Tomas Vitvar
‘The start of my international life’ Home institution: Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic České vysoké učení technické v Praze, Česká republika Host institution: Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland Field of study: Computer science Duration: 6 months (2000)
As part of his PhD programme, Tomas Vitvar undertook a teaching assignment in Ireland. ‘I found it a demanding job: teaching three hours and organising four practical sessions each week. Not only did I improve my English language, I met many great people and learnt to live without the close support of family and friends.’ This experience abroad helped him to work as a consultant in Germany and later to gain a post-doctoral position at the National University of Ireland. In this role he managed an international team of researchers from Europe, Asia and the USA. Along the way he represented the Czech Republic in the ‘One Million Erasmus Students’ celebration in Brussels in 2002. Here he met his wife who was representing Slovakia. ‘My first visit to Cork in Ireland as an Erasmus student eventually changed my personal life as well as giving me the experience that I use at work today.’ He continues to work in international communities. After three and half years in Ireland he moved to Innsbruck in Austria where he spent another three years. In the summer of 2011, he took a senior technical position at the Oracle Corporation and now works in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ‘After almost 10 years of international experience, I can see that success at work strongly depends on mutual understanding and respect. Experiences like those offered by Erasmus are a basis for a truly integrated Europe as this creates strong ties among nations and communities.’
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