Study / Do they have schools where they have subjects in English for expat children in Poland? [11]

yup. Native speaker + Native fluency. We only speak English at home - so it's her Polish that bore the brunt of that decision.

Study / Do they have schools where they have subjects in English for expat children in Poland? [11]

No, they weren't. But at least her Physics books were in English ;)

Study / Do they have schools where they have subjects in English for expat children in Poland? [11]

What age are your children?
Sometimes there's another less-expensive option but only in some locations, and only when the children are of middle-school age or older: a school which provides the Middle Years Program / International Baccalaureate will provide tuition in English.

My daughter took that option - had all her middle- and upper-school tuition (and exams) in English.
But prior to that she spent primary school in a standard Polish school because the other options were just too expensive for us.

USA, Canada / Has anyone with a US or CDN passport recently been subjected to the "Passport Trap" in Poland? [29]

"Starting on November 10, 2016, Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, will need a valid Canadian passport to fly to or transit through Canada."
That will be painful if it includes transit flights :(
I'm a dual Canadian but stopped renewing my passport when they last hiked the prices :( Didn't seem so necessary now I'm living in Europe.

money--

Food / Understanding Polish Cream, Syrup and Bacon [11]

For double cream I use this stuff
spolem.home.pl/produkt_433.html
As someone else mentioned, looking for the 'k' is very helpful, at least in the big supermarkets (someone in a country shop once contradicted it, but I've found it to be a useful handy hint in practice)

Bacon. It will only ever be an approximation. However ...
I've started using Pikok's Boczek Parzony recently. It is sliced thicker - and I don't mind that it's apparently already cooked before I fry the life out of it again.

Some months ago I got some in Lidl which tasted more UK'ish but I've forgotten what the label was.

Syrups. I'm no help there as I don't use them.

Work / Senior system administrator in Wroclaw - is 7500 OK? [29]

Gdansk is a nice place to live.
I've no idea about the salary though - have never had to hire a sys admin.
do you have any scm/build experience?

Life / Ekogroszek/wood pellets or gas for heating in Poland? [9]

you can change the screw (delivering the material from the hopper) and the burning pot. we burned oats one year but moved to coal the next; same hopper, but the screw had to be changed and also the pot into which the material was delivered to be burned. we did the change ourselves - standard diy level work.

Work / Tri-city area - Companies that offer Jobs for English speakers? [23]

Many employers these days look to sourcing companies. That might be a path to take.

Life / Did you send your children to regular Polish preschool or English one? How did your children find it? [7]

I'm Irish married to a Pole and we moved to Poland when our daughter had just turned 3. Happy to discuss our school adventures via email.

Life / Where to buy big shoe sizes (in Krakow)? [4]

In my opinion it's a bit of a nightmare - or a lottery - depending on your frame of mind. I'm in a similar position with my own size (female EUR 42) and my 12 y/o son's size (EUR 46). From my experience, if you're lucky, Deichmann (or C&C) will have 1 or 2 pairs of something. Similarly, Decathlon might also have something. But only if you're there around the time when new stock comes in. (I even noticed a pair of (allegedly) EUR 49s on one visit to Decathlon but I'm not sure if they were really as big as advertised...)

I've tried TKMaxx also but it's random by its nature.
Some stores such as Rylko stock larger sizes depending on some whim I don't understand (a store in Mall X offered me 6 pairs of German shoes to choose from, in Mall Y they said they never stocked anything larger than a 40)

Clarkes - a favourite from the UK - doesn't stock ladies over 40 (in any local Polish store I've tried) - but I haven't yet tried there for men's shoes.

So - I'd recommend you think carefully about economizing on shoes ... how about mailing them on ahead ?
/cj

Law / International business trip, travel time reimbursement? How is it settled in Poland? [15]

It's a little like realising you have won the battle but lost the war.

Life / Ripped Off in Poland? - Expose here: [185]

Where are you Marcus ? Do you need somewhere warm for the kids to sleep?
We moved into a raw house 13 years ago - a few days before Christmas with snow blowing in where the front door wasn't. So I feel your pain - and wonder if there's any practical help possible.

/cjj
(and a colleague once suggested the way to reach a workman's cold, hard heart was to talk to his mother after mass ...)

Life / The best Psychiatric Hospital in Poland? [11]

location : try googling this
szpital psychiatryczny starogard gdański

how to get there :
e-podroznik.pl/1845,38040,84762,rozklad-jazdy-pks-gdansk-starogard-gdanski.html#veryTop

Food / Supermarket or small corner shop for grocery shopping in Poland? [23]

" Even though the percentage of fat in Irish milk is no higher than Polish, it's so much creamier. "

Could this be a difference between UHT (Polish) and simply homogenised (Irish) ?

Irish milk is certainly yummy :)

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]

the nearest mall might well have free wifi good enough for facetime back to the UK.
are you down south? or you could take up knitting for those Polish visits :P

UK, Ireland / Traps for "expats" returning to the UK - bank account and tuition fees [13]

"a UK national insurance number?"
This isn't given out until they're "actively seeking work" (in other words -- I've been there, tried that)

I had a similar experience in August. We went with something like NatWest in the end - but it took effort and some degree of pleading.

Straining at gnats and swallowing camels, sprang to mind at the time.

Travel / Taxis from Gdansk airport? [65]

There's a train option now.
skm.trojmiasto.pl/#pkm

(no idea about taxis as I've never had to take one)

Real Estate / SUROWY DOM IN POLAND - UNFINISHED HOMES FOR SALE - COST TO COMPLETE THE BUILD? [16]


I would guess that you would.
You might find that the building log book has expired - or that various permissions have expired.

I would be rather careful until the local gmina office was happy - in writing.

Work / Cost of living in Gdańsk, average salary for experienced software engineer in Poland [64]


That salary isn't anything special for the industry but then again how many years of experiene do you actually have - what are your core skills ? You can PM me if you wish.

/cjj

Life / Noise pollution over the skies of Gdynia [6]

all is quiet over gdansk ....

Travel / How many days should I allow for a trip to Gdansk and a visit to another city? [6]

I'd say a day is enough for Gdansk - you could do it in half a day if you were inclined to rush. Sopot is nightlife and bad traffic. Gdynia is ... mmmm ... not very exciting unless you simply want to say you've been there.

As for notable shopping centres ... I'm not sure about the notable idea (pretty much seen-one-seen-them-all) but gdansk has
galeriabaltycka.pl/en and now gdynia has centrumriviera.pl/en. And there's Klif which has an M&S :) gdynia.klif.pl/en

Beach time in my opinion is best spent on the north coast (it's pretty much one, long beach) -- the water in the Bay of Gdansk gets murky in the summer -- but the beaches around Gdansk/Sopot/Gdynia will have more cafes/bars than the northerly ones where you might need to hike for a mile to get there from the car park and then just find white sand, calm water and no signs of human life ...

Oh - and Jarmark Dominika is about to start in Gdansk for anyone visiting during August: jarmarkdominika.pl/en

I find it a pleasant place to live but never sure where to find the wow factor for visitors ...

/cjj

Life / Car mechanic in Gdansk (looking for) [12]

:( cjj has now covered her head in shame while thinking "street parking around arkonska is damn difficult to come by ... lucky they didn't charge for the privilege of 2 days in a lock-up."

urk ...

Food / Which Polish milk brand is closest to UK supermarket style milk? [31]

If you're buying non-UHT ... be careful during the summer; I've found quite often it's already sour when I got it home. i guess the supply chain doesn't keep it properly refridgerated.

Life / Sewer smell in Bathroom - PLUMBING CODE - P TRAP ?? [4]

is there a drain in the floor ? sometimes they're tucked into the corner and dry out if you don't know to top them up with water from time to time.

Life / Beauty supply stores selling wigs in Warsaw? [4]

You could try hairdressers also.
The harder shops to find are the ones supplying wigs for NFZ patients - but even they are common enough if you google peruki nfz warszawa on the . pl site.

/cjj

Life / Car mechanic in Gdansk (looking for) [12]

tas-moto.org/warsztaty-samochodowe-795.html
54.406242, 18.575575
/maps/@54.406265,18.575525,3a,75y,167.83h,74.05t/data=!3m4!1e1! 3m2!1s-svCLeO4WaocFdoH54ybSA!2e0?hl=en

We haven't used these guys, so I can't offer a personal recommendation.
However, I remember someone at work remarking they had, and that they were content with the results.
I know that isn't a glowing report, but the place seems tidy and generally busy.
(I work in the building that overlooks the yard at the back.)

Life / Car mechanic in Gdansk (looking for) [12]

how close to the centre do you need to stay?

Life / Tool Hire - Gdańsk/Pruszcz Gdański [5]

i would have expected sanders to be 2 a penny to be honest ... unless they are all in the hands of "experts" who will undertake to save you from entering the diy market.

Classifieds / Language exchange group, Tricity [60]


There are ... but somehow the f/t job scuppers my chances of heading down for the bright lights of the city in the evening.
-cjj

Life / Is 10500 monthly is enough for a family to live in Warsaw Poland [136]


what is her skillset ?