10 points to read in your Polish job contract before you sign

First working day, early morning, ten new people in a room, and each gets a stack of papers: "Sign here, here and here, quickly, the bus to the warehouse is waiting." Sound familiar? That's exactly how most contracts people later regret get signed.

Some believe that in Poland "all contracts are the same anyway", so there's no point reading them. That's not true. Two contracts with the same rate can differ by several hundred złoty a month — because of housing, penalties or hours. Here are ten places to look, even if you only have five minutes.

1–3. Who, with whom, and what contract

• 1. Contract type. Umowa o pracę, umowa zlecenie or umowa o pracę tymczasową. Holiday, sick pay, night supplements and protection from dismissal all depend on it. The type is usually in the title.
• 2. Employer. Who exactly signs with you: the agency, the company you'll work at, or a third company. That's who pays your salary and who you'll have claims against.
• 3. Your details. Name, passport number, PESEL. A single wrong letter later causes trouble with ZUS, the tax office and your residence card.

4–6. Money and time

• 4. Rate — gross or net. Contracts almost always state gross. If you were promised "25 in hand" and the contract says 25 gross, you'll take home noticeably less. Also check whether the rate is hourly or monthly.
• 5. Hours and schedule. Full-time or part-time, hours per week, shifts, nights. On zlecenie — the method of recording hours: it's a mandatory element.
• 6. Contract period. Start and end date, trial period. An open-ended zlecenie is common; an employment contract without dates is not.

7–8. Deductions and penalties

• 7. Housing, transport, workwear. If the agency deducts money from your pay, the amount must be stated, and on an employment contract each deduction needs your written consent. Look for the words potrącenie, zakwaterowanie, odzież robocza.
• 8. Kary umowne. Penalties for "breach of contract": for not showing up, for leaving early, for a damaged tool. They're common on zlecenie and can be absurdly high. On an employment contract penalties are limited by the Labour Code.

9–10. How to leave and what stays with you

• 9. Termination. How many days' notice you must give and what happens if you leave earlier. On an employment contract the law sets the periods; on zlecenie the contract does, and it can hold nasty surprises.
• 10. Language and copy. The contract should be in a language you understand or come with a translation — for foreigners on a work permit, the employer is required to provide one. And you must get your own copy signed by both parties.

A contract in Polish: how to read it if your Polish is still weak

Ask for the contract in advance — at least the evening before. Then you can calmly run it through a translation app on your phone or show it to a friend who knows Polish. You don't have to translate everything: the sections on wynagrodzenie, czas pracy, potrącenia, kary umowne and rozwiązanie umowy are enough. That's where the surprises hide.

If an agency refuses to show you the contract before your first working day, that's not proof of fraud, but it's a reason to be more careful. Honest companies usually don't mind a candidate reading the document calmly.

What should alarm you straight away

• Passport. A request to leave your original passport "for safekeeping". Nobody except state authorities has the right to take it.
• Blank fields. No rate or date filled in — "we'll complete it later".
• No copy. "We'll give you a copy later" — meaning maybe never.
• Pressure. You're not given time to read or photograph the document. A normal employer will give you at least ten minutes.

Photograph every page before signing — it takes a minute. If a dispute arises later, photos help more than any verbal promises. Keep them after the job ends too: disputes about money sometimes come up six months later.

Five-minute checklist before signing

• Contract title. Know which contract you're working on.
• Employer. Note the name and NIP of the company you're signing with.
• Rate. Gross or net, per hour or per month.
• Deductions. Find every amount for housing, transport and clothing.
• Penalties. Read the kary umowne section.
• Photo and copy. Photograph the pages and take your copy.