There are usually vacancies for all foreigners applying for higher education in Slovenia. The teaching is mostly in Slovenian, but if you travel through the Erasmus program, you can attend a 4-week language course in Slovenian.

Slovenia, in its current form, is a young country that declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and in doing so entered into a brief war with Yugoslavia (the Ten-Day War).

Today, Slovenia is a pioneer for the rest of the Balkans, in particular due to its membership of the EU, NATO and Euro- and Schengen cooperation. There is considerable joy among the Slovenian people over joining the EU.

As one of countries starting with letter S listed on Countryaah, Slovenia is located in the heart of Europe, and despite a modest area, Slovenia has a diverse landscape with both alpine, Mediterranean and mainland climates. The mountain and highlands have cold winters and hot summers, while the coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and very hot summers. The country has a rich cultural life with libraries, museums and galleries evenly distributed throughout the country. In Slovenia, several books are printed per per capita than in any other country in Europe.

The official language is Slovenian, which is a Slavic language. In some areas, however, Italian and Hungarian are official languages ​​in line with Slovenian.

Worth knowing

Vocational training in Slovenia

In Slovenia, vocational training is available after 9 years of schooling.

• Srednje poklicno izobrazevanje lasts 3 years and is taken either at vocational schools (poklicne sole) or at school centers (solski centri). The education qualifies to independently handle a specialized skilled job. The education combines school and internship. One can either work on the basis of this education or continue with another 2 years of technical education (poklicno tehnisko izobraz). After 3 years in working life, you can also resume your education and pass, for example, a technical education or poklicna matura exam.
• Srednje strokovno izobrazevanje lasts 4 to 5 years and is taken at technical / vocational schools (srednje tehnice sole and srednje strokovne sole) or at school centers (solski centri). The education qualifies for a specialized skilled job in the business world. The education can be completed as a pure school course, ie. without internship, or as a combination of school and internship. Students can choose a general specialization that provides access to take a general entrance exam (Matura).

The basic vocational training, Nizje poklicno izobrazevanje,lasts 2½ years and can be taken after at least 7 years of primary school either in vocational schools (poklicne sole) or in so-called school centers (solski centri). You can continue on to one of the other vocational educations / technical educations.

Higher vocational education, ie. professional educations, offered at professional colleges. Read more about higher education in Slovenia on Topschoolsintheusa.

Internship

If you are thinking of taking all or part of your own internship in Slovenia or elsewhere abroad, read the section on internships abroad for vocational education under the section Primary and Secondary Education.

Economics and education

As a student from an EU country, in addition to a possible administration fee, you do not have to pay for full-time studies as a bachelor’s and master’s student, but instead payment is required for part – time studies and for PhD studies at public universities.

However, education at private educational institutions requires payment. Here, the tuition fee can vary in amounts between 2,000-10,000 EUROs per year, depending on the particular education.

Work in Slovenia

The weekly working time is 41.5 hours, and the minimum wage is around DKK 3,300 per month. The average salary for skilled workers is about DKK 5,000 a month, but women often get 15-20 percent less. Employees are entitled to a minimum of 20 days holiday annually.

Unemployment in Slovenia in 2012 was 8.9%. There is a strong link between education and unemployment in Slovenia. The unemployment rate for highly educated people is around 1.5%, for the unskilled it is around 45%. There is also a high level of youth unemployment.

Job search

As an EU citizen, you are free to work in Slovenia. However, the vast majority of jobs will require you to speak Slovenian.

You can receive unemployment benefits for 3 months while you apply for a job in Slovenia. You can get information about working in Slovenia from the EURES Advisers at the country’s Job Centers.

Work-and residence permit

As an EU citizen, you are free to stay in Slovenia for 3 months. If the stay extends beyond 3 months, you must apply for a residence permit.

If you want to work in Slovenia, you must always apply for a work permit. However, foreign students may take part-time work without having a work permit. At the Slovenian Embassy you can get information about the current rules for work and residence permits.

For more on this, see the section Visas, work and residence permits