Poland is an attractive country for foreign professionals, but settling here requires professional help as well. Without it you may encounter some difficulties.

First, you will have to find somewhere to live. According to statistics, the supply of high-standard apartments and houses to rent or lease is greater than the demand. However, you do not live in statistics but at a specific address. You should be careful when choosing it. If you're not familiar with Warsaw, don't rent an apartment or a house via the Internet-you might be located at the opposite end of the city from your office or your child's school. and you'd waste a lot of time and money on commuting. It's enough to look at a city map to avoid such inconveniences.

Do not trust offers that seem too good to be true; they are most likely just that. An employee of a foreign company rented a "nearly completed" house for a cheap price, not knowing the Polish understanding of the term. He and his family had to go through a months-long nightmare. Just in case, do not rent anything on the "free market." Use a real estate agency, but remain wary. Always carefully read the contract you are offered, paying particular attention to additional clauses printed in fine print, which are usually the most important ones. It would be best to commission this to a professional company. It will find you a safe address of an appropriate standard and will also take care of your family 24 hours a day for the first months of your stay in Poland. Before you get to know your new surroundings, before you know where to go shopping, go for walks and how to call a taxi, you should have somebody who can help you do all these things and on whom you can count in an emergency.

JSM