I have been living in the United States for almost 40 years now, and I still remember how important the 10th anniversary was to me. Congratulations for reaching that milestone 🎉
I´ve read it aswell. I wasn't sure if it's an interview or someone just summed up Jen's opinions and thaughts from her videos. But I will add myself to the gratulating party. ;)
Jen, congratulations to you and Honza on you 10 year anniversary in the heart of Europe, Prague. Really enjoy hearing your thoughts and experiences. Love your progress in the language. Never dreamed I'd ever hear an American say ř properly. 🙂
Ahoj Jennifer. Díky za vyčerpávající video.Práce učitele není jednoduchá, když učíš něco co studenty až tak nezajímá. Na tvém příběhu je jeden porozuhodný fakt. Žiješ v Kalifornii, máš práci, máš pěkné auto. Počasí je super skoro nepřetržitě celý rok.Přijedeš do Česka, kde je zima pracuješ od rána do večera, nemáš auto, neznáš jazyk a máš 5× až 7× menší plat a říkáš tomu pražský sen.Tohle přeci žádný Američan nedá.Ale ty nás tady pořád přesvědčuješ, že si plníš sny. Amy jsme za to rádi.
This video couldn't have come at a better time. I started teaching English last week, full time. I spend my short days in panic mode. Basically every single thing you described, except I'm not even a native speaker and we barely had any practical preparation at university (but hey, I know that tests can be criterion referenced or norm referenced). Hearing from you that you had gone through something similar and apparently lived to tell the tale gives me a semblance of hope :D
Thanks Jen, I am learning a lot from your videos, I am from Tunisia and I will be coming there to Prague by next few mounths, I already know what to expect before I come there thanks to your videos
Bože, toto by som dokázala počúvať celé hodiny 🙏 Najviac sa mi páči, že hovoríte aj o tých chybách či ťažkých začiatkoch, čím všetkým ste si museli prejsť. Ale nakoniec ste to zvládli. Je to dosť obrovská motivácia aj pre ostatných, ktorí chcú skúsiť niečo nové. Ďakujem 🙏
Really interessting! At some point I thought it was kind of a miracle you still stayed here. And I am very happy you did becuase the video is great. I was laughing so hard when you said you decided to take up 40 hours of classes per week. I mean, I have been a teacher at some point of my life, and I just thoight it must have been so hard! Congrats on still making it our alive, and happy on top of that! :)
Jen, this was very nice when you said .. "my home country" I had similar first 5 years here in the USA ..., working 2 jobs in engineering one full time and one contracting. My hours were from 7:00 to 17:00 and then 19:00 do 22:00 or 23:00 during the week and on weekends solid 10 hours. But I lived through and for me it was great experience.
i always enjoy stories and snippets like that cos all those comparisons between Czechia/ EU and US and what Americans have to go thru to legally move here and what we as EU citizens have to do to switch between EU countries( close to nothing really) or even go to then Brexiting and now Brexited UK always make me realise how lucky we are to be Czechs and Europeans( well, right now i mean, hundred or fifty years ago id be talking a bit differently).
Totally! I feel bad for those Brits who did not want to Brexit, especially the younger generation who don't get the privilege of moving freely into Europe. You're lucky to have that freedom!
@Dream Prague We are lucky? You're well on you way to become one of us, Czech and European citizens, and have all those freedoms that come with it as well.
Well, thinking about USA, it is a big federal country with many different states. I suppose that it is big enough country not to need such a union with other countries. I like a lot of the things European Union (and some of the treaties that are associated with it) brought to us. But as an euro-realist I also see some downsides where I wouldn't mind if EU had some reforms and if it halted its attempts towards federalization. I am an European, but first and foremost, I'm Moravian (and Czech).
I have definitely made some costly mistakes when it comes to renting when I was living in Prague and I speak Slovak so it is not hard to imagine how some people who are not speaking Czech could make a lot more mistakes.
Thank you for sharing your experience :) As a foreigner, I learned both English and Czech and always enjoyed very much my lessons when teacher was prepared. Such hours are very remarkable and fulfilled with lots of interesting conversations. I admire all efforts and time spent by teacher on preparing lesson. I'll join to other comments and ask why did you choose Czech Republic? I met a lot of people who think that there are better countries exist and consider Prague/CZ as temporary place to live.
@@DreamPrague I'm planning to move in the summer of 2024. I'm also planning to visit and start preparing this summer. I would like very much to take you out for a coffee or a beer and say thank you in person.
Thanks Jen. I've been catching up on your videos. I'll be in Prague next week for three weeks working on a book about loutky. Who knows maybe I'll bump into you. They are just opening up the country for Americans again.
@@DreamPrague Thanks. (Or as we say here in Tbilisi Georgia მადლობა madloba. And you thought Czech was tough.) I'm appreciating your saga as I'm listening. I actually have a friend who is the editor at Loutkář magazine. (The oldest puppetry magazine on earth.) She wants to make a book of the many interviews I've done on Czech and other European puppeteers. So the hard part has been done. Now I'm going to discuss the project. And see a few puppet shows. Have you ever been to the Švandovo divadlo? My friends Buchty a loutky play there. Thanks for sharing all your experiences. I've been to Prague about six times. But I always appreciate hearing the experience of others. (I'm also going to meet the Honest Guides.) By the way give my channel a look, you might find it interesting. Ahoj!
While reading your comment i instantly recalled the movie "Being John Malkovich". :) Anyway, puppets and stop motion animation are a big part of our culture, people like Jiří Trnka, Jan Švankmajer or Karel Zeman are imo quite famous internationally (at least in some circles), i can see why working on a book about this topic has lead you here. Good luck with your book!
@@cinskybuhsrandy5099 Děkuju. I actually interviewed Švankmajer back in 2012. Yes consider the CR as the most important place in Europe for puppets. Where else have puppets actually had a heroic role in a nations history?
Very good storytelling Jen. Its interesting that you are a teacher, organized , structured but you kina "winged it" on this one, moving to Czech Republic...glad it worked out for you. This really helped me to prepare mentally for my move to Czech Republic this summer. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Ive learned a lot from watching your videos.
Ben! Thanks for watching. Yeah, there was a lot of winging it that first 6 months, but it was good to get out of my comfort zone! I wish you the best of luck in your move! 🤗
I really do like this kind of the channel To see how people from abroad feels when living somewhere else. I for example follow Abroad in Japan as well. Keep up the great job.
Hi Jen, the Old Quibbler at your service again! ;) Now when I hear your story of dumping your papers with teaching lesson preaprations in snow Wenceslass square I recall that I accidentally slipped there on some pile of scrap papers ten years ago... Yes... it must have been that! Sorry for ruining your day back then! ;D
Exactly what I was thinking... How does that make sense? Also, if it needs to be just a foreign embassy, why wouldn't it be enough to go to Berlin? The trip from Prague to Berlin is nicer and shorter.
I think it’s because there is no Czech Embassy in the Czech Rep. and so they send you to the closest one. And I suppose we don’t have an immigration office as they do in the US. When you apply for a US visa, you apply in a different country as well.
Exactly what Petra said. Ideally, we’re supposed to apply in our home country’s czech embassy, but we can apply at any czech embassy. So we come to CZ on a tourist visa (90) days, and before that expires, we apply at a nearby embassy. At that time 10 years ago, Viennese was accepting more interview appointments than Berlin, or perhaps the person at the embassy in Berlin did not speak English. I can’t recall. 99% of my friends did their interview in Vienna.
@@Domihork Berlin is neither much closer too Prague nor do travel times by train differ substantially either (4:37 vs 4:17). The quality of the Railjet and Regiojet train services between Vienna and Prague is great too. So if it was easier to get appointments in Vienna, there is no good reason to insist on Berlin, in my humble opinion.
There is an interesting difference between the Czech and the US visa challenge. The Czechs can't believe that anyone would want to immigrate there, while the Americans can't believe that anyone wouldn't want to. A US tourist visa applicant is treated with more scrutiny if s/he has family Stateside since that makes it so much easier to overstay one's visa. It's not 'innocent until proven guilty,' it's 'guilty until ... your visa application has been denied!'
The Czech republic is one of the safest countries on this planet, with great social security system, education system, fully functional health care, public transportation...who wouldn't want to live there?
You have to understand: America doesn't want Czechs. but Czechs need Americans. Big difference. Also, once you allow Czech to America, there is a high probability he/she will overstay their visas or will never leave US soil. If you let American to CR, he/she will gladly return back home, no problem
@@elmono3939 I don't think we particularly need Americans. Yeah, native English speakers are always nice to have for language schools. And people with expertise from abroad can also be beneficial to multiple different industries, but I don't think it is a necessity. Still, I suppose that as long as Czechia doesn't have a big immigration problem, there is no need to deny visa to people interested in our culture. We have enough beer for them as well :)
I had flashbacks when you were talking about your teaching. I also taught for several years. I started while studying at the university and I stayed there for several years after. It was a private school. Half of it was teenagers who didn't want to be there and half were adults who needed to get a "maturita" for work. The adults probably weren't as motivated as yours but they were still much less trouble than the teenagers. They were pretty chill and we teachers made friends with a lot of them. Especially one class, who periodically went out to a pub together, with a few of them playing guitars and singing... I probably wasn't a great teacher but it was a great time.
That sounds delightful to sing along to guitars at a Czech pub. I think the experience is a great one, and I encourage all native English speakers to give it a go, at least for a year!
Hi Jen, thank you for you video :) I was an English teacher at language schools in Prague at late 90ies and early 2000 and of course my colleagues ( and few amazing friends from that time) were English speaking expats (hope this is not an offensive term), so I can relate very well to your story and experience. It was really an intense time and it was great experience to be part of that international crowd (even for me as a Czech person). I know the schools did not really appreciate the teachers (not even us Czechs) and so for many just took it as an experience to try before finding something better or more exciting. I had a great appreciation for all those few people, who came to Prague and took the place, people and the experience with respect despite all difficulties they had to go through. I am so happy to follow your channel and see that your approach has has paid you back with discovering a dream place to live :) It is great to have you and Honza and Tobik here in Prague :)
Hello Majena, Thanks for watching the channel! I'm sure the experience of teaching English in the late 90s was even more intense than I experienced! I bet those expats went home with some fantastic stories and life changing experiences. Yes, I definitely got the feeling that Czech teachers were appreciated even less than English speaking ones, but at least they had the advantage of speaking the language so they could understand the gossip :). It's okay though, it was just a bit different than my experience in the US. But it made me more self-sufficient I think!
Haha, the lack of training and instruction baffled me. When I started my job at a Gymnazium my only instruction from the head English teacher was "Maybe you can teach them something in English." Luckily I loved my students and ended up staying three years.
That's great you enjoyed it! Yeah the lack of training was awful. My husband and I were just talking about it, and it's way worse than I even said in teh video!
Teachers don't recieve any training when they start teaching regardless language or subjects they teach. Certificates or degree in teaching is sufficient and it has been that like this for ages. However, Germany has a different system for new teachers.
@@lucylpodcast It depends. The Czech teachers who are still studying at a university had to do teaching practices at schools and at that time they are trained and have supervisors at the particular schools. After they graduate they find a school-job and there they receive another training. However if you are not working as an employee of the school they will probably not train you, in their eyes it's probably more about "giving the freelance teacher space and freedom to do whatever they want" and just some main goals.
@@slouberiee As a Czech who just started teaching: our practical training was something like 40 lessons in total and it was cut in half during the covid period. And there was no further training after that.
Hi, I had to laugh when you described the questions at the Czech embassy, I had a similar experience at the US embassy in London. I was spending a year on exchange at a university in Oregon. I was 27 at the time, so a mature student, and had several very personal and frankly insulting questions from the interviewer but kept my cool and received my visa. Can I ask, are you still teaching? Also, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to teach English to a group when you didn’t speak their language.
Oh wow, that's an interesting experience you had! No, I don't teach English anymore, though I really enjoyed it. We are trained to only teach in the language they are learning, so it wasn't hard for me, but I'm sure it was hard for the poor students who didn't understand me!
Milá Jen! Když tu tak poslouchám o vašich peripetiích jakožto učitelky angličtiny na večerní škole pro dospělé, napadá mě, zda jste nečetla knihu Pan Kaplan má třídu rád (v originále The Education of Hyman Kaplan) od amerického spisovatele Lea Rostena. Pokud ne, vřele doporučuji. Fantasticky se zasmějete a možná i v něčem poznáte.
Hi Jen, my partner and I are getting ready to move from Toronto, Canada to Prague. Really been appreciating your insights and experiences which is definitely helping us prepare for our big move. I understand that shopping for consumer goods will be very different, but it would be great to see a video about your shopping experiences, especially online shopping and delivery. We’ve been spoiled with Amazon here and curious to hear about your experiences .
Hi Jen, I found your video by chance when looking for something on you tube, but I watched every minute of it with most interest, since your experience of the first month in a foreign environment reminded me (a person who was born in Prague and spent first 30 years of my life there) of my similar experience when I suddenly appeared in Leeds (UK) with absolute minimum of English. What surprised me was your statement at the end of your video, that after 10 years in Prague it is now your home. I am most curious to learn what attracts you to Prague, that Prague (and Czechia) is winning over California for you. After 20 years in England and in Australia, I spent half a year in Prague as a visiting professor at my old alma mater, and I very politely declined all offers of permanent positions in Prague. Having lived in the West (including a few months at the University of California in Los Angeles), I found some features of Czech mentality (envy and backstabbing) quite distasteful. In spite of the fact that I still had an apartment in Prague (i.e. my late parents' apartment), I could not feel there at home any more. For these reasons I would really appreciate to hear what makes you to feel at home in Prague. With warm regards from Australia Milos
Hi Jen, You can talk about a funeral and it immediately turns into an exciting and funny story :-), you are a real stand-up comedian. Interesting as always, thanks!
Milá Jen, jako obvykle byla radost zkouknout Tvé video, a doufám že Tě (i partnerem) vytáhnu třeba na oběd, jen tak... třeba si zdokonalím angličtinu ... :-)
Great respekt! 👍 I don't thik I could manage move to US to live there. And I know the local language (a bit at least). You didn't know the language when you come, you learned it all here. Great respect.
You really did it the hard way. That must have been super challenging, going to the TEFL school, getting your apartment and visa at the same time. I had an apartment and a job all ready to go when I got here. I did my visa interview in Vienna too. Did you have to return to Vienna pick up your passport and visa? Also, after you got your first visa, did you have to go to the Czech "foreign police" to get the final stamps on your passport/visa? I did. Once I got those stamps I knew I was good to go. I love how Czechs love to stamp things. :) Great video!
Ingrid, this is so funny because for me, it’s a Czechlish-ism! I would say “cell phone” to my czech students and they would have no idea what that was-they called it a mobile phone. So now I do too! My friends back in America must think I’m being pretentious with my Britishisms. 🤣🤣
@@DreamPrague idk about Czechia, but in Slovakia British English is the state recommended standard to teach. Most coursebooks are british based, only including chapter on American English differences. The reason supposedly is that American English is not officially codified (?).
@@DreamPrague Hey that's ok, we in Australia say 'mobile phone, flat and cinema' also. We get that from our British heritage. Not pretentious at all, just normal.
As you were sitting at 5 a.m. at a McDonald's in Vienna, Austria, and people were sitting outside too, it must have been McDonald's at Schwarzenbergplatz. Then you move to the Czech ambassy, which is a little bit farther outside in the 14th district, Penzinger Straße. Without a map, you probably wouldn't have found this ambassy. 🙂 But even without a map, you could have asked any taxi cab driver to drive you to the Czech ambassy, and they would do that. Probably, it would have been easier to travel from Prague to Vienna by train, not by bus.
You’ve got the geography correct. What I didn’t mention is that when I got near the embassy I was still quite lost and I asked everyone I could (in English 🙄)find “do you know Penzinger StraBe is?” I said strabe with a B because I had no idea what that letter was. People looked at me like I was crazy.
@@DreamPrague 😀 I do hope, this visit wasn't too traumatic for you. 😀 In fact, Penzigerstraße is a little bit long and not so good reachable by public transport, because it's very narrow. It's indeed as you wrote: There's public transport both North and South of it, but then, you'll have to walk and find the exact place. I don't know, why the Czech ambassy has chosen exactly this location. "StraBe" sounds weird. I wasn't aware, that the German long S "ß" (scharfes S - sharp S) is so confusing and could be pronounced as a "b". I once had a similar event with a refugee, struggling with German language. He too was lost in Vienna city. He asked me, where "tra - IS - kitchen" is, and I didn't understand, which kitchen he was looking for in Vienna downtown. 🙂 Then he showed me the written address he was looking for: He meant "Traiskirchen", the village where the refugee camp was situated. Orally, he couldn't get the German diphtongues right (first vowel longer, second vowel short - he did it just the opposite way) and he was fighting with the consonants' combination "rch" and so he made a kitchen out of "-kirchen" (which means "church" or "churches"). ;-) Addendum: -rabe sounds like a bird, "Rabe" means a certain crow, the "raven" or corbie. So people understood, you were looking for a certain crow in the district Penzing, so they looked at you as you were crazy. 🙂
Ahoj Jen, glad you are one of us... I am immigrant too, in my own country I was born in.... due to Czechoslovak shenanigans in 1993... Funny story how to become a foreigner in your own country not moving your butt at all... Well, now I have 2 passports...
Your first instinct was to rent a flat in Wenceslavs square? Ahahahahaha. Too funny, but informative of your mindset at the time. Glad you found something reasonable. And reason.
Yes. Some Czech landlords are careful with foreigners. I used to live in Karlin and they had a problem with an American guy who wasn’t paying his rent for almost 12 months. The Czech law mostly sides with the tenants. They cannot cut his electricity off, change the locks etc…they had to wait for a court order for him to vacate that apartment and then enforce it, but in general it takes a long time. They told me they wouldn’t be able to get any of the rent money back. And he was one stinky old fart with a dog.
Hello, I enjoy your frank description of your life there. It is very entertaining and interesting. May I ask please, did you teach as a job when in America? Just wondering.
No I didn’t teach, I was a litigation paralegal and litigation presentation specialist (graphs and charts for trials). And side hustled as a jewelry designer 😎
Jen, great, hats off! I had American friends who arrived right after 1989 and taught English. They'd done it in other countries before. This couple were great drinking buddies and they admitted they were working for the State Department (CIA???). They described to me what was the task (pretty easy). Have you encountered anybody like this in your circle? Will you have an answer?
That's fascinating....although do you think they were pulling your leg? If they were in fact CIA and it only took a few beers to loosen lips, I'm concerned for my country security 😂😂😂
@@DreamPrague Jen, I know what you mean, but even if they (not that straight forward) admitted, their life story would lead you to that assumption. What would you understand under "working for the State dept"? We'd always got together when I was in Czechia and suddenly they were gone. My friend knew them, she was teaching at the same Business Academy as the American lady. One day they just disappeared. It's been probably 20 years now so I assume they are dead, otherwise I wouldn't discuss it here :-) This is not a topic for YT, I know...
Hey Jen, At which school did you teach in Japan? I taught at NOVA for a couple years and now recognize the differences between what I had been doing there (teaching directly from a book of pre-made lessons) and what most English teachers have experienced. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I have different experience from Brno language schools. Nepustil for instance provides training for their teachers and Jílek ad well. But these are teaching mostly grammar based on drill method, so a native speaker can hardly do that.
My spouse is Czech, and is a English language teacher - professor for teens and adults, and had to go to University for years (USA Master's level equivalent), to learn to teach English. I think the reason the schools had less respect for the Native speakers of English is because I heard them saying they went to Masaryk Univ for years and Americans come thinking they can do their job just because they are Native speakers. But like you said, it is really, really difficult. Most Americans used to be used only for the conversational part of the classes with the students. I don't think they see the TOFL Native speakers as real teachers. Your embassy and flat story was funny.
Great video as always Jen, just don't understand why would you have to go to czech ambassy in Wienna, Austria to fix papers that solely concerned you stay in Czech republic??? 😵
Ve!ice zajimava historie..mate muj obdiv a uctu....Obdivuji Vasi zivotni...energii..a pevnou vuli.Preji vse nejlepsi!!Kez by Vas zivot v me rodne zemi nikdy nezklamal.Ja mam velmi smutnou zkusenost s kupovanim domu...ve vlasti...podvodne jednani me presvedcilo ze radsi zustanu v USA.....💐😊🎻
With regards to your "here's your class, teach them these points, now go" experience, I think the fact you were a contractor might have affected that. Employers are often more willing to spend time and resources on training and supervision for their employees than on contractors who are rather expected to be experienced and ready to do their job.
100% agree. From my experience, it made an already intimidating experience (new country, new field of work, students who might not understand my English) even more intimidating. But it was okay, I got through it!
Language schools are very reluctant to hire on actual employee contract, they prefer to hire people for živnosť (indeoendent contractor), because it mean less expenses and burocracy on the employer's part as all of that is shifted to the worker (although such contracting is technically illegal by law). At least in Slovakia. And the training of teachers depends on the school. Most independent language schools have you sit at one or two of their classes and then do an exercise lesson for them (as a substitue for one of their regular classes where you can not do much damage, eg small kids, not like state exam preparation) and then you're just thrown like a fish into a pond with little supervision afterwars. No matter if you are a native speaker or university trained teacher. Although most language schools do provide coursebooks and supplementary materials, unless it is a newly established school where you have to make them from a scratch. Hiwever, there are some exceptions which are chain/franchise schools which hold official certificates for special teaching methods (eg Helen Doron school, or state acknowledged TOEFL certifications), these do pay greater attention to the proper training of their teachers and provide a lot of support during your work.
Hi Jennifer, Sir_Mac here, as always! Let me make short glossary to some moments of the video... 1) The best teachers in my life were those with no qualification, because they taught by their hearts. It happened during my elementary school age as well as my high school age... 2) The "lost paper thing" - I am systematic person, who likes to have everything organized, it saves / spares the time, so it would be my death, standing in your situation... 3) The word "víkend"... It is czech literal transcription of weekend. And yeah, weekend is (if possible) untouchable time, which you don't want to spend with anything related to work. Weekend is the time to make week shopping, tidying and cleaning, visiting friends / parents ... 4) You live somewhere on Vinohrady, right? The ceilings are pretty high in those flats, so it could be little bit tricky to heat the space during the winter, and there are lovely czech "lewer type handles", and if you miss the tiny screw at the foot / root, the handle can end in your hand ... 5) Ladek? Ládek? It was surname? If it was a first name, it should be Radek... 6) "It is your VISA." And in my head, there was ringing a sentence "So you should take care of it on your own.", and you basically said that :D 7) Students, who finished the high school and they didn't make the entrance exam, exactly, they attended those schools so their health insurance got paid. It is written in "zákon č. 592/1992 Sb., look in §7) 8) 3x50% - that's little bit over 100% :-D 9) The business school attendants - aren't those people connected to another story of yours, as you narrated the story about "you totally naked in the sauna"? 10) There is a czech proverb "Co tě nezabije, to tě posílí." = "What doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.", but there is also a satiric version of it "Co tě nezabije, to tě zmrzačí." = "What doesn't kill you, it makes you crippled / disabled."
Hey Sir Mac! Thanks for your thoughts, as always :). Speaking of "weekend" - when I was a visa consultant, I worked every weekend because my clients were too busy on the week days to meet with me. It took me a year to finally put my foot down, and say "I want to enjoy my weekend too! Meet me on Tuesday!" - During university, I worked every weekend as a waitress and serving ice cream at a ice cream shop. Weekends are big money making opportunities in the US! (and we're workaholics.) Aha! So the rumors were true! they took English to get health insurance paid for. Well, I hope it was worth their time :) What didn't kill me in my first year in Prague...made me appreciate this country more! Although I am a bit crippled/scarred in particular from the memory of being in the naked sauna with my students. Oh, I'm cringing at the memory right now.
Hello Jen, I have Q that concerns me. I lived 5 years in Florida and we used to call a "firm" a company, same as "flat" was of course apartment or condo. U're an American and u're using so many English words - lift instead of elevator etc.... Why is that? Thank u 4 your answer ;-)
thanks for the video! just one random question.Do you think that a2 czech level its enough to get a proffesional job ( Arch. Eng and Construction Jobs) +spanish and french. Děkuji moc :)
I think it totally depends on the career field, though construction might be okay because there are many workers from other countries so they might understand English?
Hi Jen, did I understand it correctly, you travelled to Vienna from Prag to get a visa? If so, why? Can you please explain? Love you ❤️ and your videos. Appropo, my husband originates from Montenegro, same as your family. Bud zdrava a pozdravy na Honzu a Tobika!
Ahoj Daniela! We have to apply for a visa at any czech embassy, ideally in our home country, but any czech embassy will accept it. It makes logical sense because you would probably want to apply from your home country. However, Americans often travel here first on a tourist visa for 90 days and then apply from a nearby embassy. That’s just how the Czech government sets it up. U you our husband is from Montenegro? Where!? We’re from Risan, a small village in the bay of Kotor 😎
@@DreamPrague Ahoj Jen! Thank you so much for your reply. Now I understand this Czech system applying for visa, of which I never heard before. I am born and raised in Prague 4 and "fled" the country after the invasion of Czechoslovakia trough the Warsaw pact countries in 1969. My destination then was England and I had worked there for 8 years and became a British citizen. Speaking only a few words English those days I can emphatize with your hard start in Czechia. I learned quick having studied German and Latin at school back home. I then moved to Germany and had been here ever since. In 1984 I decided to go on holiday alone and chose Ulcinj in Montenegro, where I met my husband. He is Albanian and spoke very good German. We had been married for 35 years now! Of course we visited Kotor Bay (Boka Kotorska) and he knows Risen as well. Beautiful country and people. I learned the Serbian language and together we speak (and write) 6 different languages. At home we speak only German. Jen, have you ever visited Montenegro? I hope I did not bore you with my story and wish you all the best for the future. Moc 💕 srdecne pozdravuji Tebe, Honzu a Tobika a tesim se na pristi video! Daniela xx
Um, the visa guy who interrogated you for an hour, perhaps offered you good coffee. Otherwise, this video is also a free English lesson. I like to listen to you.
Hay Jen i will come to prague next week working in crocodiles company,, can u help me if i neeed plz reply me i m only one to come here this is my first time i m nerves plz reply me
I know, right? How dumb was I? To be fair, I hadn't slept in 36 hours. For work, I do "a little of this, a little of that" - mostly online content creation like my youtube channel. No, I'm not giving up US citizenship. Thankfully I won't have to when (if) I get my Czech one.
Aha! Yeah it was an iphone....did other phone brands not have that problem? What can I say, they indoctrinate us young into apple products....we had apple computers in our schools in the 80s to get us addicted to the apple ecosystem, and it worked.
The grammar-centric language teaching approach is horrible. I was learning German from kindergarten to the end of high school and it gave me nothing. I can't even buy a soup in Austria. One year of Duolingo did teach me more than that (with different languages). And it's not only with languages. In Slovakia (I guess in Czechia it's the same) it's only about knowledge easy to test. Are you useless in problem solving? It's ok. The main thing is to know the year when some middle ages shit happened. No problem that you don't have a clue about context. Only the number is important.
Fully agree....this grammar centric horror I had to go thru with Czech, Russian and German, only suffering, result was zero, waste of time. But it is so deeply entrenched! With not one hour in any English class I am capable to conduct highly sophisticated engineering correspondence and all associated legal needs of a business in an English speaking country in English, no problem. Simply listening to the language like listening to the music, forget this useless " academically sophisticated teaching" for sake of teaching . And have even learned reasonable Russian and some other languages....but not in the school!
I’m from the Washington DC area, and I might be interested in moving to Czechia shortly after I graduate college. My only question is: How is the racial diversity/inclusivity and the lgbtq+ friendliness there?
With this sjw mindset you should better move to California.Czech republic is White and your sexual deviations are no ones interrest.No one gives a sht in here about your sleeping rooms secrets. If you wanna show your deviations in public there Will be not very friendly environment for you.
![Tee Grizzley - Detroit (Feat. 42 Dugg) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aeKfTtt0x14/mqdefault.jpg)
This is fascinating, Jen, please continue this series of your first few months and how you solved the challenges of getting acclimated to a new life.
Glad you enjoyed, Steve!
I have been living in the United States for almost 40 years now, and I still remember how important the 10th anniversary was to me. Congratulations for reaching that milestone 🎉
Hi Jen, I read an interview with you last week on a news site, congrats on becoming a famous person :-)
Oh thank you! Thanks for taking the time to read it :)
I´ve read it aswell. I wasn't sure if it's an interview or someone just summed up Jen's opinions and thaughts from her videos. But I will add myself to the gratulating party. ;)
Where is it please? I would like to read it as well. Thank you.
Jen, congratulations to you and Honza on you 10 year anniversary in the heart of Europe, Prague.
Really enjoy hearing your thoughts and experiences.
Love your progress in the language. Never dreamed I'd ever hear an American say ř properly. 🙂
That’s lovely to hear Tomas! Thanks for watching!
Ahoj Jennifer. Díky za vyčerpávající video.Práce učitele není jednoduchá, když učíš něco co studenty až tak nezajímá. Na tvém příběhu je jeden porozuhodný fakt. Žiješ v Kalifornii, máš práci, máš pěkné auto. Počasí je super skoro nepřetržitě celý rok.Přijedeš do Česka, kde je zima pracuješ od rána do večera, nemáš auto, neznáš jazyk a máš 5× až 7× menší plat a říkáš tomu pražský sen.Tohle přeci žádný Američan nedá.Ale ty nás tady pořád přesvědčuješ, že si plníš sny. Amy jsme za to rádi.
Ano, lebo auto a dom je vsetko:) Milujem cherry picking.
This video couldn't have come at a better time. I started teaching English last week, full time. I spend my short days in panic mode. Basically every single thing you described, except I'm not even a native speaker and we barely had any practical preparation at university (but hey, I know that tests can be criterion referenced or norm referenced). Hearing from you that you had gone through something similar and apparently lived to tell the tale gives me a semblance of hope :D
Jen, you're a gem. I was born and raised in the Czech and lived in California the last 5y. Love your content. Always make me smile.
Thanks Jen, I am learning a lot from your videos, I am from Tunisia and I will be coming there to Prague by next few mounths, I already know what to expect before I come there thanks to your videos
Hello to Tunisia! I've never been there, but I'd love to go one day! Best of luck in Prague :)
@@DreamPrague Thanks a lot ! You're always welcome in Tunisia ❤
Great video, getting better and better. Very informative and interesting
Glad you enjoyed it! By the way, I love your name! If I wrote a book with a Czech heroine, I would call her Ludmilla Svoboda!
Bože, toto by som dokázala počúvať celé hodiny 🙏 Najviac sa mi páči, že hovoríte aj o tých chybách či ťažkých začiatkoch, čím všetkým ste si museli prejsť. Ale nakoniec ste to zvládli. Je to dosť obrovská motivácia aj pre ostatných, ktorí chcú skúsiť niečo nové. Ďakujem 🙏
Really interessting! At some point I thought it was kind of a miracle you still stayed here. And I am very happy you did becuase the video is great. I was laughing so hard when you said you decided to take up 40 hours of classes per week. I mean, I have been a teacher at some point of my life, and I just thoight it must have been so hard! Congrats on still making it our alive, and happy on top of that! :)
Thanks Marta! Yeah 40 hours of teaching was probably my worst mistake. 🤓
Jen, ďakujem, že si sa s nami podelila o svoje začiatky.
😚
Ahoj Jen, ste velmi mila osoba. Bavia ma vase videa.
Děkuji Jano! 😚
Jen, this was very nice when you said .. "my home country"
I had similar first 5 years here in the USA ..., working 2 jobs in engineering one full time and one contracting. My hours were from 7:00 to 17:00 and then 19:00 do 22:00 or 23:00 during the week and on weekends solid 10 hours. But I lived through and for me it was great experience.
i always enjoy stories and snippets like that cos all those comparisons between Czechia/ EU and US and what Americans have to go thru to legally move here and what we as EU citizens have to do to switch between EU countries( close to nothing really) or even go to then Brexiting and now Brexited UK always make me realise how lucky we are to be Czechs and Europeans( well, right now i mean, hundred or fifty years ago id be talking a bit differently).
Totally! I feel bad for those Brits who did not want to Brexit, especially the younger generation who don't get the privilege of moving freely into Europe. You're lucky to have that freedom!
@Dream Prague We are lucky? You're well on you way to become one of us, Czech and European citizens, and have all those freedoms that come with it as well.
Well, thinking about USA, it is a big federal country with many different states. I suppose that it is big enough country not to need such a union with other countries. I like a lot of the things European Union (and some of the treaties that are associated with it) brought to us. But as an euro-realist I also see some downsides where I wouldn't mind if EU had some reforms and if it halted its attempts towards federalization. I am an European, but first and foremost, I'm Moravian (and Czech).
I have definitely made some costly mistakes when it comes to renting when I was living in Prague and I speak Slovak so it is not hard to imagine how some people who are not speaking Czech could make a lot more mistakes.
Phew, glad to know even relative locals can make mistakes too!
Přeji aby se vám tady oběma dál líbilo a aby jste potkávaly jen super lidi .🥰👏💛
Thank you for sharing your experience :) As a foreigner, I learned both English and Czech and always enjoyed very much my lessons when teacher was prepared. Such hours are very remarkable and fulfilled with lots of interesting conversations. I admire all efforts and time spent by teacher on preparing lesson.
I'll join to other comments and ask why did you choose Czech Republic? I met a lot of people who think that there are better countries exist and consider Prague/CZ as temporary place to live.
Taková píle, Jen musím před Vámi smeknout klobouček👍💪✌️
Thank you Jenn. Vey informative and very helpful video. I'll see you in a few years when I move to Prague.
You're a planner! Let me know when you get here :)
@@DreamPrague I'm planning to move in the summer of 2024. I'm also planning to visit and start preparing this summer. I would like very much to take you out for a coffee or a beer and say thank you in person.
And you are very brave and strong person considering what have you achieved all by yourself. My deep respect.
Thanks Jen. I've been catching up on your videos. I'll be in Prague next week for three weeks working on a book about loutky. Who knows maybe I'll bump into you. They are just opening up the country for Americans again.
Oh that's really cool! Best of luck on your research!
@@DreamPrague Thanks. (Or as we say here in Tbilisi Georgia მადლობა madloba. And you thought Czech was tough.) I'm appreciating your saga as I'm listening. I actually have a friend who is the editor at Loutkář magazine. (The oldest puppetry magazine on earth.) She wants to make a book of the many interviews I've done on Czech and other European puppeteers. So the hard part has been done. Now I'm going to discuss the project. And see a few puppet shows.
Have you ever been to the Švandovo divadlo? My friends Buchty a loutky play there. Thanks for sharing all your experiences. I've been to Prague about six times. But I always appreciate hearing the experience of others. (I'm also going to meet the Honest Guides.) By the way give my channel a look, you might find it interesting. Ahoj!
While reading your comment i instantly recalled the movie "Being John Malkovich". :) Anyway, puppets and stop motion animation are a big part of our culture, people like Jiří Trnka, Jan Švankmajer or Karel Zeman are imo quite famous internationally (at least in some circles), i can see why working on a book about this topic has lead you here. Good luck with your book!
@@cinskybuhsrandy5099 Děkuju. I actually interviewed Švankmajer back in 2012. Yes consider the CR as the most important place in Europe for puppets. Where else have puppets actually had a heroic role in a nations history?
Very good storytelling Jen. Its interesting that you are a teacher, organized , structured but you kina "winged it" on this one, moving to Czech Republic...glad it worked out for you. This really helped me to prepare mentally for my move to Czech Republic this summer. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Ive learned a lot from watching your videos.
Ben! Thanks for watching. Yeah, there was a lot of winging it that first 6 months, but it was good to get out of my comfort zone! I wish you the best of luck in your move! 🤗
I really do like this kind of the channel
To see how people from abroad feels when living somewhere else.
I for example follow Abroad in Japan as well.
Keep up the great job.
Hi Jen, the Old Quibbler at your service again! ;) Now when I hear your story of dumping your papers with teaching lesson preaprations in snow Wenceslass square I recall that I accidentally slipped there on some pile of scrap papers ten years ago... Yes... it must have been that! Sorry for ruining your day back then! ;D
I knew our paths had crossed before!
@@DreamPrague Literally...! :D :D :D
I'm confused, why on earth does one need to travel from Prague to Vienna to have an interview with a Czech person for a Czech visa?
Exactly what I was thinking... How does that make sense? Also, if it needs to be just a foreign embassy, why wouldn't it be enough to go to Berlin? The trip from Prague to Berlin is nicer and shorter.
I think it’s because there is no Czech Embassy in the Czech Rep. and so they send you to the closest one. And I suppose we don’t have an immigration office as they do in the US. When you apply for a US visa, you apply in a different country as well.
Exactly what Petra said. Ideally, we’re supposed to apply in our home country’s czech embassy, but we can apply at any czech embassy. So we come to CZ on a tourist visa (90) days, and before that expires, we apply at a nearby embassy. At that time 10 years ago, Viennese was accepting more interview appointments than Berlin, or perhaps the person at the embassy in Berlin did not speak English. I can’t recall. 99% of my friends did their interview in Vienna.
One would think that there are plenty of bureaucrats within the ČR, so assigning some to this task shouldn't be that difficult... But it is what it is
@@Domihork Berlin is neither much closer too Prague nor do travel times by train differ substantially either (4:37 vs 4:17). The quality of the Railjet and Regiojet train services between Vienna and Prague is great too. So if it was easier to get appointments in Vienna, there is no good reason to insist on Berlin, in my humble opinion.
There is an interesting difference between the Czech and the US visa challenge. The Czechs can't believe that anyone would want to immigrate there, while the Americans can't believe that anyone wouldn't want to. A US tourist visa applicant is treated with more scrutiny if s/he has family Stateside since that makes it so much easier to overstay one's visa. It's not 'innocent until proven guilty,' it's 'guilty until ... your visa application has been denied!'
I couldn't have said it better myself!😂
The Czech republic is one of the safest countries on this planet, with great social security system, education system, fully functional health care, public transportation...who wouldn't want to live there?
You have to understand: America doesn't want Czechs. but Czechs need Americans. Big difference. Also, once you allow Czech to America, there is a high probability he/she will overstay their visas or will never leave US soil. If you let American to CR, he/she will gladly return back home, no problem
@@elmono3939 Why do Czechs need Americans?
@@elmono3939 I don't think we particularly need Americans. Yeah, native English speakers are always nice to have for language schools. And people with expertise from abroad can also be beneficial to multiple different industries, but I don't think it is a necessity. Still, I suppose that as long as Czechia doesn't have a big immigration problem, there is no need to deny visa to people interested in our culture. We have enough beer for them as well :)
I had flashbacks when you were talking about your teaching.
I also taught for several years. I started while studying at the university and I stayed there for several years after.
It was a private school. Half of it was teenagers who didn't want to be there and half were adults who needed to get a "maturita" for work. The adults probably weren't as motivated as yours but they were still much less trouble than the teenagers. They were pretty chill and we teachers made friends with a lot of them.
Especially one class, who periodically went out to a pub together, with a few of them playing guitars and singing... I probably wasn't a great teacher but it was a great time.
That sounds delightful to sing along to guitars at a Czech pub. I think the experience is a great one, and I encourage all native English speakers to give it a go, at least for a year!
Hi Jen, thank you for you video :) I was an English teacher at language schools in Prague at late 90ies and early 2000 and of course my colleagues ( and few amazing friends from that time) were English speaking expats (hope this is not an offensive term), so I can relate very well to your story and experience. It was really an intense time and it was great experience to be part of that international crowd (even for me as a Czech person). I know the schools did not really appreciate the teachers (not even us Czechs) and so for many just took it as an experience to try before finding something better or more exciting. I had a great appreciation for all those few people, who came to Prague and took the place, people and the experience with respect despite all difficulties they had to go through. I am so happy to follow your channel and see that your approach has has paid you back with discovering a dream place to live :) It is great to have you and Honza and Tobik here in Prague :)
Hello Majena, Thanks for watching the channel! I'm sure the experience of teaching English in the late 90s was even more intense than I experienced! I bet those expats went home with some fantastic stories and life changing experiences.
Yes, I definitely got the feeling that Czech teachers were appreciated even less than English speaking ones, but at least they had the advantage of speaking the language so they could understand the gossip :). It's okay though, it was just a bit different than my experience in the US. But it made me more self-sufficient I think!
...we are glad you have decided to live in CZ :) It means something did get your attention and love here :) .
Hello, Jen! Thank you for this amazing video! I have to say to you that you are my sunshine😘 Have a nice day!
That is such a nice thing to say. Thank you!
Hi Jen I've been watching your videos for a while now and I've always wondered how this works. Thank you for explanation
Haha, the lack of training and instruction baffled me. When I started my job at a Gymnazium my only instruction from the head English teacher was "Maybe you can teach them something in English." Luckily I loved my students and ended up staying three years.
That's great you enjoyed it! Yeah the lack of training was awful. My husband and I were just talking about it, and it's way worse than I even said in teh video!
Teachers don't recieve any training when they start teaching regardless language or subjects they teach. Certificates or degree in teaching is sufficient and it has been that like this for ages. However, Germany has a different system for new teachers.
@@lucylpodcast It depends. The Czech teachers who are still studying at a university had to do teaching practices at schools and at that time they are trained and have supervisors at the particular schools. After they graduate they find a school-job and there they receive another training. However if you are not working as an employee of the school they will probably not train you, in their eyes it's probably more about "giving the freelance teacher space and freedom to do whatever they want" and just some main goals.
@@slouberiee As a Czech who just started teaching: our practical training was something like 40 lessons in total and it was cut in half during the covid period. And there was no further training after that.
Hi, I had to laugh when you described the questions at the Czech embassy, I had a similar experience at the US embassy in London. I was spending a year on exchange at a university in Oregon. I was 27 at the time, so a mature student, and had several very personal and frankly insulting questions from the interviewer but kept my cool and received my visa.
Can I ask, are you still teaching? Also, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to teach English to a group when you didn’t speak their language.
Oh wow, that's an interesting experience you had! No, I don't teach English anymore, though I really enjoyed it. We are trained to only teach in the language they are learning, so it wasn't hard for me, but I'm sure it was hard for the poor students who didn't understand me!
@@DreamPrague hi, thanks for your response, much appreciated.
Milá Jen! Když tu tak poslouchám o vašich peripetiích jakožto učitelky angličtiny na večerní škole pro dospělé, napadá mě, zda jste nečetla knihu Pan Kaplan má třídu rád (v originále The Education of Hyman Kaplan) od amerického spisovatele Lea Rostena. Pokud ne, vřele doporučuji. Fantasticky se zasmějete a možná i v něčem poznáte.
Gratuluji.🤝💐🍾❤️
Hi Jen, my partner and I are getting ready to move from Toronto, Canada to Prague. Really been appreciating your insights and experiences which is definitely helping us prepare for our big move. I understand that shopping for consumer goods will be very different, but it would be great to see a video about your shopping experiences, especially online shopping and delivery. We’ve been spoiled with Amazon here and curious to hear about your experiences .
Great idea Nick! I wish you and your partner a safe and successful move!
Ps, we use Amazon.de (German) here but there are also many other options
Hi Jen,
I found your video by chance when looking for something on you tube, but I watched every minute of it with most interest, since your experience of the first month in a foreign environment reminded me (a person who was born in Prague and spent first 30 years of my life there) of my similar experience when I suddenly appeared in Leeds (UK) with absolute minimum of English.
What surprised me was your statement at the end of your video, that after 10 years in Prague it is now your home. I am most curious to learn what attracts you to Prague, that Prague (and Czechia) is winning over California for you.
After 20 years in England and in Australia, I spent half a year in Prague as a visiting professor at my old alma mater, and I very politely declined all offers of permanent positions in Prague. Having lived in the West (including a few months at the University of California in Los Angeles), I found some features of Czech mentality (envy and backstabbing) quite distasteful. In spite of the fact that I still had an apartment in Prague (i.e. my late parents' apartment), I could not feel there at home any more. For these reasons I would really appreciate to hear what makes you to feel at home in Prague.
With warm regards from Australia
Milos
hi jenn...that story what y saing...its like a fairy tale..))) so..joy it..))) y look willing
Hi Jen, You can talk about a funeral and it immediately turns into an exciting and funny story :-), you are a real stand-up comedian. Interesting as always, thanks!
That's a fine compliment! Glad you don't mind me blathering on.... :)
Milá Jen, jako obvykle byla radost zkouknout Tvé video, a doufám že Tě (i partnerem) vytáhnu třeba na oběd, jen tak... třeba si zdokonalím angličtinu ... :-)
Very good point about the differences how languages are taught by Czechs and by Americans
Great respekt! 👍
I don't thik I could manage move to US to live there. And I know the local language (a bit at least).
You didn't know the language when you come, you learned it all here. Great respect.
Thank you for that!
You really did it the hard way. That must have been super challenging, going to the TEFL school, getting your apartment and visa at the same time. I had an apartment and a job all ready to go when I got here. I did my visa interview in Vienna too. Did you have to return to Vienna pick up your passport and visa? Also, after you got your first visa, did you have to go to the Czech "foreign police" to get the final stamps on your passport/visa? I did. Once I got those stamps I knew I was good to go. I love how Czechs love to stamp things. :) Great video!
I love Americans who use a britishims like a mobile phone, flat, cinema. ❤️😂
Ingrid, this is so funny because for me, it’s a Czechlish-ism! I would say “cell phone” to my czech students and they would have no idea what that was-they called it a mobile phone. So now I do too! My friends back in America must think I’m being pretentious with my Britishisms. 🤣🤣
@@DreamPrague Thank you for clarification, you sure had me confused for a moment.
@@DreamPrague Jen, try this: ruclips.net/video/e2a_sNhCyNE/видео.html
@@DreamPrague idk about Czechia, but in Slovakia British English is the state recommended standard to teach. Most coursebooks are british based, only including chapter on American English differences. The reason supposedly is that American English is not officially codified (?).
@@DreamPrague Hey that's ok, we in Australia say 'mobile phone, flat and cinema' also. We get that from our British heritage. Not pretentious at all, just normal.
As you were sitting at 5 a.m. at a McDonald's in Vienna, Austria, and people were sitting outside too, it must have been McDonald's at Schwarzenbergplatz. Then you move to the Czech ambassy, which is a little bit farther outside in the 14th district, Penzinger Straße. Without a map, you probably wouldn't have found this ambassy. 🙂 But even without a map, you could have asked any taxi cab driver to drive you to the Czech ambassy, and they would do that.
Probably, it would have been easier to travel from Prague to Vienna by train, not by bus.
You’ve got the geography correct. What I didn’t mention is that when I got near the embassy I was still quite lost and I asked everyone I could (in English 🙄)find “do you know Penzinger StraBe is?” I said strabe with a B because I had no idea what that letter was. People looked at me like I was crazy.
@@DreamPrague 😀 I do hope, this visit wasn't too traumatic for you. 😀 In fact, Penzigerstraße is a little bit long and not so good reachable by public transport, because it's very narrow. It's indeed as you wrote: There's public transport both North and South of it, but then, you'll have to walk and find the exact place. I don't know, why the Czech ambassy has chosen exactly this location.
"StraBe" sounds weird. I wasn't aware, that the German long S "ß" (scharfes S - sharp S) is so confusing and could be pronounced as a "b".
I once had a similar event with a refugee, struggling with German language. He too was lost in Vienna city. He asked me, where "tra - IS - kitchen" is, and I didn't understand, which kitchen he was looking for in Vienna downtown. 🙂 Then he showed me the written address he was looking for: He meant "Traiskirchen", the village where the refugee camp was situated. Orally, he couldn't get the German diphtongues right (first vowel longer, second vowel short - he did it just the opposite way) and he was fighting with the consonants' combination "rch" and so he made a kitchen out of "-kirchen" (which means "church" or "churches"). ;-)
Addendum: -rabe sounds like a bird, "Rabe" means a certain crow, the "raven" or corbie. So people understood, you were looking for a certain crow in the district Penzing, so they looked at you as you were crazy. 🙂
Interesting content 👍
18:04 - Mluvíme-li o nejlepších učitelích, výstřih zdá se býti zásadním.
I really wanna move to Czechia!
Ahoj Jen, glad you are one of us... I am immigrant too, in my own country I was born in.... due to Czechoslovak shenanigans in 1993... Funny story how to become a foreigner in your own country not moving your butt at all... Well, now I have 2 passports...
2 passports! Get them however you can ;)
Your first instinct was to rent a flat in Wenceslavs square? Ahahahahaha. Too funny, but informative of your mindset at the time. Glad you found something reasonable. And reason.
Yes. Some Czech landlords are careful with foreigners. I used to live in Karlin and they had a problem with an American guy who wasn’t paying his rent for almost 12 months. The Czech law mostly sides with the tenants. They cannot cut his electricity off, change the locks etc…they had to wait for a court order for him to vacate that apartment and then enforce it, but in general it takes a long time. They told me they wouldn’t be able to get any of the rent money back. And he was one stinky old fart with a dog.
I speak Czech, and it still would have been a hot mess moving there 😉😊
😂😂😂
❤
Did was every challenge.🥇🥇🏆
Hello, I enjoy your frank description of your life there. It is very entertaining and interesting. May I ask please, did you teach as a job when in America? Just wondering.
No I didn’t teach, I was a litigation paralegal and litigation presentation specialist (graphs and charts for trials). And side hustled as a jewelry designer 😎
Hhahaha “jail breaking” I forgot about that.
Jen, great, hats off! I had American friends who arrived right after 1989 and taught English. They'd done it in other countries before. This couple were great drinking buddies and they admitted they were working for the State Department (CIA???). They described to me what was the task (pretty easy). Have you encountered anybody like this in your circle?
Will you have an answer?
That's fascinating....although do you think they were pulling your leg? If they were in fact CIA and it only took a few beers to loosen lips, I'm concerned for my country security 😂😂😂
@@DreamPrague Jen, I know what you mean, but even if they (not that straight forward) admitted, their life story would lead you to that assumption. What would you understand under "working for the State dept"?
We'd always got together when I was in Czechia and suddenly they were gone. My friend knew them, she was teaching at the same Business Academy as the American lady. One day they just disappeared. It's been probably 20 years now so I assume they are dead, otherwise I wouldn't discuss it here :-) This is not a topic for YT, I know...
"... I was not going to be installing kitchen in foreign country ... " LOL
50%+50%+50%... *not a math teacher - loved that joke :)
Hey Jen, At which school did you teach in Japan? I taught at NOVA for a couple years and now recognize the differences between what I had been doing there (teaching directly from a book of pre-made lessons) and what most English teachers have experienced. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I have different experience from Brno language schools. Nepustil for instance provides training for their teachers and Jílek ad well. But these are teaching mostly grammar based on drill method, so a native speaker can hardly do that.
My spouse is Czech, and is a English language teacher - professor for teens and adults, and had to go to University for years (USA Master's level equivalent), to learn to teach English. I think the reason the schools had less respect for the Native speakers of English is because I heard them saying they went to Masaryk Univ for years and Americans come thinking they can do their job just because they are Native speakers. But like you said, it is really, really difficult. Most Americans used to be used only for the conversational part of the classes with the students.
I don't think they see the TOFL Native speakers as real teachers.
Your embassy and flat story was funny.
Great video as always Jen, just don't understand why would you have to go to czech ambassy in Wienna, Austria to fix papers that solely concerned you stay in Czech republic??? 😵
You have to apply outside of Czechia. I had to drive my nephew to Bratislava to file there. The US works the same way. Go figure!
@@paulselinger6658 haha, go figure indeed!!
Although I suspected something as dumb as that from the bueaucrats, but needed to have it confirmed...😕
What paul said. ☝
Thanks. That is really weird.
You need to rent a place in CZ first but you still need to act like they are letting you in from the outside...
@@MarvinCZ Yeah, that's really mind blowing. A commenter above just said it's the same procedure in the USA!?
Ve!ice zajimava historie..mate muj obdiv a uctu....Obdivuji Vasi zivotni...energii..a pevnou vuli.Preji vse nejlepsi!!Kez by Vas zivot v me rodne zemi nikdy nezklamal.Ja mam velmi smutnou zkusenost s kupovanim domu...ve vlasti...podvodne jednani me presvedcilo ze radsi zustanu v USA.....💐😊🎻
Moc děkuji @verazales8308! 💚
With regards to your "here's your class, teach them these points, now go" experience, I think the fact you were a contractor might have affected that. Employers are often more willing to spend time and resources on training and supervision for their employees than on contractors who are rather expected to be experienced and ready to do their job.
100% agree. From my experience, it made an already intimidating experience (new country, new field of work, students who might not understand my English) even more intimidating. But it was okay, I got through it!
Language schools are very reluctant to hire on actual employee contract, they prefer to hire people for živnosť (indeoendent contractor), because it mean less expenses and burocracy on the employer's part as all of that is shifted to the worker (although such contracting is technically illegal by law). At least in Slovakia. And the training of teachers depends on the school. Most independent language schools have you sit at one or two of their classes and then do an exercise lesson for them (as a substitue for one of their regular classes where you can not do much damage, eg small kids, not like state exam preparation) and then you're just thrown like a fish into a pond with little supervision afterwars. No matter if you are a native speaker or university trained teacher. Although most language schools do provide coursebooks and supplementary materials, unless it is a newly established school where you have to make them from a scratch. Hiwever, there are some exceptions which are chain/franchise schools which hold official certificates for special teaching methods (eg Helen Doron school, or state acknowledged TOEFL certifications), these do pay greater attention to the proper training of their teachers and provide a lot of support during your work.
Hi Jennifer,
Sir_Mac here, as always!
Let me make short glossary to some moments of the video...
1) The best teachers in my life were those with no qualification, because they taught by their hearts. It happened during my elementary school age as well as my high school age...
2) The "lost paper thing" - I am systematic person, who likes to have everything organized, it saves / spares the time, so it would be my death, standing in your situation...
3) The word "víkend"... It is czech literal transcription of weekend. And yeah, weekend is (if possible) untouchable time, which you don't want to spend with anything related to work. Weekend is the time to make week shopping, tidying and cleaning, visiting friends / parents ...
4) You live somewhere on Vinohrady, right? The ceilings are pretty high in those flats, so it could be little bit tricky to heat the space during the winter, and there are lovely czech "lewer type handles", and if you miss the tiny screw at the foot / root, the handle can end in your hand ...
5) Ladek? Ládek? It was surname? If it was a first name, it should be Radek...
6) "It is your VISA." And in my head, there was ringing a sentence "So you should take care of it on your own.", and you basically said that :D
7) Students, who finished the high school and they didn't make the entrance exam, exactly, they attended those schools so their health insurance got paid. It is written in "zákon č. 592/1992 Sb., look in §7)
8) 3x50% - that's little bit over 100% :-D
9) The business school attendants - aren't those people connected to another story of yours, as you narrated the story about "you totally naked in the sauna"?
10) There is a czech proverb "Co tě nezabije, to tě posílí." = "What doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.", but there is also a satiric version of it "Co tě nezabije, to tě zmrzačí." = "What doesn't kill you, it makes you crippled / disabled."
I know "Co tě nezabije, to se tě pokusí zabít znovu" :D
Hey Sir Mac! Thanks for your thoughts, as always :).
Speaking of "weekend" - when I was a visa consultant, I worked every weekend because my clients were too busy on the week days to meet with me. It took me a year to finally put my foot down, and say "I want to enjoy my weekend too! Meet me on Tuesday!" - During university, I worked every weekend as a waitress and serving ice cream at a ice cream shop. Weekends are big money making opportunities in the US! (and we're workaholics.)
Aha! So the rumors were true! they took English to get health insurance paid for. Well, I hope it was worth their time :)
What didn't kill me in my first year in Prague...made me appreciate this country more! Although I am a bit crippled/scarred in particular from the memory of being in the naked sauna with my students. Oh, I'm cringing at the memory right now.
Ta strukturovanost v TEFL škole 😱
👍 👍 👍!!!
Hello Jen, I have Q that concerns me. I lived 5 years in Florida and we used to call a "firm" a company, same as "flat" was of course apartment or condo. U're an American and u're using so many English words - lift instead of elevator etc.... Why is that? Thank u 4 your answer ;-)
196❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😊😊❤❤ your videos are simply
Jack pot
Eva
thanks for the video! just one random question.Do you think that a2 czech level its enough to get a proffesional job ( Arch. Eng and Construction Jobs) +spanish and french. Děkuji moc :)
I think it totally depends on the career field, though construction might be okay because there are many workers from other countries so they might understand English?
Hi Jen, did I understand it correctly, you travelled to Vienna from Prag to get a visa? If so, why? Can you please explain? Love you ❤️ and your videos. Appropo, my husband originates from Montenegro, same as your family. Bud zdrava a pozdravy na Honzu a Tobika!
Ahoj Daniela! We have to apply for a visa at any czech embassy, ideally in our home country, but any czech embassy will accept it. It makes logical sense because you would probably want to apply from your home country. However, Americans often travel here first on a tourist visa for 90 days and then apply from a nearby embassy. That’s just how the Czech government sets it up. U you our husband is from Montenegro? Where!? We’re from Risan, a small village in the bay of Kotor 😎
@@DreamPrague Ahoj Jen! Thank you so much for your reply.
Now I understand this Czech system applying for visa, of which I never heard before. I am born and raised in Prague 4 and "fled" the country after the invasion of Czechoslovakia trough the Warsaw pact countries in 1969. My destination then was England and I had worked there for 8 years and became a British citizen. Speaking only a few words English those days I can emphatize with your hard start in Czechia. I learned quick having studied German and Latin at school back home. I then moved to Germany and had been here ever since. In 1984 I decided to go on holiday alone and chose Ulcinj in Montenegro, where I met my husband. He is Albanian and spoke very good German. We had been married for 35 years now!
Of course we visited Kotor Bay (Boka Kotorska) and he knows Risen as well. Beautiful country and people. I learned the Serbian language and together we speak (and write) 6 different languages. At home we speak only German. Jen, have you ever visited Montenegro?
I hope I did not bore you with my story and wish you all the best for the future. Moc 💕 srdecne pozdravuji Tebe, Honzu a Tobika a tesim se na pristi video!
Daniela xx
How long was it before you started saying "flat" and "moe-biyul"? 😉
I love the channel, but do not say Czechia :) The Czech Republic is the way to go :)
4:30 - How many more years will it take for you to admit that you just got drunk night before and didn't prepare properly? 😁
Um, the visa guy who interrogated you for an hour, perhaps offered you good coffee. Otherwise, this video is also a free English lesson. I like to listen to you.
I’m the glad the video is useful to you Mari! Even if you don’t need immigration tips 🤓
Prostě Miranda! Ale Miranda z commedy je alespoň vtipná, tadle je jen blbě ukecaná až to bolí, takže sorry Mirando.
Hay Jen i will come to prague next week working in crocodiles company,, can u help me if i neeed plz reply me i m only one to come here this is my first time i m nerves plz reply me
@B D i don't understand what r u say bro
Use some commas, darling :)
I am actually surprised how cheap that Wenceslas square apartment was.
48 000 Kč/month 10 years ago? That was really expensive.
yeah, 10 years ago that was a bit much. Now, my god, it would be twice that!
😂 Gets to Vienna and doesn't know which Embassy 😂 What do you do now, Jen? Are you giving up the US citizenship?
I know, right? How dumb was I? To be fair, I hadn't slept in 36 hours. For work, I do "a little of this, a little of that" - mostly online content creation like my youtube channel. No, I'm not giving up US citizenship. Thankfully I won't have to when (if) I get my Czech one.
Jen, tady je malý návod "jak učit na českých školách". Ber ho s humorem. ruclips.net/video/k8YMr9oMtz0/видео.html
You are nice.. You are so beautiful !! :D
🤓
Krmím algoritmus
Jail break? Obviously you talk about iPhone. That is the reason I always stayed away from Apple! :-)
Aha! Yeah it was an iphone....did other phone brands not have that problem? What can I say, they indoctrinate us young into apple products....we had apple computers in our schools in the 80s to get us addicted to the apple ecosystem, and it worked.
@@DreamPrague I am a "hacker" and Apple holds you by the b...s and you beg them not to squeeze :-)
Always PC and Android phone!
The grammar-centric language teaching approach is horrible. I was learning German from kindergarten to the end of high school and it gave me nothing. I can't even buy a soup in Austria. One year of Duolingo did teach me more than that (with different languages).
And it's not only with languages. In Slovakia (I guess in Czechia it's the same) it's only about knowledge easy to test. Are you useless in problem solving? It's ok. The main thing is to know the year when some middle ages shit happened. No problem that you don't have a clue about context. Only the number is important.
Fully agree....this grammar centric horror I had to go thru with Czech, Russian and German, only suffering, result was zero, waste of time. But it is so deeply entrenched! With not one hour in any English class I am capable to conduct highly sophisticated engineering correspondence and all associated legal needs of a business in an English speaking country in English, no problem. Simply listening to the language like listening to the music, forget this useless " academically sophisticated teaching" for sake of teaching . And have even learned reasonable Russian and some other languages....but not in the school!
No Ahoj. Bylo by fajn. Když žiješ v Česku. Tak povídat naším jazykem 👍🙏
Tak nevím - po 10 letech v ČR bych čekala, že budou vaše videa v češtině...
I’m from the Washington DC area, and I might be interested in moving to Czechia shortly after I graduate college. My only question is: How is the racial diversity/inclusivity and the lgbtq+ friendliness there?
With this sjw mindset you should better move to California.Czech republic is White and your sexual deviations are no ones interrest.No one gives a sht in here about your sleeping rooms secrets. If you wanna show your deviations in public there Will be not very friendly environment for you.
Ahoj Paul!
@@DreamPrague Hi Jen! It's 80+ here today; life is good!🌅
4:30 - How many more years will it take for you to admit that you just got drunk night before and didn't prepare properly? 😁