Speaking fluent English and boasting familiarity with London or New York may have once virtually guaranteed one a coveted position at a top firm. I am not concerned about losing brains' to other countries. Most students realize that the impact and influence they can have on changing things is much greater here than abroad. Apart from cultural enrichment, the foreign experience helps to prepare young Czechs for the emerging world market. With this goal in mind, a number of schools and organizations in the Czech Republic are helping to pave the way.
Students now have access to the schools most suitable for their academic focus.
Particularly for business students, these expanded academic opportunities are as important as any cultural experience. Demands within the Czech job market help explain this trend. When I started here in 1994, many firms would have been satisfied with just English, even if the practical skills were not there. In the business sector, that was all many candidates had. Keith Jones, assistant director of Charles University's exchange program, observes that the more far-sighted students are starting to take heed of these rising expectations.