Post: #1

Hello forum

I turn to you with this problem. It will have big impact to my life so I hope you give your opinion!

I have now abandoned my country of origin as it is a lost cause for few decades. I would like to settle in Poland as I really like the country. However it seems like finding an IT job is surprisingly difficult for me, even though salaries in Poland are almost on 3rd world country level. I applied for few jobs in Berlin and they were much more receptive. I started to think: why wouldn't I get a job from Berlin and then travel to Poznan every Friday or Thursday, then return late Sunday?

The benefits would be:

+ Better net income. Not hugely but it will have a difference whether I can own a car or fly to my homeland whenever I like (also, flights are more numerous and cheaper there).

+ Working in Berlin probably sounds more impressive than some Polish city.

+ Many things to see and do in Berlin.

+ The language will be much more easy for me to learn and I already know it a little.

+ I could shuttle people between the cities with my car: great way to pay gasoline expenses and meet new people.

+ If I become suddenly unemployed I can expect to get some benefits before I find a new job.

+ Wider variety of jobs than in any Polish city.


The drawbacks:

- Getting to know people in Poznan will be more difficult compared to situation where I would be living there all the time, having Polish workmates, attend the meetings of local foreigners etc. No possibility to approach Polish girls in their daily routines.

- It is of course easier to concentrate to one city than share your attention between two of them. Makes life more complicated and costs money.

- I know Poznan quite badly but when I was there many girls in bars seemed somehow like peasants. Although there were lots of pretty ones too.

- When I talked to some Poznan girls on public places they just escaped the situation without answering anything. This has never happened in some other Polish cities.

- Level of English seems not good.

- I'm not sure if I can learn to live with German mentality.

- If I bring later a Polish girl to Berlin to live with me will she turn into a slut when removed from her natural environment?

- From southern Poland it would much more easy to do trips to to other EE countries (except maybe Lithuania which is awesome).



So, what do you think? I would really appreciate your thoughts and I promise to consider naming my future children after your nicks if I get very valuable feedback.

Post: #2

(04-28-2016 04:32 PM)Pornflakes Wrote:  I promise to consider naming my future children after your nicks if I get very valuable feedback.

Don't ask Handsome Creepy Eel for advice then.

Post: #3

OP, there's a forum member named Shikulu who's done this very same arrangement. By all accounts it worked out well for him. I'd recommend you contact him for more info.

Post: #4

(04-28-2016 05:30 PM)HighSpeed_LowDrag Wrote:  OP, there's a forum member named Shikulu who's done this very same arrangement. By all accounts it worked out well for him. I'd recommend you contact him for more info.

Great, that's an awesome piece of advice! Thank you. This forum seems to work its magic.

And let's hope Eel has nothing valuable to say.

Post: #5

Szczecin isn't too far from Berlin either. If I recall correctly, certain Berlin public transit passes are also valid in Szczecin.

My post about my weekend visit to Szczecin early this year: /thread-4184-...pid1199682

Post: #6

OP your plan is definitely a good idea, I was thinking doing the same too, but since I'm applying for jobs in accounting&finance it seems it's much easier getting a job in the outsourcing sector in Poland rather than in Germany for me

Main problem as you said is salary, that's why I'm self learning programming language, so in a relatively short period I would try searching for a dev gig in Germany or even better a remote job, in accounting it's nearly impossible working remotely

Post: #7

I'd rather be visiting Poznan on the weekends and living like a king, then earning a measly salary from a company in PL.

Depending on age/experience - stick it out in Berlin for a few years, work towards EU residency (assuming you don't have it) than after a year (or less), simply ask for remote work with the current employer. I feel like people don't push this enough or make a point to get it - if they want to retain you, they'll honor this request in most cases. If not, find that out sooner rather than later and dump 'em and find another one who will.

Take those German earnings and go live in Poland and enjoy.

If you keep a place in Berlin, AirBnB it - the earnings you can make here are huge. Think double the rent you pay, if it's a good location. And that's for less than a full month's vacancy.

A lot of numbers get thrown around here on salaries, etc. but I know I'd rather live in PL, working from DE with twice the earnings rather than just working in PL. It's possible and many do it.

Post: #8

Hey Pornflakes,

No big secret that Poznan is my lair. I know one guy who had the same setup as you mention in the thread title for a year (not a forum member). He rented a small but central studio right in the center (~1100zl?) and would drive over every weekend, sometimes making an arrangement to leave work early on Friday and arrive later on Monday, etc...

Would recommend.

And you'll be tempted to just fuck off out of Germany and stay in Poznan, but unless you're generating wealth independently, I'd advocate some discipline.

You'll save a lot of money by not eating out, going out, chasing tail or otherwise spending much cash in Berlin. You can AirBNB your Berlin flat while you're out, as mentioned.

After 6-12+ months, you can start thinking to "geo-arbitrage" yourself out of that dungheap with your savings and setup in Poznan, ideally working for yourself.

EDIT: I was in the same situation as you regarding residency, etc... get that sorted ASAP!

EDIT2: Poznan isn't a sprawling city, the expat community is quite small. The guy I mentioned above was very well-known in the expat circles and had many Polish friends, too (not the easiest thing to manage sometimes). Once you show up twice or thrice, people (and girls) will know you weren't just a dude in town for a weekend looking for fun. Anyway, let me know if you need any advice.

JMT
TNM

Post: #9

(04-28-2016 04:32 PM)Pornflakes Wrote:  The drawbacks:

- Getting to know people in Poznan will be more difficult compared to situation where I would be living there all the time, having Polish workmates, attend the meetings of local foreigners etc. No possibility to approach Polish girls in their daily routines.

- It is of course easier to concentrate to one city than share your attention between two of them. Makes life more complicated and costs money.

- I know Poznan quite badly but when I was there many girls in bars seemed somehow like peasants. Although there were lots of pretty ones too.

- When I talked to some Poznan girls on public places they just escaped the situation without answering anything. This has never happened in some other Polish cities.

- Level of English seems not good.

- I'm not sure if I can learn to live with German mentality.

- If I bring later a Polish girl to Berlin to live with me will she turn into a slut when removed from her natural environment?

- From southern Poland it would much more easy to do trips to to other EE countries (except maybe Lithuania which is awesome).



So, what do you think? I would really appreciate your thoughts and I promise to consider naming my future children after your nicks if I get very valuable feedback.

Issue 1 - Already addressed.
Issue 2 - Agreed.
Issue 3 - There's a lot of variety. It is mainly a student city, and I never got a peasant vibe (I say this with affection) as I did in some other Polish cities in the East. There are a few more upscale locales, and a lot of places appealing to students. Depends where you are focusing your efforts.
Issue 4 - I know two dedicated daygamers experienced with/in Poznan, and they both agree it is a bit of an uphill battle. But as always, daygame is a bit of a numbers game.
Issue 5 - Never been an issue for me, personally.
Issue 6 - Don't. Take the money, though.
Issue 7 - You probably won't meet a good Polish girl in Poznan without a lot of fieldwork and focusing on daygame, TBH.
Issue 8 - Poznan isn't the best location to hit up other cities, true, but the qualities outway the negatives for me.

Anyway, I've said enough.

Post: #10

Thanks for all of you for encouraging and useful comments. I'm now almost certain I'm going to do this.

Airbnb idea is very good. Especially as I can rent the apartment for weekends which produce best incomes.

Szczecin tip was also good. And it seems some Czech cities aren't terribly far away.

GillesDeleuze, I wish you luck becoming programmer. It can be done that way if you really try. Udemy has some good courses. I would probably go for Node.js / Python / PHP / Javascript in general.

Post: #11

Don't count on being able to AirBNB your place out:

Quote: Looking to rent an apartment on your next vacation to Berlin? Starting Sunday, you can basically forget about it. From May 1, Germany’s capital is banning landlords from renting out apartments to short-term visitors, with only a few exceptions permitted.
http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/04/a...aw/480381/

If your wage is good enough that shouldn't be an issue though. I'd guess the difference in wage between living in Berlin and Poznan would more than cover the cost of renting an additional place.