Czechs come to grips with the Celtic tiger
In the six months since the Czech Republic joined the EU, Ireland has become a destination of choice for many Czechs hoping to take advantage of the country's newly relaxed labour laws and find jobs that offer better "Western" wages in comparison with those on offer back home. Radio Prague spoke with some Czechs working in Ireland and asked them what life was like in the land of the "Celtic tiger".
Alice S. actually moved to Dublin from Prague four years ago and ended up staying there after she found work as a waitress.
Given that she would then have been paid "under the table", as the Czech Republic had not yet joined the EU and Czechs were not entitled to work in Ireland, Alice would have spent her first few years in Dublin with one eye over her shoulder, in case the authorities got wise to her situation.
Now, however, things are a lot more straightforward:
"It's much easier now. And you can apply for other jobs besides waitressing or working in a kitchen. If you want to work in an office, you can do that now. It's also much easier to walk through customs in the airport. You don't have to stand there and be questioned for 45 minutes. Things like that [are easier]. You feel freer here now."
The Czech Embassy has no concrete data on the amount of Czechs now living in Ireland, but it estimates that there at least 1500 residing there, and that this figure could be much higher.
So has Alice noticed that there are a lot more of her compatriots around these days?
"You go to the supermarket and you can hear Czech being spoken. You go to the pub and the people at the table next to you are speaking Czech. I have to say that when I first came here four years ago, it was six months before I met another Czech. But there's lots of people here now. There are also lots of Poles and Slovaks and obviously lots of Czechs as well."
Alice's friend Zuzana Chladkova also came to Ireland a number of years before the Czech Republic joined the EU, and also worked illegally as a waitress. She now manages a fashionable Dublin restaurant.
Considering that she has done well out of living in Dublin, would she recommend moving to Ireland to other Czechs, as a recipe for success?
"I would recommend it. But don't come here when you can't speak any language or if you don't have any education. You have to come here knowing exactly what you want to do and what it is you'll be looking for. Don't just come here thinking you'll find [any sort of job]. Because that will make things harder for you. And if you don't speak the language you definitely won't be able to work."
This cautious advice is echoed by Alice:
"As Zuzana says, don't expect any miracles. People come here with no English or qualifications and it's very, very hard [for them]. Life is quite expensive here so, if you want to save money, you won't be able to go out as much as you do at home and you won't be able to have fun [and live it up]. Don't expect any miracles if you come here. It's a great country and the people are brilliant, but it's hard work."
Zuzana is now married to an Irishman and appears to have settled in Ireland for the time being. But isn't there anything that she misses from home?
"Well I miss my family and my house in Prague and the garden and stuff. And sometimes the weather in the summer."
Alice is not yet married, but she is living with her Irish boyfriend so it looks like she will also be staying put for the foreseeable future. So what does she miss from the country she left behind?
"I also miss my family and friends. Then I would say I miss Czech summers, because we have great summers back home. I also miss the snow [in winter] because I love skiing. Czech bread is also something that I really miss. I always ask anyone who is coming over from the Czech Republic to bring a big piece of Czech bread for me."
