Job Discussion Forums

[Mercury Morris]

Oh! And one other thing...for those of you currently living in Prague and considering a move back home/or to wherever: be careful about taking Mother Prague for granted...you can get very spoiled living in Prague over time. You will have most likely forgotten about the decidedly harsh realities awaiting you back home per se in Canada...or USA...or UK.

Prague withdrawal is not merely rumor--its FACT!!

Indeed, as Franz Kafka said long ago, "Mother Prague has clutches"

...you'll find out....mwahahahahahah

[ilugru2]

Ok, I'm about to get my business licence in 2 weeks' time, hoorah! On a sadder note, though, the school which I was hoping to work with seem to be a bit less enthusiastic these days and I'm not sure I'll get enough hours from them. So I'm looking for advice - where in CR would you recommend an experienced (6+ years) teacher and Cambridge and IELTS speaking examiner with a zivno to look for a job? I'd rather not compete with newbies in Prague and opt for a smaller/quieter place, like Brno, but I might be wrong here - am I? There's a snag, unfortunately - I'm a non-native speaker and I've been told that the market wants either native speakers or Czechs. Most non-native speakers can't tell me from other English speakers, though, and Americans usually think I'm a Brit
I'm planning to arrive in CR next week and go from door to door to form would-be employers' impressions of me by talking to them rather than send CVs round. What do you think?

[spiral78]

Well, your timing is right and your quals sound fine. It also takes some luck these days, though, and that's impossible to predict.

Let me suggest that you add Ceske Budejovice and Pisek to your list of possible job-hunting destinations. Both are on major train lines and off the beaten Prague trails.

[Chris Westergaard]

I would imagine that with a Zivno and with talent and motivation it shouldn't be really hard to get a completely full schedule. Everyone starts off small, but work on your skills, network and you should within a year develop a variety of clients (payed via businesses) to exceed the 25,000 mark.

You just have to think of making contacts and promoting/selling yourself as part of your job. Get a regular schedule at a school, but during your free time, network. Brno isn't nearly saturated with teachers like Prague is. I would imagine that with an honest effort you would be able to get a lot of clients.

[ilugru2]

Thanks a lot, spiral78 and Chris. I'm definitely going to do as much as I can and hope it'll all work out.

[Chris Westergaard]

Check out the list of tips i left on another thread.

[sharter]

Prague's full of whores, stag-parties and gypo thieves. Add bloody cold winters, shite pay and people who don't smile...oh and a bunch of 'counter-culture' types who are so out there they only travel to a city full of expats then you're really in for a good time.

On the up side....the beer is good and cheap and the women are cheaper.

Totally overrated. Krakow's better.

[mr tree]

frankly, if that's all you gleaned from your time in Prague, YOU're the one who missed out and wasted YOUR time in another country. and we're fine without you, thanks.

3yrs here, never even had a gypsy bother me. yeah i've heard a couple of stories, but i would certainly class Prague as "safe", generally.

stag parties? whores? were you here in 2002? do you know that "things change"? stag parties moved on a while back (good for me, cos it was giving the British man a slightly embarrassing rep), Prague used to be a good cheap option for Brits but the gap has become smaller. hookers can be found but gone are the days when they lined Wenceslas Sq...

shite pay i can't argue, cold winters are hardly a surprise (did someone trick you into thinking you were going to the Caribbean?) and friendly faces can be found plentifully among the locals. maybe try talking to them next time, sharter.

[ancient_dweller]

i lived in prague for a year and can safely say that 25000kr a month is enough for a nice apartment (about 6000kr) and spending on beer (about 20-35kr). try the metro station florenc for good value apartments. stay in josefov and pay more than 25000kr for a 30m2 apartment.

[mr tree]

i've flat-hunted twice this year, and i have pretty good local connections... i'd say 6000kc is difficult these days. you can probably find something decent for 8000kc max tho (bills inclusive). that'd be a roomshare... i don't know about 1-person places, they're not so common among my social circle... i'd have thought you're looking at 10000kc per month there at least

(btw i have a nearly 30m2 room, 5mins from Karlovo Namesti, 3-person flat, 6700kc each per month all-inclusive )

[ancient_dweller]

ah ye, forgot to say, 6000kr for a room - not a flat - but as you said, probs 8000kr these days.

and ye, karlovo namesti is pretty good, i had a few mates who stayed there, closer to the centre, but then again, florenc is pretty close too.

some cool nightlife in the north - away from the touristy bars etc..

[thesteve]

[johnnyappleseed]

I agree that you can make that much or more on a z-list, but when you take the summer into account, it averages a bit less for most people.

[mr tree]

[quote="thesteve"]BZZT wrong.

My 9 years there I made between 22-30k czk a month and I was NOT killing myself doing it. I dont know where you get your pay rates or a lot of your information from, but they are wrong, sorry.[/quote]

is your information current? we're on a bit of a downswing here...

[taylor.1988]

the last post appears to be recent, so i ask:

1) is the market still tight as ever at the mo?

2) how much more difficult is it for someone of Asian appearance to find a lang school job than non-asian? lol... doesnt have to be prague

I currently hold a Trinity TESOL cert + 2 yrs uni ESOL/IELTS teaching exp with a degree in Eng/Lang teaching

Thanks!