We continue introducing people who came to Poland and succeeded in various fields. Today, the story of Dima – an interesting guy and a successful marketer. He was a student, and today he works in a leading position at a top startup. Dima had planned to move to America, but almost by accident, he chose Poland. Read (or watch) on to find out how it turned out.
The Story of NOT Moving to America
What’s your name and how long have you been in Poland?
— My name is Dima, I’m from Bila Tserkva near Kyiv, and I’ve been in Poland for 9 years.
What were the reasons for moving?
— At first, I wanted to study in the USA. I lived in the States for a year in a host family through the FLEX exchange program. After returning from America, I realized I couldn’t live in Ukraine. I wanted to go study in the States. There was an opportunity, but I had to pass a competition. I took the TOEFL and SAT exams, but in the latter, I missed a few points. I started looking for an alternative, and it turned out to be a program in Poland, sponsored by the EU. My education is in tourism. Out of 100 questions on the test, I answered 99 correctly. I passed the speaking test in 3 minutes. That’s how I ended up in Poland.
How did life turn out after the move?
— A year later, I was already working full-time. I didn’t want to rely on my parents’ money. I went, talked to the professors, and combined work with my studies.
Where did you work?
— I worked at a newly opened IT company. I passed the interview and was hired. I had zero experience. I didn’t even check the average salary in Poland. During the interview, they asked me how much I wanted to earn, and I said 1600 PLN after taxes would be great, but they offered me a bit more. I stayed in the same position for 4 years, asked for a raise, was refused, and decided to quit. I had to work for 3 months according to the contract, during which I sent out my resume. I went to the first company that responded to me during that time. And then offers started pouring in, and I realized that if you want to change jobs, just send your resume and only then change employers.
There were many good offers, and I chose a company that is a Google vendor, working with advertising. I wanted to change something and continue learning about marketing. I started investing in my education, delving deeper into the field, and I began working freelance as well, realizing that Google Ads is just part of marketing. At first, I took projects for free to gain experience, then started charging, and eventually reached the point where I am now — a performance marketer in a startup.
How did you get a good job?
— I was passionate about marketing and conducted training sessions for employees at the company where I worked. One of the managers came to me, said that a friend of his had a startup and was looking for a marketer, and suggested I talk to him. The meeting lasted 2 hours, they made me an offer, we shook hands, and I moved there.
What does your life and work look like now?
— It’s great, I’m satisfied with everything. I’ve always wanted to work in marketing, I continue to improve myself and invest money in education. I’ve invested a lot in my learning, and I believe I deserve everything I’ve achieved. Working in marketing, you can’t stop, trends change, approaches evolve, and old methods are reconsidered. You have to stay on top. Now I have a small team of 5 people, and I manage them. I like our work rhythm, it provides growth opportunities.
How much can you earn in this position?
— There are different salary ranges, it depends on the agreement. Payment models include: fixed salary + bonus, or base salary + percentage of deals closed. You might have a small fixed salary but a large percentage of the managed budget. If the monthly budget is 10,000 EUR and the percentage is 12%, you get the fixed salary plus 1200 EUR. For a specialist with no experience, it’s 3-4 thousand PLN net maximum, because time is spent on training, and the company needs to make up for that. A competent specialist can expect 6-9 thousand PLN net. It depends on the business; in a small company, 5 thousand PLN net is already good. In an agency, large company, or startup with big advertising budgets, 6-9 thousand PLN is not the limit.
Disadvantages of Poland?
— When working with America, you can’t offer the same rates to the Poles. In winter, I managed to do that in Kraków.
What do you like about Poland?
— I like the people, the presence of startups, and different companies. The EU invests in Poland, and it’s developing. The cost of living is lower compared to other European countries. You can sell services to Germany, America, and offer a good price.
How does Polish marketing work?
— Polish marketing works poorly, Poles are a bit behind. Personal recommendations work well.
Advice for those who are just moving
— It’s a different country and culture, so you need to be mentally prepared. Poles are close to us, but there are nuances. Before moving, you should figure out where to live, where to work, and what you actually want.
Learn English, it will always come in handy. Learn to negotiate, don’t be afraid to set your terms. If you can offer value, money is secondary. If you’ve decided to move, just do it, and everything will work out.
