Wracać, ale jak?
Return. But how?

Summary/Abstract: The report ‘Return. But how?’ has been drawn up thanks to an inspiration which accompanied research into the life of Polish expatriates in the United Kingdom. The researchers, affiliated with the Polish Psychologists' Association in London took the decision to describe the phenomenon of the return to the motherland looking at it from two points of view simultaneously, that of a sociologist exploring a social phenomenon, and also from that of a participant and actor in the event. While the returns are not yet a mass-scale phenomenon, it is worthwhile according them attention bearing in mind a specific feature, as it transpires that at present a return doesa not always end with a permanent settling in the home country and often tends to be just a stage preceding another departure. Good preparation is needed in order to prevent a situation where a rash decision to return to Poland is made, only to end in disappointment. There are many areas which need advance planning, from the organisational matters (closing current matters in the country of residence) vja the emotional quandary, for instance parting from people with whom one has become familiar, and so forth, to the issues related to finding one’s place on the Polish labour market. The article is not aimed at the appraisal or judgement, encouragement or discouragement of those interested in returning to the home country, but rather at a description and analysis of the factors which the respondents participating in the said research themselves deem to be important. A novel aspect of the report is its supplementation with conclusions from participant observation, which may be of additional value to the Polish reader and thus offer a more engaging excuse to become acquainted with the conclusions of the study.

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