Working as language assistant in Austria

Andrew Purfield

Well I've had a bad run of luck here with health, losing my job and briefly having nowhere to live to cut a long story short. Will have work again in mid january and looking at saving up for a year abroad as a language assistant in Austria working for dept. of education. Just wondering if anyone has worked over there before and what areas they'd recommend. I'm looking at Salzburg as idea is to work and improve my German(be about B1/B2 at the moment, well my French is better, but I can speak and read pretty well thanks to having learnt a lot of German in France, studied it to B1 level in college, and worked a little while in Berlin) so I could do a masters and Salzburg again looks ideal for that as I know a few people who studied there and it's a nice small student town.

Also if things went well who knows might even stay there a good while beyond a year abroad and studying and try and build a life for meself. Need some operation medium term too-nothing major thank god considering there's a two year waiting list for those of us on medical card, but pretty personal and will need taking care of at some stage, so wondering if Austrian public health system is available cheap enough or by right to low paid workers and students there as well, same way medical card is here once I am paying tax or whatever. I would happily pay tax over there and even take up full time work to not have to wait indefinitely for what should really be a minor operation(when I was in France had the auld Europa Helath card and that covered the doctor etc-you paid a fee up front and he'd give you an auld receipt and higher return in return for a backhander-good auld corruption might have helped in France but now with small operation needed have to kind of plan a little bit more)

I would consider Germany except I don't fancy going back there until they cop on and get a minimum wage. Was not a nice experience being a foreign wage slave on Merkel's jobbridge scheme. Wouldnt have minded but I was doing full time work for what was essentially CE type pay(well if even half that) so not too pissed off at the whole student job culture, just not for forty hours a week-anyways Ireland isn't an option beyond next September either as I'll be left on the dole again for 3-4 months beyond my seasonal work and the only things there seem to be here are Merkel type jobbridges as well, so maybe Austria is just the ticket(think min monthly wage is a grand, which is what dept pays language assts?).

Anyways all advice on working life, moving to and health system in Austria welcome. I would assume they would let us live in a student type dorm like was allowed back in France, but then again that was verboten in Berlin, so any info on that score welcome too. Thanks.

riffmongous

Hi there Andrew!

I've been in Vienna since 2 years now and I'd heartily recommend Austria as a great place to live. To be honest I am not entirely certain on the workings of the medical system, if you work you get medical insurance and by all accounts it seems pretty good, I dont know about students I am afraid. but in general Austria is a pretty good welfare state, a real one not like Ireland where the solution is just to give you money but when things get bad there is no help.

I would only wonder if Salzburg is the right place to go, it has a reputation as being expensive and even in Vienna getting accommodation can be expensive and tough enough

Andrew Purfield

riffmongous wrote: »

Hi there Andrew!

I've been in Vienna since 2 years now and I'd heartily recommend Austria as a great place to live. To be honest I am not entirely certain on the workings of the medical system, if you work you get medical insurance and by all accounts it seems pretty good, I dont know about students I am afraid. but in general Austria is a pretty good welfare state, a real one not like Ireland where the solution is just to give you money but when things get bad there is no help.

I would only wonder if Salzburg is the right place to go, it has a reputation as being expensive and even in Vienna getting accommodation can be expensive and tough enough

Yeah I'm kind of banking on the auld student accommodation for the first year there anyways to keep costs down maybe even get some extra part time work and save a bit as people I know who have worked as language assistants in France and Spain have got student rooms sorted there. I've done a few different jobs too so if I could get a bit of extra work in a shop or as a kitchen Porter that would be grand too(we only have to work 12-15 hrs a week I think?).

Anyways I sent off me scholarship applications yesterday will get the language asst thing sorted tomorrow. Plan is work full time here for the spring, part time in Berlin in the summer as I have some cafe work lined up there and do a bit of travel too then either do a masters or work as a language asst. to fluent up me German.

Long term I just want to work somewhere with a decent health system so I can get what I need sorted sooner than I would with the HSE who could have me waiting indefinitely. I re-read the Depts website, you're right we get national insurance with the contract.

Have you done the language asst thing yourself? Maybe I could live in Bratislava and commute to Vienna as me wage would buy us more there?

riffmongous

No I just came over and managed to get a job in a pub within a week, stuck with it for almost a year then until I was lucky enough to get a phd in a university here. Before you go you could always send an email to a few of the Irish pubs around to see if they would be willing to give you a few hours

You'll need to be prepared for the different accent too if you move there from Berlin

And yeah from what I heard from others, they are much faster here at sorting you out for operations than the HSE which is a disgrace

Andrew Purfield

riffmongous wrote: »

No I just came over and managed to get a job in a pub within a week, stuck with it for almost a year then until I was lucky enough to get a phd in a university here. Before you go you could always send an email to a few of the Irish pubs around to see if they would be willing to give you a few hours

You'll need to be prepared for the different accent too if you move there from Berlin

And yeah from what I heard from others, they are much faster here at sorting you out for operations than the HSE which is a disgrace

That's grand. Yeah had a job offer in Newry recently and if was in a position financially to move up would have done so and sorted it out sometime next year up there with NHS but that wasn't an option. Will have my application sent off this week and farming work starts in two weeks so will soon be motoring again.

Yeah will do that re bars, that's how I sorted this cafe work in Berlin sure. I was over there for a few weeks the one year and would have worked for her then but you have to wait a month to be paid and if I came back to Ireland that very week I was able to start earning so didn't work out then and spent last of me savings to head home for work, but will have a good bit of savings and less hassle as a result hopefully of better planning this time. Might go into a pub before I leave and ask to be taught how to pull pints so have something else to offer too besides a few months of Kitchen Porter/dishwasher experience.

It will prob require a week off work too so I will want to be sure that's okay and if I was in Ireland I'm pretty sure that would be enough to get us the sack so from all points of view looks a better bet to work somewhere else and then get it done and dusted maybe even in 2014.

Seannew1

You'll be employed by the Austrian PAD(padoegischer austausch Dienst) and they cover your insurance in the event of a trip to the doctor or illness etc.
If you choose Vienna, I recommend going there a month before your contract starts and finding accommodation, once the students start it's hell finding a place.

Andrew Purfield

Bump.

So as theres no guarantee my contract job will be renewed in september ive been busy msking contingency plans..ideally idve liked to go to switzerland or liechtenstein to earn good punt at some stage but austria just seems easier while
still being more exciting than germany.

Ive applied for a lang. Asst job in Linz and the dept has me on a reserve list. So thats only a possible job at this stage. This week i also sent my application for a masters to the local college there as well and the dorm prices seem reasonable too. With decent german im hoping ill find a student job handy enough as ive done kitchen work call centre and sales work etc all before...

If anyones lived in the linz area before advice would be welcome! Especially on work and local sunday football!

Andrew Purfield

Well

Got into Linz the dept of education told me last week. Still waiting for detailed info on everything from accomodation to how to get paid start date orientation etc.

Anyone been to Linz before and have advice on accomodation? Ive applied to a masters there so thats why i requested that area. I think we should get an offer of student dorms? Thats the way it works in France im told.

If im guessing right reading bsck on the above posts as the austrian pad is employing me Its they who will send the info by post?

Also do you have to officially accept by a certain date? I know this was the case with france as i refused their offer to hold out for this one.

Looking forward to this!!