be easier to just look for a Polish community in Australia and get a Polish girlfriend? Seems like less effort than moving to Poland.

[Giacomo Casanova]

I would consider as well the network that you are able to create. In West it's definitely easier to meet people after work, generate connections, get in touch with new people. And surely this is something that will help you to progress in your career. You should think not only about the current role and salary but what after...how would you be able to grow in 1/2 years?
What kind of network are you going to build in a small city with likely few people to speak English, closed minded with foreigners, and not into a business mentality?
In Poland building a network for business purposes is very complicated. Many people just spend all the time after work with the family, or at best with their long term friends.

[JekyllAndHyde]

(07-30-2018 08:41 PM)aguasin Wrote:  

I work in IT in Australia. Cost of living is insane, spend way too much on accommodation than I would like to.
I have been thinking about relocating to Europe for awhile, and finally received a firm job offer in a small town in-between Poznan and Berlin, Germany.

I accepted the position, but now I'm in two minds about whether it's a good idea and I need some input.

What do you all think? Objectively...

Role is in database administration, which is what I do.
Cost of living is substantially lower, but so is the salary. Probably clear about 2000 euros a month after tax.

If you're after Polish out of the major cities in Australia I've been told there's a larger community of them in Perth where the main industries are mining and IT so it could suit you.

Real estate in Perth may be cheaper but dining is expensive at pre-mining boom prices still.

On the east coast I can't pin point where they concentrate. Polish chicks aren't around in significant numbers like Asians here and are average in quality overall.

Perth is like Sydney and Melbourne 30 years ago before they turned into what you'd say Shanghai down under but with a reasonable mix of women and not as diverse as I heard NYC is.

[AsiaBaller]

If you aren't broke travel there firstly.

Chances are you'll find the place to be a depressing shithole with hostile people and your work will be full of petty bureaucrats that work by the book (usual European work mentality).

Coming from the new world and adjusting to no future former soviet union countries takes a special kind of person imo, especially if you aren't working from home like Roosh. (he still only speaks English if I remember right)

The salary will give you a solid middle class life in Poznan. (1BR apartment, small car, up to 1k EUR in savings per month)

https://rentflatpoland.com/city/poznan/

If it's too far away from Poznan to commute I wouldn't even bother as you'll hate your life.

[Akwesi]

I think it would be a bit of an adventure and your standard of living would be fine if you don't have substantial debts at home. You could buy/rent a car and travel around Poland, Germany and the CR on weekends . might be a necessity if your town is really small and boring.

The main issue is probably how easy it is for you to make friends in new places/from different cultures. You need some kind of soical network wherever you are, even if you are the stereotypical introvert IT guy.

The pay is not enough to do it just for money, but if you have other reasons why you want to move your life to Europe then why not try it out.

[Simeon_Strangelight]

You should do it if you are young enough and have no debt in Australia. Earn less, bang a lot of girls, find a hot young LTR-worthy one, then move to Australia after some time and keep the girl pregnant and barefoot for 3-4 years.

Sounds like a good plan. Your overall career or future prospects should not be affected by it. There is little for you to lose there.