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Title	Author	Body
Re: Another Brno / IBM possibility	Dzordz	...
IBM	Dardac	Hi guys, I've been contacted by Manpower for a Costumer Care position in Italian in IBM. I have been reading a lot about the experience of the people in this company in different sites. Now, I must say that I am a little bit confused. I would say that 50 % of the posts (in other websites) are saying that IBM is just terrible and the other 50% are Ok. So, just wondering if someone can give me some advice in order to make myself a picture of this company and working environment. I would really appreciate any help in this Thanks Albert
bELATED iNTRODUCTION	nicd	Hi everyone, I've been posting here for like a month now, but never got round to a proper intro. I am Nic (as my username indicates - is there some special reason not to use our real names on discussion forums? also, for you czechs on this site, that's pronounced the same as "Nick", not the czech word for "nothing") from Sydney, Australia. I moved here with my partner Sojka, a Brno local, in May 08, and will be around for at least another year or so. Just want to say thanks to Gary for setting this site up, it's much more relevant for everyone here, reading posts on expats.cz was really infuriating and the nature of the discussions had really put me off expats in general. Glad this site has changed that. Also, an apology for my posts, as I appear to have the written equivalent of verbal diarrhoea.
Hi, Everyone	MedeaN	Hi, everyone.My name is Noemi and I've been living and working in Brno for almost 2 years, but still didn't manage to find friends to hang out with outside of my workplace.Summer is here, and there won't be much to do here, won't it?Or maybe I'm wrong.Anyways if someone is interested in making friends, or just hang out for a beer, is welcomed.
...sounds like fun.	j_s_w	Sounds like fun - I sent you a PM with my contact details - call anytime.
Costumer Care position in IBM.	alp	Hello Dardac, Strictly from my experience as a customer care representative in IBM, though it might be out of date what I'm writing here since I stopped working in February 2008, when I got into maternity leave... I only worked for one account,but by the time I was leaving IBM they came with this "brilliant" idea of customer care representatives supporting several accounts, based on the language you were hired for. Only when you worked for one account there was huge amount of information to assimilate, for several accounts...well, it was impossible not to mix everything... The workload is always big, you only have 30 min lunch break and you have to respect it because you are logged on your phone and everything is visible. Don't know if they changed things about the training, they are promising you serious, professional training, but in fact what they teach you is very little, you are just put on the phone and the big stress begins...you have to learn a lot by yourself, tracking the right people who can give you the info. If you already are an IT person, it's going to be ok, if you're not, you'll be completely lost. If you cope ok with stress, you'll manage, if not, think twice, I know a lot of people who had nervous breakdowns there, because you are asked to deliver a professional result, but you are not given the tools. You won't have time for coffee breaks and sometimes not even to go to pee, but you'll see other people having coffee and cigarette breaks and looking quite ok:)...this is the other half you were talking about, the "IBM is ok" one:). On the other hand, you might get into a fine team, because usually the Help Desk teams are quite heterogeneous, made of people from different countries, compared to a team only with Czechs where you might shoot yourself in the head (you are not spoken to, they speak only Czech, you have to beg for the info to be translated to you in...yes, the official language of the company, English...) I certainly hope things have changed cause I've been home for a year and a half now, and suddenly the perspective of working there, compared to taking care of a toddler, doesn't seem so gloomy now:)). Anyway, get some fresh info from somewhere, things might not be so bad as I described them;)... Good luck!
Hi Back	admin	Thanks Nick! But credit where credit is due. Couldn't have got this all going as well it is without the help of my partner on the site - Joe - and of course without folks like you who visit, post and participate!!!
Costumer Care position in IBM.	Dardac	Hello Alp. thanks a lot for you post!! More less this information it's quite the same that so far I've gotten from another people. So far I can see that things are pretty crazy there, lots of overtime at you and for what I have been told they aren't likely to give me much free time to learn the language or pay for it if I want to study it. So, don't know what to do, cause i am not even IT guy, I have lots of experience in marketing and costumer Service but not in IT field So probably will go for the interview to have a look ...but will see, will try to be very pushy. Thanks a lot for the feed back!!! Hope you are enjoying your life with your little child!
Hello, I will start in AT&T	Marv	Hello, I will start in AT&T from 1st Jan. Now I am looking for a flat to rent in Brno. I will be glad to share one with somebody. If somebody is looking for a roommate may contact me
Hi!	Veylie	Hey, I'm Matilda, from Finland. I'm soon 20 so I think I'm younger than most of you Only 5 days left before I leave!! I have visited several times and I have tried to learn the language (totally love it!) but it seems very difficult. I'm looking for friends to spend time with! Go coffee and so Hope to hear from you soon!
AT&T	admin	Do check the classifieds section to - even post a free ad there.... www.brnoexpatsads.com
English speaking hairdresser in Brno	tyvole	A girl I know named Lucie has opened her own hair salon. She used to work at one of the best (most expensive) salons in Brno and she comes highly recommended. I had a really good haircut from Salon Vicky and she fixed it up for me one night in Livingstone and it looked that much better. Her English is quite good and the Salon is called Meridian and is on Rudisova 6. Her number is 777997723, but you might have to book an appointment in advance. http://www.mapy.cz/#st=s@sss=1@ssq=rudisova%206%20brno@@
Re: Another Brno / IBM possibility	itgirl	From my own experience and stories I heard from different people(first hand) you either love it or hate it when it comes to IBM. It probably depends on how friendly/open your team is, how quick you are to make friends and how quickly you adapt. Also my guess is it's best if your team is international instead of being dominated just by one nationality. If you are the only non-native in your team, making friends will be more difficult. From what I have heard, salary and opportunities for the first year or two might be quite sparse but once you pass that grace period, the doors open up for you. However I am not there for very long so have not witnessed it myself.
hello :-)	bonzinip	Hi, I am a 29-years-old Italian and I'll be moving in Brno next May to work there... nice to meet you.
...could join?	mamut12	hi there, I would love to join for the next meet up if possible... could play piano, used to play the sax, but forget it now , if anything, I could always sing Great idea! (I am a Brno native, if that´s ok).
Re: Hairdresser, good one in Brno?	Danni-J	Ok, so I think I have just managed to make myself an appointment today for Kadernicke Studio but I'm not sure! Will see how we go!
Salary in Brno	wbad	Hi Guys All the posts on here have been pretty interesting. I am being offered a job in Brno on a monthly salary of 35000 crowns. I just wanted to know your thoughts and wanted to get an opinion as to whether that is a decent salary for a 27 year old single guy to live off. I am from the UK and appreciate that I will not be able to make the same sort of money that I could in the UK but I am quite interested in seeing how things could work out for me in Brno. Am I likely to be able to save much money with that salary? What is life like in Brno for Ethnic minorities? Are there many ethnic minorities currently living in Brno? Is Brno a friendly city, I mean is it easy enough to meet people? I look forward to hearing back from you. Waheed
Hi, I'm a vet student here in	Kwizi	Hi, I'm a vet student here in Brno, I'm only 21 so I think I'm younger than most of you I am originally from France but speak English fluently and German. I don't speak Czech yet and I am amazed so few Czechs speak english or german, so it was pretty hard in the beginning (now I can say "Pivo prosim" so I'm saved I study with only english-speakers so we don't get a lot of chance to mix with native czech people. I'm here for a few years, so I'm guessing that situation will change
musicians	musicsavedmylife2	hi mamut ,we could use a keyboard player if you are prepared to invest in a decent instrument ..
still looking for musicians	musicsavedmylife2	unfortunately most who replied to this thread have found that work and other things have got in the way of making music so still looking for guitarist etc ..anyone out there ?
How did it go?	mod	So how was the kid's meet up today? Hope you had a great time and it will become a regular event! The meet ups for adults started small and now we're looking for bigger premises they're so popular
Hi, I have around 7000 czk	emery	Hi, I have around 7000 czk for a single bedroom flat.. food roughly 1500, internet 400... the cost of living is cheap here in brno really it is
Hey Gary Tomorrow saturday	chinokanario	Hey Gary Tomorrow saturday is fine with me, just txt me what time you want us to meet since I wont be able to check my emails. I have an italian friend from work who plays drums and he would like to jopin us if you dont mind. See you tomorrow.
Enjoyable Night!	mod	Hope everyone enjoyed the meet up last night as much as I did Have a great Christmas (or other festive occasion) everybody, wherever you may be spending it!
just act	unrealmind	funny thing with the neighbors meaning i know some basic words like yes, no, i do not know, thats bad, and i do not have..i mix them and i act as i can speak..it worked out many times..but sometimes the old ones want to stay for a chat..and then i have to say the fabulous... i do not understand..and smile ) (like a cute idiot)
Sallary	acsinte	Can someone tell me how much is the salary on ibm in it fields? I receive an offer from ibm to server management -2nd level support. I must send my decision by monday. If someone cand help me that were great. Also i must send how much money i want and i don't know how much money to ask. I'm from Romania. I wanna move in another country from here because i hate Romania, the payment is to low, i have an apartment form bank and tha bank rate is high enough and can not covering with salary i received here. If some one can help me and don;t want to write here pls send me an e-mail Tks
Thunderstorm in Brno	tyvole	Heard there were some bad storms last week. Was on holiday in sunny Croatia. Also heard that at Pohoda festival in Trencin, Slovakia a huge tent fell on the crowd and killed one, three are fighting for their lives and injured over 25. Normally I would be at that festival if I wasn't on holidays.
Re: Hairdresser, good one in Brno?	itgirl	You can always come for Expats monthly meeting and see for yourself
Best and worst parts of town	nedloh	I've lived in three areas (Žabovřesky, Královo Pole and Veveří) and found them all to be nice places to live: on Forestrova, Božetěchova and currently at Konečného nám. I've been really fortunate with great landlords and great locations. I have friends in both Medlanky and Řeckovice whom I visit with enough to judge that those areas (although far out from the center) are really nice too. When I first came to Brno I was told to stay away from Cejl, other than that I've wandered all over a felt safe.
hi	madelaine85	I know that Im czech.. but I lived just outside of London for 3years, and sadly I lost the contacts with the people here.. i looking for someone whos easygoing love fun and is ready to go out for coffe or so just let me know..
music meeting part2	musicsavedmylife2	hi all who came to last weeks meeting .meeting number 2 will be at my house this saturday 23rd ,i have sent you all emails hope you got them ,if any of you didnt,then you can contact me here ,my email is on this thread somewhere ..regards gary..
bongo	Hviezda	So some feedback from the kids and parent get together at Bongo. It was good to meet Danni and her son , plus her friends from Romania Sylvi and Carmen. I can say that 10 am on Saturday is a great time to meet and as its quite empty so the kids almost have the run of the place So look forward to the next time and having more time to chat rather than chasing after my 3 year old Kristopher
musicians saturday pizzan meeting..	musicsavedmylife2	hi all who have contributed to this thread,how about pizzan for pizza and chat tomorrow (saturday )12lunchtime..see you all there (post here to confirm would be good ) for identification purposes ,i have quite long hair and will be wearing an orange hat and light beige trousers. regards gary
Salaries IBM	alp	Salut acsinte, Check your private messages! I've given you a hint about how you can find out more about IBM salaries from IBM Romanian employees! Good luck! alp
Re: hi	Tamer	hello madelain am Tamer, just saw ur comment in here, if u like, we can go out for some coffee whenever u have time ) and if u want to know me more, u can ask. waiting from u
musicians saturday pizzan meeting...	Danni1981	Ok, so what if you just like music, and you want to meet some English people? I could sing, and Joey can play the triangle....
hi danni ,musician meeting..	musicsavedmylife2	yes i was thinking only yesterday ,that we could use a good triangle player and if you have half a voice you are welcome ..see you 12 lunchtime pizzan ..you guys all know where it is..?
Triangle player missing from your band...	Danni1981	Sounds great - address pleasE? And I may bring another if that's cool....and if he fancies it. Am meeting for coffee at 11 but sure we can head for pizza at 12!!
pizzan music meeting address..frantiskanska	musicsavedmylife2	google maps are wrong /confusing and giving different addresses unless there is more than 1 .anyway meeting is at pizzan ,frantiskanska which is behind the grand hotel ,2 mins walk from main bus coach station..phone number 542210115.. regards gary
Re: Kids' Meet Up?	OrangeBlossom	not coming, we are away on the 6th.
flat in brno	italix	Single room with balcony in a pleasant and peaceful neighborhood. 5500 Kc . There are three rooms in the apartment and this one about 21qm is free for 1 person or a couple. There is a kitchen and a bath/laundry room with a washing machine. Tram #1 from Reckovice or bus 41, 42, 70, 71, 72, 90, and 91 gets you to Semilasso no problem. From there it's close by bus or tram to Technika Park or Masaryk University. If you are interested or want to ask question about the flat just email me and sms works as well.. +49(0)15204997987 - v_italix@hotmail.com
Best Pizza	Zaffo	The best Pizza I've had so far in Brno is in Gazebo restaurant (http://www.restaurace.cz/brno-mesto/ristorante-gazebo.html) First of all done with mozzarella, not eidam or similar, of course no ketchup and very well cooked (both sides) in a wooden oven Really good.
hello kwik,i have that	OrangeBlossom	hello kwik, i have that option you described from o2 but they always have special offers. When we signed up a year ago we signed a 1year contract and got landline plus dsl for 890 a month which now seems rather expensive. They had the same thing on the xmas-sale for 500.
Bass players	tyvole	Anyone play bass? I currently play in a cover band, but would to start up another project and do originals. I have about 10-15 songs written already, plus loads of lyrics.
english tv update	musicsavedmylife2	re my other posts ,i still have filmon and get many english channels,as i have said before it is hit and miss and sometimes a little frustrating.it is rare to get all the channels though half the time i have good success and have watched some good programmes on bbc1 and more 4 and the basic package is less than 200kc a month i think, so its worth a punt if you have reasonable internet speed .i know a few people for whom it works perfect and for others not good at all (i presume it is down to internet speed but i am no expert)..i have great success downloading movies from the internet and watching them through my laptop plugged into my plazma.. on another czech forum site that i am on most longtermers us VPN ,virtual private network and get most english and many us channels this costs about 60 us dollars a year ,i have so far not heard any negative reports and i will sign up to one shortly i can suggest a company if anyone interested ,i did attempt to sign up to one but it wasn't straightforward and as i am a bit useless with computers i thought i would get my techy friend round to do it for me..
Tonight!	mod	Today is the day! For the Brno Expats pre-Christmas meet up So, get along this evening if you can Czech Christmas dinner will be available (210Kc) See you there!
35,000Kc	mod	You won't live in luxury but for the two of you it should be enough depending on your lifestyle. If you have kids probably not enough. See "cost of living thread" in General Discussion -Living in Brno section plus for lots of other info put I*M into search engine.
I'll gladly swap English for Czech!	thebarkeep	I'll be arriving the 21st of September, and will definitely need a good tutoring in Czech. Count me in!
registering requirements	rusalka	everyone is obligated to register a per the ministry of the interior website... refer to: http://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/faq-foreigners-faq.aspx?q=Y2hudW09Nw%3d%3d EU citizens have the right to apply for a temporary residence permit but do not have to do so... refer to: http://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/citizens-of-the-european-union-iceland... the ministry of the interior provides information for all groups and categories of residency at: http://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/entry-stay-and-permanent-residence-in-the-czec...
Re: Thunderstorm in Brno	bridboy	No storm last night, what's going on? creepy? I blame global warming. BTW during Wednesday night's storm a tree came down just near our flat narrowly missing the thankfully unoccupied nursery school next to it.