Hello! I'm living in Bratislava for a while now, but my Slovak is not very good; this is why I'm searching for an instructor who can teach me how to ride the motorcycle, capable of speaking at least a bit of English!

Can you recommend me someone, please? I only have a basic knowledge of Slovak (I know left, right, stop and go), but probably it's not enough.

A name and a phone number would be great; I need someone patient who's good with "body language" if he doesnt' speak English.

My boyfriend has a motorcycle, so I'm used to ride one (from the passanger's sit, at the moment); I can ride the bicycle.. not sure what else could be relevant.

Dakujeme!

Ramona (Papy)

Papy - more difficult than to find slovak instructor who speaks EN is passing exams if you speak EN only - tests are in slovak language only as far as I know... ...but maybe I am wrong...

...cross fingers...

Upravené 2 krát. Naposledy upravil fredy137 (02.06.2011 12:30)

@fredy137 - I believe that the exam can be taken with a translator/interpreter. Someone did this in Brno - they paid an interpreter who translated from CZ to EN and it was OK. But my problem is with learning how to ride the "thing".
The exam shouldn't be very difficult. I have a driving licence for B categ. so I'm used to the rules and all.

By the way, how much does the lessons cost for the A categ.? Aproximately.

Hi,

Currently I live in Finland, but I am originally from Slovakia, so I understand your situation. I don't know how it works in Slovakia now, but if something goes in Czech republic, it doesn't meant that it will work in Slovakia as well (unfortunately). Therefore I recommend you to ask this explicitly. A good place to ask this would be a driver's school or even the police. I am sure you have some friends who speak Slovak and would help you.

Second thing that also fredy137 mentioned is the fact that getting another category permission (A in your case) has several requirements. As a source I use portal.gov.sk/Portal/sk/Default.aspx?CatID=39... . It is an official page of the government. It acts as a portal for citizens to resolve common life situations, such as this one. I will translate just relevant parts:

1. Slovakia must be your "usual place of residence" ("Zvyčajné bydlisko"). According to the document, the definition of this term is: A place where the person resides at least 185 days per year for personal, wok-related, study-related and other reasons.

2. You mention that you have a driver's licence, I assume from Romania. If yes, then your driver's license in Romania must be valid.

3. You must not have A category already in Romania. I guess that's the case, otherwise you wouldn't be asking .

4. Unfortunately you have to take driving/riding lessons from an official driver's school :/. It's written there. For example this is not true in some countries (like Finland), but in Slovakia it must be done like that :/.

+ some other things related to prosecution, confiscation of driver's licence, etc., but I suppose that is not your case.

So apart from looking for an instructor, I would recommend you to ask at the police station or in some driver's school if you really can do the exams with the interpreter. My suggestion is that you just ask your Slovak friends to call several driver's schools and ask them in Slovak if they can offer courses in English.

BTW, let us know how it went. At least I am quite interested in the result.

The test itself is, or better said, should be no problem at all, you can take an official interpreter with you, who will do the interpeteing/translating for you. An interpreter can be /should be/ has to be/ called to any official proceedings, such as marriages, interrogations /trials, among which, theoretically, also official tests should count.
No idea if there would be a possibility of a certified translation of the test, where a certified translator, such as myself, would make a "bilingual" version of the test itself (technically possible but no idea what the law says). From my point of view, this could be a solution as well, but I am used to our adminsitration being rather stiff, so I fear they would not really accept this, even though as a certified translator myslef I could easily imagine creating such a document for a driving school, which legally is fully valid.

If I am not completeley wrong, due to a lower price for the classes as compared to e.g. Austria and other countries, there was a market for english speaking classes in at least Bratislava, as far as I know, but I am not really sure, which school did these, but I was told some did, as I was already checking this possibility for a Dutch guy, who often is in Slovakia. His problems was the 185 days residence, as he is a ship captain, who can only with great difficulty prove he has been here (no domicile or temporary address).

What I would do is to go and ask one of the bigger schools, whether they offer such a service and what the legal a nd statutory rules are.

Anyhow, would be interested in the result myself, as this issue is of interest within the EU (both Romania and Slovakia being member countries)

Upravené 1 krát. Naposledy upravil eNeM (02.06.2011 13:16)

Another issue is the scope of classes you have to take when already having a valid drivers license of another category (e.g. B, C). I have inquired in some schools, where they were willing to accept that I already have the theoretical training and would only have to do the practical training (as I only have a motorcycle license, my question was whether I was obliged to take part on also the theory classes, due to the fact that I am an active driver/rider for now almost 10 years) but would have to again take both tests, theory and practical - driving.

Upravené 1 krát. Naposledy upravil eNeM (02.06.2011 13:29)

Yes, I can "indirectly" confirm it. My sister has B and if she wanted A, she would have to do both the theoretical and practical exam. Even worse, if she failed the theoretical exam, she would lose the B category as well! At least that's what she told me, but maybe it's just some rumor to scare people . Anyway, I don't know how it would work in your case. I doubt that Slovakia can take your Romanian driver's licence if you fail the theoretical test.

Thanks for your answers, eNeM, Pyorailija! Much appreciated.

Well, in Romania is the same - even if you have already categ. B, if you want to have categ. A you have to pass both practical & theoretical exam. If you don't pass, you just don't obtain the new categ. I'm almost certain that they don't suspend your driving license for B as well if you don't pass the exam for A.

@Pyorailija, you pointed out some things that I didn't consider before. I realyse that the situation is even more complicated than I thought. But I won't give up. This would be the 3rd year when I'm postponing this for different reasons and I don't want to.

Will check with my Slovak friends and probably starting next week we'll be starting to make phone calls and get an official answer (from the police, or whatever).

Will keep you informed
Thanks again for your help!

I managed to find via google a driving school, unfortunately in Košice, who offer also classes in English:

www.autoskolaangel.sk/

Maybe try contacting them and ask what exactly the procedure is, I guess when they have classes in English, they also know all the necessary details, or at least they should, as classes without an exam do not really make much sence, do they?

Thank youuuuuu! Will drop them an e-mail right away

my fault

Upravené 1 krát. Naposledy upravil risomas (02.06.2011 15:34)

Papy01> U r in country where money do the work.

just tell your instructor that u give him 100eur if you pass the exam and test. You will have NO problem.

Upravené 1 krát. Naposledy upravil dando (03.06.2011 9:07)

@dando: Yeah, thanks. I will do this as an ultimate solution!

And my problem is not with the exam & test themselves, but with HOW things go for non-Slovak speakers. 'Cause if I won't pass the test, I'll take that as a sign that I'm not ready to go out on the streets

tý kokot...

čo ?

Papy: Don't listen to dando, I think that 50e and a smile will do the work. Save those 50e for police officer, just to be sure.

You can request for English tests on the exams if you want to... I made them in Hungarian language in Velky Krtis just because it fitted me better. I got tests in Hungarian but I had to pass the oral exams too and they were in Slovak. So this can be a problem for you but hope you will find a solution

V pič. to je.Najprv nas jebu madari z ciganmi a teraz aby sme sa na Slovensku učili už aj po Anglicky.Som na motoride,či?

what the hell is this
rakusko uhorsko bleku to bude zachvilu,istvani a cigani nas rozkuskuju

davtex: I am not planning to do that; I said it would be like an ultimate solution - which will probably not going to happen.
Thanks for the advise.

gabo1985: By "oral exam" I assume you mean that practical stuff, no? By the way, how is the school going on here basically? You sign up, you have to do some legislation hours & you go out in traffic as well? Because in Romania, for instance, you have the opportunity to go take some legislation courses also (they are not mandatory) and the practical stuff is only in a polygon. You don't get out in the traffic. Never! Well, you do after you get the driving license.

black333: Yes, you are on motoride. This is why I'm asking what does a foreigner has to do to get the driving license. I'm not asking you guys how to make a chocolate cake

anoro: I'm not sure what you think this is, but it's a topic on a bikers' forum, created by me - a foreigner (not a cigan) who wants to have some answers.

pan ucitel daj si pokoj s jazdou na slovensku lebo tu je ina jungla a mozes si aj ublizit

demooo, umrem z teba

Papy - I don't know, what gabo meant by 'oral exam', but the driving license course is as follows:
- you attend theory lessons, where the instructor lectures about traffic rules, car construction etc.
- you attend practical lessons, where you actually drive - first few hours on a closed parking lot and then you go to full traffic with instructor.
test consists of theory and practical part
theory - you answer tests about car construction and traffic laws
practical - you drive the car/bike while a policeman is watching you from back seat

My A class was pretty easy compared to B class driving license - I got like 0 rides, because the instructor knew, that I'm driving a 50cc already and that I can control the vehicle. He didnt want me to make rides - maybe because it was november
The test consisted of theory - which I knew already, and the practical part, where the cop was watching me from distance, he didnt want to sit on the back seat of the motorcycle (cause it was november) and told me to drive at least 200m, so he could see me. I think, that I just got lucky and got a friendly cop.

My practical test (last year) consist only from drive on parking place because it was raining. But my instructor said that he usually drive in traffic with students ahead of car with policeman and another student taking exam on B class.

I meant maintenance. It is still part of the exam isn't it? It was so many years ago

maintenance is not a part of the exam anymore.