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Business permit/license for EU national?

 
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gwynnie86



Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 159

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:37 pm    Post subject: Business permit/license for EU national? Reply with quote

Hi there!
I've been kind of offered a job in Prague with a smaller language school... the thing is, they've told me that they need me to get a business permit (the ZL) before I can sign an official contract. The thing is... I'm British. I was under the impression that EU nationals didn't need anything like that in order to work, so my guess is that they're trying to get out of paying towards their taxes or health insurance for me.
They seemed very nice, but I left the place wondering whether something dodgy was going on. As far as I was aware, it's really hard to get the business license/visa/whatever we call it... but I never really looked into it, as I didn't think it would apply for EU citizens. Help!?
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's a zivno (zivnotenski listek - spelling?) and you may well be correct to assume that something shady is going on. I have heard of schools posting income to an employee on which tax goes unpaid, on the presumption that the teacher will leave the country within a year and no consequences will occur.
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gwynnie86



Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 159

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahh.... so what should I do? Is it going to cost me loads to get a zivno in the first place? Should I continue to seek employment from somewhere that will employ me legitimately? :S
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never had to deal with a zivno (was employed on regular contracts), so I'm not really sure what the current process may be or how shady it is for an employer to ask, though I'm pretty sure it's likely to not be above board.

Your best bet is probably to ask teachers in the city, who have direct info regarding a zivno.

Chris Westergard and/or one of the other Prague long-termers may be around on the boards shortly, but I expect you can find info quicker at an expat hangout in the city.

There are some threads here...I'll try to bump something up for you.
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Czexpat



Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 42

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gwynnie86 wrote:
Ahh.... so what should I do? Is it going to cost me loads to get a zivno in the first place? Should I continue to seek employment from somewhere that will employ me legitimately? :S


It's going to cost you around 3,000Kc per month, including mandatory health and social insurance. (You are required by law to have health insurance).

It is very rare for a school to insist on a Zivno. A DPP contract should be fine and is usually recommended until you are earning enough to make a Zivno worthwhile. However, a DPP will only entitle you to work 150 hours before the end of the year but, from 2012, that should go up to 300 hours. If they are offering you full-time work, that might be why they don't want you on the DPP but taking someone on full-time and getting them to sign up on a zivno is, I believe, illegal. (You can be taken on as a contractor but companies should not try to use this as a way of avoiding the high cost of employing someone officially.)

Yes, I'd say you should keep looking for reputable schools and look quickly as they will be starting to allocate courses very soon.

(That's not to say these people are definitely scammers, by the way).
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gwynnie86



Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 159

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah, interesting. Yes, they want me full time - 20 to 25 hours of teaching a week, I believe. As I lived in Japan for 16 months I'd have to get a criminal background check from there AND the UK before I could even apply for a Zivno, so it's going to take at least 3 months anyway. They said I could work before I had it but that I wouldn't sign a contract with them... there's also a clause in the manual saying I mustn't discuss my contract with anyone.. erm!
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