Month: September 2017

Job opportunities

Guide to Working in Croatia

by lifepath 29/09/2017 No Comments

If you are thinking about working in Europe we highly recommend Croatia as a potential destination. Recruitment for the summer season usually starts early, companies want to get staff in place well before summer starts and so it is essential to apply early to give , so why not join us for a couple of weeks and travel amongst the beautiful islands of Croatia photographing some of the best ships, clubs, beaches and parties.

Popular Places to Work 

  • Croatian Islands
  • Dubrovnik
  • Split
  • Zagreb
  • Rijeka
  • Osijek
  • Zadar

Summer & Holiday Jobs in Croatia

So you want to do more than just your average holiday? Apply to work a summer season in Croatia. Companies usually hire staff from between April to October but there are also positions available throughout the year. Lots of international and local holiday companies offer seasonal jobs in Croatia including:

Language Requirements

For most positions, especially in hotels, hospitality, tourism and travel you will not need any Croatian language skills. Some companies say knowing the basics of the local language is desirable rarther than essential but we recommend buying a phrase book or search language lessons once in the country to boost your employment prospects.

Salary

What you get paid really depends on the company, position and your experience. Sometimes salaries are negotiable and dependent on experience. Some holiday companies offer competative salaries of around £1000 per month which includes accommodation, some meals and also commission. When working for local companies you will usually be paid in the local currency – Kuna. For international coompanies this can vary.

Career

Education in Croatia

by lifepath 20/09/2017 No Comments

Early Childhood Education

Just like this gap in attendance, there is a large disparity of quality between the various pre-schools around the country. There are also rather long waiting lists for pre-schools and nurseries, which can only be applied for from May onwards. If you want to avoid these waiting lists, or want to apply at any point of the year, a private kindergarten may be your best choice. The price for private kindergartens will most likely be between 2,500 and 3,500 HRK per month, but you should check with your kindergarten of choice for a specific price.

If you are only staying in Croatia temporarily without a permanent residence permit, you should be aware that the cost for public pre-school will be 1,900 HRK per month. You may be interested to know that many public kindergartens offer different programs, such as early foreign language learning programs or sport programs. Among the language learning programs, you can usually choose from English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, although not all languages will be available in every area.

Primary School

At the age of six, primary school children in Croatia start the mandatory part of their education. Primary education in Croatia is split into two stages, the first being from grades one to four and the second being grades five to eight. In the first stage, students usually study Croatian language and literature, math, nature and society, fine arts, music, physical education (PE), a foreign language from grade four onwards, and supplementary and elective studies.

In the second stage, they will likely study Croatian language and literature, fine arts, music, a foreign language, math, history, geography, technology, PE, supplementary and elective studies, and nature in grades five and six followed by biology, chemistry and physics in grades seven and eight. Whilst the language in the classroom is usually Croatian, official minorities have the right to be taught in their mother tongue.

Secondary Education

After finishing their primary education, children may continue into optional secondary education. There are three types of secondary education to choose from:

  • At general or specialized grammar schools pupils study a comprehensive curriculum. At the end of the four years, they take the state matura, after which they can take up higher education.
  • Vocational schools (business, technology, or industry, etc.) last one to five years depending on the end qualification, which can either be a final assignment or the state matura.
  • Art schools (dance, music, fine arts, etc.) function in largely the same way as vocational schools.

Those who finish high school with a “Certificate of Education” can enroll in a university or a polytechnic school of higher education.

Local vs. International Schools

The public education system in Croatia has the obvious advantage that it is free of charge. Children of foreign residents are also entitled to additional language lessons in Croatian. Sending your kids to a public school in Croatia might make sense if they already speak another Eastern European language, if they are still fairly young, or if you are planning to stay in Croatia in the long run.

If none of this applies to your family, your children might be better off at a private international school. There are several of them in the Zagreb area. There are also a few independent bilingual or international kindergartens in Zagreb too. Plus, some of the international schools may offer an attached nursery or kindergarten for younger children.

 

Job opportunities

Work Opportunities in the Czech Republic

by lifepath 15/09/2017 No Comments

Expats: Globalizing the Czech Republic

The country’s thriving tourism sector provides many opportunities to work in the Czech Republic. As many leisure activities are aimed at tourists, jobs in this field are often suitable for foreign workers that speak languages other than Czech. As English is the international language of business and Germany is the Czech Republic’s main trading partner, native speakers of English and German are in high demand.

If you have the right qualifications, you may be able to find a teaching job in a private language school or for a big international company. A university degree and/or a teaching certificate (such as TEFL) plus some teaching experience are generally required. You can contact the cultural representation of your country in the Czech Republic (e.g. the British Council or the Goethe Institut) for job openings and more information.

The Big Players in the Czech Republic

There are major international companies operating in all fields in the Czech Republic. Multinational corporations are your best bet for finding work, as they usually have plenty of experience hiring foreign personnel. Exxon Mobil, Mondelēz International (formerly Kraft Foods), and Tesco, for example, are just some of the global corporations with a major presence in the country.

There are, of course, also homegrown companies which are big players on the international market, e.g. ČEZ, Agrofert, Agropol, Zentiva, Bata, Škoda, Budvar, and Pilsner Urquell. The worldwide business directory Kompass is a good place to find local companies. Alternatively, you can contact your country’s Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic.

Finding a Job in the Czech Republic

As mentioned above, your best chance of finding employment in the Czech Republic is with multinational companies. If you have no luck searching for job openings on their websites or by contacting them directly, you could try the traditional approach of applying via recruitment agencies or international recruitment websites. If you understand Czech, you could also use one of the many Czech recruitment websites. Please see our article on working in Prague for a list of national and international job websites.

Companies in the Czech Republic who require highly skilled staff and struggle to fill certain positions often also advertise their vacancies in the register of jobs available for employee cards or for blue cards. Please see our article on moving to the Czech Republic for more information on this topic.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities

If you’re looking for business opportunities in the Czech Republic, the following areas may be of interest to you:

  • Science and innovation: This covers various sectors, including biotechnology (priority growth area), nanotechnology, education and training (increasing demand as companies invest in HR), and advanced engineering.
  • Healthcare: There is demand not only for medical equipment and healthcare management services, but also for lifestyle products.
  • Food and drink: With increasing globalization comes a higher demand for a more international cuisine and catering for special groups (e.g. vegan food).
  • Consumer goods: There’s a growing demand for imported fashion items, furniture, and accessories.

Working Conditions in the Czech Republic

Employment in the Czech Republic is regulated by extensive labor laws. The Labor Code stipulates, among other things, that any employment must be regulated by a written employment contract detailing the nature of the work and other important details such as working hours, the length of the probation period, annual leave, minimum wage, etc.

By law, the probation period cannot exceed three months (or six months for managerial positions). Every employee is entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave, with one supplementary week being standard in well-established companies. Average working hours for full-time employees are around 41.7 hours per week, just over the OECD average.

Career

Prestige universities with high level of education and application from Czech Republic

by lifepath 01/09/2017 No Comments

Charles university in Prague

  • oldest university in CZ (one of the oldest in europe, 1348)
  • variety of studies, over 17 faculties (biology, chemistry, math, medicine, history, law)
  • word-wide known university, many foreign students
  • http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-1.html

Czech Technical University in Prague

  • one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe (1705)
  • 105 degree programs and 419 fields of study (Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Sciences, Physical Engineering, Architecture, Biomedical Engineering)
  • Many technological research and patents
  • https://www.cvut.cz/en

University of Chemistry and Technology

  • largest university specializing in chemistry in the Czech Republic
  • faculties: Chemical Technolog, Environmental Technology, Food and Biochemical Technology, Chemical Engineering)
  • https://www.vscht.cz//?jazyk=en

 

Czech University of Life Sciences

  • university of agricultural education and research in Prague established in 1906
  • special studies as: breeding aquarium fishes, parrot breeding, spatial planning…)
  • https://www.czu.cz/en/

 

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague

  • University is offering the study disciplines of painting, illustration and graphics, fashion design, product design, graphic design, ceramics and porcelain, photography and architecture.
  • there are 23 studios at the academy
  • https://www.umprum.cz/web/en/

Brno University of Technology

  • University is offering a single course in civil engineering, architecture, chemistry and more
  • 74 study programs (of which 15 are accredited in English)
  • They do developments and research in modern technology
  • https://www.vutbr.cz/en/?aid_redir=1

Masaryk University

  • second largest university in the Czech Republic
  • it now consists of nine faculties – medicine, law, science or art
  • It is named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of an independent Czechoslovakia as well as the leader of the movement for a second Czech university
  • https://www.muni.cz/en

Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

 

Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

  • one of the oldest film schools in the world
  • offers also programs in English: summer workshops, one-year Academy Program, Special Productions
  • Directing, Documentary filmmaking, Scriptwriting and Dramaturgy, Animated Film, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, Production, Photography
  • https://www.famu.cz/eng

Mendel University in Brno

  • five faculties (Agronomy, Forestry and Wood Technology, Business and Economics, Horticulture in Lednice) and one institute
  • http://mendelu.cz/en/

Tomas Bata University in Zlín

 

News

Unemployment rate in Romania

by lifepath 01/09/2017 No Comments

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Romania,5.2% was well below the European Union average of 7.7%, in July 2017, according to data published yesterday by the National Statistics Institute (INS) and by Eurostat, the European Union Statistical Office.

According to INS data, the number of unemployees with age between 15 – 74, estimated for July of 2017, was 478,000 people, rising over last month (461,000 people), but declining compared to the same month of the previous year (525,000 people). In the year, the number of unemployed decreased by 9% in July and with 14.8% in the first seven months of the year, actually due, according to economists of Transilvania Bank, the positive climate in the area of exports and private consumption, but also migration. Exports grew by 10% in the first part of the year and domestic consumption by 8%.

Tensioning the labor market is a sign of overheating the economy and, although economists do not yet speak of severe corrections, they are considering a trend of change. “Statistics show the prospect of inflexion in the labor market, after the positive evolutions in recent quarters, amid rising wage pressures and rising economic policy risks, with an impact for the medium-term investment climate”, said Andrei Radulescu, senior economist of Transilvania Bank.

“We expect inflection (change of trend, descendant, ascendant) for the unemployment rate, scenario backed by the prospect of the end of the post-crisis economic cycle by increasing costs (wages and funding) and risks to medium-term macroeconomic stability “, he added. However, his analysis indicates an unemployment rate of 4.9% in 2018, compared with an anticipation of 5.2% in 2017.

According to data published yesterday by the NIS in July 2017 the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2% increasing by 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous month (5.0%).

Unemployment in Romania is one of the smallest in the EU. According to Eurostat, the highest rates are recorded in Greece (21.7%) and Spain (17.1%), and the lowest in the Czech Republic (2.9%) and Germany (3.7%).

Unemployment rate, adjusted series, in the euro area was 9.1% in July 2017, the lowest level since February 2009. In July, the unemployment rate was 10%.

In the European Union, the unemployment rate was 7.7% in July, the lowest since December 2008.

Over 18.9 million people were unemployed in July, in EU, 14.8 of which are recorded in the euro area. Compared to last month, the number of people without jobs increased by 93,000 in the EU and by 73,000 in the euro area.