ExpatYourself.com

Hey Jeff! Here we go:

We are "tenured" level teachers (9+ years) and hope to teach English and/or whatever may be available. Our thoughts are that we will be at the top of the food chain if it exists. We both have public school and college teaching experience and we both have master's degrees - Brian will have his PhD completed this year, mine in two years.

We will be in Prague in April for sure, our main concerns right now are where to start with the basics.

*Good place to live w/dogs
*Schools to go apply to first
*How to plan a monthly budget
*What to expect with income; etc (we have the finances to live for 3-5 months with no income. We hope not to burn through that though!).

A couple more questions:

1. If you were us, what would you do?
2. Are there other types of employment we may be qualified for - are we shooting too low with the "starving artists" you referenced?
3. Can we be the ones you help this year if we promise to return the favor to someone else?


THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

Hi Dena, great to hear!!

Let me tackle your first four bullets now...


*Good place to live w/dogs
Prague is very dog friendly. Dogs and babies can break the ice between strangers (not an easy task for Czechs!).
Where to live? Near any park is best. Consider Prague 6 and Prague 7 neighborhoods, where you can easily walk in and about Letna and Stromovka parks - big, big parks.
Owners are expected to pick up after their dogs (but us walkers can never assume so). Throughout the city are "pick-up bag" dispensers, plus receptacles for what pooch leaves behind.
Letna park also offers an easy walk to Prague castle. Stromovka park, just north of Letna, is the city's largest.

In Prague 2 is also Reigrovy Sady - another popular one for dog walking. Generally, dogs are leashed on the sidewalk, but not in the park. I think technically dogs are supposed to be leashed, but Czechs would find that inhumane in a park unless the dog is dangerous or wouldn't come when called.

*Schools to go apply to first
As teachers, you should apply first to the English-centric, international schools.

Here's a list of top 5 (may be only 5):
English International School of Prague
International School of Prague
Prague British School
Christian International School of Prague
Riverside School of Prague

Best advice is visit each school and apply in person (upon appointment with respective director), but may not feasible or cost effective if you're arriving soon anyway. In Prague, international schools are significantly more expensive relative to other major cities (& compared to average Prague salaries). So, you'll find the students are largely from above-average income families: diplomatic corps (common in Prague 6) and corporate executive breadwinners.

Beyond these are a number of language institute schools for the mass appeal to learn English. For these, I'd say you're over-qualified, but don't let that get in the way of any income. You mentioned being "at the top of the food chain"...yes, you are very qualified for sure. Keep in mind that most English teachers here are teachers because they are native English speakers - they are your competition. They far outnumber you and are willing to work for less, because it's demanding but available work.

Personally, we have our school-aged child in a Czech school. By comparison, our Czech primary school costs us about 2000 crowns a month. My coworkers tell me the Int'l school tuition costs between 15k and 30,000 a month/child.


*How to plan a monthly budget
Prague's goods and services will compare to living in Chicago or New York City, but far cheaper than say London, Moscow or Seoul. It is easy to lose sight of how much you're spending when first dealing with a new currency, but I also warn against comparing just by exchange rate.
Here, you'll spend more on clothes and groceries (1 liter milk for 15 kc). Big price differences between name/designer brand and not.

A few personal notes: we spend way less than the average US family on clothes. However, groceries is one area where we do not skimp and save. We pay dearly on the few items we persist on buying organic.

Generally, I see Prague as the same as a moderate to expensive US city. Exceptions are clothes and electronics, where Prague can be overly expensive. Fortunately, the cost of a 2-hour train to Dresden, Germany will easily make up for a big shopping trip for clothes or say, a TV.


*What to expect with income.
Let's assume your income is from one of the above int'l schools. Salary, I'm guessing, may be between 25,000 - 35,000 crowns/month (before 23% taxes). (Salary is always stated per month, not annually) But, since I'm not a teacher, nor do we know any, I can't be sure. By the way, it's about 18 kc to the $US. So, 18,000 kc = $1,000.
"Average" pay for blue-collar Prague worker is ~26,000 / month. Bus, tram drivers earn perhaps 18,000. Compare with an executive or senior manager earning 60-150,000 a month.
Want to see more about salary and taxes? Check out this (in Czech) financial tax calculator: http://www.finance.cz/dane-a-mzda/financni-kalkulacky/mzda-po-reformach/



Dena - found a great resource for you. You and Brian should check out this locally made e-book for foreigners in Prague:
http://www.expatyourself.com/docs/InfoB ... igners.pdf

Dena,

I re-read my reply about income and my stomach hurt from how it might have sounded. I hope you're not thinking "Oh, no. What, I should hope to earn a 'blue-collar' wage of $1,500 a month?".
Although it's somewhat true by the numbers, it's still plenty to live by. If both of you are working, then you're not hurting by a long shot. Combine this with the fact that rents outside "downtown center" can be as low as 10,000 (or even less) for a 1 bedroom flat. Then it's no longer an "oh, no" scenario.

Dear Jeff,

Thank you so much for the detailed response, it has given us a lot to work with and we sincerely appreciate your help!

We are checking out the sections of Prague you suggested and we have both applied/made contact with the schools you listed. We agree that our best bet will be getting there and meeting face to face. Speaking on that, we are thinking of making a preliminary trip to Prague to check things out. We would try to start our legalization process as well, to alleviate any problems, or try at least! We are looking into dates in February so we will keep you updated on that. What are your thoughts on that idea?

The e-book you sent has a lot of information and we are slowly working through it, thank you.

Finally, two more questions:

1. Amazingly enough, we have survived in the suburbs here with one car and a scooter for occasional use. We would LOVE to survive without a car in Prague. Seeing the limited metro line, is it feasible to think we could manage with public transportation and bikes?

2. We have been looking at multitudes of pictures and have seen a lot of graffiti. What is crime like there? Just curious, graffiti here in Phoenix typically signifies gang activity.

We look forward to hearing from you again, have a fantastic weekend!

Great questions.
I can understand how you came to relate graffiti to gang activity, but in Prague and I believe in most cases outside the US, it is not valid.
Please know Prague has virtually no gangs. (And I think even saying "virtually" is an exaggeration.)
Is there ANY violence by groups? Maybe a once a year case because of a half-hearted demonstration of extreme right nationalists (neo-nazi) -but then they're usually beaten down by proactive locals that just don't tolerate their sh*t.

Yes, graffiti is a problem - that's for sure. It's across all neighborhoods and it's a serious eyesore that we sheepishly apologize for whenever someone visits us. For a half-lame excuse, read up on the history behind the John Lennon wall near the French embassy.

Oh, about having vs. needing a car. If you're the type that seeks to not have a car, then I assure you - you don't need a car. The metro system is a part of the whole integrated transportation system - far from limited. We also enjoy not having had a car since leaving the States. By the way, the transportation system is also very dog tolerant/friendly. A one year pass for all metro, tram & buses costs about $275 (4900 kc) per person.

Hope that helpful. And yes, I think a prelim trip in February would be helpful, but limited. It's a bit early for securing an apartment. And, as far as legalizing your stay here, -you mean working with the Foreign Police (a whole can of worms to open here....), you will need an address here already to start any process. Your future landlord will cooperate with signing forms & providing evidence.

Please search on the expats.cz discussion group for foreign police. There will be hundreds of threads re: people's efforts with the FPO.

-Jeff

I missed a big question- about crime.

What is crime like here? Compared to the US, there's much more petty crime, e.g. pickpocketing folks on the trams and metro is big. Easily lifted things will be lifted. No one leaves valuables visible in their car (windows up & locked doors are no deterrent).
Some examples: no one would ever park their bike unlocked outside the grocery store while shopping, not even for 5 minutes. While in a tram, metro, bus, your purse/handbag should not be open or unclasped. That's goes doubly true while entering a tram, where the thieves will nick a person while crowding in & out. Triply true on popular routes for tourists.

Now, everyone calls it "pick-pocketing" and all metro car doors have a warning sign "Beware of Pick Pockets"....BUT it actually borders on outright mugging for the most vulnerable tourists. My most extreme example: in a crowded metro car, between stops, we all watched as one man was surrounded, stripped of his things and left to dress himself as his muggers left. That's an extreme, but it did happen.

That all said, there's almost no violent crime. The only exception is violence toward the Roma. Roma here, and this is going to sound bad, are considered 2nd class people as a whole. Racism is overt and at the worst of times, proactive in public. The only parallel I could draw on is perhaps Jews in Europe in the '30s or blacks in southern US in the '50s/60s. A very, very discriminated against group. Research on your own for more. It rather disgusts us and most foreigners to Czech Republic. But don't seek sympathy from 9 out of 10 Czechs.

-Jeff

Hi Jeff!

First of all, I just can't say enough how great you and your family have been to us! We feel so fortunate to have been able to actually field questions instead of mere speculation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We have another question: What sort of ID does one need to carry around? We have read a lot about needing to carry your passport everywhere....

Thanks!

What ID do you need? Technically, yes, everyone is supposed to have their passport on them.

Now, do we? No, definitely not.
Two reasons. One, you know- a passport is much too valuable to risk losing. And two, the law isn't enforced. No one has ever asked me or my wife for our government ID.
The safe alternative is a photocopy of your passport. I did this for a while. Then after a few months, the copy was looking pretty beat up and I stopped carrying the copy.

The only time I have my passport on me is when I know in advance I'll need it that day.
Some reasons I do need my passport:

• going the post office to pick up a package
• visiting my bank branch
• visit at the notary
• running to the hospital (I always have my insurance card on me)
• renting a car

Oh, and any travel by plane or any stay at a hotel (domestic or foreign) -you need to show your passport. When staying at a hotel, your passport info is recorded to turn into the local foreign police. Sounds a bit controlling, but it's all good. Like I said, no one has ever said to me "Your papers, please."

On the other hand, I do always have my drivers license and my Opencard (city transport swipe card). Both are picture "IDs", but neither are official enough for those reasons above. I don't know why I bother with carrying the license - we don't own a car. Guess I'm trained from how it's considered in the US. And carrying the Opencard is enforced occasionally while riding the metro or trams.

Hope that helps and ask away!

-jeff

Hello!

The info on passports was very helpful, we were a little unsure of toting it around (especially me, I'm forgetful Nellie....)

More questions!

1. What type of phone service do you use/suggest?
2. Is there a typical work 'dress code?' We are trying to figure out how to pack
3. Thank you for the help with insurance. Do you suggest we make that contact now or when we arrive?

Thanks as always!

--Dena

howdy 'gain!

About phone service... in our case, my phone is a work phone and my wife's is on a discount plan through my work. Now, if we didn't have this deal, here's what I'd do: Use or get a phone with a SIM card and use prepaid service. (my wife now uses my old smartphone from the US)

If you have a phone in the USA that's using a SIM card, just bring that one. Assuming it's less than 5+ years old and uses the same GSM freqs as here in Europe, you only need to pick up a new SIM card (new phone#) - costs 500 Kc and it comes with 100 Kc of minutes on it already! That how I did it for the first few months.

To put more minutes on your phone, you just walk up to the nearest kiosk (li'l newspaper stands with "Tabak" on their signs) and grab a prepaid voucher to top off your phone as it runs out of time.

I'm not a gadget guy but if you have to have the latest, there are plenty of phone salespeople very eager to sell you the very latest Blackberry, Nokia, blah-blah phone they can offer, plus a 2 year contract.

Work dress code? For teachers, it's probably governed by the individual school. I'm sure smart casual is fine, but if you really want to be sure, you could call the school. Seeing the teachers in our daughter's school, smart casual is completely ok. Don't want to look "too good" though.
So, some word about difference in dress in Prague... Does Brian wear sandals and socks? That seems big with men here, unfortunately. And you'll be in a dress over jeans. Took my wife a month or two before she tried it, now she's hooked. But... there's no city-wide work dress code for foreigners or teachers. ?? Dena, you threw me a curve ball with this one.

About insurance, yes, I would contact Tomas. For nothing else but to make contact. Introduce yourself and let him know when he could expect to meet you to start insurance. Short simple sentences. He won't make an appointment until you're in town, but he'll like reply back to say hi.


Keep the questions coming!
Cheers, -jeff