Global Service Delivery Center

Katowice

Guide for foreigners

1. Money
2. Bank account
3. Healthcare
3. Annual Leave
4. Living in Katowice

For more visit:

http://www.justlanded.com/english/Poland
http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/Katowice
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 Money – Polish currency
●

 The Polish currency is called the Zloty (zwo-ti) and it is internationally

abbreviated as PLN. The Zloty is made up of 100 Groszy (gro-shi).
 When shopping in Poland, you will need to pay in the local currency. You will
need to exchange your Euro, Dollars or other currency for Zloty as no other
currency will be accepted. Exceptions are the regions that border Germany,
where the Euro is likely to be accepted. However you will get bad exchange
rates which is why it is recommended that you pay with Zloty there as well.
 You can change money in banks, where you will be charged commission for the
transaction. You can also go to a kantor (exchange office) which usually
provides services without commission and usually offers better exchange rates
than banks.
 In most places in Poland, you can also pay for your shopping by using your
bank card (many types are accepted). Credit cards can usually only be used in
larger cities and tourist areas and you may be charged to use them.
 Bank account


 To open a bank account in Poland, you will usually have to provide your passport
and a postal address, which does not have to be in Poland. Sometimes
additional documentation is needed. Most expats will find they need a local bank
account for day-to-day living (paying bills, receiving salary, etc.).

 There are different types of banks and they all offer different services. In most
banks you can easily open any type of account without major problems. There
are also international banks located in Poland, among which you can find the
most common European banks.

 While services offered are more or less the same with every bank, charges differ
greatly. Depending on what services you mainly want to use you should take
some time to compare different offers.

 Banks in Katowice: http://katowice.naszemiasto.pl/firmy/bank,katowice.html


 Healthcare
Public healthcare (RMUA)

Poland has a reasonably modern healthcare system and

treatment is available for most health conditions. You should
ensure you are covered under the national system or have private
health insurance to cover costs.

Poland’s health care is based on a general health insurance

system. Subsidized health services are provided to Polish
residents that are covered by the general health insurance. This
can be either on a compulsory or a voluntary basis.

As an insured person you will get a health insurance document

RMUA from IBM Payroll, which you have to present at the
medical centre or in case of emergency. You also have to register
at your local health centre (przychodnia), stating you will receive
treatment predominantly from that location. A doctor in your local
centre will refer you to a specialist or a hospital if this is
necessary.

In case of a medical emergency you can get a treatment

anywhere.
 Annual Leave & Labour Code
Leave shall be of:

● 20 days (160h) – if an employee has been employed for a period shorter than 10 years,
● 26 days (208 h) – if an employee has been employed for a period of at least 10 years.

Period of previous employment and educations period are counted into the employment period determining the
right to leave and the length of leave (Art. 155 LC).

The first annual leave

An employee who takes up the first job becomes entitled to leave after each month of the employment in the
calendar year in which the employee took up the job, in the length of 1/12 of the leave due to the employee after
one year of work.

Next leaves:

An employee becomes entitled to next leaves in each next calendar year.

Leave at the request of an employee

An employer is obliged to grant up to 4 days of leave at the request of an employee in each calandar year, within
the period specified by the employee.

According to IBM GSDC Work Regulations employee shall submit a request for leave on request on the start date
of such leave, two hours after the employee’s standard work start time at the latest.
 & Upper Silesia
Katowice is the largest city in Upper Silesia in Poland with a population of about 320,000 in the city itself
and over 2.1 million if the surrounding cities of the Upper-Silesian Metropolitan Union are taken into
account. Located in the middle of Silesia on the banks of the river Rawa, Katowice's historical importance
as Poland's main industrial centre has been indisputable in recent decades.

Nowadays Katowice has also a rich cultural life with theatres, the Silesian Philharmonic, the Silesian
Museum and famous concert hall known as the Spodek. Visitors will find an interesting city with charming
secessionist architecture from the early 1900s, several historic relics, stunning modern architecture,
hospitable and proud local people, and easy access to the Beskidy Mountains and other Silesian Cities.
One of the hidden gems of Poland, Katowice especially delights the senses in April with its numerous
flowering lilac trees.

Silesia (Górny Śląsk) of which Katowice is the regional capital. Silesia then, in some ways, is an abstract
concept and a geographical anomaly. The region spreads out from Katowice’s suburbs and sprawls into a
matrix of towns and cities that were once historically connected through heavy industry and political
autonomy. This shared history helped forge a strong regional identity and indeed Silesia has its own
dialect (Silesian) which is a mix of Polish, German and Czech.
 Costs of living - examples
● Renting a flat (2 rooms) – 1200 – 1600 PLN
● Gas – 5,60 PLN/1 liter
● Bread – 4 PLN
● Sugar 1kg – 3.50 PLN
● Eggs – 3,70 PLN/10
● Water – 1,30 PLN/ 1.5 liter
● Chicken – 8 PLN/1kg
● Pork – 17 PLN/1kg
● Beer – 5 PLN
● Cinema ticket – 25 PLN
● Cigarets – 15 PLN
 Accomodation – first days in
Katowice
Katowice offers a wide range of hostels and hotels If you are looking for a comfortable place to stay and
where you can stay during your first days in the city. you want to save some money – you can choose a
They are mostly situated in the center with a good hostel. Here are some places, where you can stay at
connection to other parts of the city. It’s quite easy to the beginning:
get buses or trams to wherever you want. And always
you can ask at reception about getting around the city – Jopi Hostel
in most of places, staff speak English and are well http://www.jopihostel.pl/
informed! ul. Plebiscytowa 23, Katowice
+48 32 204 34 32
You can find place to stay: http://www.hrs.com/

Hotels nearest IBM GSDC in Katowice: La Stalla Hostel

http://www.noclegi-katowice.com.pl/
Campanile ul. Wawelska 1, Katowice, śląskie
http://www.campanile-katowice.pl/en +48 32 204-85-95
Generała Józefa Longina Sowińskiego 48
40-028 Katowice, Polska Hostels In Loft/Litteris
+48 32 205 50 50 http://www.hostelkatowice24.pl/home.html
+48 602 674 600
Quality Silesian*** Katowice
http://www.silesianhotel.pl/ Twój Hostel
Aleja Górnośląska 40 http://www.twojhostel.pl/katowice
40-502 Katowice, Polska ul. Klimczoka 7
+48 32 606 88 00 40-857 Katowice
+48 32 202-30-25
 Renting a flat
Finding a nice place to live in Poland can be difficult. If you don’t speak
Polish, it might be hard to find a place to live on your own, because most
advertisements are only in Polish. For that reason your first issue will
probably be the language barrier. The good news is that only a limited
vocabulary is required to interpret most adverts.

A useful source of information when looking for a flat on your own is

classified ads in local newspapers. The real estate section
(nieruchomości) offering apartments for rent (wynajem mieszkań) is included in
the newspaper usually once a week. Most common flat categories are
jednopokojowe or kawalerka, for studio apartments, and dwa pokoje
or dwupokojowe, for two-room apartments.

Useful links:
http://www.gumtree.pl/fp-mieszkania-i-domy-do-wynajecia/katowice/c9008l3200285
http://olx.pl/nieruchomosci/mieszkania/wynajem/katowice/?search[dist]=5
http://otodom.pl/wynajem/mieszkanie/katowice
http://dom.gratka.pl/mieszkania/katowice/wynajem/
 Renting - tips
Making contact: Real estate agencies:

Finding a home without the help of a real estate agency

Don’t take for granted that the flat owner will be able to
has lots of positive aspects, including not having to pay
speak English. Many younger people do and there are commission, no risk of being cheated by a dishonest
also quite a few people who speak German. However agency and potentially a wider choice of offers.
older people will most likely only speak Russian for a
second language. However, there are also some disadvantages in looking
for an apartment on your own. It can be very time-
Before getting your landlord on the phone or before
consuming and the language barrier can make the
meeting personally, it is a good idea to make sure you
process difficult. In addition to having to make a lot of
are able to communicate well. Unless you are confident
phone calls and visits, you will also have to get a
in Polish, it is recommended to find a native speaker to
contract signed on your own.
go with you, if possible.
The commission agents charge vary greatly, but usually
When considering an apartment it is important to find
start at half a month’s rent.
out, whether the flat is supplied pre-furnished or not, as
well as what is included in the rent, as many ads do not Be careful when choosing an agency. There are many
go into details. cases of high fees being charged to people in return for
only a few addresses of available accommodation.
Don’t be misled since this type of arrangement means
you will not get money returned if you don’t like what is
on offer or don’t end up renting a property proposed by
the agency.

Many agents are professional and provide a valuable

service to their clients. See if you can get
recommendations from other people and make sure
you feel comfortable, ask the right questions and try not
to pay money up-front.
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Transportation in Katowice
Plane
Pyrzowice Airport
http://www.katowice-airport.com/

Train
Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish Railway)
http://rozklad-pkp.pl/bin/query.exe/en
Public Transport
An extremely well developed system of trams and buses operated by the
wonderfully named KZK GOP provide a simple and fast way of getting around
Katowice and its surrounding towns. The tickets for the network are valid for both
buses and trams. A three-zone system is used, of which Katowice is in zone-one
and Chorzów in zone-two. Accordingly, a one-zone ticket is required for the former
and a two-zone ticket for travelling between the two. A one-zone ticket costs 3.20zł
and now also serves as a 15min ticket allowing you to swap forms of transport (bus
to tram and onto a different tram for instance) within that time period. A two-zone
ticket costs 3.80zł and also serves as a 30min ticket. There is also a three-
zone/one-hour ticket available for 4.80 zł.

Link to portal:
http://www.kzkgop.com.pl//

Link to timetable:
http://77.252.189.162/index.php?co=rozklady

Link to route planner:

http://77.252.189.162/index.php
Katowice Sightseeing
Katowice Sightseeing
Katowice Sightseeing
Silesia Park of Culture & Recreation

Spanning 620 hectares, it claims to be the biggest park in Europe and who are we to claim otherwise? We get lost
in here routinely. Among the outstanding attractions are an amusement park with some 50 rides, a 4 pool water
park, a large rose garden, an outdoor ethnographic museum, zoo, planetarium, high ropes course, sports
courts, cycling paths and a pond where you have the opportunity to rent kayaks, canoes and other floatable
transports in season.

Officially located in Chorzów, this is by far the region’s best attraction and an absolute no-brainer for anyone with
some spare time on a sunny day. To get there take tram 6 from Katowice's Rynek, which makes several stops
along the course of the Park, including at the zoo, on its way to Chorzów's Rynek. For more info check the
individual Leisure listings of the attractions in link: http://parkslaski.pl/
 Worth to see..
●
Oświęcim and Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi camp there
http://en.auschwitz.org/m/
● Central Firefighting Museum in Mysłowice
http://www.silesia.travel/en-US/Poi/Pokaz/1720/81/the-central-museum-of-firefighting-in-myslowice
● Mining skansen in Zabrze
http://www.kopalniaguido.pl/en/
●
Silver mine and Black Trout Gallery (Adit) in Tarnowskie Góry
http://www.poland.travel/en/underground-tourist-route/black-trout-adit
● Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów
http://muzeumgpe-chorzow.pl/
●
Brewing Museum in Tychy
http://www.tyskiebrowarium.pl/en/tyskie-muzeum-piwowarstwa.html

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Enjoy your stay!