Working Culture/Conditions for programmers in the Czech Republic?



  • Does anyone know anything about how working culture/conditions are like for programmers in the Czech Republic?



  • It's interesting for me too.



  • Oh, did you got that Prague work offer too? I get one every month or so. The only reason I would move there is:



  • Nope. I didn't get that work offer, and Prague is actually the last place in that country I'd want to live in. I like Czech Republic for its little towns with surrounding mountains. If I secured a job with decent work from home policies, I'd move there in no time.



  • I don't know about there specifically, but I believe they are in the EU, and have similar laws protecting employees to the rest of Europe. The biggy I'm thinking of is the EU Working Time Directive, which limits how many hours you can be asked to work, minimum holiday allowances and rest breaks...



  • Oh I completely forgot about that the Czech Republic is part of the EU. Although, whether the law is actually enforced or not is different.


  • Winner of the 2016 Presidential Election

    @Ascendant said:

    Although, whether the law is actually enforced or not is different.

    In case of doubt there's a European court whose decisions the national courts have to follow.

    Judging from what you tell us about South Korea, I'd say the legal circumstances should be better anywhere in the EU. I'm pretty sure no official in the Czech Republic would tell you to ignore the fact that you're not being paid and work twice as much as your contract says.


  • Java Dev

    Just did a quick google on Dutch circumstances: you are not allowed to stop working when you don't get paid, even after bankruptcy has been requested. However, you do have an open claim. If you don't get paid, you can request bankruptcy together with at least one colleague. You will eventually get your full entitled salary, either from the employing company, or from whoever acquires the remains, or from the UWV (state institution which also pays unemployment benefits and the like).

    I can't guarantee the situation in Czech is the same as what I sketched above.


  • BINNED

    Well, you made me register.

    1. Worker protection laws are similar to other EU member states. Minimum vacation time is 20 days a year, any decent company will offer at least 25. Common benefits include "13th wage" (usually you get 1,5 times your normal paycheck in June and December), meal vouchers (exempt from income tax, subsidized by employer), companies often match contributions to your pension funds, and there's usually some sort of benefits system where you get a certain number of points per year which you can then spend on a limited set of things, mostly health, education or entertainment. These are exempt from income tax as well, AFAIK.
    2. Unfortunately, those little towns with surrounding mountains tend to have few job opportunities in general, and as a programmer you're pretty much out of luck. Even if you manage to find the odd small company that pays a decent wage there, but they won't be able to assist you with immigration. Even if you're an EU citizen you'll probably appreciate help, especially if you're from western Europe and don't have experience with former eastern bloc bureaucracy...
    3. Prague smells, avoid if you can.
    4. Brno (the 2nd largest city in the country) is a pretty decent place to find development work. It's seen a pretty big boom in recent years with a lot of western companies opening offices. IBM has a support center here, Red Hat has a fairly large development office too, Honeywell does some stuff here (not sure if that involves programming though)... of course, you might want to avoid joining a corporation and I completely understand that, but on the other hand they pay well, offer more benefits than small local shops, and again, the immigration assistance seems pretty important, from what people tell me. Brno also has somewhat lower costs of living compared to Prague, much better traffic conditions... I might be biased because I grew up there but I really can't see many downsides compared to Prague.

    FYI I'm not actually a programmer (although I work in an IT company) - so I don't have any first-hand experience with the job market for programmers here.

    (Also, now that I registered and wrote my first post, I can see why you guys hate this forum software so much. Is there no way to resize the editor?!)


  • BINNED

    @blek said:

    Is there no way to resize the editor?

    No.



  • @Luhmann said:

    @blek said:
    Is there no way to resize the editor?

    No.

    Liar.
    You can hide the preview if you need more horizontal space and click-drag the top of the grey area to get more vertical space.

    No idea about mobile.


  • FoxDev

    There's no way of resizing it on mobile


  • BINNED

    @RaceProUK said:

    There's no way of resizing it on mobile

    There are is a lot of stuff that is :airquote: different :airquote: on mobile.



  • @blek said:

    (Also, now that I registered and wrote my first post, I can see why you guys hate this forum software so much. Is there no way to resize the editor?!)

    Don't forget random errors! I got a "500 OK" when trying to like this post...


  • BINNED

    Oh, thanks.

    Anyway. Another relevant thing to OP's question that comes to mind is that I've never even heard of a company with a dress code for anyone except salespeople, and even then it tends to be very relaxed - it's more like a suggestion to wear some pants instead of a 20 page document with a list of approved hairstyles.



  • @blek said:

    it's more like a suggestion to wear some pants instead of a 20 page document with a list of approved hairstyles.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2XVNFzNlZ8

    Let's trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle!


  • BINNED

    @blakeyrat said:

    Let's trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle!

    Well actually, we didn't have a specific list of approved hairstyles, but...



  • Dekuji ! for your comment! I'm not a EU-citizen so I would have to find a place that would support my visas and whatnot.

    So I guess it is better than South Korea.

    Could you tell me what you know about Kromeriz?

    Btw, how much would it be helpful to understand/learn Czech if I knew some Russian?


  • BINNED

    Není zač.

    Kroměříž - what exactly do you want to know? Do you want to know about living in there in general (which would imply you have a job offer from there)? Or do you want to know about programming jobs in the area? Your original question was about culture and conditions, and in a country this small there probably won't be any significant differences between geographical areas. Biggest differences will be between companies of various size and reach - a big corporation will have a different environment than a small 30 man shop.

    Regarding Russian - well, I suppose knowing any Slavic language can help at least a little bit. I have some Bulgarian and Russian friends (Bulgarian is much more closely related to Russian than it is to Czech) seemed to pick up Czech pretty fast. Though I'm not sure if their knowledge of a different Slavic language helped them more than hard studying, lessons and/or talent.

    Russian and Czech are from different subgroups of the Slavic language group (West vs. East Slavic). The only Russian word I know is "chuj", so I'm not really sure how much different they are exactly, but I think similarities are mostly in some shared or at least similar vocabulary; Russian grammar seems almost completely different to Czech.

    Also, Russian used to be the main foreign language taught at schools pre-1990, so people who went through elementary school during then will usually know at least a little bit. After that it got replaced by English (or sometimes German), so anyone under 40 is unlikely to know any Russian at all... but they'll probably know a bit of English.



  • Yeah, I guess whatever Russian I know will be of some help then.

    Sorry I wasn't specific enough.

    So how is living in general in Kromeriz, such as cost of living, safety, sending kids to school. Plus whatever you would like to tell me about is fine 😄
    I see that it's not so far from Brno.

    Cheers


  • BINNED

    Right. Well, it's a nice. relatively small city - with all the usual advantages and disadvantages that comes with.

    Advantages - traffic isn't too bad, cost of living is pretty good - especially housing costs, those tend to take a hefty chunk of your paycheck in bigger cities, especially Prague. It's not uncommon for people to spend >50% of their paycheck after taxes on rent or mortgage + bills. It's a fairly... "cultured" city, you could say - you won't die of boredom, there's enough cinemas, theatres, museums, concerts, that kind of thing. It's not the kind of place where all you can do is drink the same shitty kind of beer every night, is what I'm saying.

    There are a lot of sights to see, too, Kroměříž has a really nice historical center - but that gets old fast when you actually live there. And yeah, it's not too far from Brno 😄. That's supposed to be a "smile"?

    Here's the city's official tourist portal in English (with a bigass Flash element at the top... ugh). It should give you some idea about what is there to do, even though it's aimed at tourists, not necessarily people looking to move there. http://www.kromeriz.eu/en/

    Safety isn't a concern - it really isn't anywhere in CZ; there are some, uh, unpleasant areas in larger cities, but it's nothing like ghettos I keep hearing about from American shows where you'll get shot if you accidentally wander in. In general, this whole country is the capital of "I don't give a fuck" (seriously, everyone who moves here says that), and most people are too... relaxed, I guess, for violent crime. Not for corruption, though - but I guess it's better than the other way around.

    Disadvantages: Well, again, it's a fairly small city, so even though it offers choices of entertainment, schools, etc., they're bound to be more limited than if you were living in Prague. Also, public transport probably won't be as good as it is in Brno or Prague.

    (By the way, I expected internet providers to be really limited, too, but it seems that most if not all of Kroměříž actually gets a much better selection than I do in Brno... someone offers 40mbps in both directions for 336 CZK per month while I pay like 500 for 30 down/10 up and alternatives are even worse. Fuck me.)

    Regarding schools specifically, this search shows all schools available (preschools, elementary schools, lyceums, trade schools and high schools lumped together). There seems to be a decent number of alternatives for each age group.

    However, I don't see any English-speaking schools; I know at least one in Brno (private though, so you need to pay for enrollment). If you have school-age kids who don't speak any Czech, that's going to be a big problem - most schools here are public and they're not set up for foreign students at all. If you have really young kids, or if you don't have any and are just thinking ahead, then you'll be fine.

    There aren't any universities in Kroměříž, but there's a decent one in Olomouc which is not too far, another one in Zlín which is even closer, and there's Masaryk University and University of Technology in Brno - both are considered very good. And I guess, if you (or your kids) are moving to a different city for uni, they might as well try the Charles University in Prague.



  • @blek said:

    Kroměříž

    This. I will never live in a country with so many marks/symbols. I mean, I have á, é, í, ó, ú and ñ and I have to struggle to remember where each one goes when.


  • ♿ (Parody)

    @Eldelshell said:

    I mean, I have á, é, í, ó, ú and ñ and I have to struggle to remember where each one goes when.

    I think you also occasionally have ü.



  • Right, but it didn't help on making my point. Although AFAIK it's not required anymore. For example:

    Pingüino can be written (correctly) as pinguino.


  • ♿ (Parody)

    I think you having to be reminded about it put an extra ¡ on your point.


  • BINNED

    á é ě í ó ú ů ý ž š č ř ď ť ň

    Also, imagine my pain when a native English speaker asks me how to pronounce the name Řehoř, or something similar, in some sort of text-based communication. There's no sound even remotely like ř (or ž) in English.

    And, shit, I have a bit of a speech impediment where I can't pronounce that very well either, so even if we're actually talking...



  • @blek said:

    á é ě í ó ú ů ý ž š č ř ď ť ň

    Also, imagine my pain when a native English speaker asks me how to pronounce the name Řehoř, or something similar, in some sort of text-based communication. There's no sound even remotely like ř (or ž) in English.

    And, shit, I have a bit of a speech impediment where I can't pronounce that very well either, so even if we're actually talking...

    Hmm. So if a person has a speech impediment on a specific sound, they can just move to a place that doesn't have that sound.


  • BINNED

    I didn't even move, I just speak English a lot.


  • Winner of the 2016 Presidential Election

    @blek said:

    it's nothing like ghettos I keep hearing about from American shows where you'll get shot if you accidentally wander in

    Those are a myth as well. There are very unpleasant areas in large American cities, but unless you walk around there alone in the middle of the night, they are not considerably worse than the unpleasant areas in big European cities.


  • BINNED

    I know - or at least I suspected so, I've never been to the US at all. That's why I said I heard about them from shows.

    I've been to one or two "no-go zones" in Europe, though, and it's really not what they say either - and I look like a skinhead, too. (Yes, I know skinheads aren't Nazis.)


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @blek said:

    "no-go zones" in Europe

    France? 🐟


  • Winner of the 2016 Presidential Election

    @loopback0 said:

    @blek said:
    "no-go zones" in Europe

    France? 🐟

    I think he's talking about Bielefeld.



  • @blek said:

    The only Russian word I know is "chuj"

    Ah, crossing the language barriers, one penis at a time.

    Czech is kinda silly Polish, and Polish is vaguely similar to Russian, so it might help a little.

    @blek said:

    I've been to one or two "no-go zones" in Europe, though, and it's really not what they say either - and I look like a skinhead, too.

    That actually helps in our no-go zones. Looking too much like a dirty anarchist commie, though, might score you a machete in the back.



  • @blek said:

    ř

    It doesn't sound too difficult. It sounds like 'h' + 'r' at the same time and I can certainly do that.
    Now, is there any pronunciation more challenging than this?



  • About all this no-go zones and migrants, what do you think Asians would do if that happened in Asia such as Korea, Japan and China.

    I can see how China would do. It will be like, "What migrant issue? What migrant. We don't have them at all.(cough cough, whistles away, tanks disappearing in the distance)"


  • BINNED

    @Maciejasjmj said:

    Czech is kinda silly Polish, and Polish is vaguely similar to Russian, so it might help a little.

    Kinda silly Polish? You're just jealous because you have to write sz instead of š!

    @Maciejasjmj said:

    That actually helps in our no-go zones. Looking too much like a dirty anarchist commie, though, might score you a machete in the back.

    That sounds fun. Then again, I used to have really long hair (shoulderblade-length, I guess?) and I never had problem hanging out with people who (claim to) eat hippies for breakfast. It could have been my positively radiant personality, I suppose.


  • BINNED

    @Ascendant said:

    It doesn't sound too difficult.

    Did you try it for yourself? 😄

    Want something more challenging?

    Strč prst skrz krk

    Every syllable needs to contain at least one vowel in order to be considered pronounceable. BUT, in addition to vowels you can also use R or L, which is perfectly fine with me, but I've never met a non-native speaker who could pronounce words like "trn" ("thorn") or "trs" (something like "clump").



  • @blek said:

    You're just jealous because you have to write sz

    No but really, half of the Czech words sound like - or are - diminutives in Polish.

    Also you're just jealous because you can't even say my name.

    @blek said:

    I used to have really long hair (shoulderblade-length, I guess?)

    Pfft. Mine were reaching my ass before I got pissed at brushing and cut them.

    I used to have friends from really different areas too, but as far as just bumping into people on the street goes... Well, I wasn't kidding about the machetes, that is a common football hooligan weapon.



  • @blek said:

    Did you try it for yourself?

    Yes I did. Should I record it and post it? lol

    @blek said:

    Strč prst skrz krk

    Every syllable needs to contain at least one vowel in order to be considered pronounceable. BUT, in addition to vowels you can also use R or L, which is perfectly fine with me, but I've never met a non-native speaker who could pronounce words like "trn" ("thorn") or "trs" (something like "clump").

    That's perfectly fine. That sound combination even exists in my birth language(Korean).

    I found this and listened to it to get the feel of it. Although I already knew of this sound combination before from listening to ... who was it... Taprob & Jay Diesel? I'm not sure if he's Czech or Slovak or something totally different. I hope this didn't offend you.


  • BINNED

    @Maciejasjmj said:

    No but really, half of the Czech words sound like - or are - diminutives in Polish.

    That's because they're probably dimunitives in Czech. We really overuse those.

    @Maciejasjmj said:

    Also you're just jealous because you can't even say my name.

    I, uh... you people are terrible drivers!

    @Maciejasjmj said:

    I used to have friends from really different areas too, but as far as just bumping into people on the street goes... Well, I wasn't kidding about the machetes, that is a common football hooligan weapon.

    Right, I heard stories about Polish hooligans. I heard even better ones about... I'm not sure what to call it in English - reenactors? People who put on armor and go reenact a historical battle for fun, with swords and broken limbs and everything. Apparently some groups from Poland have made quite a name for themselves. I've never met them, though.


  • BINNED

    @Ascendant said:

    Yes I did. Should I record it and post it? lol

    Oh absolutely! Do the whole thing, though: Strč prst skrz krk. ("č" is like the "Cz" in Czech)

    @Ascendant said:

    That's perfectly fine. That sound combination even exists in my birth language(Korean).https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/krk

    Interesting, I had no idea.

    @Ascendant said:

    Taprob & Jay Diesel? I'm not sure if he's Czech or Slovak

    Hahah, I never heard about that. But yeah, it's definitely Czech. The entire lyrics are similes about being high, in case you didn't guess that from the video 😄

    @Ascendant said:

    I hope this didn't offend you.

    Don't worry. I'm happy that someone on a random forum I stumbled upon is interested in the place I'm from, and I'm happy to help. Even if you asked something potentially offensive, like "who's the current Czech president", I wouldn't mind 😄


  • :belt_onion:

    Read the entire thread
    Plenty of talk about the EU.
    Nothing about belgium.

    I am disappoint.


  • BINNED

    I am so very ■■■■■■■ sorry.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @PleegWat said:

    you are not allowed to stop working

    Oooh, wage slavery.



  • I've never met a non-native speaker who could pronounce words like "trn" ("thorn") or "trs" (something like "clump").

    I'll need to have a word or two with you when I come to Prague or where it is that you are. I'm not a native speaker and I can pronounce these easily.


  • BINNED

    @sloosecannon said:

    Nothing about ■■■■■■■.

    Let's not go there ... it's a silly place.


  • I survived the hour long Uno hand

    @blek said:

    reenactors? People who put on armor and go reenact a historical battle for fun, with swords and broken limbs and everything.

    Yes, reenactors is the right word.



  • @Ascendant said:

    It doesn't sound too difficult.

    In that case you should have absolutely no problem pronounicing "třista třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček stříkalo přes třista třicet tři stříbrných střech." ;)


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @Deadfast said:

    @Ascendant said:
    It doesn't sound too difficult.

    In that case you should have absolutely no problem pronounicing "třista třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček stříkalo přes třista třicet tři stříbrných střech." ;)

    Seems pretty easy. I'll let Peter Griffin demonstrate:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OaaXt1TC1Y



  • @blek said:

    Kroměříž - what exactly do you want to know?

    Are you Paarthurnax?


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