Job Discussion Forums

[Travis86]

My girlfriend was talking to a person from Smaller Earth, from whom she is going to be taking a TEFL course in April, and they said that she should get a "freelance" visa (I think those were the terms they used) instead of a regular work visa. Said it was because it would be easier to have multiple jobs or switch positions without constantly reapplying for a visa.

However, they told her that to get a lawyer or whatever to help you with the Visa process is very expensive, around $700. I feel like that is a bit high, and since I will need to deal with this issue myself, I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this?

[ayahyaha]

There are a range of different services for what you are talking about.

The "freelance visa" is called a trade license, or in Czech a zivnostensky list. It is a license to do business as a freelancer. That means you will work for someone, send them an invoice, and they pay you directly. You pay all your own taxes, etc. at the end of the year.

In addition to the zivno you need a residence visa.

Or, you can work full-time with one school if they are willing to sponsor you for a work visa. The downside to this is that you are tied to your job, so if there is a problem with your job, you could lose your visa.

The vast majority of teachers I know here (in Prague) have zivnos.

The figure that was quoted to you is likely a full-service package. It's really not necessary. My visa agent is pexpats.com and they handled my zivno for about $300. I also got a discount because I applied together with my boyfriend. I also used Alexio.cz once, but was less happy with their service. There are others out there and you definitely do not need to pay $700.

Good luck!

[Travis86]

Very late, but thank you for the help!

Anyone done this one their own? Is it possible, or not worth the time?

[spiral78]

It might be possible to do it without an agent - if one has fluent Czech.

If not, you will definitely need an agent.