Magdalena Sadlik

Name: Magdalena Sadlik
Place of birth: Poland
Time lived in Scotland: Three years

Dance teacher and beautician, Magdalena Sadlik from Szczyrk in Poland, came to Scotland three years ago because of her fiancé, Marek.

"After Marek had been in Scotland for two months he phoned me and asked me to come over," says Magdalena. "He told me that we'd have a better and easier life here. Marek liked the Scottish landscape and people and he wanted to spend time with me."

"I was a little scared coming here because it's a completely different world," she continues. "My family weren't around me and I wasn’t in my country so it was just a shock. But I thought the country was amazing. I'm always grateful that I’m in Scotland because it's beautiful especially during the summer when we have sun."

Business opportunities

Magdalena runs her own beauty business, Beauty Zone, in Oban, where she also teaches dance classes.

"There was a demand for Latin and ballroom teachers in Oban," says Magdalena. "My students' age range is from 20. The oldest couple I've taught were over 80. I also teach private classes for engaged couples, who'd like to learn to dance for their wedding.

"I’ve been doing beauty treatments for six years; three years in Scotland and three years in Poland. I started doing them in Scotland just two months after arriving in Oban."

Magdalena would love to invite her whole family to Scotland.

"I try to go back to Poland every few months. I hope to go back again at Christmas. I have a big family and although I'm not homesick I miss having them around me because I'm very close to them. If I could invite all my family to Scotland I would be so happy.” she says.

Although Magdalena misses her family, Scotland has become a second home to her. "The first time we came to Scotland was an adventure for us. Now we have a better life. Our wages are higher so living costs are cheaper.

"Our quality of life is better here so that's why we stay in Scotland," she says. "We feel Scotland is a part of us; it's our second home. It's not just a place where we work."

A warm welcome

For Magdalena the best thing about Scotland is its welcome to people from overseas. "Scotland welcomes people around the world. We have friends who are Scottish and from countries such as Hungary and Slovakia.

"They have ambition and ideas and if they stay in Scotland and stay motivated, they will have a good quality of life. There are no barriers and that's the best thing about Scotland."

Magdalena's ambition is to be successful and happy with her life in Scotland: "I treat dance teaching as a hobby. It's what I love doing because it something I can show people. However I want to focus on my beauty business. Most of all I want to be happy and be good at what I do.

"I'd like to buy a house if we decide to stay in Scotland for a longer period of time. But just to be here with my job and be happy is great. It's nice to be from a different country and still feel part of the community."

Related Links

• Marek Kochmanski