The large number of international companies operating from Krakow, together with the economic crisis in Southern Europe, have led to an increasing number of young Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians seeking a decent living and a prosperous future in Krakow.
Alejandro Molina, a 30-year-old graduate from Andalusia, is a good example. He moved to Krakow in October, 2010 because he could see the economic situation in Spain worsening and he had a Polish friend here. He left everything behind to start a new life in Poland. After distributing hundreds of CVs, he eventually found a job as an IT analyst. Alejandro says his experience of living in Krakow has freed him of a certain “cultural arrogance or sense of superiority” that he believes many southern Europeans bring with them to Poland.
Javier Crego, a 27-year old from Madrid, is a colleague of Alejandro’s and spent a few months in Gliwice as an Erasmus student in 2010 and 2011. Failing to find a job in Spain after graduating in computer sciences, Javier looked in Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań and Warsaw before trying his luck in Krakow, and finding a position as an IT analyst in October last year. “It was in Krakow that I found a company willing to give me a chance,” he says. With Spain’s unemployment rate now above 26 percent, it is not surprising Javier was unable to find his first job in his homeland.
Many young Spaniards living in Krakow, and Poles who want to improve their Spanish language skills, gather every Thursday evening for Café Madrid – a language exchange event that takes place at the Por Fiesta Club (ul. Warszawska 17). Magdalena Dudzik, the event’s organizer since its inception in September 2010, explains that Café Madrid helps Spaniards learn useful information about what to do and see in the city, as well as giving them an insight into Polish culture, cinema and music.
Read more: Southern Europeans Seeking a Better Life in Poland » Krakow Post
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