I have two opportunities to teach English in the CR. One is in the surrounding area of Pardubice. I do not know yet the small town in which I would be living and teaching. I would be instructing occasionally in other small towns in the area as well. I also have an offer in Brno. Assuming the pay is comparable, which location would you recommend strictly based on standard of living, quality of life, atmosphere, culture, people, etc. Thank you.
If you care about the distance from Prague, so Pardubice. 89 611 inhabitants, 1 hour by train to reach Prague. Brno - 366 680 inhabitants, 2 hours 20 by train to Prague, 1 hour 20 to Bratislava, 2 hours to Wien
Thus spoke the pragocentrist! :roll: :twisted: And Brno is much closer to Vienna. :wink: Well, what is right for Pardubice could be quite different for the towns in the surrounding area. The connection to Prague could be problem. Brno is much more cosmopolitan, there is more culture, more tourists, there are universities attracting the students from the whole country and even from abroad. There are foreign businessmen and foreign workers. There is more of sport facilities, better traffic network etc. Pardubice is an average Bohemian (meaning related to the country of Bohemia, not to the West European misinterpretation of our country’s name ) town, quite enough of culture, universities mostly for local students, a little of tourists, a little of foreigners. Lower costs, lower criminality. Less of occasions for the sport fans, but world famous horse races and the best Czech ice hockey (a little provocation :twisted. The town of Pardubice is, at least from my highlander perspective, annoyingly flat, but hills are not far. Hmm, you did ask about the atmosphere. Definitely, you mean it literally, right ? If you are interested rather in the unhealthy car smog, go for Brno - if you prefer the stinking emissions of the chemical industry, go for Pardubice. But both is tolerable.
ummm... they hang out at T-Mobile Arena (what a joy :shock: ) sometimes play Slavia (saw them whup Zlin) at Sazka Arena (nice digs) We play hockey here too (Tampa Bay Lightning - Stanley Cup Champs a couple of years ago) - only problem - with the heat we have to switch to water polo in the third period
I would vote for Brno. You can always go to Prague for sightseeing. Trains and busses are not expensive. Pardubice is very small town so I feel that you will have better opportunity to find other like-minded people, theatre, shops etc. definitely more variety than in Pardubice. It also depends on where you are from and what you consider "normal size" in your own hometown
Another vote for Brno here. More to see, more to do, more fun. Pardubice is basically a big village to my eyes. Brno will probably appear more familiar to your American senses. Prague is closer to Pardubice, but not close enough to make any difference eventually - you'll just have to get on the train and spend 1 (Pardubice) or 2 (Brno) hours travelling anyway.
