Job Discussion Forums

[superturbo]

I've chosen as CR as the 1st choice place to study CELTA and then possibly look for a teaching job afterwards. I've been looking over the expats.cz forum and one thing that concerns me is the Czech attitude to foreigners (or at least to Roma). I would never imagine ALL Czechs are racist or xenophobic but I just wanted to hear some of your own opinions as ELTs - what's it like there for a foreign teacher?

[spiral78]

My spouse is Czech, I moved there in 1998, taught in Prague for three years, and we still have a small flat outside of Prague where I spend as much as six months out of the year. I can speak with a bit of authority on the question.

Ideally, if you look like a European, you'll face no problems at all. There is a thriving black community in the country, and while they might still get a few looks in small towns, generally they are well-accepted. However, if you look Indian (from India, I mean) then people may well assume that you are Roma.

Yes, there are problems. I'm not defending the attitudes, but they are based on some degree of reality - some Roma really do live in pretty unsavory ways, and they are really offensive. It is true that many Czechs look down on the Roma, and that would be extended to anyone who they perceive as Roma, based on looks.

There have been a couple of posts on this forum recently by young Indian women, hoping to come teach in the Czech Rep. I and others have advised them that it's probably not the best place for them...you might want to read over those posts as well. I'll bump them up.

[spiral78]

Thinking about teaching in Prague, and the other one is obvious.

[spiral78]

I could also clarify the teacher issue, I guess. There's little cache attached to being an ELT these days - there have simply been too many millions passing thru over the past 15 years.

Most ELTS socialise primarily with other expats, at least until they pick up some Czech.

If you make some effort with the language, and use it when you can, it's generally appreciated that you are at least trying (with the exception of waiters, who can be really discouraging by replying to you in English regardless of your efforts to speak Czech:)).

Czechs generally tend to be rather reserved, and it can take some time to make real friends - but when you do, they are Real. The youthful party scene is an exception to this rule, of course!

But, bear in mind that there are many, many millions of foreigners passing thru Prague yearly - just to be a foreigner in Prague is definitely nothing special any more!

[ITTP]

[superturbo]

This all seems a shame to me. I am not a caucasian European but do not want to be thought to be a Roma if I am working in CR. I am also from England and of course there are racists/xenophobic attitudes Everywhere - however on looking at the expats forum I wonder if this is a bigger problem in the CR. For instance, just because I am not white I don't want trouble in a cafe or when applying for membership in a gym. It's not about people not smiling or being 'unfriendly' but trouble in other ways - unwilling to engage with me or a 'hatred' for me. I've never been to CR so have no idea what to expect and I would like to just live there for the experience, find out more about the culture and get to know new people. I have been to Ukraine and found it fine, no trouble at all and beforehand I thought it would be much worse with regards to non-whites. So I wonder about CR.. is it that bad or is it just a general sort of stereotype?

[spiral78]

Yes, it is a shame.
But if you look 'indian,' you may actually have problems.
I have known friends of friends, who were not Roma, not by any means poor, professionally dressed in suits and ties, who have been verbally abused and one who was actually attacked (no serious outcome).

Please don't think I want to discourage you at all, and I seriously don't want to give Czechs a bad rap. Neville will likely respond that I'm being overly negative. But I honestly know of people for whom this has been a real problem, and I think it's fair to tell people the (sometimes negative) truth about possibilities.

Prague is pretty cheap to visit from England. Why not go for a long weekend and see how it feels to you? Check out a gym or two, go to some restaurants...

[superturbo]

Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't say you're being negative since I've got nothing to base this on, whereas you obviously live and work in CR. I guess it's just the way things are and despite the many nice things about Prague and the country I wouldn't want to go to a place where I will always be treated like an outsider.

[ITTP]

[ITTP]

[spiral78]

I agree with Neville about the black teachers - I've known five or six, and they've had no significant problems.

But it's different for those who can be mistaken for roma, unfortunately.

[johnnyappleseed]

Just to add my two cents, I have a friend who is Iranian-British and looks sort of 'Roma'. While he complained a bit to me about some bad treatment at the borders and in the airport(he did not blame it on his look, though, but that's the first thing I thought of), he seemed to get on quite well and have a fair amount of friends. He certainly never mentioned any particular mistreatment--and I live in the sticks. He went back to Britain, but that was mainly because he wanted more money than he could eke out here as an English teacher(his wife is Czech.)

He has a big expansive joyous LOUD personality and that might be part of the reason why he seemed to get on well here.

[ITTP]

I was at Budejovicka Klinika yesterday in Prague 4 and got chatting to a black lady who had moved over here with her husband and 4 kids. She was from London and was over here on a 6 month work contract with a real estate agency. She reported that she didn't experience any outright racist abuse but did say that she often felt uncomfortable with the stares which she got. These stares she said were more fascinated stares but nonetheless were a little OTT.
The one thing she did complain about though was the level of customer care here and the one thing which she raved about was the health service here compared with the UK

Hezky den!/Lovely day!

Neville

ITTP Prague
Jungmannova 32
Prague 1

[Arab Strap]

Fifty-seven percent of Czechs think there are too many foreigners in the Czech Republic and one-fifth of them agree with the view that the Czech Republic should not accept any more refugees, according to the outcome of a poll conducted by the CVVM agency. Seventy-eight percent of Czechs think that residence permits should be linked to certain criteria. The view that the Czech Republic should significantly curb the number of refugees the country takes in is held by 68 percent of Czechs.......

there's your answer, source Radio Prague news

[ITTP]