More help at the Brno Expat Centre: Our services is growing

The Brno Expat Centre team is growing, and so is the menu of help we can offer you. You can now get more support with your career, legal questions, and the recognition of your qualifications. This is thanks to KOMPAS, a new project co-financed by the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme. Read on to see what we can do for you and who you’ll meet when you get in touch.

What’s new for you

• Counselling, career and legal support: Get individual and group consultations, help entering the labour market or starting a new career, and assistance with having your qualifications recognised. Support also includes legal advice and case management for more complex situations.
• Spouse Programme: Did you move to Czechia with a partner who works or studies here? This programme helps you feel at home, start or build your own career in the region, so the move works for you too.
• Buddy Programme: We connect international residents with local buddies and volunteers to help them settle in, meet new people, and feel at home. Our project partner, JDC, leads the volunteering side of the programme.
• Community activities: Enjoy community events, a welcoming Community Room, and support for activities organised by internationals themselves, creating space to meet, share ideas, and get involved.
• Information: Find practical guides, checklists, thematic info packs, articles, and webinars to help you navigate life and work in Brno (and Ostrava).
• Stronger teams: Workshops and shared know-how between the Brno and Ostrava teams mean both can help you better.

Meet our new colleagues

Two new colleagues have joined us, and one returned from maternity leave. We asked them a few questions so you can get to know them before you meet.

• Božena Pinkas, legal consultant
• Dan Murphy, career consultant
• Veronika Kiruščanka, academic relations specialist

 

Božena Pinkas, legal consultant

I recently joined BEC as a legal consultant and the latest addition to the team. I help my colleagues navigate legalese, contracts, and legal questions, while supporting our clients through sometimes complicated situations.

My work mainly focuses on employment, housing, and residence-related matters, as well as everyday legal questions that come with living in Czechia. I’m still finding my feet at BEC, but my goal is to become a reliable support for my colleagues and a friendly guide for our clients.

Boži in 3 sentences:

I love making complicated legal matters easier to understand and helping people feel a little less lost and a lot more confident.

I’m a mum of two little boys, so my everyday life is a colourful mix of love, work, chaos, trains, fire engines, and occasionally a warm cup of coffee.

I’m currently fascinated by mediation; although, with my boys at home, I sometimes feel that what I really need is meditation.

What did you do right before you joined the Brno Expat Centre?

Right before joining BEC, I was mothering 24/7, probably the most demanding job I’ve ever had. My clients were very demanding, negotiations were tough, and coffee breaks were rarely approved.

Before that, I worked at a law firm in Prague, where we represented some pretty big clients and also offered affordable legal consultations on pension and social security matters.

Some of my favourite experiences, though, were outside traditional legal practice. I loved volunteering with Fair Art, helping organise the One World Film Festival, and getting involved in projects where I felt I could make a real difference.

Looking back, I think I’ve always been drawn to work that connects people, law, and a little bit of humanity.

What is your favourite place in Brno?

I love places that allow my thoughts to wander and inspire me to see things from a different angle.

I enjoy looking at Brno from above, watching the city move, listening to its sounds, and feeling its heartbeat. Spots like Kraví hora, the Medlánky hills, or Planýrka are my favourites. I love watching trains from the footbridge near the freight railway station, discovering Timo’s little poems and messages on the city walls, or spotting new street mosaics, like the new ones on třída Kapitána Jaroše. These small details make Brno feel alive and full of surprises.

But I also have a soft spot for Brno’s less obvious corners, like the old working-class neighbourhoods of Kaménka (especially its Duck Bar!) and Písečník. These places have a charm where Brno shows a completely different face.

What I love most about Brno is its mix of lively cafés and bars full of laughter, and quiet, almost forgotten corners where I can lose track of time.

When did you feel like a foreigner yourself, abroad or even in Czechia?

I was born in Prague, but my studies at Masaryk University brought me to Brno, a metropolis that somehow manages perfectly well without a metro. The beginning wasn’t always easy, and I soon discovered that you don’t have to cross a country’s borders to feel like an expat. Sometimes, moving just a little further south is enough. But somewhere along the way, Brno, with its human scale and easy-going rhythm, slowly found a special place in my heart. Now I can proudly call it home. I guess I’m what Czechs would call a „Pražák jak Brno“.

Paradoxically, despite my love of travelling and my adventures in Asia and Africa, I sometimes feel most like a foreigner in my own country, especially at work. Some legal texts make me wonder whether they were even written in my native language. And even after years of studying law and learning how public administration works, a visit to certain offices can still leave me feeling like I’ve stepped into a Kafka novel. If even a lawyer sometimes feels lost in the system, imagine how confusing it must be when you’re new to the country!

What did you want to be when you were ten years old?

I was always a little jealous of my classmates who seemed so sure about what they wanted to be when they grew up. While they were confidently drawing their dream jobs, I was usually peeking over their shoulders, looking for inspiration. I think I often ended up saying what people wanted to hear, just to be a good girl.

Deep down, though, I knew I wanted to do something that would bring a little sparkle to my eyes and hopefully to the eyes of others, too. I didn’t want to feel like a hamster running endlessly on its wheel.

Even today, I love work that challenges me just enough to keep me growing, while giving me the feeling that what I do really matters. And here’s a little surprise: for a while, I even thought I might become a nun!

Anything else you’d like to add about yourself?

I think that’s enough about me for now! I’m curious to see what new stories, experiences, and perspectives my time at BEC will add to who I am.

Dan Murphy, career consultant

Career consulting at the Brno Expat Centre

Every international in the region gets full visibility of every opportunity available to them. No one is held back by an information gap.

Anyone who wants to build a career has a place to go and talk through how to do it: the support available in the region, events, networks, and education. That gives them the best chance to grow, progress, and contribute to Brno and South Moravia.

Are you:

• Looking for a job right now?
• In a role and keen to advance your career?
• Building a future in Brno and contributing to the region?
• A graduate who wants to know which jobs are available locally?

How we help:

• One-to-one consultations
• Workshops
• Events and conferences
• Information on local opportunities, support, and education

What it is not

We are not a recruitment agency. We won’t advocate for you to be hired, and we won’t do the work for you. We provide the information, infrastructure, and visibility; you do the rest.

Dan, if you were to introduce yourself in three sentences, what would they be?

I’ve been described as a ‘weaponised extrovert’, and I quite like that. I constantly want and need to be involved in what’s happening and what’s changing in industry and companies here in Brno. It’s probably one of the closest things I have to an addiction.

What did you do right before you joined the Brno Expat Centre?

This is actually ongoing: I’ve worked for many different companies in Brno, some as an employee, many more as a contractor or consultant. These include Notino, PKV, Enmon Technologies, Y Soft, ADI Global, AT&T, Red Hat, Nera Displays, Qinshift, IDA Ireland, Allianz, and many others. I’m really happy to have joined the Brno Expat Centre, specifically to support others in finding their direction in Brno.

What is your favourite place in Brno?

It used to be the window seat in U Tomana, the bar, because it had the best people-watching spot. They’ve changed the seats a bit, so it’s not as interesting anymore, but I still like it there. Otherwise, Čokoládovna Minach, for remote working and people-watching too.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Be you, do more. Don’t be anyone else. Don’t do less.

What did you want to be when you were ten years old?

If there was a career in climbing trees, something like a forester. Or a refuse collector, or a footballer. Realistically, all of them at the same time.

Welcome back, Veronika

I’m happy to be back at the Brno Expat Centre after parental leave, this time as an academic relations specialist. I focus on cooperation with Brno’s universities, supporting international students and academics, and advising clients on residence-related matters. I’m also involved in the KOMPAS project, which helps foreigners navigate the recognition of their education and qualifications.

I’ve spent much of my professional life working with internationals, from teaching Czech abroad to working in migration and international cooperation. What I enjoy most is meeting people from different backgrounds, learning from their perspectives, and helping them find their way in a new environment.

Having been born and raised in Brno, I also see our work as a form of everyday public diplomacy. The way we welcome people and help them feel at home shapes not only their lives here, but also the impression of Brno they take with them.

Veru, if you were to introduce yourself in three sentences, what would they be?

I genuinely enjoy helping people navigate Czech life and its occasional bureaucratic mysteries, drawing on my years of experience working with people from different countries and cultures.

Outside work, I’m raising very energetic twins, who put my multitasking, organisational, and crisis-management skills to the test every single day.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the times I felt most like a foreigner was right here in Brno, the city where I was born.

What did you miss most about work during parental leave, and what did you not miss at all?

Before returning to BEC, I spent over two years on maternity and parental leave. It was probably the most intense crash course in time management, flexibility, and negotiation I’ve ever experienced.

What I missed most was social interaction: meeting people, having interesting conversations, exchanging perspectives, and having a little more time and mental space for my own interests.

What I definitely didn’t miss was spending hours staring at a computer screen. I think my eyes were genuinely grateful for the break!

I also managed to complete additional teacher training at Masaryk University, qualifying me to teach at secondary schools. Apparently, I find it difficult to stop learning new things.

What is your favourite place in Brno?

I have a soft spot for so many places in Brno that choosing just one feels almost unfair.

I love Tyršův sad, Lužánky, and the cafés nearby, where I can sit, watch people, and enjoy the atmosphere. And Kino Art has always been one of my favourite places to escape into another world for a couple of hours.

I’m definitely something of a Brno patriot. Having lived abroad for several years, I appreciate the city even more now, especially its atmosphere, manageable size, and the fact that it offers so much without feeling overwhelming.

When did you feel like a foreigner yourself, abroad or even in Czechia?

I’ve lived in both Belarus and the United States, two very different countries that profoundly shaped the way I see the world.

Of course, I felt like a foreigner in both places, but I never saw that as something necessarily negative. Quite the opposite: I was fascinated by how people lived, what they valued, and how their societies worked. I wanted to understand the local culture and become part of everyday life rather than remain an outsider.

These experiences taught me to question my assumptions, appreciate different perspectives, and look at things in a broader cultural, historical, and geopolitical context. They also helped me realise what really matters in life.

Ironically, my strongest experience of feeling like a foreigner came after I returned to Brno.

After almost five years abroad, I suddenly felt strangely out of place in my own hometown. I hadn’t spoken much everyday Czech for years. Yes, I’d been teaching Czech to foreigners in Belarus, but explaining basic grammar to beginners isn’t quite the same as having spontaneous conversations in your native language!

But it went much deeper than language. I’d grown accustomed to life in Belarus, where winters were harsher, everyday life was often more challenging, and many things simply worked differently from what I’d known growing up in Czechia. Over time, I’d adapted to that reality so completely that returning to the familiar surroundings of Brno felt unexpectedly strange. When I returned, Brno looked almost exactly as I remembered it, yet somehow everything felt unfamiliar. It wasn’t really the city that had changed. It was me, and the way I saw the world.

After a few months, I felt at home again. But that experience stayed with me. It reminded me that feeling at home isn’t simply about speaking the language or knowing your way around a city. And I think it helps me better understand what some of our clients experience.

What did you want to be when you were ten years old?

I remember wanting to be a journalist, a detective, or a lawyer. Looking back, there was probably a common theme: I was curious about people, wanted to understand how things worked, and enjoyed getting to the bottom of complicated situations.

I eventually graduated from the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University and later completed postgraduate studies in diplomacy at CEVRO Institute. Along the way, I also gained experience with the International Organization for Migration and the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C.

So although I didn’t become a detective or a journalist, I suppose my work still involves a little of all three childhood ambitions: asking questions, analysing situations, understanding rules, and finding solutions.

Anything else you’d like to add about yourself?

I’m endlessly curious about the world, whether it’s politics, history, different cultures, or simply understanding why people think and live the way they do. I love travelling, discovering new places and cuisines, and having long conversations over a good beer. I suppose curiosity is what connects most of my interests, both professional and personal.

Goodbye, Frank

Frank is leaving the Brno Expat Centre.

As project manager of TAIM (Talent Attraction and International Mobility), he brought together employers, public institutions, and partners including JIC, the Brno Expat Centre, and Centrum pro cizince to simplify and improve support for international professionals, their families, and their employers. Over two years, this platform formulated an Action Plan and piloted solutions to help skilled foreign talent settle smoothly and build long-term lives in the region. The Action Plan has now been submitted and is under review by the city and the regional authorities.

Thank you, Frank, for your hard work, and good luck with what comes next.

About KOMPAS

KOMPAS is a project led by the Brno Expat Centre. Its full name is The KOMPAS Project: A comprehensive system to support the economic and social integration of third-country nationals in the South Moravian and Moravian-Silesian Regions. It runs until 31 July 2028 and covers South Moravia and Moravia-Silesia. Our partners are Moravskoslezský pakt zaměstnanosti (MS Pakt), which works together with Ostrava Expat Centre, and Jihomoravské dobrovolnické centrum (JDC).

Project KOMPAS is co-financed by the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme. Read more about the programme at www.svycarskyprogram.cz.