Should Czech and Slovak Recruiters Learn English?
My posts written in the Czech language have received considerable amount of attention so far. Whenever I switch to English I seem to attract attention of the same few people who don’t mind reading a short text in the international business language.
I am sure there is a good number of Czech and Slovak recruiters overwhelmed with work that are brilliant English speakers and listeners that have no time hang out on LinkedIn and participate in pointless discussions. I don’t see them in my stats but I hope to meet them through a good personal reference.
Status of Czech and Slovak languages
According to the data found at About World Languages and elsewhere, the total number of Czech and Slovak speakers is around 15 millions worldwide with most of the speakers living in Czechia or Slovakia.
The two countries are interesting for their Eastern European culture combined with the Western business presence and the interwar social heritage. For a foreigner, the incentive to learn the two languages is weak. You won’t take the full advantage of them until you speak perfectly fluent and even then it might be challenging at times.
Two questions come to my mind. Whether it’s good enough for a local to know just Czech or Slovak language when living and working in the area and whether it’s good enough for a foreigner to know just English in the same situation.
English in the Business in Czechia and Slovakia
In my opinion you can live with just English in the major Czech and Slovak cities. The business language of international companies is English like anywhere else and many foreigners, especially those from European Union, work there. There are active expat communities especially in Prague.
Czechs and Slovaks accepted to those companies are expected to know English for everyday business conversations but they struggle at times. Education is not yet so international in this country and many people haven’t even realized how the world has changed during the last decades.
Recruitment in English Speaking Companies
Another problem might be recruitment. As a foreigner you usually have the advantage of speaking English in your everyday city life. Another advantage is that the interviewers don’t get so easily offended. You can get easily get over situations in which a local would already be considered arrogant or greedy.
Also for a foreigner they are more likely to find an interviewer that can actually express themselves in English.
Funny Interviews for Czechs and Slovaks
The locals sometimes experience rather funny interviews. English is in general a requirement in international companies and so the interviewer is required to check and assess your skills. However, it is entertaining to watch how they manage when it is them who fails the requirement.
From what I’ve seen in the companies the hiring managers usually meet the criteria and speak English well enough to manage foreign employees and report to foreign management. But the burden of checking the language skills often goes with the Human Resources representative. It is ridiculous to get your language skills checked by a person with substandard speaking skills.
Similar things can happen when you’re looking for education opportunities in Czech and Slovak cities. You don’t want to get interviewed by three people of which one speaks only English, one speaks only Czech and one is there to guide you through the process and tell you when to speak which language so that the right person understands you.
Is Czech or Slovak Language Good Enough?
Whether you like it or not, English is the international business language respected and used even in China. I believe that in today’s world people in Central Europe should know English well enough to hold business appointments with foreigners. Including people seeking careers in human resources and recruitment. At least until another language takes over. Anyone speaking Chinese already?
