ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Description of the counselling method

in The Slovak Republic

SWOT ANALYSIS

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNSELLING METHODS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIK

• Counselling for foreigners is offered by several institutions:

• 1) schools of Slovak language for foreigners, • 2) the Migration Centre • 3) private web pages.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNSELLING METHODS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIK

• Ways of counselling and means used are also varied. These are:

• 1) direct counselling in the Migration Office (IOM) and provided by teachers and administrative staff in the schools of Slovak language,

• 2) multilingual leaflets,• 3) web pages and forums.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNSELLING METHODS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIK

• The counselling system provides foreigners with most important information on:

• legal stay in Slovakia, • language skills and ways to develop them, • opportunities to get education and work, • Slovak culture and customs,• possibilities of social integration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNSELLING METHODS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIK

• There is no integrated counselling and support system for foreigners.

• Information centres are only in big cities and on the Internet.

• Every information centre focuses only on counselling people who are prospective customers/beneficiaries of the centre.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

• presence of experienced institutions • cooperation between institutions which offer

counselling • the system of information on the Internet • multilingual information • possibility to receive free counselling • development of practical language skills

SWOT ANALYSIS

WEAKNESSES

• lack of one central institution or integrated counselling system

• each institution focuses only on the needs of its customers

• lack of information outside big cities • limited number of free classes • foreigners must look for information and

counselling organisations on their own • foreigners who are unwilling to integrate remain

outside the interest and control of the state and counselling institutions

• a lot of information is given in few languages (for example Slovak and English only)

SWOT ANALYSIS

OPPORTUNITIES

• creativity and energy of foreigners in Slovakia who are willing to help newcomers

• co-financing of the counselling system for foreigners and other initiatives connected with foreigners by the European Union

• ready counselling patterns from international organisations (for example OIM)

• establishing schools of Slovak as a foreign language in cities and higher education institutions

SWOT ANALYSIS

THREATS

• insufficiency of counselling system in case of a sudden increase in the number of incoming foreigners

• growth of the number of foreigners who are not integrated socially and culturally

• growth of the number of foreigners who have no chance for linguistic and cultural contact with the native society

• growth of the number of professionally in-active foreigners

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Description of the counselling method

in The Slovak Republic

SWOT ANALYSISPREPARED BY: Sławomir Rudziński