LIFE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
BASIC INFORMATION
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Czech culture and language
Czech is classified as a member of the West Slavic sub-branch of the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Slovak is by far the closest linguistic relative of Czech, and the languages are closer than any other pair of West Slavic languages.
There are several basic social rules within the work environment. When meeting with colleagues, the man greets first. If the man is noticeably older than the woman, the woman must always greet him first. The right hand is typically offered for a handshake. Before entering the room, it is polite to knock on the door
Family
In connection with childbirth and care for a newborn child, women are entitled to a maternity leave lasting at least 34 weeks (depending on the number of children). The beginning of maternity leave is set by the attending physician, usually 6 weeks before the expected due date of the childbirth (8 weeks prior to childbirth at the earliest). Regarding continued child care, employers are obliged to grant the woman, or the man if they so request it, parental leave until the day the child turns three years old.
The institutional form of preschool education is offered in preschools, including both kindergartens (children between the age of 3 and 6 years) and ‘children’s groups’ (also hildren under 3 years of age). Education is provided in Czech, though there are several kindergartens (mostly private ones) which function in English.
School education consists of nine years of elementary school and from three to five years of secondary school. Elementary education is further divided into two stages of four and five years respectively. It usually starts at the age of 6. Ten years of school attendance is compulsory.
Climate
The Czech Republic has a continental climate with 4 seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter). Summers are hot; winters are cold, cloudy and humid. The average daily temperature in winter is −2 °C but can plummet to −15 °C. The average daily temperature in summer is 21 °C but can be above 30 °C. The coldest month is January; the hottest is
July. The period from May to July is often considered the best season. Weather in the southern regions is generally more pleasant than in the north and mountainous regions, where it tends to be much colder.
During winter, the sun rises approximately at 7:30 am and sets around 4 pm. During summer, sunrise is before 5 am and sunset around 9 pm.
Political system
The Czech Republic was established on January 1st 1993 as one of the successors to the Czechoslovakia. It is a parliamentary democracy and its Constitution guarantees equal rights to everyone, regardless of gender, race, skin colour, language, creed, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, nationality or ethnic origin, property, descent or any other status.
International Identification
ISO 3166-1: 203 CZE CZ
Vehicle registration code: CZ
Telephone extension: +420
National TLD: .cz
