Cleaning work for foreigners: hourly rate and schedule

Cleaning work for foreigners in Poland typically means a day split into two short shifts, a rate no lower than the statutory minimum (the minimum hourly rate on a contract for services or the minimum wage for full-time work on an employment contract), and minimal language requirements. Hospitals are an exception, requiring additional health screenings.

What your earnings in cleaning work depend on

On a contract for services, the minimum gross hourly rate applies. This is the legal floor for every hour worked, regardless of square meters cleaned. On an employment contract, the gross monthly minimum wage applies for a full-time position. The current amounts of both thresholds are given in the article on the minimum hourly rate. The legal basis for both thresholds in 2026 is the Council of Ministers regulation of 11 September 2025 on minimum wages and minimum hourly rates for 2026.

What the schedule looks like: two shifts instead of one

Offices are cleaned before staff arrive or after they leave, so the typical arrangement is early morning and late afternoon with several hours between. Total hours may be similar to a production shift, but the day stretches from dawn to evening. Commute counts twice, two trips each way instead of one, and such a schedule is hard to combine with second work, even though it looks like part-time on paper.

Where you work and what the requirements are

Workplace	Nature of work	Additional requirements
Office buildings	Independent work, outside tenant hours	Initial health screening
Shopping centers	Work in crowds, lots of walking, including weekends	Initial health screening
Manufacturing facilities	Cleaning with machinery and chemicals	Initial health screening, training on machinery and chemical safety
Hospitals and medical facilities	Highest standards of hygiene procedures	Initial health screening, usually sanitary-epidemiological screening

Hospitals require the most procedures and tests. Not ideal for first-time work without experience.

What documents and tests you need

For cleaning work in an office or shopping center, current initial health screenings are required: how they work is described in the text about initial health screenings for work. At medical facilities, where there is risk of infection transmission, employers usually require sanitary-epidemiological screenings (health certificate); confirm the scope of this requirement with your employer. For a specific offer, we will tell you how it works. A foreigner also needs a legal basis to work in Poland (such as a work permit or exemption from this requirement); the employer checks this before signing a contract.

Polish language proficiency for conversation is not required for office or shopping center cleaning. When operating machinery or working in a hospital, however, basic communication becomes necessary because instructions and procedures are often in Polish only.

What to ask about the offer

Under a contract for services, the minimum hourly rate applies to every hour worked, so hours, not square meters, should be the basis for tracking. It's worth asking about the offer whether the schedule is continuous or split into two shifts. The same question is worth asking with any shift system, as described in the text about preparing for shift work.

Current job offers can be found among job offers for foreigners. You confirm the contract type and rate for a specific offer before you accept it.

Frequently asked questions

What do a foreigner's cleaning earnings in Poland depend on?

On a contract for services, the minimum gross hourly rate applies; on an employment contract, the gross minimum wage for a full-time position. The current amounts for the year are given in the article on the minimum hourly rate.

Do you need to speak Polish to clean?

Usually not for offices and shopping centers. Basic Polish communication becomes necessary when operating machinery or working in a hospital, where procedures are written in Polish.

Does hospital cleaning require additional health tests?

Usually yes, medical facilities require sanitary-epidemiological screenings (health certificate). We give the scope and rules for these tests for a specific offer before you start work.

Is cleaning work usually a contract for services or employment contract?

Both occur. On a contract for services, the minimum hourly rate applies to every hour worked; on an employment contract, the way pay is set is defined by the contract. The type of contract depends on the specific offer.

Is cleaning a good job to start with no experience and no language skills?

Offices and shopping centers: yes, initial health screenings and basic communication are enough. Hospitals and facilities with machinery require additional tests and job training, so it's better to start elsewhere.

This text describes the general rules. What you are entitled to depends on your type of contract: an employment contract (umowa o pracę) or a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie). Your own contract and payslip are what count.