Erasmus+ Master’s Loan: Filip Hájek

“I was very interested in archaeology and decided to pursue my studies in this field. The main focus of my degree was prehistory and historical regions like the Levant, Mesopotamia, Syria and Anatolia...” Driven by his passion for archaeology, travelling and languages, Filip Hájek graduated in ‘Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East’ last year from the Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University in Brno.

He then decided to continue further with the ‘Field Archaeology on Land and under the Sea’ Masters Programme at the University of Cyprus, thus managing to combine his favourite hobby, diving, with his studies. Plus, “Cyprus is a great place to live, it’s part of the European Union and I have good knowledge of Greek which I picked up while studying for my first degree, so the choice was clear for me.”

“I love diving and travelling,” he adds. “Pursuing a Master of Arts (M.A.) abroad felt like the natural path to follow and I was lucky to find this programme. I have been diving for the last 5 years and travelled to various EU countries and other places like Israel, Hawaii, Kenya. Participating in a shipwreck exploration for the first time in Croatia at 28 metres underneath the sea was new for me. It was like walking on the moon.”

This opportunity was made possible by an EU-guaranteed loan from the University, covering accommodation and tuition fees. Covid-19 turned things upside down, however, and as Filip explains, “I had some savings before starting my M.A. and I planned to work as a student and save money to reimburse my loan. But the bar I worked at closed due to Covid-19, so the Masters loan is really making a difference in meeting all my expenses.” The crisis also had a considerable impact on the university course as he points out, “The first semester of the M.A.  focusses on theory while the second is more practice oriented. Now that all classes are online, the second part was unfortunately postponed.”

His ideal job? “I would very much like to pursue a PhD, but need to see how the situation evolves. My dream job is one that combines my interest for archaeology and more specifically for Mesopotamia, the Near East and diving! I’m quite keen to explore places like East Africa too.”

University: University of Cyprus

Studies: Field Archaeology on Land and Under the Sea

EIF financing: Erasmus+ Master’s LGF

Financial intermediary: University of Cyprus

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Cyprus, please refer to: https://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/cy/index.htm