Austria

Work

EU nationals can work in Austria without a work permit or residency permit, though as intending residents they need to register with the police (or the magistrate’s office if in Vienna).

Non-EU nationals need both a work permit and a residency permit and will find it pretty hard to get either. Inquire (in German) about job possibilities via local labour offices; look under Arbeitsmarktservice in the White Pages for the closest office. Your employer in Austria needs to apply for your work permit. Applications for residency permits must be applied for via the Austrian embassy in your home country. A good website for foreign residents is www.wif.wien.at.

Teaching is a favourite of expats in the bigger cities; look under Sprachschulen (language schools) in the Gelben Seiten (phone book) for a list of schools. Ski resorts are another good place to look for work; there are often vacancies in snow clearing, chalet cleaning, restaurants and ski-equipment shops. Language skills are particularly crucial for any type of work in service industries. Your best chance of finding work is to start writing or asking around early – in summer for winter work and in winter for summer work. Some people do, however, get lucky by arriving right at the beginning of the season and asking around; tourist offices and ski shops should be able to point you in the direction of current ­vacancies. In October, grape-pickers are usually required in the wine-growing regions.

Useful books for those searching for work abroad include Working in Ski Resorts –Europe & North America by Victoria Pybus, Work Your Way Around the World by Susan Griffith, and The Au Pair and Nanny’s Guide to Working Abroad by Susan Griffith and Sharon Legg. All these titles are published in the UK by Vacation Work (www.vacationwork.co.uk).

Online jobs are listed on a number of websites, including:

www.ams.or.at Austria’s labour office; in German.

www.jobfinder.at Directed towards professionals; in German.

www.jobpilot.at Comprehensive site with loads of professional jobs; in German.

www.studentenjob.com Specialises in student jobs; in German.

www.virtualvienna.net Aimed at expats, with a variety of jobs, including UN listings.

Business hours

Offices and government departments generally open from 8am to 3.30pm, 4pm or 5pm Monday to Friday. There are no real restrictions on shop opening hours but most open between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday and until 1pm Saturday (until 5pm in larger cities).

Banking hours are from 8am or 9am until 3pm Monday to Friday, and there are extended hours to 5.30pm on Thursdays. Many of the smaller branches close from 12.30pm to 1.30pm for lunch. Most post offices open for business from 8am to noon and 2pm to 6pm Monday to Friday; some also open on Saturday from 8am to noon. Restaurants serve lunch between 11am and 3pm and dinner from 6pm to midnight, and often close in between. Hours for cafés vary considerably and are included in our listings. As a rule, however, a traditional café will open around 7.30am and shut at about 8pm; pubs and bars close anywhere between midnight and about 4am throughout the week.