Rough guide Bulgaria

From ChangingRoomWiki

The Basics

Population: 7.5 Million

Capital: Sofia

Minimum Wage Rate: €122 per month

Language: Bulgarian

Other Languages: Turkish

EU Member: Yes

Current Government politics and support for culture: See Cultural Policy for general objectives and principles of cultural policy

Working

Who needs a visa to work there?:

Stay in Bulgaria

Citizens from EU, EEA, Switzerland and some other countries (check the list here ) can enter and reside in Bulgaria without a visa for a period of up to 90 days. If they want to extend their stay for a period longer than 3 months they should apply for a long-term or permanent residence in Bulgaria at the National Police Service.

All other nationals need a visa to enter the country. There are four types of visas - Airport Transit Visa (for the airport territory), Transit Visa (36 hours), Short-Stay Visa (90 days) and Long-Stay Visa (National Visa) (180 days). For long-stay visa application must be submitted to Bulgaria's consular representatives abroad. For more information see Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Every foreigner must declare at a regional police office the address at which they will be residing within 48 hours after entering the country.

For more information, click here “What to know when entering Bulgaria”

Working in Bulgaria

To work in Bulgaria, non-EU/EAA or Switzerland citizens must obtain a Work Permit from the National Employment Agency (NEA). They may be employed on the territory of Republic of Bulgaria if they are: hired by employer in accordance with the Labour Code; commissioned for a particular term by a foreign employer within the framework of offering services on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria or wish to be self-employed.

Nationals from EU/EAA or Swiss and members of their families can work in Bulgaria without а NEA Work Permit.

Best places to look for / find culture jobs:

There isn’t a special place where you can find a culture job. The best way to find a job is to search directly on the web sites of the organizations which you are interested in.

You could also subscribe to mailing-list artbox and electric.bg to receive information about cultural events, projects, competitions and scholarships.

Please have in mind that not knowing Bulgarian language may be is a serious barrier to finding a job in Bulgaria. Many people find Bulgarian hard to learn because of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Also try:

Best places to look for volunteering and internships:

The situation is similar to when you are looking for a job. You may consider looking on the web page of the Youth in Action Program to find out which are the EVS Accredited Organisations in Bulgaria

As you may know, there is always need of voluntary help when organizing international festivals such as Sofia International Film Fest, International Theatre Festival “Varna Summer”, Filmini and others.

Studying/Training & Mobility Grants/Bursaries

Recommended university/college culture management courses

first degree:

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Faculty of Philosophy: Cultural Studies (Cultural management is part of the courses)

University of National and World Economy - Sofia Department of Social and Cultural Management and Economics – BA in Economy of social and cultural activities

National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts BA in Theatre Critical Studies and Management

New Bulgarian University Department History of culture: BA Science of Art and Art Management and BA Science of Culture and Cultural Management (Thracian researches)

postgraduate degree:

Master

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Faculty of Philosophy - Management and Socialisation of Cultural Heritage

National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts MA in Screen Arts Management and MA in Stage Arts Management

New Bulgarian University Center for public administration: MA Management of Cultural Institutions (Art management)

State University of library studies and information technologies - MA Protection of cultural heritage

National academy of music “Pantcho Vladigerov” MA in Music business

Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts – Plovdiv MA in Art Managemnet

PhD Studies

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Faculty of Philosophy - Theory and history of culture

University of National and World Economy - Sofia- Economy of culture

Recommended vocational and short-term culture management training:

American University in Bulgaria Consultants in European Project Management Certificate Programme

National Grants or Bursaries For Mobility: The biggest and most popular program which supports Cultural Contacts and Artistic Mobility in Bulgaria is Mobility Program of the National Culture Fund. The program gives grants for projects for participation of Bulgarian artists in international cultural forums and visits to Bulgaria of foreign managers and producers in the field of arts and culture. The subsidy is granted for travel expenses. The program is held three times a year and is open to applications for both institutions and individuals.

You can also check out Sofia Municipality’s Culture Program which supports projects related to individual and group visits of foreigners in Bulgaria in order to participate in art forums. The program supports travel expenses of up to BGN 5000.

Living

Coolest places: Sofia, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Bansko, Sozopol, Bozhentsi, Rodopa- , Rila - and Pirin- mountains, North Black sea coast

Places to avoid: pop-folk clubs

Weather: Despite of Global Warming Bulgaria still has four seasons. http://weather.bg/indexen.php

Budget airlines?: Wizz Air, German Wings, easyJet, FlyNiki

What to eat and drink: Bulgarian cuisine is renowned for the diversity of traditional dishes it offers. You can enjoy several kinds of salads: Shopska salata, Ovcharska salata or Meshana salata (made basically of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers) or Lyutenitsa and Kiopoolu (different variation of peppers, tomatoes, carrots and eggplant). If you want to go for a soup, why not trying out the refreshing spring soup Tarator (yogurt and cucumber), Kurban Chorba (different vegetables with chicken or veal meal) and Bob Chorba (bean soup). The most diverse is the group of the main courses like Kapama, Kavarma, Musaka, Giuvetch (various stew or roast meals with vegetables) or fast food Kiufte, Kebapche, Nadenica (grilled minced meat with spices); you can taste also traditional Bulgarian bread Pitka or Pogacha, and pastries Banica and Kozunak, and spicy sausage Lukanka and Sujuk. Bulgaria is most famous for its Kiselo mliako, worldwide known as Yogurt. You can combine every single dish with the famous Bulgarian drink Rakia (fruit brandy usually made of grapes, plums or peaches); also you can taste some typical Bulgarian brands of wine like Mavrud, Pamid, Gamza, Melnik; refreshing apéritif is Menta (mint liqueur) but do not ever combine with Mastika (delicious but extremely explosive cocktail known as Oblak). [See also]

Cost of living examples: