want to leave ireland

thorshammer

I need to leave Ireland and move to any other country in Europe that has jobs becouse im unemployed 18 months and cant get work ! but i dont have much money in my bank and probly cant rent a house abroad becouse of that. I really dont know what to do any help apreciated thanks

Jim2007

thorshammer wrote: »

I need to leave Ireland and move to any other country in Europe that has jobs becouse im unemployed 18 months and cant get work ! but i dont have much money in my bank and probly cant rent a house abroad becouse of that. I really dont know what to do any help apreciated thanks

Well you'd need to gives us a bit more before we'd be able to help... what have you go to offer Europe???

• Qualifications and interests
• Work experience
• Language skills
• Type of environment you'd like to live in

And so on...

Jim (Switzerland)

kaki

Look at your skillbase, chances are if you are finding it hard to find work in Ireland you will find it even harder wherever you move in Europe. The conomy of most European countries is going down the crapper atm anyway.

It might be worth your while finding a training course (e.g. through the Springboard program) to complete in Ireland before you go. It might lead to a job in Ireland, or enable you to find work abroad.

I am Irish and have been living in Italy for 2 years - even with the qualifications and experience I have (as well as fluent Italian) finding work has been extremely hard as I am not a native Italian speaker.

syklops

Dont listen to all this "Europe is fooked" business. Many non-euro zone countries, like Poland, are in boom.

Here in the Czech republic companies are crying out for people. A Irish girl moved here a few months ago, little to no experience, but had 3 interviews set up within a couple of weeks. The first interview she went to, they talked to her for about 10 minutes and then asked her when could she start.

The company I work for has announced it is expanding our office here by 150 to 500, though these are all technical in nature.

As a previous poster said, you need to give us an idea of what strengths and talents you have, but I think you would find something in the customer service area, if you have no experiences elsewhere.

You say you dont have a lot of money, well, that shouldnt be a massive problem if you move to one of the aforementioned countries, as your euro goes further here.

Let us know your level of experience, and I can send you some links if you want.

thorshammer

thanks for the replies guys ive done college course in business management but that didnt lead to much ! ive done a few different jobs but no real experience in one area so ill probly do any kinda job im a fast learner have never heard of spring board will check it out !

Mr. Loverman

There are some jobs in Spain for English speakers such as teaching English or working in sales. Some jobs here:

http://www.jobsinspain.ie/

syklops

http://jobview.monster.lu/Customer-Service-Representative-Job-Brno-Czech-Republic-97806292.aspx

Customer Representative for Monster, pays about 800 to 1000 euro a month which doesnt sound like a lot, but you can have a really good night out here for 30 euros, with change for the taxi home.

You mentioned you dont have a lot of money, so to get here on the cheap:

Fly to Prague with Ryanair ~ 200 euro return
Bus to brno ~10 euro,
Stay in a hostel for a couple of nights ~ 15 euro a night

Schedule a few interviews during your visit, and if you get an offer, you have time to go home, and come back to stay. for good.

Its alot easier than you think. If I can do it anyone can. That said, its amazing how many of my mates are afraid to come here for whatever reasons.

zeirtz

Don't forget about teaching English as a foreign language. I did this for 3 years and had a brilliant time. And now the terms are starting, if you could get some kind of short TEFL course, you might be able to find something in that field. This is one of the teach english abroad sites.
http://www.tefl.com/
The main thing is to actually go to a place. As syklops said, the czech republic is a brilliant place to go but there are many others. You've wasted 18 months of your life. Get going and have some adventure. Living on the continent is fantastic.
And don't ask for advice from people at home if they haven't lived abroad. Before I made my first trip to live in Prague many years ago, I got the worst advice possible. Just ignorance and negativity.
All you have to do is buy the ticket.
Good luck!

mise_me_fein3

Why do you want to work in Europe so badly.

Get your ass to Australia and you'll be earning the equiv of at least 700 a week with little or no qualifications.

If money is not the issue, maybe you could go and teach english. I did the TEFL thing in spain for a while...awful money, but cost of living is cheap there. You can get work without the cert in some places. It's always good to join a GAA club wherever you go. They can help you out with work. One good thing about being Irish abroad is that we tend to help each other.

syklops

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Why do you want to work in Europe so badly.

Get your ass to Australia and you'll be earning the equiv of at least 700 a week with little or no qualifications.

Yeah and you will spend it all on the flights home for a visit. Why do that when you can go somewhere that is at max two hours by flight from home? If things dont work out, you can get home easily and cheaply, or even if you feel homesick, home is quite a short distance away. You can even go by bus if you want to.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

If money is not the issue, maybe you could go and teach english. I did the TEFL thing in spain for a while...awful money, but cost of living is cheap there. You can get work without the cert in some places. It's always good to join a GAA club wherever you go. They can help you out with work. One good thing about being Irish abroad is that we tend to help each other.

Bondi Beach may be littered with Tipperary Hurling shirts, but continental have very few. London has some, maybe Manchester or Liverpool, but thats it. Here in Brno there arent enough Irish people for a squad nevermind a club and an opponent.

If you go somewhere where there are enough Irish people for GAA clubs, then you are also going to a place where you are competing with people just like yourself for jobs, and if there is a shortage of jobs, then things can become difficult.

mise_me_fein3

syklops wrote: »

Yeah and you will spend it all on the flights home for a visit. Why do that when you can go somewhere that is at max two hours by flight from home? If things dont work out, you can get home easily and cheaply, or even if you feel homesick, home is quite a short distance away. You can even go by bus if you want to.



Bondi Beach may be littered with Tipperary Hurling shirts, but continental have very few. London has some, maybe Manchester or Liverpool, but thats it. Here in Brno there arent enough Irish people for a squad nevermind a club and an opponent.

If you go somewhere where there are enough Irish people for GAA clubs, then you are also going to a place where you are competing with people just like yourself for jobs, and if there is a shortage of jobs, then things can become difficult.

Wow, never saw such a negative view of Australia. You jumped up and bit you in the ass? Have you actually been here?

A flight home will cost no more than a week's wage here. Surely people can handle that. If you can afford to be homesick, then really the situation is not that bad. Anyway, Australia is so similar to back home, there's more of a chance of being homesick in a non English speaking country where it's more difficult to meet people.

I didn't actually live in Bondi when I spent time in Sydney. I did live in Madrid for 2 years however and I did play for the GAA team which did play in the Iberian championship and later in the European one, so before you make an assumption and replying with a smart comment look around. There a lots of GAA clubs all over Europe's cities:

http://www.europeanirish.com/european_gaa_clubs.php

So no...that's not it.

The people in these clubs will be a mix of Irish and locals from all walks of life, students, travellers and professionals.

Basically if you are looking for a different way of living, different culture and language go to Europe....if you want money...come to Australia.

Zambia

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Wow, never saw such a negative view of Australia. You jumped up and bit you in the ass? Have you actually been here?

A flight home will cost no more than a week's wage here. Surely people can handle that. If you can afford to be homesick, then really the situation is not that bad. Anyway, Australia is so similar to back home, there's more of a chance of being homesick in a non English speaking country where it's more difficult to meet people.

Basically if you are looking for a different way of living, different culture and language go to Europe....if you want money...come to Australia.

You cant be serious pedaling this tripe?

What job do you suggest the OP do to get all this money you speak of?

Telling people to head to Australia because they will earn loads of money when you have no idea of them or their skill level is plain silly.

See how easy it is to afford a flight home when you need to pay rent, tax, health insurance, food, electricity gas, petrol etc every week.

syklops

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Wow, never saw such a negative view of Australia. You jumped up and bit you in the ass? Have you actually been here?

A flight home will cost no more than a week's wage here. Surely people can handle that. If you can afford to be homesick, then really the situation is not that bad. Anyway, Australia is so similar to back home, there's more of a chance of being homesick in a non English speaking country where it's more difficult to meet people.

I didn't actually live in Bondi when I spent time in Sydney. I did live in Madrid for 2 years however and I did play for the GAA team which did play in the Iberian championship and later in the European one, so before you make an assumption and replying with a smart comment look around. There a lots of GAA clubs all over Europe's cities:

http://www.europeanirish.com/european_gaa_clubs.php

So no...that's not it.

The people in these clubs will be a mix of Irish and locals from all walks of life, students, travellers and professionals.

Basically if you are looking for a different way of living, different culture and language go to Europe....if you want money...come to Australia.

Thats all fine if you have the funds to go to Australia, but every few days I either read or hear of someone saying "I wish I could leave Ireland but I dont have the money", and thats because they are looking at the cost of moving all their stuff all the way to Australia. When I emmigrated I just had a suit case and got on a Ryanair flight. It was scary too, I didnt know how I would get on, but one of the things that kept me going was if I really didnt like it, it was only 2 hours by plane home.

You have lived in Madrid, so are obviously a seasoned traveler, but think back to when you first moved. Daunting wasnt it?

mise_me_fein3

It's about desire and not giving up for me.

I applied for over 500 jobs until I got the one that I really wanted. Before I did that I worked whatever jobs I could. They are crying out for Irish people on the sites here. Any man can get a job doing that. It pays well. That is the situation over here.

The best thing to do would be to arrange things with someone over here before you arrive. If you don't know someone go on some of the job boards. If anyone wants numbers for work on the sites in Melbourne I've got 6 or 7. I've never worked on the sites here , i'm in an office job now but I still went about getting numbers.

All I see here are a bunch of people that give up too easily.

Just save up little by little on the dole. People get way too much for nothing in Ireland anyway when compared to what the British get for the dole.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and be pro-active. Start saving for your destination, look up job sites and make contacts beforehand....don't give up.

I saw people pulling out stuff from the bins in Spain. Their dole is terrible. When I see or hear of this back home I'll acknowledge times are really bad....but come on, saving a bit for a year on the dole...worst case scenario you'd be here in a year or little over.

I bet half you or more have never been out here. Well I'm here now and I was on mainland Europe. It's easier to get work here...very easy for a man, and it pays way way way better...I'm talking over 1000 euros a week for labouring if you work Saturdays.

Anyone whinging about not knowing how to get a job:

PM me...you don't need skills, just a willingness to do some hard work and be punctual.

mandrake04

Have to laugh sometimes, some people talk about emigrating to Australia.

Fact: there is only about 2000-3000 Irish people emigrating to Australia per year.

Fact: 80% of young Irish people going to Oz are on a holiday which they are able to work for an employer for 6 months at a time. They are required to have $5k to support themselves as it's a just a holiday.

There is no guarantee that someone will get work, getting unskilled work is not as easy as some people make out but if you have a useful trade you will probably get something.

In saying that some lucky ones might get sponsored and use it as a pathway to PR and then citizenship...... most will have to go home.

mise_me_fein3

mandrake04 wrote: »

Have to laugh sometimes, some people talk about emigrating to Australia.

Fact: there is only about 2000-3000 Irish people emigrating to Australia per year.

Fact: 80% of young Irish people going to Oz are on a holiday which they are able to work for an employer for 6 months at a time. They are required to have $5k to support themselves as it's a just a holiday.

There is no guarantee that someone will get work, getting unskilled work is not as easy as some people make out but if you have a useful trade you will probably get something.

In saying that some lucky ones might get sponsored and use it as a pathway to PR and then citizenship...... most will have to go home.

Open your eyes will you? People on the Working Holiday Visa are using it as a means to get sponsored. Most people on the sites will get sponsored.

The 2000-3000 figure you are talking about does not include people on the WHV.

You can only work 6 months in a job role correct....have you ever heard of an ABN by any chance?? Look into it will ya. The $5K is a joke. I didn't have it and none of my brothers had it coming in either, but by some miracle we all got in...

If you have a trade you will probably get something....hahaha...probably? You'll probably get paid in excess of $1800 or more a week if you play your cards right. If you're not getting $800 a week, which is bloody awful you're getting ripped off.

You're an idiot that thinks you know it all..regarding your FACTS....get them right and talk to people, don't believe everything you read in papers and on the internet.

The only reason anyone would have problems here is if they are lazy or homesick.

Zambia

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Open your eyes will you? People on the Working Holiday Visa are using it as a means to get sponsored. Most people on the sites will get sponsored.

Nobody will be sponsored as a Labourer its not on the list of skills you can be sponsored for.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

You can only work 6 months in a job role correct....have you ever heard of an ABN by any chance??

I have, you are still breaking the 6 Month work rule if a Builder pays you via your own ABN.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

The $5K is a joke. I didn't have it and none of my brothers had it coming in either, but by some miracle we all got in...

Millions of people shoplift every year just because most get away with it does not make it a good idea.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

If you have a trade you will probably get something....hahaha...probably? You'll probably get paid in excess of $1800 or more a week if you play your cards right. If you're not getting $800 a week, which is bloody awful you're getting ripped off.

You may be on this money but you cant tell people others will get it without some knowledge of them.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

The only reason anyone would have problems here is if they are lazy or homesick.

I disagree one could come over on a WHV work very hard as a labour hand and still end up going home as no-one could sponsor them.

jester77

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Open your eyes will you? People on the Working Holiday Visa are using it as a means to get sponsored. Most people on the sites will get sponsored.

The 2000-3000 figure you are talking about does not include people on the WHV.

You can only work 6 months in a job role correct....have you ever heard of an ABN by any chance?? Look into it will ya. The $5K is a joke. I didn't have it and none of my brothers had it coming in either, but by some miracle we all got in...

If you have a trade you will probably get something....hahaha...probably? You'll probably get paid in excess of $1800 or more a week if you play your cards right. If you're not getting $800 a week, which is bloody awful you're getting ripped off.

You're an idiot that thinks you know it all..regarding your FACTS....get them right and talk to people, don't believe everything you read in papers and on the internet.

The only reason anyone would have problems here is if they are lazy or homesick.

You sound very naive. Australia is in the middle of a massive property bubble, and it's only a matter of time before it bursts, ala Ireland. Don't be so naive to think that they will get a soft landing. I wouldn't recommend anyone to head there with the hope of making a living on the sites, it would be short lived. There are well paid jobs in the mines, but would you want to live in make-shift towns in the middle of no where? And then there is the complication of getting a Visa. If you have the right skills you will get sponsored, but if you have these skills then you will also have no problem picking up a job within the EU with a lot less hassle and only 2 hours away from home.

mandrake04

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Open your eyes will you? People on the Working Holiday Visa are using it as a means to get sponsored. Most people on the sites will get sponsored.

Working Holiday is a holiday, hence the name Working Holiday Visa. Its not emigration and neither is being sponsored. Emigration is via a Migrant visa which is Permanent residence.

WHV- 417
Sponsored Visa -457

Both are 400 series visa's, 400 series is Temporary.

^^Not Emigration

100 series is Permanent visa class (lodged offshore) Subclass 175, 176, 121 120, 136, 173, 100, 103, 143 etc

800 Series is permanent visa class (lodged onshore) subclass 856, 857,886, 887 etc

^^ Emigration

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

.

The 2000-3000 figure you are talking about does not include people on the WHV.

Thats because its a holiday....like I explained above

Last year there was 3700 Irish people emigrated to Australia, WHV is not included in that figure because they are not migrants. (up from 3200 in 2009/2010 and 2900 the year before)

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/
Copied direct from DIACs website.

Look at Fiscal year 2009-2010

14833 WHV granted to Irish people
2420 Primary 457 sponsored visa granted to Irish people
950 secondary 457 sponsored visa granted to Irish people.

In other words of the 14833 WHV 22% might have stayed on sponsored visa and 78% went home.

(not to mention the remnants of massive 22785 WHV visa granted the year before)

That does not take into account the people sponsored from Ireland (inc dependents) who were not even on the WHV.

So like I said in my previous post 80% have to go home unless they go illegal.


https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/
https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

You can only work 6 months in a job role correct....have you ever heard of an ABN by any chance?? Look into it will ya.

Sure any muppet can apply for an ABN, how you supposed to get sponsored with an ABN?

What you going sponsor yourself? How would that work?

You have to be PAYE to be sponsored by an employer its part of the conditions of getting a visa.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

The $5K is a joke. I didn't have it and none of my brothers had it coming in either, but by some miracle we all got in...

Very rarely checked but its still a requirement, obviously you are on holiday with a WHV then rather than emigrated.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

If you have a trade you will probably get something....hahaha...probably?

Plenty of people still complain about not getting work but tradies usually do alright.

As Zambia rightly says laboring wont keep you there, a trade might.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

You'll probably get paid in excess of $1800 or more a week if you play your cards right. If you're not getting $800 a week, which is bloody awful you're getting ripped off.

Oh I know

I make $1789 per (37.5 hr) week + I get my car paid for + a fuel card

Thats before I even fill out my overtime sheet which is usually another $2500 per month.

So I will have a good laugh at your €1000 per week inc saturdays.

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

You're an idiot that thinks you know it all..regarding your FACTS....get them right and talk to people, don't believe everything you read in papers and on the internet.

I am far from an idiot, I just got all my information from the DIACs website not from some clown in the pub.

In other words most of my Facts were more or less correct.



http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/pdf/report-on-migration-program-2010-11.pdf
http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/pdf/visitor/2005-06-to-2009-10-whm-wah-visa-grants.pdf
http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/pdf/457-stats-state-territory-jun10.pdf

syklops

I resent this hijacking of the thread. There is an entire Forum dedicated to moving to and living in Australia, yet there is none for moving to or living in Europe. If the OP wanted to move to Australia, he would have gone to the Australian forum. He didn't. Instead he came here and asked about Europe.

I strongly urge a mod to delete mise me fein's(apt username dont you think) comments, in a bid to get the thread back on track.

mise_me_fein3

Very patronizing people here. It feels like I hit a nerve.

To the OP. If your heart is set on the continent, then go there....I was only trying to let you know that if money is the issue you should come here.

I can knock down most of the arguments that people have thrown at me but they seem insistent on reading black and white tripe from websites without actually seeing what is going on here.

I have lived on the continent and had a great time...more enjoyable than here, but the money is not as good compared to here by quite a bit in every walk of life.

You should look into maintaining your dole when you go abroad as in most European countries it will go further. If you want to know more PM as lived in both places.

I´m done with this thread.
I'm disgusted with people hijacking this thread to promote their own agendas.

deisedave

syklops wrote: »

http://jobview.monster.lu/Customer-Service-Representative-Job-Brno-Czech-Republic-97806292.aspx

Customer Representative for Monster, pays about 800 to 1000 euro a month which doesnt sound like a lot, but you can have a really good night out here for 30 euros, with change for the taxi home.

You mentioned you dont have a lot of money, so to get here on the cheap:

Fly to Prague with Ryanair ~ 200 euro return
Bus to brno ~10 euro,
Stay in a hostel for a couple of nights ~ 15 euro a night

Schedule a few interviews during your visit, and if you get an offer, you have time to go home, and come back to stay. for good.

Its alot easier than you think. If I can do it anyone can. That said, its amazing how many of my mates are afraid to come here for whatever reasons.

Did you speak the language when you went there? How much did you have going and what qualifications did you head out with.

mandrake04

mise_me_fein3 wrote: »

Very patronizing people here. It feels like I hit a nerve.

To the OP. If your heart is set on the continent, then go there....I was only trying to let you know that if money is the issue you should come here.

I can knock down most of the arguments that people have thrown at me but they seem insistent on reading black and white tripe from websites without actually seeing what is going on here.

I have lived on the continent and had a great time...more enjoyable than here, but the money is not as good compared to here by quite a bit in every walk of life.

You should look into maintaining your dole when you go abroad as in most European countries it will go further. If you want to know more PM as lived in both places.

I´m done with this thread.
I'm disgusted with people hijacking this thread to promote their own agendas.

You were the one who Hijacked the thread, I was just clarifying some of your misinformation and having a laugh at your expense.

Enjoy your holiday.

syklops

deisedave wrote: »

Did you speak the language when you went there? How much did you have going and what qualifications did you head out with.

I didnt speak the language going and still dont. I can get by, but I cant converse at all.

As an english speaker its easy to get lazy because most people under 30 speak at least some english(even when they tell you in prefect english that they dont), and people over 30 speak russian and german. If I am ever very stuck I grab a teenager, over them 100 crowns which is about 4 euros and they translate for me, but I only needed to do it once.

Qualifications wise, half decent leaving cert, Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Security Analyst, A+ PC repair and thats it. Decent amount of experience in my field though.

I wouldnt worry too much about what you have, you will find something over here.

keithclancy

One bit of Advice I would offer though is not to fall into the Expat trap.

I.E. Mixing only with Irish/English people.

You'll never integrate properly, you really need to forget about the Barrys Tea, Rasher and Sausages and RTE.

Basically your expat friends will have a stay of about max 2 years and you'll slowly lose friends between that 6 month - 2 year period (usually the length of a Contract or a Secondment)

Make friends with your Neighbors, get involved in local sport and activities, when having a party at home stick an invite in their doors.

Try to learn the Language, you may end up looking like a tool but at least you tried and at the very least you'll add a bit of Comedy.

In fairness they Polish Integrate into Irish life very well, the Irish don't integrate well at all, we tend to move places and try to Irishify everything around us

Going to a City where you can get by with English is almost crippling in a way.

I remember speaking to a Dutch Guy in a Petrol station outside Amsterdam in Dutch and him speaking back in English no matter what I said (very very annoying)

Jim2007

keithclancy wrote: »

One bit of Advice I would offer though is not to fall into the Expat trap.

I.E. Mixing only with Irish/English people.

You'll never integrate properly, you really need to forget about the Barrys Tea, Rasher and Sausages and RTE.

Basically your expat friends will have a stay of about max 2 years and you'll slowly lose friends between that 6 month - 2 year period (usually the length of a Contract or a Secondment)

This is very true, it is hard to settle down, if all your friends and contacts are on the move. But on top of this it is also a money drain!!! ExPats tend to hang out in the bars and hotels with English menus and these places are tourist traps, here in Zurich prices are perhaps 20+% higher than in the typical bar attended by the locals!!!

keithclancy wrote: »

Make friends with your Neighbors, get involved in local sport and activities, when having a party at home stick an invite in their doors.

Try to learn the Language, you may end up looking like a tool but at least you tried and at the very least you'll add a bit of Comedy.

Making some attempt to learn the language is important and it is appreciated by the locals, even if you do murder the language every time It is also much easier to learn a language when you are in the middle of it all day - it is hard to imagine at the start put if you keep at it, you will eventually get to the point where you stop thinking in English and switch to the foreign language. On the other hand, most large companies use English as the working language, so if you have a good college degree, it will be easy enough to land a well paying job from the start.

Jim (Switzerland, 21 years)

wayfarers

Germany perhaps? They're practically funding the rest of Europe, plenty of english speaking there and its not as extortionate to rent there as some other countries. Berlin might be your first option.

keithclancy

wayfarers wrote: »

Germany perhaps? They're practically funding the rest of Europe, plenty of english speaking there and its not as extortionate to rent there as some other countries. Berlin might be your first option.

I work in Germany, I love Berlin, its my favorite City in Europe.
I work in Dusseldorf though its grand but I wouldn't live there.

If your Single I think you could go pretty much anywhere and get stuck into the local language, when theres two of you, your choices are more limited as you have to think about the two of you.

Currently we live just over the Border in the Netherlands and I commute which isn't bad, makes things a bit interesting for tax, social insurance, car registration, working regulations and so on.

Weird one for Germany, when you Travel to and From work in the morning your Employer is responsible for your safety, i.e. if I have a car accident and its my fault its my Employers insurance that takes care of it.

Its a bit of a shock when you find out how much Tax and Insurance you pay compared to Ireland but it all works out the same anyway.

Jim2007

keithclancy wrote: »

Weird one for Germany, when you Travel to and From work in the morning your Employer is responsible for your safety, i.e. if I have a car accident and its my fault its my Employers insurance that takes care of it.

Actually it is the same here in Switzerland, health insurance is your own business, but accident insurance is your employer's responsibility. And it does not matter where the accident occurs he is still responsible.

Jim2007

syklops

keithclancy wrote: »

One bit of Advice I would offer though is not to fall into the Expat trap.

I.E. Mixing only with Irish/English people.

You'll never integrate properly, you really need to forget about the Barrys Tea, Rasher and Sausages and RTE.......

This is excellent advice. I admit, I fell into that trap and once in it, its very hard to get out of. I am sure my Czech would be a lot better if I had integrated better, and one begets the other in many ways.

That said, Im happy with my life, and in Brno, it is common to leave the city and spend the weekend with your family. Were it not for my expat friends, I would have little to do at the weekends, and my choices of people to go out with very limited as I have no doma or farmhouse retreat in the country side, or family to go with, but this is particular mainly to Czech culture.

Apanachi

keithclancy wrote: »

Weird one for Germany, when you Travel to and From work in the morning your Employer is responsible for your safety, i.e. if I have a car accident and its my fault its my Employers insurance that takes care of it.

Yes, but only if you take the direct route to work, if you stop off at the shops, or take a detour, then you're not covered anymore.

re. Berlin:

it's overrated....