Experience life in a small free school in Zdiby near Prague, Czech Republic

Details

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  Description

  Join our small democratic school near Prague 🪁
  
  Hi, I'm Martina.
  
  A few years ago, I used to host Workawayers at my home. Then, together with two other mums, I started a small free democratic school in Zdiby, about 10 minutes by bus from Prague.
  
  Our school is a non-profit educational organisation officially registered with the Czech Ministry of Education. We are a školská právnická osoba (educational legal person), a legal form specifically intended for providing education. Any financial surplus must remain within the organisation and can only be used for the school and its educational activities. We are not a business and we do not make a profit.
  
  Our school is based on four principles: Voluntariness · Respect · Autonomy · Consensus
  
  We believe that children are naturally curious, capable and full of ideas. They have a lot of freedom to decide what they want to learn, what they want to work on and how they want to spend their time.
  We combine self-directed learning, democratic education and the Czech national curriculum.
  
  🪁 What is our school like?
  
  We are a small and very personal school where children of different ages learn together.
  
  During the day you might find children reading, building, drawing, doing maths, working on projects, playing computer games, exploring outside, learning languages, cooking, creating things or simply having time to follow their own interests.
  Children and adults also meet regularly at our school meeting, where we talk about what is happening at school and make decisions together.
  We don't see adults as people who control children. We see them as guides, partners and members of the community.
  
  This also means that we are looking for Workawayers who are comfortable with children having their own opinions, making choices and sometimes saying "no, I don't want to."
  
  ❤️ What would you do as a Workawayer?
  
  We would love for you to experience our school and Czech life with us. We don't expect you to spend your whole day at school. School is open 8 to 16:30 - we can agree on times when you want to be with us and the rest of the time you are free to do whatever you want.
  
  Depending on your interests and our current needs, you could:
  
  spend time with the children during their daily activities
  speak English or another language with them
  join their games, projects, reading and creative activities
  share your own culture, skills, interests or hobbies
  help with outdoor activities and trips
  support children while they are working independently
  prepare or lead your own activity or small project
  help with simple practical things around the school
  
  You don't need to be a qualified teacher.
  
  We care much more about who you are – whether you are kind, reliable, responsible, open-minded and genuinely interested in children.
  
  🧹 Everyone helps a little
  
  Because we are a small school, everyone contributes to keeping the place running.
  
  Sometimes this might mean helping with:
  tidying classrooms and common areas
  organising materials
  preparing things for activities
  helping in the garden or outside
  sorting, moving or assembling things
  We see this as a natural part of being in a small community.
  
  And most importantly: your total help will not be more than 4 hours per day.
  
  🇨🇿 We want you to experience Czechia, too
  
  For us, Workaway is not only about having an extra pair of hands.
  
  We want you to enjoy your time in the Czech Republic and experience things you probably wouldn't experience as an ordinary tourist.
  
  You will have plenty of free time to explore Prague, Czech towns and the surrounding countryside.
  
  You are also very welcome to join us on:
  museum visits
  galleries and exhibitions
  school trips
  outdoor trips and walks
  cultural events
  other activities we organise with the children
  
  And if you are staying with us over a weekend, we may also take you with us on a family or school-community trip or you can spend some time in a family.
  We are happy to show you our favourite places, introduce you to Czech life and culture and help you discover the Czech Republic.
  
  At the same time, we also understand that you will want your own time and independence – so there is absolutely no expectation that you spend all your free time with us.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Light gardening

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Technology

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Charity work

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Animals

  

  Water sports

  

  Winter sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking

  

  Dancing

  

  Cycling

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We believe that cultural exchange is an important part of the Workaway experience.
  
  You will not only experience life at our school, but also have the opportunity to discover Czech culture, everyday life and the people who live here.
  
  We are happy to introduce you to our local community and, when possible, arrange opportunities to meet Czech families and friends. I have hosted Workawayers in my own home before, so I know how valuable it can be to experience a country not just as a tourist, but through the everyday lives of local people.
  
  You will also have plenty of opportunities to explore the Czech Republic in your free time. Prague is just a short bus ride away, and there are many beautiful places to visit around us. You can travel around the country by train or bus, visit Czech towns and villages, explore castles, nature and hiking trails, or simply discover places that are not in the usual tourist guides.
  
  At school, you will also have a chance to learn about Czech culture directly from the children and our community – and to share your own culture, language, traditions, food, stories and experiences with us.
  
  We see cultural exchange as a two-way experience: you come to learn something about Czech life, and we are excited to learn something about where you come from.
  
  You can experience life in the Czech Republic, learn more about our culture, if interested also learn some basics of Czech language

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  ❤️ What would you do as a Workawayer?
  
  We would love for you to experience our school and Czech life with us. We don't expect you to spend your whole day at school. School is open 8 to 16:30 - we can agree on times when you want to be with us and the rest of the time you are free to do whatever you want.
  
  Depending on your interests and our current needs, you could:
  
  spend time with the children during their daily activities
  speak English or another language with them
  join their games, projects, reading and creative activities
  share your own culture, skills, interests or hobbies
  help with outdoor activities and trips
  support children while they are working independently
  prepare or lead your own activity or small project
  help with simple practical things around the school
  
  You don't need to be a qualified teacher.
  
  We care much more about who you are – whether you are kind, reliable, responsible, open-minded and genuinely interested in children.
  
  🧹 Everyone helps a little
  
  Because we are a small school, everyone contributes to keeping the place running.
  
  Sometimes this might mean helping with:
  tidying classrooms and common areas
  organising materials
  preparing things for activities
  helping in the garden or outside
  sorting, moving or assembling things
  We see this as a natural part of being in a small community.
  
  And most importantly: we do not expect you to be a teacher or to lead classes on your own.
  
  We would like you to come not just as a visitor, but as someone who is willing to become part of our small community, contribute, share your own ideas and enjoy the experience with us. The cultural experience and sharing cultures is really important to us.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Czech: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  you can swap your language for Czech :)
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own private room with a sofa bed at school. There is a desk and shelves for your personal belongings.
  We have double sofa bed, so it is possible to acommodate max 2 people who are willing to share it.
  
  There is a shared kitchenette and bathroom. Both are shared with others during the day, but in the evening it is available exclusively for you, so you can cook and relax in privacy.
  
  On weekdays, we provide lunch from the school canteen, soup for dinner if interested. For breakfast, dinner and meals at weekends, you can use the kitchenette and prepare your own food, or if there are any plans for trips, we can take you with us. Water, tea and coffee is available in the kitchen.
  
  The accommodation is simple with your own private space to relax after a day at school or exploring the Czech Republic.
  
  We use non-toxic products at school. No smoking or perfumes at school (because of allergies). There is a washing maschine at school - can be used with our nontoxic washing powder that is of course provided.
  
  There’s a small garden where you can relax. Prague is about 10 minutes away by bus, the bus stop is about 5 minutes from the school.
  
  School is located in older industrial area which is going through reconstruction slowly. There are some garages, some offices in our building, apartments of the owners (they have 2 dogs, they are friendly, but if you are scared of dogs, we cannot accommodate you as we have no influence whether the dogs are closed or not) and there are some other older buildings in the area that are used for families from Ukraine. Just opossite the school is a brewery with restaurant.

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  What else ...

  We are in Zdiby, just 10 minutes by bus from Prague, Czech Republic. We are surrounded by nature, close to a forest and the beautiful Vltava River valley, while still being within easy reach of the city. A lot of opportunities what to do / see - we're happy to take you with us, if we go somewhere. But generally you can go anywhere from Prague. There are historical sites, museums, zoo, galleries, gardens, castles, mountains, forests and other interesting places.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  There’s internet connection, however the school can get noisy.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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