Who should I study to earn good money in the Czech Republic?

Statistics say: over the past 15 years, the number of foreign students wishing to get an education in the Czech Republic has increased 7 times.

What is worth studying in order to ultimately find employment in the labor market, with good conditions and an excellent salary? What professions are in demand in the Czech Republic? How to approach choosing a future specialty? The author of the GoStudy blog, Alexandra Baranova, answers these and other questions.

In the Czech Republic, specialists with technical education are in high demand. Photo from the open day of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of ChVUT

Decide who I want to become

Useful lifehack:

Before deciding on a university and future profession, answer yourself honestly a few questions:

• Why do you want to study in the Czech Republic?
• In what subjects are you strong, and where and why, on the contrary, are you “lame”?
• What do you enjoy dedicating your free time to? Maybe you should connect your professional future with a hobby?
• Where do you want to live and work after graduation? In the Czech Republic or in another country? Maybe you even intend to return home, but with a European diploma?
• Is your choice of specialty determined by the fact that it is “fashionable” or, even sadder, by the authoritarian opinion of your parents?

Two scenarios for the development of events are common.

• First (ideal): you know from birth that you will be a dentist, lawyer (fill in the correct one). You enroll, make sure you made the right choice, study successfully, then work and live happily ever after.
• The second (usual): “I have no idea what I want to do,” “I’ll try at least something first, then I’ll decide on a profession,” “I want to study in Europe,” “I’ll enroll first, and then we’ll see” - a typical set of attitudes of the average applicant.

Friends! There is nothing wrong with the fact that you have a vague idea of ​​your professional future - in this case, you can use common sense and focus on financial prospects (and not just your own emotions), the standard of living that a diploma in a particular specialty can provide you with, as well as what professions are in demand in the Czech Republic.

Important point:

Even with a Czech diploma, you are still a foreigner.

On the one hand, this gives you some advantages (knowledge of another language and culture, mentality), which may be useful for working in an international company.

On the other hand, the same thing can complicate your life: many employers must have a compelling reason - or better yet, several - to hire a foreigner rather than a Czech.

This means that you:

• you need to become a really great specialist,
• be a head or two “above” other candidates for the same position,
• have excellent command of the Czech language,
• be prepared for job refusals – even unfounded ones.

Search methods

Through the Internet

On one's own:

• List of main resources:

• There are many others, but in the proposed list you can find related useful information, for example, samples of autobiographies, recommendations for interviewing, etc.

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Recruitment agencies:

• List of the most authoritative:

1. syn.cz
2. axial.cz
3. monster.cz
4. stimul.cz
5. hays.cz
6. roberthalf.cz
7. adecco.cz

• The most effective and simplest way, especially for those who do not speak the language, but it requires certain financial costs.
• The main thing is the reliability of the intermediary, which is why you need:

1. Check for a license from the municipal government published on the official website.
2. Study the terms of cooperation (terms, amount of remuneration, guarantees, amount of advance and its return in case of failure, etc.).
3. Range of vacancies offered.

• After this, they select 3-4 options, call each other, ask questions, ask for confirmation of the conditions published on the website, as well as familiarize themselves with the standard contract for pitfalls, especially paying attention to the presence of clauses in small print and their content.

Business in the Czech Republic is simple and inexpensive!

mass media

Printed publications:

• Large national ones.

1. MF Dnes.
2. Hospodárské noviny.
3. Právo.

• If you are looking for a narrow specialty, it is advisable to pay attention to professional publications.
• All magazines and newspapers contain a “Career” section, where vacancy announcements are published.

Some publications have online versions:

1. novinky.cz;
2. kariera.ihned.cz;
3. praguemonitor.com;

Labor exchanges:

General information:

• The State Employment Service has a rich database of vacancies.
• However, only residents, EU citizens and refugees who have received official status can register a job request there.
• For other categories, you will need a permit to work or for a long stay in the territory of the Czech Republic.

What you will need:

• Application in standard form.
• Identity card (passport, residence permit).
• Work permit.
• A certificate stating that activity as an individual entrepreneur has ceased or that the employment contract has been terminated.
• Confirmation of qualification level (diploma, certificates, etc.).
• If there are children, their metrics.
• People with health problems – medical confirmation.

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Advantages:

• If registration is successful, the person is provided with health and social insurance for the period of searching for a suitable vacancy.
• A large number of places in large companies that are not available in open sources, including in Prague.

Other options:

• Contacting the HR departments of large corporations directly, for example:

1. Agrofert;
2. Unipetrol;
3. CEZ group;
4. Skoda;
5. Zentiva;
6. Pilsner Urquell.

• Communication on social networks and forums.
• Go on a tourist trip with visits to local recruitment agencies on site.

The most popular professions in the Czech Republic

One of the professions that attracts today's youth the most is online marketing. At the same time, for example, the Czech IT sector , even despite the high level of wages (on average 50 thousand crowns), is in dire need of fresh personnel , sociologists say.

In addition, the following specialists are expected on the labor market (data from the Forum24 portal):

• doctor
• health worker (nurse, orderly, etc.)
• accountant
• cook
• specialist in economics and management

Craftsmen in demand

The audience of our blog is interested in obtaining higher education, so we will not dwell in detail on working specialties.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that in the Czech Republic there is a strong shortage of qualified personnel in blue-collar occupations. Popular professions in the Czech Republic, according to the Forum24 portal, are drivers of vehicles, especially large ones. If you are “driving”, you can count on an average salary of about 30 thousand crowns.

One of the most popular (and well-paid) professions in the Czech Republic today are crafts. A good artisan earns from 70 thousand crowns per month in the Czech Republic.

List of the most popular specialties among Czech employers

While school graduates traditionally choose popular economic, legal, and management specialties, the labor market in the Czech Republic today already experiences an acute shortage of qualified engineers, IT specialists, programmers, architects and builders. Thus, according to the latest data from the Statistical Office of the Czech Republic, the most vacant jobs are in the following areas:

Information Technology

Attracting more and more investors, the growth of IT companies and their functionality - all this affects the rapid growth in the number of vacancies related to the development of computer technologies and web programming. The need for new employees is so great that many well-known large companies are ready to hire more students in order to train them “on the spot” in everything they need.

The salary, for example, for a mobile application developer can reach up to 100,000 CZK in Prague, and be a slightly smaller amount if the company is located in the regions of the Czech Republic.

In this video we will introduce you to a graduate of the Prague Education Center, who entered the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) at the Czech Technical University.

Watch all video reviews about studying in the Czech Republic

Mechanical engineering

Factories engaged in the development and manufacture of all kinds of equipment find themselves in the same situation as IT companies.

The Czech economy is now on the rise, companies are ready to launch new production lines and open more enterprises, but, unfortunately, they are not able to find qualified personnel.

The main requirements for employees are good knowledge of foreign languages ​​and specialized education.

On average, a leading technologist at a plant receives from 80,000 to 120,000 CZK per month.

Construction

Almost every week, the leading recruiting agencies in the Czech Republic are tasked with finding competent employees for fairly well-known construction companies. There are currently more than 1,400 vacancies in the construction industry. Employers are looking for qualified personnel with knowledge of at least one foreign language.

In entry-level positions, a young specialist can safely count on a salary of CZK 35,000.

Medicine and pharmaceuticals

In medicine today there is a shortage of nurses and doctors in almost every narrow specialty. Both private and public hospitals have no choice but to increase wages for representatives of these professions. So, on average, nurses receive up to 35,000 CZK per month, and doctors - up to 110,000 CZK per month. Many applicants take this fact into account before studying at a medical university.

In addition, the shortage of medical personnel is also being met through a more simplified employment program for medical professionals and doctors from the CIS countries. Often it is enough just to nostrify your medical diploma. If you need to get additional education, then before entering a Czech university, you can read reviews about studying at a medical university and choose the ideal option for yourself.

"Interesting industries"

The level of wages largely depends on the specific region: in Prague and other large cities the level of financial remuneration is traditionally higher than in regional centers and small towns.

The Jobs.cz portal, one of the most popular databases of vacancies in various fields, offers a section “Interesting professions” (Czech: Zajímavé profese) to facilitate the job search. It includes: sales representative; assistant; accountant; Project Manager; Financial Manager; programmer.

You can navigate the market requirements by looking at the “Interesting industries” section on the same portal (Czech: Zajímavé obory): finance, information technology, logistics, technology, construction, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, media, trading.

As you can see, the most popular professions in the Czech Republic are technical ones.

Internship in the Czech Republic

Young professionals can go for an internship to the Czech Republic and complete it at one of the universities.

Basic conditions for completing an internship:

• Duration from 6 to 24 months.
• Possession of a diploma of at least a bachelor's degree.
• Knowledge of Czech or English.

Documents for registration for an internship:

• resume in English or Czech;
• a copy of a foreign passport;
• copy of diploma;
• motivation letter.

First hand

As for foreign, primarily Russian-speaking students, technical or natural science specializations remain the most popular for them.

On the one hand, impeccable command of the Czech language is not required here, as, for example, in the humanitarian profession (journalist, television and radio presenter). On the other hand, knowledge of several foreign languages ​​can make an applicant a unique candidate.

“I have repeatedly tried to get a job in Prague, but I was refused: there is too much competition,” says Maria, an oncologist, a graduate of the 1st Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague. “After that, I gave up on life in the capital and went to Znojmo, a small Moravian town near the Austrian border. At the local hospital I was received with open arms: they never had a doctor who spoke Russian, Czech, English or German, but foreign patients often appeared. I’m very pleased with how everything turned out, and I don’t regret at all that I don’t work in, say, Motol (a large Prague hospital - author’s note).”

The healthcare sector is not lagging behind.

Business for Russians in the Czech Republic

Advantages of starting your own business in the Czech Republic:

1. Registering your company in the Czech Republic makes it possible to obtain a long-term visa to this country. Moreover, this applies not only to the founder of the company, but also to members of his family. After receiving a long-term visa, it becomes possible to obtain a residence permit, and the process of obtaining a visa to other countries from the Czech Republic is simplified.

2. There is an opportunity to buy real estate in the Czech Republic.

3. If you are also interested in another country (or countries) in Europe, you can open a branch of your Czech company there. And after that, also obtain a long-term visa to the country where the branch was opened.

4. You can easily open bank accounts in any bank in Europe.

5. An entrepreneur visa (and this is exactly what you will receive if you open a company in the Czech Republic) is easy to extend when the need arises.

Selection of applicants

Whether future students of Czech universities look at statistical data or not is unknown. However, according to the portal Vysokéškoly.cz, in recent years the number of foreign students in technical specialties (civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science) has increased significantly. Interest in medical specialties does not decrease either.

At the same time, there is an interesting trend: foreign students are increasingly choosing universities in smaller cities (Ostrava, Liberec, Olomouc). “Over the past years, there has been an increase in this trend. The total number of foreign students has increased by 27%,” Ivana Adamikova, head of the Center for International Cooperation at the University of Ostrava, told the universitas.cz server.

Tax rates in the Czech Republic in 2020

Income tax – 19%. A reduced rate of 5% is provided for investment and pension funds.

VAT . The standard rate is 21%. The tax is imposed on companies with an annual turnover of over 1 million crowns (about 38.5 thousand euros).

Reduced VAT rates:

15% – production of food, printing products, medical equipment and medicines, heating systems, construction of social housing.

10% – food (selected baby and gluten-free food); newspapers and periodicals; selected pharmaceuticals and books (except electronic ones).

0% – export of goods within the EU and provision of international transport services. In addition, the tax is not levied in the field of financial services and real estate transactions.

Income tax – 15%. Entrepreneurs whose annual income exceeds the average salary in the Czech Republic (in 2021 - 1,175 euros) are charged an additional tax at a rate of 7% by more than 48 times.

Property tax (sale) – 4%

Social taxes:

from employees (general rate) - 11%, including 6.5% - health insurance and 4.5% - contribution to the social insurance fund.

from employers - 25% contribution to the social insurance fund and 9% to health insurance.

Dividends, interest, royalties (for non-residents) – 15%. If no double taxation agreements have been signed with the Czech Republic, the rate increases to 35%.

In some cases, Czech taxpayers are provided with special benefits. For example, for students or people with disabilities.

Legislation on labor migration

Czech employers have standard requirements for Ukrainians, Russians and other immigrants from the CIS: experience in the profession, knowledge of English and the state language, level of education, demand for the specialty.

Just 5 years ago, labor immigrants were required to know the Czech language in order to find employment. However, in 2021 the situation has changed radically. Now, when applying for a residence permit, you do not need to present a certificate of knowledge of the state language. There are several reasons why the authorities took this step.

1. Mostly representatives of Slavic nations come to work in the Czech Republic - Ukrainians, Russians, Slovaks, Belarusians. Therefore, there is no insurmountable language barrier. In addition, some Czechs, especially the older generation, speak Russian at a conversational level.
2. Labor immigrants for the most part apply for vacancies that do not require extensive work experience and high qualifications.
3. Some employers come from CIS countries, so they can easily communicate with their subordinates.
4. The branches of large international companies use English.

Knowledge of spoken Czech is required for those foreigners who apply for positions that require constant communication with people (waiter, salesperson, doctor, advertising agent, bank employee).

The big advantage of finding employment in the Czech Republic is that Russian diplomas are recognized here; you just need to confirm it at the Czech University. This can be done in advance by sending it before moving and receiving it back by mail. Even to work in complex specialties (doctor, engineer, scientist, technical specialist), you can use your diploma. Graduates of the best universities from the CIS, included in international rankings, are valued here. The nostrification procedure is quite simple:

• find a university that graduates specialists in the profession you are interested in;
• send there originals and notarized copies of educational documents;
• pay the case review fee.

As a rule, the process takes 2-3 months. You may need to retake some disciplines. Nostrification may be refused due to the fact that the Czech university of your choice does not train such specialists.

According to the law, immigrants working in the Czech Republic must have a work permit. It is not required for refugees, citizens of EU countries, holders of EU Blue Cards (Modra Karta in Czech) and holders of a residence permit. If an employee violates the rules adopted by law, he is deprived of a work permit and the right to work in the country.

The scheme for finding a job in the Czech Republic for Ukrainians, Russians and other residents of the CIS is as follows.

1. The employer advertises the vacancy in any available way. If applicants from the Czech Republic and EU countries do not respond to him within 30 days, he has the right to hire a foreigner.
2. The company finds applicants from the CIS countries.
3. An employment agreement is signed.
4. Registration of an employment card by the employer. The document is requested from the Ministry of Labor and is valid for up to 2 years.
5. Registration of a visa by the applicant. A category D document is required, that is, a national visa. You should contact the consular section of the Czech Embassy in the country of the potential employee. Consideration of the application takes quite a long time, but no more than 90 days. A Schengen visa is only suitable for finding an employer in the Czech Republic, but does not give the right to work.
6. Registration of a resident card (residence permit, Povoleni k Pobytu). Usually the document is issued for 2 years, but there is a possibility of extension. If a foreign citizen works continuously in the Czech Republic for 5 years, he receives a permanent resident card (PR).

What is the best way to look for work in the Czech Republic: on your own or through intermediaries?

Of course, those who are planning to conquer the Czech Republic through labor exploits are tormented by the question: should they look for a place of work on their own or go through an intermediary? On the one hand, an unfamiliar place, incomprehensible realities, and on the other, the goal is to earn money for yourself and your loved ones, and not for someone else’s uncle for unclear services.

So, let's break it down into sections.

Working with an intermediary

Many Russian-Czech, or simply Russian and Czech, have a license to assist in finding employment in EU countries.

They minimize hassle and organizational worries; a person knows even at home where he is going, where he will live, how much money he will receive, and who he will work for. Naturally, it’s calmer for both him and his family.

Employment firms will collect and correctly fill out a package of documents, issue a work permit, but they will charge a fairly decent amount for this.

Finding a job on your own

Finding employment in the Czech Republic will not be difficult for Russians who decide to act on their own.

Firstly, employment issues are successfully dealt with by Úřad práce, our analogue of the labor exchange and the Ministry of Labor rolled into one. Every month they publish a list of vacancies on their website, you can come to them in person - they will give comprehensive information about all possible options, and tell you the average salary in the country for a certain vacancy.

If the Czech Republic does not suit you, you can scroll through the European vacancy database.

Secondly, Czechs are law-abiding enough for employers to offer fraudulent schemes or underpay. In any case, you will have to work on some basis.

Difficulties can arise only at the initial stage of job search:

• you must first find a job and on its basis obtain a work visa to the Czech Republic, and then come to the country;
• language barrier - officials will understand everything, but will refuse to use gestures and bird language for fear of being misunderstood and misleading a foreigner:
• preparing a package of documents, translating them from a Czech notary.

Therefore, many who are not confident in their abilities and correct knowledge of the laws turn to intermediaries, paying them for services, penalties and various fees.

There are situations when a migrant went to work under some conditions, but in reality they did not suit him, but he doesn’t want to leave the Czech Republic either. Once in the country, it is easy to find vacancies from direct employers. Of course, first of all, these will be unpopular options among locals.

In large stores you can see advertisements for recruiting workers. Yes, the salary will be low, but:

• this will be work without intermediaries and payment for their services;
• most likely there will be no language requirements;
• official work under an employment contract.

It turns out that finding a job in the Czech Republic without intermediaries is quite possible, especially if you have some speaking skills and the desire to work somewhere.