Job Discussion Forums

[jade_bear]

Hi

I'm new to this forum and have been reading all of the topics with great interest - you have all provided some fantastic information - thanks!

I am a new TESOL graduate from Australia (with a UK passport as well) with 10+ yrs business experience.

I am planning to start my esl career in Prague (why? I have heard and read a lot about Prague and the Czech Rep & now want to live their and experience the culture and the city myself ). I have submitted a few applications already but from reading the other threads I gather that being in the city is the best way to apply for jobs - so I am taking the plunge and heading over without any work lined up.

I'm also hoping that my business experience and degrees might go someway making me attractive to a school.

My questions for the old hats:

- How much money do you recommend I will need to cover myself for basic necessities before I get work (and get paid!)? food, basic accommodation, transport / per week. I will want to explore the city as well and will budget more on top to cover sightseeing/exploring etc.
- I am planning to arrive in Prague mid to late August - how long would it generally take a newbie to find work?
- Original qualification parchments or certified copies? I generally don't travel with originals but I know in some countries employers want to see the real deal
- If I want to send a box of stuff to myself with reference books etc (too heavy to chuck into my backpack) do post offices generally accept and hold mail when it is addressed to me c/- "x" post office? If not, how else would you recommend I post a box to myself noting that I don't have any contacts in Prague at the moment.

Any advice you can give me is most appreciated!!
Thanks

[jade_bear]

Ooops! One last question - are the yellow pages the best place to get a list of schools to approach for jobs once I hit the ground?

cheers...

[tumbawumba]

Hey jade bear, I can't give you to much advise because I'll be heading there myself in early September, good questions though. However, for a list of schools I found this link useful http://www.eslbase.com/schools/czech

Good luck nice to know I'm not alone. I'll keep reading with interest to see what the others have to say.

[spiral78]

- How much money do you recommend I will need to cover myself for basic necessities before I get work (and get paid!)? food, basic accommodation, transport / per week. I will want to explore the city as well and will budget more on top to cover sightseeing/exploring etc.

You should count on no pay in August - the earliest will likely be the end of September, and possibly the end of October.
Count on paying a landlord one month's rent as security deposit and one month up front, and possibly an agent fee equalling one month.
Plus, you must support yourself ....
I calculate minimum 2,500 USD -and 5,000 would be nice, if possible


- I am planning to arrive in Prague mid to late August - how long would it generally take a newbie to find work?

Most contracts are Sept/June. They probably won't start 01 Sept, but perhaps a week or so after that. You're coming at the peak hiring time - and should find work inside of a couple of weeks. Be sure your employer is one willing to support your visa process!!

- Original qualification parchments or certified copies? I generally don't travel with originals but I know in some countries employers want to see the real deal

I'd bring originals OR notarised copies. You can usually get free notarisation at your bank - you might ask.

- If I want to send a box of stuff to myself with reference books etc (too heavy to chuck into my backpack) do post offices generally accept and hold mail when it is addressed to me c/- "x" post office? If not, how else would you recommend I post a box to myself noting that I don't have any contacts in Prague at the moment.

No, I don't think you can post a box to 'hlavni posta' (main post office) and expect them to hold it. I think if it were me, I'd leave the box with friends or family, along with enough funds to pay for the postage after I had an address.

[jade_bear]

Thanks for the advice spiral78! Most appreciated. I can certainly plan to cover that amount to get me started, although of course the sooner I get paid the better.

And thanks for the link to the list of schools tumbawumba, that will certainly help my job search! Good luck with your move to Prague

cheers...

[kirstyp]

I just left Prague in December after 7 years there, and I can only envy how much fun you're about to have. I worked for the Caledonian School and the British Council, and did the occasional bit of private work as well.
I know that the Caledonian is always hiring, and September is a big intake time for them. It sometimes takes a few weeks for them to put together a fulltime schedule for newbies though, so even after you've got a job there it can take another 2-4 weeks before you are getting a full pay. I recommend them, as they were always good as long you're willing to meet them halfway and treat it like a job rather than a gap year. Have a great time. Prague is a wonderful city, and it is very easy to while away a few years there.

[jade_bear]

[cks]

A list of the language schools can be found on www.expats.cz. It is best to try to work for more than one school to build your hours and have additional contacts and resources. Almost everything you need to know can be found on expats and they have a newbie section.

You are coming at the perfect time, so no worries! Just be frugal during your first months here and do not fall into the pattern of wasting your money in the city center. Tour the city center as much as possible (still a novelty to me), but stay away from the restaurants, pubs, and many tourist traps.

[jade_bear]

Thanks cks! www.expats.cz is an excellent site - I found loads of useful information on there. Recommend that anyone planning to move to Prague take a look.

cheers!

[cks]

Expats is an excellent site and has many discussion forums and a special one for newbies. Beware, there are a few jerks on there who may get abusive for no reason. Please do not let them be a reflection of the Prague expat scene. Most of the guys are quite helpful with a great sense of humor. I would say that almost everything that you need to know about the Czech Republic is on this site.

[jade_bear]

An update!

First, thank you all for the excellent information many of you have provided on this forum. I have spent quite a bit of time reading through all of the various threads and the advice & comments that have been posted. I wanted to add a couple of posts to let others who are thinking of travelling to Czech to work know what my experiences are prior to, on and after arrival - having up to date information on different people's experiences can only add to the depth of info on this site.

Like Knight (on another thread) I am taking the plunge and arriving in Prague without a job lined up. I have booked flights and will arrive in the last week of August. I have just started to send my resume to a number of schools to let them know when I will be arriving, and hopefully I will be able to line up a few interviews in that first week.

I am travelling on an EU passport, so timing for me isn't crucial as I have 180 days prior to requiring a work visa, but of course having a pay packet coming in makes all the difference!

I know someone who may arrive in Prague on an Aussie passport, so timing for them will be a bigger issue as they have the 90 day limit. Securing work in the first couple of weeks will be a priority.

For temporary accommodation I booked a couple of nights in a hotel (great rates through wotif.com) and a month in a serviced apt in Vinohrady which I booked through www.stopcity.com. This will give me enough of a buffer to find affordable shared long term accommodation; and allows me to concentrate on finding work rather than a place to live in the first few weeks.

I decided to cover myself with travel insurance for the first 2 months as well, just in case as it was not much more expensive to extend for a few more weeks.

Now I am brushing up on my Czech phrases (I know zero Czech at the moment � but plan to enrol in a Czech language course). I am not looking forward to going through the red tape with the foreign police, visas, work permits, etc but it seems like a good many of the schools will help teachers through the work permit and visa process. I will write about my experiences going through this process in a few months time!

cheers
Deb

[spiral78]

Sounds like a very good job you've done so far. You'll enjoy the move, I'm sure

One thing I would clarify in your post, though:

I am not looking forward to going through the red tape with the foreign police, visas, work permits, etc but it seems like a good many of the schools will help teachers through the work permit and visa process.

Don't accept a job at any school that is NOT going to help you through the process - there are some shady operations out there that try to steer newbies into 'freelance' status, and there are some real dangers in this for the teacher.

[jade_bear]

noted! - thanks spiral.

[cks]

I did not realize you were coming on an EU passport. I am quite naive on the topic, but I was not aware that EU citizens had to go through any red tape or work visa issues. I don't think that any of my Brit friends are involved in such problems. But you will have no worries at all when it comes to finding a job. You are coming during peek hiring season and you are an EU citizen. Best of luck and let me know if you need any help.

[spiral78]

ah, cks, I missed that bit as well. No, it's much easier for EU citizens, you're right.

However, the warning regarding schools that want you to freelance stands regardless - it's too easy to get in trouble with the tax office if the school holds your freelance documents, which will obviously all be in Czech - and most newbies aren't functional in the langage to the degree that would enable them to judge the legality of the arrangements.