Brazilian moving to Gdansk and need some help with finding a flat to rent and also a good school for daughters

hi everyone. My name is Ana and I am from Brazil. My daughters have Polish citizenship and I always wanted them to have more contact with Polish culture and their Polish family (their dad is from Poland). I have been thinking about taking a sabbatical year in Poland, Gdansk to be more specific.

In order to prepare everything I need some help with finding a flat to rent and also finding a good school for them.
From what I've seen in Poland, I think 5000 zlotych a month for the three of us is more then enough to rent a funished apartment and to pay daily expense such as utilities, transportation, food, etc.

So, if anyone could help giving websites I can look for apartments and suggest a few good school, that would be awsome!
Thanks a lot!

I was in Sopot this summer (12km from Gdansk), 3 room flat with kitchen, balcony, and view for Gdansk Bay (high rise block) - whole flat 120PLN (rather cheap) per day (utilities included). I may give you a contact if you're interested ;) It was just 8-9 days, long term rent is priced differently.

You may check some ads for Gdansk here gumtree.pl/fp-mieszkania-i-domy-do-wynajecia/gdansk/c9008l3200072

Hello Ana

Well, I don't know - flat plus bills will cost upwards of 2000 zl in the winter months...........

But Gdansk is worth it if you survive the winters: I am hating it with a passion myself. Bring plenty of windproof and warm layers if you're planning on venturing out. Come to Gdynia instead - it's warmer :)

Nicer, and cheaper.

Sorry for the McDonalds talk - present continuous tense taking over duh :(

hi Doug,

well, I know things can get a little more expensive during winter, but I know Polish winter very well. My plan is going in August and stay till January, this way the girls can get used to the weather little by little. Much easier, don't you think?

And as for Gdynia, I don't know the city and since my Polish is kind of basic (I can read a lot, but speaking is hard), I think it would be a little bit harder. I know Gdansk and where things are. It would be much easier. But I am open to any possibility

My problem now is finding a place to let (outside Stary Miasto) and school for the girls. Maybe find some English classes as well... ;) Do you think it would be possible for a non native English teacher to find a job there?

Get a place via air bnb for a couple of weeks to start off, you'll want to be 'on the ground' to find a place where you'll live for a year. And what's wrong with living in Gdansk's old town? I loved living there.


Do they speak fluent Polish? If not, you're going to have problems. The support given here to kids who do not speak Polish is minimal at best. Depending on their age, you could be setting their education back by an entire year.


An non-native speaker who needs a work permit? That is going to be very very difficult, verging on impossible. Plan around not earning a single zloty as a teacher while you are in Poland.

Hi harry
I love Stary Miasto as well, but it is more expensive. Being there to find a place is possible, of course, but I just want to have some idea of prices and location. And as for our Polish, now it is preaty rusty, stuck on A1 level. I was better few years ago. Girls are taking Polish lessons already, not because of the moving, but because I find it important for them since they have family there.

the money is not realy an issue, since I have a monthly income that does not depend on my work. Teaching English would be great 'cause that's what I've been doing for the last 15 years and it would be nice to have something to do with my free time.

A1 is very basic, not enough for work. If your children have Polish citizenship, then your husband probably too and if he can come with you ,then you coudl get permit to stay and work permit on the base of marriage with Polish citizen.

When you have work permit and teaching experience you can search for work. Perhaps you will find some job for English or Portuguese teacher. But if any then rather just half time and low payed, because there is very small demand for Portuguese and big competition for not native English teachers.

Only a couple of hundred zloty a month (at most). Personally I found it well worth the extra few zloty per day.


If you're qualified, you might be able to volunteer somewhere.

It's very worth it since the Gdansk suburbs in winter are not cheerful especially with the wind and rain from the Baltic, whereas in the old town you'll be within an easy walk of so much and it is of course a beautiful place.

I must admit your daughters would find it boring here. As the others said, Gdansk old town would be the go for a young family. There are places to avoid though, that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, and which make my previous abode of Katowice a picnic by comparison.

Gdynia is snobville but safe. Large parts of Gdansk are still ruined by the war and I myself am not a fan.

As for teaching - just up yourself on the net and off you go. As you would know, it's all word of mouth, and 60 per cent charisma - and a variable amount of edutainment anyway. I know a Brazilian who teaches English here very successfully and he is the flavour of the month year by year :)

My daughters and I had a great time last time we were there! Gdansk is one of my favourite cities, I must say. I would like to live in stary miasto or the new buildings just outside downtown, I forgot the name but it is a nice place with school for both girls, busses to almost everywhere, a Biedronka store...

It would be great to talk to this Brazilian teacher. I think he would have some very interesting tips for me!
Do you think you can give him my email?

I will PM you his number

Are you looking for an international school or Polish school for your girls? Hard for anyone to recommend schools without knowing :) I personally liked the look of the British school, but I never got to visit and we went elsewhere. There are other cities with more school choices if thats an option. Not sure if Gdansk has a bilingual school? You can see school lists here: expateurope.info/topic63.html

Hi Pani, I have seen two international schools in Gdansk, but one of them is only for pre-schoolers. I think it wouldn't make much difference for the girls if it is Polish or not 'cause the girls don't speak English yet. They have a Polish teacher here in Brazil but it is not enough and the whole point of us moving there is to experience the culture and the language. My beggest concern is about the quality of schools. My nephew goes to a Public school there, but I would like to see a few private schools as well.

Merged: Moving to Gdansk

Hi!

I recently have been offered to work in Gdansk and since the offer is rather good (~110k PLN net per annum), i have decided to take it and move to Gdansk from November. Obviously I have thought through the move and did my homework, however still would like to hear from other expats/locals.

Apartament
I am looking at 35-45sq.m nice apartament in Old-town/new district (there are some advertisements marked something like executive) with all necessary equipment, preferably with balcony(can be small) and parking (but it is not a deal breaker). From the advertisements it seems that the prices for my requirements are from 1500-2000, however these advertisements are online for at least a month at least, meaning either demand is low or price too high. It seems to me that actual price should be lower than 2000 PLN; What would be realistic price for my demands and what I should take into account for rent (legal, practical isues).

Living costs
What are average costs in Gdansk (food for week, beer, nice lunch cinema, etc). Im moving from Riga and in past years prices there are getting bit crazy for east europe (4 Eur for beer in oldtown, 7 for cocktail/longdrink, etc), i reckon that it could be similar in Gdansk.

Other expats&socializing
Im quite outgoing so where are the expats hanging out in Gdansk and Tri-City? Also where the local young people (20s, early 30s) are hanging out (i like the artsy type of stuff, so maybe there are cafes where improv-theatres are or some local singers performing, it could anything in local language, can be in Tri-city). And decent night clubs as well :)

How to find amateur football(futsal is also fine) team to train with, i was kind of a semi-pro, nothing ordinary, but have some skill. Where to find some local or regional team contacts?

Music record (vinyl) stores in Gdansk?
Is there a local market in Gdansk?
What about local library - does it have books in English?

Polish courses
Last but not least - I want to learn at least some polish (have russian language background), so could you reccomend me some good teacher/school?

Lot of questions, but thanks in advance.

1. Your 110K translates into just over 9K per month before tax and insurance. You have to take a third off that, so your monthly net may be around 6K per month.

2. Remember to add the cost of utilities (gas, electric, water, maintenance) to the price for the flat. Always ask beforehand about these costs. Remember the Polish mentality is to put a high price on an empty flat and leave it empty rather than lower the price. Negotiate very hard, but you are at a disadvantage not speaking Polish - better to take a Polish friend with you.

3. Living costs - depends on what you consider 'living' - some people manage on 500PLN per month, some cannot manage on 2K per month.
4. Yes and yes. - you will find everything you need in Gdansk.
5. Polish courses - individual approach, but better to get a good native to teach you first. Go on gumtree Gdansk for that.

Thank you for answer! The 110k is already after all taxes, net month is around 9,2-9,4k, so its bit better than 6k :) Yeah, that is how I understood about the apartment rent - will bring the employer for the help in negotiation.

That's very good salary. According to Numbeo.com:


I don't think that you will find many English books in libraries. Buy kindle or order from Amazon/Allegro.

Or the advert is spurious. Look on Gumtree, check the box that says 'wlasciciel' (not agent) and google the phone number to make sure it doesn't show up as a real estate agent.

Terri is right about negotiating and yes, it's a good idea to let your employer help.


A bit cheaper than that though it depends what sort of place you want to go to - some can be more expensive. Food etc isn't especially expensive there are you can live cheaply or not.

The Trójmiasto (you can't really talk about Gdańsk alone - the conurbation spreads up the coast) has everything you might be looking for.

Thanks for the answers! And what about places where epxats hang out?

Hi,

Welcome to Poland, im English and have been here 5 years. Here are a few tips for you.

Apartments

If you rent an apartment look for apartments ads placed on trojmiasto.pl or allegro.pl avoid using estate agents as they will charge you a months rent for doing sod all.

Beware that there is no deposit protection for tenants and a few Brits I know have never received their deposit back. Polish courts are incredibly slow and if you are non Pole don't bother trying to get it back the legal way.

Remember to ask your landlord to take you to to get registered at the address. Only the property owner can do this and most poles are reluctant to do it because once you are registered it is harder to get you out and also they don't want the tax office knowing that they are earning from the property. If he wont register you then you can take a copy of the lease to the office and write a declaration saying that you are renting and the landlord wont register you.

When you rent in Poland bills are included in the cost at a rate that the landlord thinks you may use. This isn't 100% as you may have to over pay when the landlord receives his bills from the utility companies. Make sure that you get a copy of all bills he receives from him.

Living Costs

Approx.. Rent 1500-2000zl (incl bills), Bus/rail pass monthly 100zl. Beer should never be more then 7-10zl.

The rest can be frittered on parties in Sopot and meals in milk bars (cheap cafes serving polish staples for about 2 quid a meal).

Polish Courses

Unless you have a degree in English and are 100% up with Grammar don't bother booking into a course. I went to a course in Wrzescz (in gdansk) for 11 weeks, twice a week, traveling from Gdynia and after 22 lessons i couldnt order a beer in a pub. Complete waste of time.

Polish has to be learnt speaking to Poles, getting simple phrase books and learning a sentence at a time.

Good luck.

It depends on your priorities. 1500-2000 will get you an average type of flat. It may not be in the best neighbourhood / street. You may have young people drinking in the estate at night being noisy. With a 9K pln net salary - you could easily afford a high end flat for a bit more 2000- 3000pln all bills inc (even heating) 45-50m2 and still have enough to spend on going out, holidays etc. It could be a flat with high ceilings in a period property renovated to a high standard in the centre or a modern flat in an exclusive 'osiedle' (estate) or even a sea view. If you want to avoid paying 1/2 a month's rent as commission to an agent and also avoid your landlord paying the same and perhaps using this to negotiate a bit more from them, in the search criteria put 'bez posrednikow' or look on gumtree.pl or dom.trojmiasto.pl/

Poles value stuff like windows which get good sunlight i.e. not on the ground floor. So identical apartments may be priced differently for this reason and no-one's trying to rip you off.

example -
gumtree.pl/cp-mieszkania-i-domy-do-wynajecia/gdansk/bardzo-ladny-apartament-w-nadmorskim-dworze-609099772

As for where expats meet I don't know if there is enough of them to have regular meetings, but you can check Couchsurfing meetings if you want just to talk in English:

couchsurfing.org/n/places/gdansk-pomorskie-poland

I'll answer most of your questions when you bother to register.

Merged: Any info on which area is the best to live in Gdansk?

Any info on which area is the best to live in Gdansk. Looking for a flat or house 100sq meters would be the minimum. Bright cherry at least three bedrooms close to tram or old town but will live out of the center for the right place. Looking for that area that an executive would live in, modern spacious newer or renovated properties. Can anyone help coming in from Canada and do not know the areas and would like to come in knowing where to focus. Any tips? Thanks

I used otodom.pl when looking for a house, its in Polish, but put DOM for house and na wynajem for rent and you will see whats around, there are other sites also, but I found this one to be one of the better ones.

There is a new expat forum also, some Americans in the Polish section, not canadians but hey , close? :)

expat europe.info

I even made calculations on all the Polish cities and where costs more to live, (rent wise) lol. Gdansk is a bit up there but looks very nice!

Try Wrzeszcz, easy to get to the old centre on the SKM and fairly pleasant.


The main online real estate portal is domiporta.pl - I think they have an option for selecting English.

To scottie1113:

So what about the answers to rest of the questions, since i'm registered user now :)

Looking for apartament is not easy - it seems that good offers do not last at all in Gdansk. What about working in Gdansk (Wrszescz district) and living in Sopot (SKM is convenient and Sopot seems to have a lot of nice apartaments on market, since it is offseason) - or is it not worth during autumn/winter?

Simple one that. I installed a new lock and didn't pay rent for the last month with a dodgy character a while back.
Also only rent from folks that are kosher. Other than that - if violence is the only language they understand then offer it up.

Check commuting times with trojmiasto.jakdojade.pl/?locale=en and see if you find them satisfactory.