Work

Steps

1. Look for vacancies on the Employment Office portal (Úřad práce ČR, up.gov.cz), on the EURES portal or on private sites (jobs.cz, prace.cz…). Placement agencies must hold a licence (list on up.gov.cz) and cannot charge you for their services.
2. Prepare your application: structured CV and short letter. Most employers ask for Czech, except in large international companies.
3. Sign a written contract (pracovní smlouva) before starting: it must state at least the position, the place of work and the start date. The other information (leave, notice, hours, salary) must be given to you in writing within 7 days. Ask for a version in a language you understand; in case of dispute, the Czech version prevails.
4. Beware of the švarcsystém: working as a false self-employed person, with the hours and orders of an employee, is illegal and penalised.
5. If you lose your job, register as a jobseeker at the Employment Office for your place of residence, online (Jenda client area) or at a branch, with your U1 form if you have worked in another country.
6. For a regulated profession or to continue studying, have your qualification recognised (nostrifikace, see sheet CZ-ECOLE-TOUS-001; for regulated professions, the competent authority of the sector).

Documents

• ID document; residence registration certificate if you have it (optional for Europeans).
• Diplomas, translated and sometimes certified (apostille) for official use.
• In case of unemployment: ID document, certificate of end of contract, U1 form for periods abroad.

Costs and timelines

• Minimum wage: CZK 22,400 gross per month, CZK 134.40 per hour, since 1 January 2026.
• Contracts: full-time open-ended contract the most common; fixed-term contract of 3 years at most, renewable 2 times with the same employer (the "3 × 3 rule"). Agreements outside an employment contract: DPP (300 hours per year at most with one employer) and DPČ (20 hours per week on average at most).
• Probation period: 4 months at most (8 months for a manager) for a probation period agreed since 1 June 2025, and never more than half the duration of a fixed-term contract (Ministry of Labour); before that date, the limit was 3 months (6 for a manager). During probation, either party can end the contract immediately, without reason.
• Notice: 2 months, which start on the day the letter is delivered (since 1 June 2025; before, it was the 1st day of the following month); 1 month if the employer dismisses you for misconduct or because you no longer meet the requirements of the job (Ministry of Labour). The employee resigns without reason; the employer dismisses only for a legal reason, with severance pay of at least 1 to 3 months of average wage depending on length of service in case of redundancy, and of at least 12 months if you can no longer do your job because of an accident at work or an occupational disease (gov.cz portal).
• Working time: 40 hours per week; 30-minute break at the latest after 6 hours, unpaid and not counted; 11 hours of rest between two working days, 35 hours per week. Overtime: 8 per week and 150 per year that the employer can impose, 416 per year at most with your agreement, increased by at least 25%.
• Paid leave: 4 weeks per year in the private sector (160 hours full-time), 5 weeks in the public sector, 8 for teachers. A part of at least 2 weeks in a row, unless agreed otherwise; the employer sets the dates and gives you 14 days' notice.
• Unemployment (podpora v nezaměstnanosti): required insurance period to be confirmed with the Employment Office: the European Commission guide (July 2026) says 12 months of contributions in the 2 years before registration, whereas the Ministry of Labour announces, for 2026, an increase from 6 to 9 months of pension insurance to open the right. Rules in force since 1 January 2026 (Employment Office): duration of 5 months (up to 52 years at the date of the application), 8 months (from 52 to 57 years) or 11 months (over 57 years). Amount: 80% of the previous average net wage at the start, then 50%, then 40%, according to the 2-2-1 months scheme (5 months), 3-3-2 (8 months) or 3-3-5 (11 months). Ceiling: 80% of the national average wage. The reason for the end of the contract no longer changes the amount: the reduction for resignation without serious reason or termination by mutual agreement is abolished. These rules replace those before 2026 (65, 50 and 45%; age thresholds of 50 and 55 years; ceiling of 0.58 times the average wage), which some guides still give. You can earn up to half the minimum wage while remaining registered.

Common pitfalls

• Starting without a signed contract: the contract must be in writing and given to you before the first day.
• Believing the break is paid: for 8 hours of work, you stay 8 hours 30 minutes on site.
• Signing a mutual-agreement termination without a written reason: specify the redundancy or the health reason in the agreement to keep your severance pay (EURES). Since 2026, this choice no longer reduces the unemployment amount.
• Coming with foreign unemployment benefit without a U2: to keep your benefits from your country during your job search (3 to 6 months depending on your country), register at home for at least 4 weeks, request the U2, then register in Czechia within 7 days after you stopped being available to your country's employment services.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA, Switzerland: free access, insurance periods aggregated thanks to the U1.
• British people (including Scottish) and other non-Europeans: an authorisation is in principle required (employee card, EU Blue Card), except for people covered by the withdrawal agreement; with these permits, a DPP or a DPČ alone is not enough: you need a real employment contract of at least 15 hours per week paid at least the minimum wage (EURES).