'relocating expats, foreigners makes your move to czech republic a breeze'
arriving in brno on a cold january night with my first experience of snow in over five years i was excited about the next chapter in my life, becoming a pilot. after years of travelling & thinking what my next step in life would be i decided after doing some research that czech republic would be the best place to come & study due to a few reasons; no visa for eu residents, safety, cost of living.
czech republic is the seventh country that i have lived long term in the last 13 years. every country i have ever lived in has different ways of doing things; e.g. visas, tax, registration, accommodation & translation services. if your an eu citizen then a few of these are much easier but when you're coming from further afield that's where it can get complicated this is why foreigners was set up to help you navigate the complexities of expat life.
how can foreigners help me?
foreigners can help you navigate the bureaucratic process that is the main source of most stress & axiently when it comes to moving to a new country either alone or with your family.
when i decide to move to a new country the two items i have the most difficulty with is visas & accommodation. when relocating these are the two items that cause most stress as visas are handled by the government & is most cases its a bureaucratic nightmare. of course when you move to a new place where you live is super important but actually finding a property before you arrived is close to impossible as most landlords want you in the country beforehand & in some cases need a credit rating which you don't have as you have just moved here. for me, these are the two areas where foreigners services will be of most advantage to you as they have extensive experience in both areas & a dedicated team are there to help you get as much set up as possible before your arrival.
most people who move to czech republic have a job already set up. most companies only
give around a week for the relocation before your start date, its a stressful time for anyone. this is why i believe services like foreigners are a big help to any expat moving here. time is one of the most important commodities in a working persons life & this is what the company offers, the time to focus on others things while they take care of the rest for you. they have offices in all the major cities in czech republic.
working in czech republic
i was very surprised after i moved here to see the sheer amount of expats working mostly in the international tech sector. i have met people from ibm, red hat, siemens, lufthansa & multiple gaming companies. all these huge international companies have a big base here in brno. they have all told me about how easy it is to work here as the office language is english in most companies & they make it easy for foreigners to integrate into the working culture of the country. my experience with companies here is very positive & after speaking with friends working in different sectors in czech republic i believe it is one of the best places to work on the continent. oh... i forgot to mention that czech republic has the lowest unemployment rate of any country in the european union.
life in czech republic
now work is only a part of your life so how it is to live in the second city of the czech republic? i came to brno to study for my pilot's licence at the international airport here & while i had heard very little of this city my main aim was to study. but over time this little student city has captivated my imagination from the architecture to the people it's a great place to live and work for a summer or the longer term.
this is a liveable city & unlike prague does not suffer from the ridiculous amounts of tourists that descend on the city every week. this gives brno a friendly more down to earth vibe. as i have come to realise since moving here brno is full of tech jobs mostly for english speakers.
brno is also perfectly located to explore central europe; vienna 1h 50 away, bratislava 1h 40, & prague 2h 30. if you want to go further afield then you can use the international airport that has daily flights to london & beyond.
brno & czech republic are super easy to live in. most people speak english & are always happy to help.
so what's the cost of living? its a relatively cheap country to live in. on average around 50%-70% less than london, 30%-50% less than germany & france. for new companies / freelancers, i could not think of a better place with this amount of infrastructure for the same cost of living.
social life
meeting people here is easy. there are lots of things to do on your days off. the foreigners agency also host a huge amount of events on a monthly bases from weekly yoga to the yearly gala night. don't forget to follow foreigners brno on facebook for all the latest events here
location
money
- czech koruna. the city is very inexpensive compared with northern europe.
- if your a european citizen and you travel often see my blog post on the curve card its the best travel card around i have saved hundreds of euro's using it. download the app and enter my promo code to get a free card & €/£5. click here to see the post
- need an international bank account or transfer money at the lowest rates? i use transferwise. i make all my transfers with then and have even opened a remote eur, usa, czk accounts for free. click here to get your first transfer for free.
country travel tips
atm: any is fine most are free in the city. i would recommend equa bank for foreigners.
sim card: vodafone has the best coverage in the area. but can be expensive for data.
transport: a 3 months all access central city transport pass costs around €50
where to live
only one place i would recommend. domeq co-living space close to the centre. its where i live and is the perfect place to meet with other like minded people and not worry about long term contracts.