Job Discussion Forums

[Cull]

I was going to leave this but couldn't believe what i have just read.

Prague is one of the most expensive cities in Europe.

I don't mean to offend but this is absolute nonsense. If you are infact a moderator I would like to know what the competition was like at the job interview Merlin.

It should read that Prague is one of the CHEAPEST cities in Europe. You are misleading. And matmac, didn't you read that I said ON A LOCAL LEVEL they are great (the wages that is).

I just can't believe what you just wrote Merlin and must add that either you just get ripped off all the time or that you have never been to Prague. don't you mean London? Are you sure you aren't mixing your cities up here? Prague Czech Republic.

Sorry to offend but with nonsense like this Ijust cannot control myself. It is totally misleading information.

[merlin]

[Cull]

[Cull]

Prague is one of the most expensive big cities according to the statistics. It is 49th in the world of big cities.
What worries me is that Budapest and Bratislava are rated is being more expensive so I assume a big city means a capital city.

You can throw statistics after statistics but that won't change the fact that a daily meal including soup and a beer can be had for about 2 dollars, food in the supermarkets is very cheap, public transport is so cheap it is almost free and that goes for national travel aswell (Prague to Brno for 5 dollars for example).

Be very wary of statistics. Prague has alot of foreign businesses investing alot of money into the economy and this is probably the reason for the 'high' rankings.

Look, you may have an expensive life in Prague. You probably hang round the expat ( ) places and get ripped off but we live very cheaply here and have a great life style.

I suggest we conduct a survey of our own. Pls, can any teachers living in Prague write if they lead a funky or a destitute life in Prague on their full time teachers wages.

Can't be fairer than that

[Fro]

Speaking as a person set to leave in November to begin teaching, I would like to go on record. I have been following the Czech Republic strings for a couple of months but this is my first post. I am new to the whole concept of TEFL and am personally quite nervous about moving to a new country. No offense, but this string leaves me less than confident. The lack of confidence is not about the salary, but about the profession in general. I have never taught, but have similar experience in other fields. As with most new experiences, I have to weed through all the accompanying nonsense to determine the facts. Unfortunately, it looks as though this will be another sink or swim experience because all I get is conflicting information.

Who are you (everyone in this post) trying to help? All I have read is petty bickering to prove who is more correct. This is quite disheartening for someone looking for helpful information. Look, I realize that the salary will be modest, it�s teaching for God's sake! However this string has become a pissing match over who is right. It is an election year in America, and I for one am sick of hearing people talking (typing or yelling) AT each other instead of TO each other. Do you actually want to help others in the discussion or simply prove your point? Prove your point if necessary, but for the silent majority of members of the ESL Cafe, these "back and forth" posts do nothing but detract from the profession and possibly turn-off future teachers.

I do not mean to insult any of the posters in particular. I simply had to make myself known. I will be teaching at the Caledonian School in Prague. I am self-disciplined and persistent. I realize this experience will be difficult and expect to earn between 15,000 and 17,000, for all my work. I prefer to remain optimistic, but I am a realist. If anyone has information relevant to a new teacher confused with all the details, please feel free to send me a message.

To the rest of you, I wish you a good day, and hope you find SOME contentment.

Regards,

Andrew

[colin conway]

i spent some time in Prague last summer and believe me its cheap, i have heard people who only spent a weekend there say that it is expensive but that is obvious.
We bought our beer and wine in a shop run by Chinese people,
1/2 litre of beer 15c and 2 litres of wine �1.80.
We stayed in a hostel that cost �7/night including breakfast.

I have no idea about wages though

[Cull]

Fro, you are right.
It's just when someone writes something which is misleading I get a little hot under the collar.
This was the reason for the debate. To ascertain whether teaching in Prague is a fair deal.
Any more views?

[merlin]

[Cull]

Oh dear.
The bickering continues

Could someone else just write in with their experiences.

[merlin]

[matmac]

come to the czech republic and have a blast. teach english, learn czech, meet the locals, enjoy the beautiful city....just realize that you will be surving from pay check to pay check. hand to mouth baby! if you want to live in p1 or p2, you will pay for it. if you want to live outside the city, you will probably learn more czech and pay much less for rent. the downside for the drunks is there is less of a nightlife

don't let these posts get you down. many teachers come and here and do just fine....most leave after a year. it is what you want it to be...the wages may be better than the local average, but i don't live with my parents in p4 and i don't have a significant other with an income. you can get by, you just won't be saving unless you don't go out to the pubs and you cook every meal for yourself.

i love this place, but 13,000 is a ridiculous salary for this day in prague. its not feasible for the lifestyle i like to live. but thats me.

anyways, that my experience. try reading dave's post at the top of the CZ forum. it says it all.

later

[Cull]

It can be cheaper to eat out here than cook for yourself

Thanks Mat for the input. I'm glad you avoided a bickering session. A good point you did make is that most Czechs do have a second 'income' (grey economy). On the other hand, not all Czechs live with their parents. Some of them have families and that isn't cheap.

Once again, thanks for the positive reply.

Anyone else out there?

[caesar]

[Magpieblue]

I guess people with a passionate view about things are the people who post.

Not me, up until now.

1. Prague is a beautiful, glorious city (and ugly too) - and I love it just the same.
2. I can buy fewer things in Prague than I could in Australia on a higher income, but I'm going back to Prague.
3. No school is perfect and in my long career, I've worked in many.
4. My Czech friends are warm and sincere, but it took a while to get to know them.
5. If a wage is reasonable within a particular economy, we cannot judge it on expectations brought from outside that economy.
6. It is true that English language teachers are paid more than state school teachers.
7. It is true that one must live a modest lifestyle in Prague on an English teacher's salary - though that salary can be improved by volunteering to work more hours, and looking for a higher paid job.
8. By far the biggest cost will be accommodation. Other costs are entirely in keeping with your salary.
9. Travelling within central Europe is manageable on the salary, but it's hard to make the money mean anything when you go to western Europe.
(It's quite common for Czechs to buy a holiday, then take a lot of food with them, to reduce the cost while they are away.)
10. Engaging with the culture of the country will make the experience all the more rich.

10...that'll do for now.

[Cull]

The TEFL-Prague team have extensive experience btw.

I am not a recruiter. Just Cull

Thanks for the input Magpieblue and thanks for not venting your fustrations (unlike some other previous posts).

Anyone else?