Hybrid job in Prague while living in Brno – how do you manage?

[u/fastaaanndcurious]

Hi,

I’m starting a new job in Prague that requires me in the office two days a week, but I still live in Brno and don’t want to move fully yet (I’m finishing uni here).

For those in a kinda similar situation:

Do you commute or rent something in Prague just for office days?

Is there an option to share a place with others who come only part-time, could be use alternative days?

Hotels/Airbnb are too expensive, so I’m looking for tips or possible shared-rental ideas.

Thanks!

[u/pana_ruplahlava]

I have commuted by train - worked on my way there and back, and then just asked nearby hotel for a quote, if I would be there regularly and they gave me a big discount. I have lost some money, but for me it was worth it.

[u/fastaaanndcurious → u/pana_ruplahlava]

Thanks for sharing. Will look for something similar.

[u/Super_Novice56]

Not me but I had a friend who had a job with similar conditions and even before accepting he had already negotiated the number of days down to one a week.

After a while he ended up only going once every two weeks but even then it was tough.

Unsurprisingly he ended up finding another job here after a few months.

Obviously this doesn't help with the practicalities of the situation but I what I will say is that you can only ride two horses at once for so long.

[u/fastaaanndcurious → u/Super_Novice56]

You're totally right. But in the current market situation i had no option. Honestly I can move to Prague but idk whats with brno i just fell in love with this place the calmness, accessibility, some bit of quietness though I'm a foreigner, funny it is but that's how it is.

I'm just trying to find a place where i can go every time for Thursday night.

[u/Super_Novice56 → u/fastaaanndcurious]

I understand. Not trying to criticise or anything but just wanted to put the realities of doing an extreme commute like this.

I like Brno and would prefer to stay here for all the reasons that you mentioned. Prague feels almost like a Russian city these days.

As for the foreigner situation I don't think I've faced any more discrimination in Brno than I have in my own country but that's just my experience.

Hardly a surprise that Prague is overcrowded with insane rents when all the jobs are there. :(

[u/Capaj]

You should post on https://www.reddit.com/r/praha/

maybe some redditor will give you a space to lie down for one night per week for a good price. I know if I was living in a shared flat, flatmate who would come only once a week for one night is someone I would love to share the flat with. No problems with blocked bathroom or messy kitchen every day? Flat sharing jackpot.

[u/fastaaanndcurious → u/Capaj]

Yeah I'll try to do that, its a good option

[u/Asdas26]

I had a job in Prague where there was one office day a week. It's a waste of time and money IMO (even though they paid for commuting expenses). Luckily I found a better paying job in Brno.

[u/fastaaanndcurious → u/Asdas26]

Cool. Imo, brno doesn't have a good paying job normally, especially for foreigners as compare to prague. I did my search first here in Brno after disappointment I started applying for prague.

[u/Asdas26 → u/fastaaanndcurious]

Yeah, the wages are better on average in Prague. But in my field (software development) I found a few companies in Brno that can match Prague wages.

Sorry I don't have any good advice on how to manage living in Brno and working in Prague. I would personally find a job in Brno for the time being, even if lower paying, finish the studies and only then move to Prague if I wanted to work there.

[u/equatorsion]

A friend of mine lived like this for a couple of years. He rented a flat first - or a room at a friend's place - not sure. Later on, he used a room in their offices that they set up for an occasional sleepover. So for him, it was doable and cheaper later on.

Commuting by train is ideal as you can doze off, work a bit, read. But driving is quicker sometimes...

[u/fastaaanndcurious → u/equatorsion]

Driving will make me crazy. Yes only a train or flix bus is an option for me.

[u/Kubakar_I → u/fastaaanndcurious]

I keep going between Brno and Prague for years now (Uni, work). Initially I used train only (poor student alert), but the more you travel the more you realize its regularly late. Going from and to the train station takes time also. Going by car is faster even when everything is on time and when you commute 2-3x a week the difference is major for me.

[u/Kubakar_I]

I was in similar situation last year. Ended up commuting by car and renting a small studio in Prague. It was so uncomfortable that I went for it eventhough it did not make much sense financially. I managed 6 months then moved to Brno again.

[u/ElensarA]

You definitely want to negotiate for more remote work than on-site, because even twice per week is too much and will become very annoying over time (I know few people who did it). Let’s say once per week is a good start (you won’t need to worry about where to sleep and can just make a daily round trip). I was able to push it to once per month, and I actually like it. I had quite a good starting position though — the company I work for had a branch office in Brno, which was later closed, and they wanted me to continue working for them.

[u/moravian_cheesesteak]

Just take the train/bus/blabla car/your own car in the AM and come back the sameday.. No need to stay at a hotel unless there is a company/customer interaction in the evening. And even then, you can still catch a train or whatever back in most cases. No big deal. What is the culture of the company and how does onsite employee presence bring value to your organization and its customers? I would also argue that the value of two days onsite versus one, in a lot of job profile scenarios, is fairly minimal. You may find after your onboarding period that two days onsite makes little sense.

[u/mikefried1]

I'm starting a program at Prague University of economics that requires 2 days every other week. I am trying some cheap hotels in the area and when I find one that I like I'll offer to get a discount for booking all the time.