Job Discussion Forums

[uneek23]

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[rascho2]

I am kinda in the same boat as you are, I will have my BS in may and I will be completeing a TEFL course in June, if you don't mind me asking, what course or you doing?

[spiral78]

To answer your general questions, current teacher salaries are somewhere around 18,000 - 20,000 Czk monthly. Rents are relatively high, but you can make things easier by sharing an apartment with another teacher. You're right - not too many teachers live in Prague 1 - though it's not impossible (my first Prague address was Celetna, just two doors off Stareo Mesto namiesti - absolutely fantastic, but not possible for the long -term - I was there three months). Well, you don't really want to live in the midst of the tourist crush permanently anyway.

April is not the greatest time to be looking for work, because contracts usually run September thru June. You should be able to find something, though; it's just not the easiest time. Summer can be tight, even for teachers who have worked a full contract. August especially is really holiday month all over Europe.

Back to finances, teachers in Prague can usually make enough to enjoy themselves in the Czech Rep, but remember that most people don't make enough to save much, send money home, or travel substantially around other countries. You can have a fine time here, though. Just be sure to bring enough money initially to support yourself for a bit; it takes some time to get established in any new place.

[ddeubel]

Hi,

I taught for 5 + years in Karlovy Vary and have helped the school's owners find teachers.....

PM me if you are interested in teaching there...As already said, the pay isn't enough to save lots but I can guarantee at the school, The English Center, if you are kind and work reliably, you will be treated like a king. The Zrust's are a class act and treat their teachers with the "human touch". Plus, Karlovy Vary is a great city, miles of trails and nature and international in scope (despite it becoming more and more russified...).

Im presently working in Asia and miss using my Czech and my "lifetime" seat at Smicach, my pub. Tak, je to jednou....! Im doing fine here, life is an adventure. But greatings to all those in CR.

DD

[newyorkbunny]

Hi Everyone,

How much money do you think I would need to set myself up in Prague. I am hoping to go there in March and would like to stay in my own apartment and find a suitable teaching job. However, I will only have around Australian dollars $4,000. Is that enough?

Many thanks!

newyorkbunny

[spiral78]

Are you going to have to pay for flight tickets and TEFL certification out of your 4,000? If not, you should be all right. The major issues are that schools usually pay monthly, at the end of the month worked. Apartment rentals are usually one month up front, one month as a deposit, and if you have to go through an agent, you usually pay the equivalent of one month's rent to the agent. You'll need some incidental stuff like travel passes, but that's not too bad. Rent is always the toughest; rents are relatively high, in comparison to salaries. Many teachers choose to share an apartment; if you opt to live alone you could be looking at anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000kc monthly, from an average salary of 18,000 to 21,000 (this is a rough approximation, just to give you some general idea - rents vary widely!).
The normal work contract is September thru June, so it might not be super-easy to find work in March or April, but you should be able to find something. Summer months are typically pretty tight, too, especially August when everyone's on holiday. You'll probably want to be sure you still have some money in reserve to help you get through the summer.

[newyorkbunny]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. The $4,000 is after the ticket etc so looks like I'll be ok! I'm hoping to have a bit more than that by the time I go over but I was thinking of 4 grand as a base to plan my trip.

Thank you again!!!

Cheers,

newyorkbunny