Being located in the center of Europe makes the Czech Republic very appealing to scores of international companies. Many banking and management consulting firms are giving preference to Prague as their European base. The economy has been steadily improving since 2010, but the unemployment is still around 9%.
Nearly a third of the companies based in the country are headed by foreigners, additionally over 30% of the supervisory boards of Czech companies are also foreigners. This means that qualified professionals have a bright potential when it comes to landing a job in the Czech Republic.
Electrical engineering, automobile industry and tourism are all flourishing. Furthermore, laws deregulating IT and telecommunications have given these sectors a big boost, creating a huge demand for labor.
Having a working knowledge of the Czech language greatly improves the chances of acquiring a job. Many Czech citizens learn English and some German in school, so being an English speaker does not provide any leverage.
For individuals not speaking any Czech at all, a job in the tourist trade is a good starting point. Due to the great influx of tourists, the need for multilingual and English speaking workers has increased. Teaching English is another good option. Prague has numerous language training schools which annually hire foreign teachers. Even if one does not have teaching experience or qualifications, the chances of being hired are still good.
One major hindrance to foreigners being hired is the fact that Czech employers have to prove that an ethnic Czech cannot fill the vacancy. Since the procedure for this is complex, many employers just turn foreigners away.
