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The study investigates barriers of Czech secondary school teachers in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and in further education in ICTs. The Czech Republic is used as an example of a post-communist country with an evident gap between the digital competencies in general and teachers’ didactic skills necessary for their implementation in teaching. To explore how teachers deal with the challenges of digitalization of the education system, an online questionnaire was created to analyze the use of ICTs in teaching, as well as barriers teachers encounter when using digital technologies and when participating in further education. The results indicate that respondents have average understanding of ICTs and use them rather occasionally in teaching. Data show gender and age differences in the use of various digital means and in the barriers, the importance of social support in using ICTs in teaching, and also the necessity to eliminate prevalent gender stereotypes. Systematic further education that focuses on lowering computer anxiety and the distrust in new technologies might be also a major key in successful digital transformation of schools.

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The experiences of cross‐border workers (CBWs) and the difficulties they face during the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic have been neglected in previous research. CBWs experience various stressors under normal circumstances, where they are often subjected to unequal working conditions and forced to transition between two different societies. The measures that were introduced in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, including the implementation of physical borders, further worsened the situation for these individuals. Herein, we draw on qualitative interview data from 35 CBWs from the Czech Republic and Germany to explore their experiences of work, stress, support, and their positioning in society during the pandemic. We detail the dissatisfaction felt by CBWs regarding re‐bordering, the lack of coordination in the crisis management, and the lack of support from national governments and the EU. This study provides unique insights into the difficulties and experiences of CBWs in a time of crisis.