General info

Welcome!

Have you come to Brno, because your spouse/partner got a job offer? Or runs a business here?

And now you are wondering what to do with your life here? Would you like to get a job, start your own company or perhaps just spend your free time in a meaningful way, meeting other interesting people? Start here – we’ve created the Brno Expat Spouse Programme for you.

Joining is free of charge.

We aim to provide spouses of highly qualified expat employees with interesting and fulfilling opportunities that suit their situation in life and enhance their potential.

The following overview lists various options on offer or in the process of preparation.

Overview

How to start?

1) Sign up to receive invites

There's no official entrance to the programme. You'll subscribe to receive regular invites and tips from us, and then join us in person whenever you wish

See the last issue of our monthly newsletter if you want to know what you’re subscribing to.

2) Come to our next event

3) Join the online community

If you're a Facebook user, you can join our FB group and the discussions there

 Would you like to take a more active part?

We’d be happy to have you on board. Please, get in touch with the programme coordinator Katka Báňová, at katka@brnoexpatcentre.eu, if:

  • you’re interested in using your professional experience to mentor other expats and help them develop their potential,
  • you’re an active person and would like to be involved in putting together the programme together and helping out with the running of it,
  • you have any other interesting ideas or suggestions in this area.

Inspiration Meetup

You are welcome to join our regular networking events, the core meeting points of our spouse programme. These meetings are open to any spouses of highly skilled employees residing in Brno.

They usually take place every 3rd or 4th Friday of the month from 10-12 am and include a career-focused and cultural input, plus a chance to meet and chat with fellow spouses over a cup of coffee, ask questions and discuss plans for the next events.

See the date of the upcoming meetup on our event page.

Career counselling

Individual career counselling is provided in the form of job mentoring. We are cooperating with an experienced advisor in this area.

Job mentoring is an innovative way of holistic counselling, based on a socio-dynamic approach, strengthening career skills and the use of networking. It emphasises the importance of education. It teaches clients to adapt to changing life conditions and strengthens career adaptability. Aims at the use of qualifications, higher employability, a happy life.

In the course of several meetings, the client reflects on his/her current life role together with the counsellor and plans his/her future career path, step by step moving towards the desired goal. The counsellor works with various diagnostic methods and tools (competence cards, decision wheel) and tries to strengthen the client’s employability. To ask about individual counselling, please contact katka@brnoexpatcentre.eu

The group activities for the Spouse programme will be implemented in the form of clubs, where part of the programme will be devoted to less formal discussions on topics related to working life in the Czech Republic, such as

  • How to look for a job
  • Where to get inspiration when writing a cv or a motivation letter
  • How to improve and train self-presentation
  • The types of employment we enter into with our employers
  • What does it mean and why is it important to have foreign education recognized in the Czech Republic
  • What are the differences in gross and net wages
  • What is important for deciding on a job with a future employer
  • What are the benefits commonly offered by employers

Topics may also arise from participants’ requests.

Leisure activities

We are very happy that Sylvie Pospíšilová, former Masaryk University welcome office specialist, volunteered to be the curator of the leisure programme for our project!

Here is an overview of her suggestions – feel free to browse and also vote for your favourites by clicking on this link. That way the future trips will be selected.

We usually organise two events per month, one shorter one and one longer one. We aim for Fridays but there are exceptions. Examples of some of our destinations:

a) shorter excursions (2-3 hours)

b) longer trips (half day – whole day):

Feel free to let us know (to katka@brnoexpatcentre.eu) in case you have any other suggestions for either trips or activities.

You can find photos from our trips and outings here.

Language courses

For those of you who wish to stick to their original profession and pursue it here in the Czech Republic, the local language is a crucial issue. While some companies or institutes are open to employing people who do not speak Czech, for others it may prove impossible for now. Thus, learning Czech may be an absolute necessity.

We are in constant search of reliable, quality courses of Czech – you can have a look at our general guide HERE. However, for professional engagement, a leisurely course of 2-4 hours per week is not enough, if a sufficient knowledge is to be reached within reasonable time. Therefore, we’re also searching for intense, high level courses that will enable graduates to speak Czech at B2 level and start seeking employment locally within a year.

For now, one of the options is a course at Masaryk University – there are still some free  spots, the application deadline is 31 July and the course begins in September. BEC Spouse Programme clients have an option to pay in two installments.

Further studies

Extending your knowledge or exploring completely new areas of your interest to boost your career development is also a very interesting option to fill your time.

Here’s an overview of some local universities offering English-language study programmes: