Job Discussion Forums

[JRCash]

What are the opportunities for teaching in Austria?

On a recent holiday in Slovakia I noticed the proximity to Vienna, and was wondering if it is a viable option to earn in Austria and live in Slovakia?

[igbyfish]

Hi there...maybe this will help. Much really depends on whether or not you are a member of the European Union. If you are, then it will be much easier to apply to different language schools. I know that are also a few high schools which are taught entirely in English. If you are qualified, maybe that's a possibility. If you don't have the right passport, it can be much, much more difficult. The problem lies in getting the work permit. It's not that it's illegal for non-EU people to work, it's just such an incredible hassle for employers to do all the paperwork to get a work permit that most of the time they're not inclined to go through it all. If you are an American, though, you can be a teaching assistant through Fulbright: http://www.fulbright.at/us_citizens/teaching_intro.php Actually, I think there was a post on here a while back about the Fulbright opportunity. Hope that helps! Aaron

[JRCash]

Thanks Aaron, I am an EU citizen, somebody previously told me it is incredibly difficult to find work in Austria, but I can't see why.

[guangho]

[JRCash]

argh

[andoryu]

I'm half Austrian and taught TEFL for a year there.

Austria is a bit of a tough nut to crack - the relatively high level of English teaching in schools means there is not the necessity of lots of private teaching. The Fulbright and the British Council language assistant programmes have the state schools sewn up. It is very difficult for the Direktion of a school to take on teaching staff without permission from the Ministry. Austrian universities operate similar programmes for university instructors which were terribly poorly paid when I looked into them and they made absolutely clear that this was not the same as 'Akademiker' - academic faculty.

However private schools and vocational institutions, like 'Hotel Schools' will hire native English speakers and these jobs can be a lot of fun. Tourism is a big earner, particularly in Vienna and the Alpine areas. Unfortunately this means that jobs that do come up tend to get grabbed quickly. The TEFLers I came across were either language assistants, or worked in these tourism type junior colleges. Private tuition can be lucrative, particularly pre Matura (high school leaving exams) but this depends on you already living in the country.

[Mags_11]

Hi JR,

I lived in Bratislava and taught a semester at the University of Vienna, 2 days a week.

I lived in Bratislava because I had a residence permit for Slovakia already and didn't have a residence permit for Austria. This is not a problem if you are an EU citizen, but it is a problem for us Americans.

I really loved traveling back and forth between Bratislava and Vienna. The trip takes about 55 min to 70 minutes depending where you are boarding and getting off. There is a quick train from Petrzalka to Vienna Westbahnhof that takes 55 min. I used the time to prepare for my lessons or just catch up on reading. Very enjoyable.

Cost isn't too bad. You can buy round trip tickets in Bratislava cheaper than in Vienna, and in Bratislava you can also buy a discounted monthly pass. The only reason why I didn't do this was because I only worked 2 days a week. Passport checks take place in the Petrzalka train station so there is no time wasted once you board the train and are off.

All-in-all, I'd say that commuting everyday can be done, but how comfortable and convenient this would be depends on how close you live to the Petrzalka train station (I lived far away and it was a pain to get there), and if you can entertain yourself for the commutes. That's it.

Margarete Hurn
Author
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia