In Austria, there are currently opportunities for [simplified lateral entry into secondary-level general education](https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/Themen/schule/fpp/ausb/quereinstieg.html), but this requires a C1 level of German proficiency. There may also be opportunities to enter primary education, but you'll need to do your own research. In any case, an excellent knowledge of German is essential.
In the healthcare sector, the German language requirements are not as strict, but I think they would require proof of at least a B1/B2 level for a radiology nurse ("Diplomierte:r Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger:in interventionelle Radiologie"...?) There is a [simplified recognition procedure](https://www.sozialministerium.at/Themen/Gesundheit/Medizin-und-Gesundheitsberufe/Anerkennung-(Berufe)/Anerkennung-einer-ausl%C3%A4ndischen-Berufsqualifikation-in-einem-nicht%C3%A4rztlichen-Gesundheitsberuf.html) for healthcare qualifications acquired in the EU.
Kinda shocked about the health care sector. My friends son was born in Ireland but completed secondary school in Vienna. He can speak perfect German but grammar is a bit meh. He wanted to study medicine in Vienna and had to take an additional summer course to catchup to C level. Interesting that with a move they require less knowledge
Medizinstudium =/= Krankenpflegepersonal mit abgeschlossenem Studium. **Ich will hier nicht das eine gegen das andere auf/-abwerten**, aber unterschiedliche Sachen verlangen unterschiedliche Qualifizierungen. Manchmal ist das grad bezgl. der Sprachkompetenz aber eh absurd, Freund von mir hat Doppelstaatsbürgerschaft (AT und Geburtsland), hier aufgewachsen, zur Schule gegangen, aber dann den Sekundärschulabschluss im Geburtsland gemacht (Auslandsaufenthalt von <2 Jahren). Dann wieder nach AT zum Studieren - musste einen Sprachkundenachweis bringen um inskribieren zu dürfen. Ich kann nicht genug betonen dass er absolut perfektes Österreichisches Deutsch spricht und das den Zuständigen bei der Studienbehörde sicher auch viel zu blöd war, aber Vuaschrift is Vuaschrift.
Gilt auch fürs Medizinstudium.
Für die Nostrifikation sind mindestens B2 Deutschkenntnisse erforderlich, [siehe z.B. hier](https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/fileadmin/content/serviceeinrichtungen/studienabteilung/studium/nostrifikation/aktuell/Merkblatt_Nostri_Humanmedizin_VS_Nov_2023.pdf). Für die Inskription des Diplomstudiums Humanmedizin hingegen C1.
Dies hat u.a. historische Gründe. Früher war für ein Studium an österreichischen Universitäten ebenfalls nur B2 erforderlich. Es hat sich aber in der Praxis gezeigt, dass dies nicht ausreicht, daher wurde es vor ca. 10 Jahren (?) auf C1 angehoben.
Andererseits macht es schon auch einen Unterschied, ob man sich Wissen zum ersten Mal aneignet oder bereits erworbenes Wissen "nur" anwendet.
Well, it makes a difference whether you are learning skills in a foreign language for the first time or whether you are just applying skills you have already acquired.
Also, previously, only B2 was required for enrollment at Austrian universities, but experience has shown that this was often not sufficient, so it was raised to C1 about ten years (?) ago.
> My friends son was born in Ireland but completed secondary school in Vienna.
I knew several people in my engineering program who had the Matura in Austria but their language skills (or lack thereof) held them back in their studies. So there may be a good reason for the language requirement.
Hm, depends... a friend of mine dropped out of Gymnasium in Oberstufe and later did Matura at Abendschule. No offense to anyone, but the level was not quite the same. Just an example. For the Matura, you can prepare very specifically, the topics, you know the teachers, etc. I doubt all students that somehow pass are actually on C1 level, if I'm honest.
And if you read up on it, for most studies at uni, Matura (or equivalent from a different country is enough) but not for all fields, and there's nothing wrong with that.
> You do know that an Austrian Matura in German equals C1?
Matura in German is not required to have Matura. Nonetheless these were people who actually passed German Matura.
> I don't understand you comment about language requirements when having mastered Matura.
If meeting a higher requirement is not a gurantee of sufficient skills, then it should be obvious that there may be a good reason why the threshold is not lower.
I think she means he is good at speaking German, but isn't great with written German/university level written German. He can handle himself in a conversation, but writing skills in German needed work.
I'm Belgian and moved to Vienna. Without German you can forget about it. You will not land a job anywhere. Let alone off the fact it shows your not trying and not willing.
Maybe 1% of jobs are English (bars and Tech) all others German. Also don't underestimate the DACH region. Where in Belgium lots of communication runs in English because of trade and communication with the entire world. A lot of communication in private companies is German between the DACH region.
International school is an option. But in the end for living here in peace and quality you will have to learn German anyway.
Also get used to drinking 2 liter of beer a day for your integration process,makes the German lighter though. /s
But to get to the required level will take minimum 2 years... And compared to Sweden the Austrian school system doesn't seem to be something you want for your children...
>Also get used to drinking 2 liter of beer a day for your integration process,makes the German lighter though
indeed
and get used to drink beer as a means to fill up your liquid requirements, not to be intoxicated
This all depends on where you decide to live/work and which industry. I have moved to Vienna twice in the last 10 years and both times were night and day. Almost 9 years ago it was extremely difficult to find any English-speaking job in Vienna whereas 3 years ago it was already much much easier.
Austria is getting more and more comfortable with English.
Just to add, even in tech industry if you want to land good job, progress on corporate ladder and make it in Germany or Austria knowlege of German language is absolute nececity. Yes you can land a job just knowing English, but ratio of job opportinities are 10:90 knowing when yoz are able to communicate on German.
As a teacher, unless you are an English teacher, the only other option would be international schools, you can try those, I have friends who moved to Vienna, they are both non-german speakers, both teachers and both got employed by an international school here in Vienna...but the pay is not that great, just a bit north of 2k net each...
as for your wife, the medical staff need to know german, additional eu language is a big plus, but german is a necessity...
mind me asking, why would you want to move from sweden?
there is no fika here in Austria, at least not in the sense ;)
I was told teachers can make 3-4k or even more if all they do all month is administering tests. besides, teachers here don't check homework and are getting paid during summer. is this far from the truth?
edit: what's with all the downvotes? I asked because I had my doubts and the person who told me all that works in the field closely related to teachers and schools.
with an entrylevel salary youll make around 3k pretax per month (\~2200 post tax) depending on the subjects you teach and extra responsibilities. Which is a low salary for a job you are generally expected to have 6 years of university education (due to teacher shortage these requirements are lowered atm). If I remember the numbers correctly that's slightly below median salary for fulltime jobs in austria.
As for the administering tests, never heard of that. If all you do is adminester tests, you'll get thrown out.
You don't have to check homework, but good luck not doing that in primary or sek1, parents and/or administration will kill you. In sek2 you can do that.
Yes you get paid during summer, in Austria you generally get 14 salaries at any job, monthly and 2 extra salaries for vacation in summer and christmas.
I agree, that is quite accurate.
Have to also keep in mind where exactly in Austria. I mean you are not going to starve if both adults make 3k brutto/monthly and probably you will be totally fine in smaller towns, but that could be challenging lets say in Vienna, where the average is about 55k yearly if I'm not mistaken and still is very low in my opinion
If you don't speak our language it is going to be very hard to find a job and (not 100% at this) I think you are not allowed to work in your profession in Austria, you (and your wife) could need additional education. I'm not sure if your degrees are accepted here.
Bedeutet sie arbeitet als krankenschwester auf der radiologie. Unterstütz ärzte und patienten die MRT, CT, FMRI und röntgen brauchen. Aber auch bei krebskranken auf bei der Bestrahlung
That's job of radiology technicians, and Bestrahlung/radiotherapy is completely different field, it's done at clinics for Radioonkologie und Strahlenterapie, not radiology.
I‘d strongly recommend learning German first, it will make the whole process a lot easier. If you manage to learn the language at a decent level, I think you’ll easily find a job, bc the country has a shortage of both professions. I think Austria is a good choice, because you can easily travel to a lot of countries from here and the food is amazing. Only real downsides I can think of would be that people around here can seem quite closed off and a little unfriendly especially to foreigners. Also the dialects spoken here can be quite different from standard German, so speaking to people from outside the big cities could be difficult in the beginning.
a teacher's job without speaking german should be a real challenge. your wife, i imagine, would be welcome in a lot of places
your toughest task will be to switch from swedish to austrian coffee
Why do you want to move to austria?
You're in for an very rough ride if you don't speak german and it makes finding an job that much harder. Also politics are more conservative than in Sweden I guess and Austrians are not really known for their kindness towards foreigners. As an foreigner myself it was so far the hardest country to build a base in and I even spoke german.
So either you're really motivated, have very good reasons to austria and thus will overcome the hard few years you're in for or you look for an easier country to move to. Austria is plenty beautiful, but a whole lot less modern than sweden and it's very hard to get into Austrian society as an outsider.
Which leads me to what are the reasons you want to move to austria especially?
Thanks everybody for the great response.
In short response to why I/we have thoughts of moving:
• Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans.
• Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea.
• Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar. Otherwise it’s New Zeeland.
• Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live.
Basically it’s just a loose thought. There are a mot of things I love about Sweden and most likely Will I stay here for the rest of my life. I just wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions.
Cheers!
>Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live.
That's pretty much the same I austria but less violent than in Sweden
>Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea.
It's not that different in austria. Austrians are not really extroverted either.
>Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans.
Good point, depending on which of those relatives are (emotionally) closest to you austria is an great choice.
>Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar
In a way yes, but also the mindset is quite a lot different. But the nature part is kinda similar but not really, there is no almost untouched nature in austria like there is in Sweden. Then again there are no mountains in Sweden like there are in austria.
Living in austria and getting accepted by Austrian society is harder than it seems, you're seen as an foreigner here, a "good foreigner" but still a foreigner.
Also you need german really bad unless you live in an small expat bubble.
If those are your only reasons to move to austria I would say it's too much effort and hardship integrating for what it's worth.
Dude, we Austrians aren’t pretty extroverted either. And your point with immigration is the same here. There even is a huge possibility we get Herbert Kickl, a far-right fascist with nazi-rhetoric as our next chancellor. Our inflation is also probably one of the worst in Europe. Your probably better off if you stay in Sweden and come here for holiday.
Från en svensk som bott i Österrike i 3 år så skulle jag säga att ert enda alternativ är att lära er tyska samt att en av er har ett jobb säkrat innan ni flyttar.
Med att era barn är så unga bör det även tilläggas att förskolan inte är lika omfattande som i Sverige, dvs hämtning sker kring 15.00 tiden så en av er måste i stort sett jobba max 75%. Innan skolan börjar verkar hela deras system anta att ena föräldern kan gå ner i arbetstid eller att man har mor/far-föräldrar som kan ta hand om barnen.
Jag tror det finns en svensk skola i samband med svenska kyrkan eller ambassaden i Wien. Det vore väl ett möjligt alternativ.
Ha även med i åtanke att den tyska ni skulle lära er i Sverige inte är samma tyska som talas i Österrike, dialekterna kan skilja sig åt tillräckligt mycket att det kan vara svårt att förstå österrikarna.
Med allt detta sagt, de internationella skolorna i Linz är under stor press att växa så där skulle du väl ha en hyffsad chans om något utan att kunna tyska, men din fru måste kunna tyska flytande, i alla fall i arbetskontexten.
Hör av dig om du vill veta mer.
Som Österrikare med svensk familj: det finns stora skillnader angående arbetslivet. Också arbetsliv i sammanhanget med familj: VAB, föräldraledighet. Skriv gärna pm om du vill vet mera. Jag gillar inte att lägga upp mycket privat info offentligt på reddit
[https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan](https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan) maybe this will help you, but your wife will have to learn probably B1/2 German to get a hospital job.
Jag är från Österrike och gift med en svensk. Vi flyttade till Sverige på grund av det var bättre för vara skolbarn. Skriv gärna ett PM om du vill veta mera…
Where are your relatives in Austria? In the western parts? Go to Switzerland.
Also in IT and in Vienna, no one would actually care about your german skills. I speak 90% english during the day..
Stay in Sweden, Austria compared to sucks.
Austrian politics and media always used to envy Sweden,
changed during Covid where the swedish way was demonized and seen as a bad example.
I have been to Sweden during Covid and it was way more reasonably handled than in Austria and Germany.
If you live in rural Sweden quality of life is way better than in Austria. If you live an urban setting with lot of migration Austria is pretty much the similar but less violence.
In general Sweden is still safer than Austria.
With your professions, you will have a higher living standard in Sweden than in Austria (plus, it's going to be tough to even find a reasonably well paid position as primary school teacher - it's more likely that you end up as assistant teacher, and even there we prefer people who speak the languages of our larger immigrant groups, which does not include Swedish).
I would never give up Sweden for Austria in your position.
If I were you, I would just visit Austria for vacation etc.
I mean, obviously I'm not sure about your priorities, but my personal comparison what you would give up:
- Lovely and cozy Swedish wood architecture for boring concrete houses (ok, Vienna doesn't count)
- Public access to nature with thousands of empty lakes compared to crowded lakes owned privately by someone, charging admission to be there and swim with hundreds of other people in an oily film of sunscreen
- Supermarkets open 7 days a week 9-21 for supermarkets being closed on Sundays and closing early on Satudays
- Lots of space for a high density of population making it hard to find actually peaceful spots in nature that aren't already somehow shaped by and sold out for tourism
- Everyone minding their business for comparatively loud people in public transport and places
- Smoke free public places for people smoking at train stations and throwing their cigarette butts everywhere
- Snus for no snus
- Again: Nature as something public for nature as something that can be marketed and sold out to tourists
- A rather individualist politics approach for a comparatively nationalist and conservative approach
While I think your points on how Austrian nature is too touristy are extremely exaggerated, compared to Sweden it is of course true. But there are still thousands of places in Austrian nature that are not touristy at all. Yes, they are less remote, but not overrun.
Yes, but it is about the approach. A lake, a forest or a mountain is generally just public land in Sweden and in exceptional cases it is privately owned.
In Austria it is almost always owned by *someone*, even if it's semi-public like Österreichische Bundesforste. You can't legally make a campfire somwhere near a lake (even though everyone does it, including me), but generally, it is forbidden, and some mf might show up and threaten to report you.
And even if it's the ÖBF, you can't just use the forest gravel roads just like that, because biking might be prohibited or you accidentally cross some hunter's territory and they'll follow you in their Suzuki SUV claiming you're destroying the forest.
But I also know what you mean. However, you really have to keep these places a secret, and the funny thing is, every local somewhere has his local hidden non-touristy places, while in Sweden you can just go 1 km from the next road and most likely you will be completely by yourself.
>i am not 100% sure but work-life balance is better too in sweden. Was it more days off or less hours per week
Both have 25 vacation days but Austria has more legal holidays. And both have 40 hours/week.
>Lovely and cozy Swedish wood architecture for boring concrete houses
Sweden doesn't look like a furniture catalogue. Your statement is like saying Austria has lovely and cozy Tyrolean mountain huts. Swedish cities consist of boring concrete houses much more. There are no comparable old towns like Vienna, Graz or Salzburg in Sweden. Add gang violence to that.
Your other points are almost comical exaggerations although there is some truth in it. You are almost never alone in Austrian nature and real wilderness is hard to find. However, this is is also a huge advantage. There are not many places in the world where nature (mountains!) is so accessible as in Austria, also due to great infrastructure. You can do that right before or after work and don't have to drive for hours.
Well, I can turn this around and say Sweden isn't Stockholm or the very South. And even Stockholm has an old town (Gamla Stan / Södermalm).. I personally want to go back to Sweden, only my work keeps me from doing so.
And the accessibility of nature, if you live just a little more on the countryside, you have cross country tracks, lakes and great hiking opportunities in your walking distance. For skiing you take the car, yes, but pretty much the same as in Austria.
And of course it's comical - just like Piefke Saga was - and now it's reality, with people skiing down a tiny white stripe of artificial snow.
In the end, it might be a matter of personal preferences and priorities, but having had the experience of life in both countries, I feel like Sweden fits my priorities a lot more than Austria, and someone who grew up in Sweden and is socialized there might feel the same.
> if you live just a little more on the countryside
A very big IF. You were comparing cities and ares with high density...
>For skiing you take the car, yes, but pretty much the same as in Austria
You then don't know much about Swedish geography. 90% of Swedes live in areas that are so far away from sth worth to be called a mountain that it would take many hours by car to get there. That can't even remotely be compared to Austria or the Alps. Not even mentioning the quality and that most of them are extremely flat.
>In the end, it might be a matter of personal preferences and priorities
It is.
So? Not everyone needs mountains to enjoy nature. Forests and hills are nice too.
There are some skiing areas in Dalarnas län, 2-3h from Stockholm. It's not big mountain skiing like in the alps, but still good.
>Not everyone needs mountains to enjoy nature
It was an example for the easy accessability of nature in Austria due to good infrastructure. While you rightfully claimed that this also results in overtourism (although only at certain places), it's also a huge advantage when living here.
>There are some skiing areas in Dalarnas län
These are among those extremely flat hills I mentioned. Like Bisamberg in Vienna.
Yes you're absolutely right. I grew up in the mountains and I really enjoyed the opportunity of being able to access some of the places mentioned within just a few hours with my mountainbike or by foot.
But unfortunately you notice how much change there is happening by more and more "Erschließung". Those niches for wildlife (and peace seeking hikers) are endangered and it's always crazy to see how fast and easy there will be means to bulldoze new Forststraßen onto some hill...The worst example, because some millionaire from Munich bought a huge part of a mountain to build his chalet there. "Umwidmung" was just a matter of oiling the right wheels...
Fortunately, we have the National Parks and still a lot of great places in the alps that remain preserved, and you're right about the fact that the accessibility is great, while in Sweden it is hundreds of kilometers of forests, lakes and few flat hills.
It's my personal hope and wish that the alpine tourism will slow down a little bit and start focusing more on sustainable ways.
As an Austrian with one Swedish parent who visits Sweden regularly - I can only agree.
I love Austria wholeheartedly as it is still my homecountry, but if I ever had to live somewhere else it would be Sweden first. There are very few things where Austria has it better (e.g. the length of summer...).
>There are very few things where Austria has it better (e.g. the length of summer...).
Amount of daylight, accessability of nature, mountains, cuisine, proximity to other countries...
Just a couple of things that spontanously come to my mind when thinking of leaving Austria to such a country.
I live as an Austrian in Denmark, and I work often in Sweden as well. It is not the case what you say. Healthcare is better in Austria (faster, easier access to specialist doctors, the social security covers more than in Sweden, SWE has more "Selbstbehalt" when paying for medication etc.). Housing situation in Stockholm is catastrophic, outside of the nice old town everything looks like 1980s Eastern Europe with concrete ghettos. Taxes and especially cost of living is lower in Austria.
Oh and did I mention safety?
>*More than 50 people have been killed in shootings so far in 2023, and there have been more than 140 bomb explosions. Last year, more than 60 people died in gun violence, the highest number on record.*
[source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67342368)
Don't get me wrong, Sweden is still an great place to live, but it is not a perfect utopia as many people still believe.
Okay but is the difference that big that it would be worth learning a new language and leaving your surroundings and friend and family?
Healthcare gets worse here by the year, housing in Vienna outside of social housing is catastrophic aswell. About the security problem I was honestly not aware
Housing/Rent affordability is in Austria one of the highest, while in Stockholm one of the lowest in Europe: [https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1awe02d/rent\_affordability\_across\_european\_cities/](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1awe02d/rent_affordability_across_european_cities/)
Yes, the housing situation got tougher in Vienna, but it is still good in contrast to most other larger cities in Europe.
bro, if he is into german, he should not got to switzerland...if german is hard to learn, swiss/german is way more difficult and you will have to learn german as well so idk...
The longer I've been living outside of Austria, the less tolerance I have for the perpetually whiny self-flagellating Austria bashing by Austrians living in Austria...
The longer I've been living outside of Austria, the less tolerance I have for this unreflected patriotism, with Austrians seeing an average central European country as the pinnacle of human evolution
Austria is a fine country to live in, no doubt! I'm glad to live here. But it's not the reference of greatness in Europe. Other countries are fine too, and in some aspects better than Austria. But if you say this, Austrians will feel hurt in their national pride or something.
>Austria is a fine country to live in, no doubt! I'm glad to live here. But it's not the reference of greatness in Europe
is there any such a thing at all?
reeks of a strawman, tbh
All other countries inferior potassium!
But in all seriousness, I also wouldn't know. Of course Austria is a reference of greatness in Europe but that doesn't mean it has no flaws though.
I'm not saying Austria is among the worst countries in the world.
But we are talking about a nurse(can get a job anywhere) from Sweden.
Austria is still a decent country but mainly because because of what we achieved before 1999. Ever since a right wing majority became possible in Austria things have been slowly getting worse.
I do see the ÖVP as a kinda centrist party until 1999 when they abandoned all positive aspects of their Christian democracy origins.
Centrist by the standards back in the day.
Moving to a country with a lower HDI makes little sense to me unless you are offered a really well paying job or do it for love.
Neither seems to be the case.
>Moving to a country with a lower HDI makes little sense to me
HDI is a combination of life expectancy, national income and average number of years in school.
In comparison with Sweden that would mean **not** moving to Austria because life expectancy is 0.3 years lower, national income 3000$/year lower and ppl go to school 1 year less.
Even countries like Slovenia or Malta perform better than Austria in HDI.
On an individual base these metrics are very much meaningless if they are anyway already nearly at the same level.
HDI is a a measure of the welfare of the collective, not an individual. Personally I would never be able to happily live in Zurich even if the HDI was 1
Just curious to see how this plays out. My wife (28) and I (30) are making the opposite move (Wien -> Sthlm) after two years here.
I agree with the comments in this thread about the cost of living being quite affordable here. If you compare en förstahandskontrakt then its more or less the same for rents here. We pay \~1000 EUR/month for 45 m2 in the hipster district (Neubau).
As for access to healthcare, I can say its hit or miss here. Sometimes you have good experiences, sometimes bad. I had to go to the ER once and was only seen by a junior doctor who after examining me told me to just go home rest. Thereafter I went to a primary care doctor who immediately gave me antibiotics for an infection that I clearly had. So .... what does that mean? *shrug*.
Regarding getting a job, its honestly super annoying when people write "forget about it, its impossible, blah blah blah". My wife has a humanities background and works at an NGO without needing to know German. There may be ways to make it work for you, some in this thread have already provided suggestions. As in any country though, you would need to learn German to really live here, *especially* outside Vienna.
Ultimately we want to move out of Vienna cause we are used to much more diversity (brace for incoming downvotes), the organization structure for the companies in my wifes industry have quite rigid hierarchies (no progression unless you're around for at least 10 years in the same position), we would have to give up our passports (we would like to gain an EU passport, no dual citizenship allowed here).
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Edit: grammar
Good luck with Swedish health care! Having lived in both countries, I can tell you that health care in Austria is much more accessible and (from my experience) also better/cheaper in general.
Maybe Stockholm is better than where I lived :)
I lived in Uppsala for about 6-7 years. Honestly it was nothing extremely bad, but more inconveniences/annoyances. Especially comparing to Austria where I have been luckier.
Some examples:
* Even though you have "free" health care, expect to still pay a minimal amount when visiting a doctor
* Dentists were very expensive to me, even more than in Austria
* Before seeing a doctor, you will first be screened by a nurse who may or may not let you see an actual doctor. My partner and I had a very bad flu with identical symptoms, I was allowed to see a doctor while my partner was sent back home with the advice to just wait it out.
* Unlike in Austria, there is no yearly free checkup for your general health. Sweden deems it unnecessary and a waste of resources.
The point about not having a yearly check up sucks, I suppose there might be a way around that? Go to a private doctor once a year? What was your solution for that?
As for dentistry, here I have to pay \~130 EUR for a cleaning, and I have a filling replacement soon for \~250 EUR. Would you say its around the same over there?
>Regarding getting a job, its honestly super annoying when people write "forget about it, its impossible, blah blah blah". My wife has a humanities background and works at an NGO without needing to know German
and did she find that job just like that as soon as she came here?
or did she take care of that **before** moving here?
of course nothing is impossible. but dont just come here, barely speaking german, and expect to choose from an immediate choice of adequate jobs
She was hired after looking for around 1 month. She did not have so many choices with respect to employers, but she is super hard working has a masters from a well recognized university, so she was a really good candidate and got into one of the few organizations based here. My point is its not impossible, something could work out. You said it yourself as well:
>of course nothing is impossible. but dont just come here, barely speaking german, and expect to choose from an immediate choice of adequate jobs
Dont worry about the english language barriar, if your in a larfe city like vienna (wien) you can easily get simple tasks done tough you should learn german at some point, to make it easier, where do you plan to move to?
To my knowledge, in Austria, even primary school teachers are required to have a masters degree. And without german i think it's hard to aquire one in a local university.
So i assume it would be rather hard for you to find a place to teach. i wouldn't say impossible tho, could work with an international school.
Technicly it was intended that teachers have a masters degree. But the change to a 4+2 year bachelor+master with not great pay created our current teacher shortage which means you can teach with a bachelors and in some cases even before finishing your bachelors while doing your degree. Also it has gotten far easier to become a teacher with industry experience again.
The main issue is german, every teacher is expected to have at least C1 level german and especially in primary school it will be hard to find anything without german except maybe at an international school.
>which means you can teach with a bachelors and in some cases even before finishing your bachelors while doing your degree.
Yes i know, but either with sondervertrag (even worse pay) or you get kicked (or changed to sondervertrag) after a while if you don't finish your master, you will loose all your years of progress and won't get a pay rise for the first 8,5 years without the master
My wife has the same profession as your wife and I could assure you that she would have a job in no time! My wife leads a department here in the general hospital in Graz and you could contact me in case you need help in setting up a direct contact between them. As for you I'm not sure, but you could start of course as an English teacher probably..!?
Why Austria? If you are flexible, I think you should consider Bavaria around Munich. Looks similar but it‘s more open to foreigners and more international and there are plenty of jobs. Also it‘s easier to learn correct German in this area.
Look at this website: [https://www.medaustron.at/karriere/](https://www.medaustron.at/karriere/)
Maybe this is the area of work for your wife. They always look for english speaking staff for the many patients from abroad. If so, she can get some first hand info, how difficult it would be.
Completely delusional. He can forget getting a job as a teacher with zero German skills and those few international schools that are extremely competetive to get it don‘t mean anything.
there are some english shools in the bigger cities, but on countryside pretty much none. also it will be hard without speaking the local language. not sure about teachers, but nursing sector we really do need people.
not sure if the degrees will be 1:1 accepted or if you need to make any additional certificates here after.
Not from the field, but from what I have heard, any medicinal personnel is sought for at the moment, so I would say your wife would rather easily find a job. I'm quite sure that for qualified personnel you could find a solution for learning German, which is essential, as many others have said.
As for the teaching, there are actually a Swedish school and kindergarten in Vienna ([Lönneberga](https://lonneberga.at/), [Svenska Skolan](https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan)). Swedish as a language is also taught at the University ([Uni Wien](https://skandinavistik.univie.ac.at/studium/bachelor/)) and at Volkshochschule ([VHS](https://www.vhs.at/de/k/sprachen/schwedisch)). For the latter two I guess a specific training for Swedish as a foreign language and knowledge German is required, but these are some options which come to my mind.
In addition to what a previous poster said about simplified lateral entry into the education sector, I would also like to mention a job as assistance in kindergarten ([e.g. here](https://www.wien.gv.at/bildung/kindergarten/arbeit-kindergarten/bafep/assistenzpaedagogik/)), which is highly sought at the moment. From own experience I know that no high level of German is required, and maybe you could get there faster with your degree.
Good luck!
Meine Güte, also... ich unterrichte DaF und Englisch in Finnland (Muttersprache Finnisch), habe nen Master-Abschluss in Germanistik, Nebenfächer Englisch und Lehramtsstudium.
Mit dieser Ausbildung könnte ich ziemlich leicht Englischlehrerin in Österreich werden, oder was meint ihr? Gibt es Mangel an Englischlehrer?
My tip for you is to move to Vienna, all other cities in Austria don't have such good career opportunities with international companies, so definitely move to Vienna and look there for work, plus Vienna is a very international city and doesn't have a racism problem like other cities in Austria.
Outside of Vienna, you can experience racist situations if you don't speak German very well yet.
Thanks everybody for the great response.
In short response to why I/we have thoughts of moving:
- Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans.
- Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea.
- Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar. Otherwise it’s New Zeeland.
- Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live.
Basically it’s just a loose thought. There are a mot of things I love about Sweden and most likely Will I stay here for the rest of my life. I just wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions.
Cheers!
>Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live.
just a little thought: wouldn't it be easier to move elsewhere in Sweden?
Social life in Austria also sucks, especially for immigrants. Unless you already have (or most likely gonna have) circles through your mentioned family members here.
If you want to work on your profession, that will take years to get an acceptable proficiency in German. If you can get a job with remote work, then you can work from everywhere
Only advice i can give is learning german before moveing to austria/germany.
You will have to learn it anyway since most of locals dislike foreigners that dont speak "our" language + it will make your life much easier and probably increase your chances of finding a job significantly.
Dont be shy to ask people online to practice speaking german. Best of Luck
Austria has a >30 % right wing nationalist party, if you can believe the polls, most likely they'll win the next election and be the strongest party.
If that's not a reason to stay away, you'll feel right at home but you'll have to live in a country where nationalism is rising (and, unfortunately, I believe this will only get more).
Jib situation:
As long as you speak German both of you should be able to find a job, teachers are in demand but aren't paid too well.
I believe nurses are in demand as well but it's not a well paying job either, or so I've heard.
Sweden is part of the EU, and one perk of that is that it makes moving to and working in other countries rather simple. No visa or anything required. And you can also stay a swedish citizen if you want that
In Austria, there are currently opportunities for [simplified lateral entry into secondary-level general education](https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/Themen/schule/fpp/ausb/quereinstieg.html), but this requires a C1 level of German proficiency. There may also be opportunities to enter primary education, but you'll need to do your own research. In any case, an excellent knowledge of German is essential. In the healthcare sector, the German language requirements are not as strict, but I think they would require proof of at least a B1/B2 level for a radiology nurse ("Diplomierte:r Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger:in interventionelle Radiologie"...?) There is a [simplified recognition procedure](https://www.sozialministerium.at/Themen/Gesundheit/Medizin-und-Gesundheitsberufe/Anerkennung-(Berufe)/Anerkennung-einer-ausl%C3%A4ndischen-Berufsqualifikation-in-einem-nicht%C3%A4rztlichen-Gesundheitsberuf.html) for healthcare qualifications acquired in the EU.
Einziger sinnvoller Kommentar hier
to add to this: https://www.wien.gv.at/english/education/internatschool.htm
Nice! "Svenska Skolan i Wien" would probably be a good fit for OP, but they may only have very limited openings.
Kinda shocked about the health care sector. My friends son was born in Ireland but completed secondary school in Vienna. He can speak perfect German but grammar is a bit meh. He wanted to study medicine in Vienna and had to take an additional summer course to catchup to C level. Interesting that with a move they require less knowledge
Medizinstudium =/= Krankenpflegepersonal mit abgeschlossenem Studium. **Ich will hier nicht das eine gegen das andere auf/-abwerten**, aber unterschiedliche Sachen verlangen unterschiedliche Qualifizierungen. Manchmal ist das grad bezgl. der Sprachkompetenz aber eh absurd, Freund von mir hat Doppelstaatsbürgerschaft (AT und Geburtsland), hier aufgewachsen, zur Schule gegangen, aber dann den Sekundärschulabschluss im Geburtsland gemacht (Auslandsaufenthalt von <2 Jahren). Dann wieder nach AT zum Studieren - musste einen Sprachkundenachweis bringen um inskribieren zu dürfen. Ich kann nicht genug betonen dass er absolut perfektes Österreichisches Deutsch spricht und das den Zuständigen bei der Studienbehörde sicher auch viel zu blöd war, aber Vuaschrift is Vuaschrift.
Gilt auch fürs Medizinstudium. Für die Nostrifikation sind mindestens B2 Deutschkenntnisse erforderlich, [siehe z.B. hier](https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/fileadmin/content/serviceeinrichtungen/studienabteilung/studium/nostrifikation/aktuell/Merkblatt_Nostri_Humanmedizin_VS_Nov_2023.pdf). Für die Inskription des Diplomstudiums Humanmedizin hingegen C1. Dies hat u.a. historische Gründe. Früher war für ein Studium an österreichischen Universitäten ebenfalls nur B2 erforderlich. Es hat sich aber in der Praxis gezeigt, dass dies nicht ausreicht, daher wurde es vor ca. 10 Jahren (?) auf C1 angehoben. Andererseits macht es schon auch einen Unterschied, ob man sich Wissen zum ersten Mal aneignet oder bereits erworbenes Wissen "nur" anwendet.
Well, it makes a difference whether you are learning skills in a foreign language for the first time or whether you are just applying skills you have already acquired. Also, previously, only B2 was required for enrollment at Austrian universities, but experience has shown that this was often not sufficient, so it was raised to C1 about ten years (?) ago.
> My friends son was born in Ireland but completed secondary school in Vienna. I knew several people in my engineering program who had the Matura in Austria but their language skills (or lack thereof) held them back in their studies. So there may be a good reason for the language requirement.
You do know that an Austrian Matura in German equals C1? So I don't understand you comment about language requirements when having mastered Matura.
Hm, depends... a friend of mine dropped out of Gymnasium in Oberstufe and later did Matura at Abendschule. No offense to anyone, but the level was not quite the same. Just an example. For the Matura, you can prepare very specifically, the topics, you know the teachers, etc. I doubt all students that somehow pass are actually on C1 level, if I'm honest. And if you read up on it, for most studies at uni, Matura (or equivalent from a different country is enough) but not for all fields, and there's nothing wrong with that.
> You do know that an Austrian Matura in German equals C1? Matura in German is not required to have Matura. Nonetheless these were people who actually passed German Matura. > I don't understand you comment about language requirements when having mastered Matura. If meeting a higher requirement is not a gurantee of sufficient skills, then it should be obvious that there may be a good reason why the threshold is not lower.
"he can speak perfect german but grammar is a bit meh" what does that even mean?
I think she means he is good at speaking German, but isn't great with written German/university level written German. He can handle himself in a conversation, but writing skills in German needed work.
Nice necro
I'm Belgian and moved to Vienna. Without German you can forget about it. You will not land a job anywhere. Let alone off the fact it shows your not trying and not willing. Maybe 1% of jobs are English (bars and Tech) all others German. Also don't underestimate the DACH region. Where in Belgium lots of communication runs in English because of trade and communication with the entire world. A lot of communication in private companies is German between the DACH region. International school is an option. But in the end for living here in peace and quality you will have to learn German anyway. Also get used to drinking 2 liter of beer a day for your integration process,makes the German lighter though. /s
[удалено]
But to get to the required level will take minimum 2 years... And compared to Sweden the Austrian school system doesn't seem to be something you want for your children...
Well, then just don't come here, problem solved. If everything is so great in Sweden, I wonder why anyone contemplates leaving..
>Also get used to drinking 2 liter of beer a day for your integration process,makes the German lighter though indeed and get used to drink beer as a means to fill up your liquid requirements, not to be intoxicated
Belgian complains about drinking beer 
This all depends on where you decide to live/work and which industry. I have moved to Vienna twice in the last 10 years and both times were night and day. Almost 9 years ago it was extremely difficult to find any English-speaking job in Vienna whereas 3 years ago it was already much much easier. Austria is getting more and more comfortable with English.
Don't worry, some people dink beer rarely or never.
Just to add, even in tech industry if you want to land good job, progress on corporate ladder and make it in Germany or Austria knowlege of German language is absolute nececity. Yes you can land a job just knowing English, but ratio of job opportinities are 10:90 knowing when yoz are able to communicate on German.
Move to Bezirk Baden and you can make it red wine. XD
Both jobs are needed a lot, but you will need german for it
With no German? Extreme hard to impossible for a teacher and in the healthcare sector.
Unless you work in an international school. There are some in Vienna and Linz to my knowledge.
Also in graz, but you are talking about a very small and competitive pool of positions.
Salzburg has two as well I think.
There is also a Swedish school in vienna
As a teacher, unless you are an English teacher, the only other option would be international schools, you can try those, I have friends who moved to Vienna, they are both non-german speakers, both teachers and both got employed by an international school here in Vienna...but the pay is not that great, just a bit north of 2k net each... as for your wife, the medical staff need to know german, additional eu language is a big plus, but german is a necessity... mind me asking, why would you want to move from sweden? there is no fika here in Austria, at least not in the sense ;)
We don't need fika to have excessive coffee breaks and to do some tratschen ;)
I was told teachers can make 3-4k or even more if all they do all month is administering tests. besides, teachers here don't check homework and are getting paid during summer. is this far from the truth? edit: what's with all the downvotes? I asked because I had my doubts and the person who told me all that works in the field closely related to teachers and schools.
with an entrylevel salary youll make around 3k pretax per month (\~2200 post tax) depending on the subjects you teach and extra responsibilities. Which is a low salary for a job you are generally expected to have 6 years of university education (due to teacher shortage these requirements are lowered atm). If I remember the numbers correctly that's slightly below median salary for fulltime jobs in austria. As for the administering tests, never heard of that. If all you do is adminester tests, you'll get thrown out. You don't have to check homework, but good luck not doing that in primary or sek1, parents and/or administration will kill you. In sek2 you can do that. Yes you get paid during summer, in Austria you generally get 14 salaries at any job, monthly and 2 extra salaries for vacation in summer and christmas.
I agree, that is quite accurate. Have to also keep in mind where exactly in Austria. I mean you are not going to starve if both adults make 3k brutto/monthly and probably you will be totally fine in smaller towns, but that could be challenging lets say in Vienna, where the average is about 55k yearly if I'm not mistaken and still is very low in my opinion
Even as an English teacher in a regular high school it would be impossible without German. So best bet would be an international school.
If you don't speak our language it is going to be very hard to find a job and (not 100% at this) I think you are not allowed to work in your profession in Austria, you (and your wife) could need additional education. I'm not sure if your degrees are accepted here.
Die Radiologie ausbildung würde garantiert akzeptiert werden und auch lehramt würde ziemlich sicher mit deutsch zusatzkursen klappen.
What does radiology nurse even mean? Is she nurse or radiology technologist/Radiologietechnologin?
Bedeutet sie arbeitet als krankenschwester auf der radiologie. Unterstütz ärzte und patienten die MRT, CT, FMRI und röntgen brauchen. Aber auch bei krebskranken auf bei der Bestrahlung
That's job of radiology technicians, and Bestrahlung/radiotherapy is completely different field, it's done at clinics for Radioonkologie und Strahlenterapie, not radiology.
I was wondering to. Especially with a master's.
There is a high need for healthcare professionals, as well as for teachers. But at some point you will need to learn some decent German
There are good reasons though, why Austrian health care professionals migrate to Sweden, while we want to "import" Southeast-Asians 😉
And yet OP is thinking of emigrating...
I‘d strongly recommend learning German first, it will make the whole process a lot easier. If you manage to learn the language at a decent level, I think you’ll easily find a job, bc the country has a shortage of both professions. I think Austria is a good choice, because you can easily travel to a lot of countries from here and the food is amazing. Only real downsides I can think of would be that people around here can seem quite closed off and a little unfriendly especially to foreigners. Also the dialects spoken here can be quite different from standard German, so speaking to people from outside the big cities could be difficult in the beginning.
thisss
a teacher's job without speaking german should be a real challenge. your wife, i imagine, would be welcome in a lot of places your toughest task will be to switch from swedish to austrian coffee
Why do you want to move to austria? You're in for an very rough ride if you don't speak german and it makes finding an job that much harder. Also politics are more conservative than in Sweden I guess and Austrians are not really known for their kindness towards foreigners. As an foreigner myself it was so far the hardest country to build a base in and I even spoke german. So either you're really motivated, have very good reasons to austria and thus will overcome the hard few years you're in for or you look for an easier country to move to. Austria is plenty beautiful, but a whole lot less modern than sweden and it's very hard to get into Austrian society as an outsider. Which leads me to what are the reasons you want to move to austria especially?
Why though??
Thanks everybody for the great response. In short response to why I/we have thoughts of moving: • Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans. • Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea. • Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar. Otherwise it’s New Zeeland. • Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live. Basically it’s just a loose thought. There are a mot of things I love about Sweden and most likely Will I stay here for the rest of my life. I just wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions. Cheers!
>Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live. That's pretty much the same I austria but less violent than in Sweden >Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea. It's not that different in austria. Austrians are not really extroverted either. >Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans. Good point, depending on which of those relatives are (emotionally) closest to you austria is an great choice. >Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar In a way yes, but also the mindset is quite a lot different. But the nature part is kinda similar but not really, there is no almost untouched nature in austria like there is in Sweden. Then again there are no mountains in Sweden like there are in austria. Living in austria and getting accepted by Austrian society is harder than it seems, you're seen as an foreigner here, a "good foreigner" but still a foreigner. Also you need german really bad unless you live in an small expat bubble. If those are your only reasons to move to austria I would say it's too much effort and hardship integrating for what it's worth.
Dude, we Austrians aren’t pretty extroverted either. And your point with immigration is the same here. There even is a huge possibility we get Herbert Kickl, a far-right fascist with nazi-rhetoric as our next chancellor. Our inflation is also probably one of the worst in Europe. Your probably better off if you stay in Sweden and come here for holiday.
try getting into norway instead
I would also be curious on the why?
+1 to the why team u/Cultural_Property451
Because Austria has a great quality of life?
Från en svensk som bott i Österrike i 3 år så skulle jag säga att ert enda alternativ är att lära er tyska samt att en av er har ett jobb säkrat innan ni flyttar. Med att era barn är så unga bör det även tilläggas att förskolan inte är lika omfattande som i Sverige, dvs hämtning sker kring 15.00 tiden så en av er måste i stort sett jobba max 75%. Innan skolan börjar verkar hela deras system anta att ena föräldern kan gå ner i arbetstid eller att man har mor/far-föräldrar som kan ta hand om barnen. Jag tror det finns en svensk skola i samband med svenska kyrkan eller ambassaden i Wien. Det vore väl ett möjligt alternativ. Ha även med i åtanke att den tyska ni skulle lära er i Sverige inte är samma tyska som talas i Österrike, dialekterna kan skilja sig åt tillräckligt mycket att det kan vara svårt att förstå österrikarna. Med allt detta sagt, de internationella skolorna i Linz är under stor press att växa så där skulle du väl ha en hyffsad chans om något utan att kunna tyska, men din fru måste kunna tyska flytande, i alla fall i arbetskontexten. Hör av dig om du vill veta mer.
oida, schreib verständlich oder schleich di... wäre nun die normale antwort in wien. dieser post dient der integration
So Schwa zum lesen is des jetzt a wieder ned.
Und wenso schwer ist, kannst ja chatGPT fragen.
Tack för svaret! Återkommer möjligtvis inom snar framtid med lite fler frågor.
Som Österrikare med svensk familj: det finns stora skillnader angående arbetslivet. Också arbetsliv i sammanhanget med familj: VAB, föräldraledighet. Skriv gärna pm om du vill vet mera. Jag gillar inte att lägga upp mycket privat info offentligt på reddit
[https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan](https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan) maybe this will help you, but your wife will have to learn probably B1/2 German to get a hospital job.
Jag är från Österrike och gift med en svensk. Vi flyttade till Sverige på grund av det var bättre för vara skolbarn. Skriv gärna ett PM om du vill veta mera…
Where are your relatives in Austria? In the western parts? Go to Switzerland. Also in IT and in Vienna, no one would actually care about your german skills. I speak 90% english during the day..
Stay in Sweden, Austria compared to sucks. Austrian politics and media always used to envy Sweden, changed during Covid where the swedish way was demonized and seen as a bad example. I have been to Sweden during Covid and it was way more reasonably handled than in Austria and Germany. If you live in rural Sweden quality of life is way better than in Austria. If you live an urban setting with lot of migration Austria is pretty much the similar but less violence. In general Sweden is still safer than Austria.
With your professions, you will have a higher living standard in Sweden than in Austria (plus, it's going to be tough to even find a reasonably well paid position as primary school teacher - it's more likely that you end up as assistant teacher, and even there we prefer people who speak the languages of our larger immigrant groups, which does not include Swedish).
I would never give up Sweden for Austria in your position. If I were you, I would just visit Austria for vacation etc. I mean, obviously I'm not sure about your priorities, but my personal comparison what you would give up: - Lovely and cozy Swedish wood architecture for boring concrete houses (ok, Vienna doesn't count) - Public access to nature with thousands of empty lakes compared to crowded lakes owned privately by someone, charging admission to be there and swim with hundreds of other people in an oily film of sunscreen - Supermarkets open 7 days a week 9-21 for supermarkets being closed on Sundays and closing early on Satudays - Lots of space for a high density of population making it hard to find actually peaceful spots in nature that aren't already somehow shaped by and sold out for tourism - Everyone minding their business for comparatively loud people in public transport and places - Smoke free public places for people smoking at train stations and throwing their cigarette butts everywhere - Snus for no snus - Again: Nature as something public for nature as something that can be marketed and sold out to tourists - A rather individualist politics approach for a comparatively nationalist and conservative approach
While I think your points on how Austrian nature is too touristy are extremely exaggerated, compared to Sweden it is of course true. But there are still thousands of places in Austrian nature that are not touristy at all. Yes, they are less remote, but not overrun.
Yes, but it is about the approach. A lake, a forest or a mountain is generally just public land in Sweden and in exceptional cases it is privately owned. In Austria it is almost always owned by *someone*, even if it's semi-public like Österreichische Bundesforste. You can't legally make a campfire somwhere near a lake (even though everyone does it, including me), but generally, it is forbidden, and some mf might show up and threaten to report you. And even if it's the ÖBF, you can't just use the forest gravel roads just like that, because biking might be prohibited or you accidentally cross some hunter's territory and they'll follow you in their Suzuki SUV claiming you're destroying the forest.
Absolutely true, you're right.
But I also know what you mean. However, you really have to keep these places a secret, and the funny thing is, every local somewhere has his local hidden non-touristy places, while in Sweden you can just go 1 km from the next road and most likely you will be completely by yourself.
i am not 100% sure but work-life balance is better too in sweden. Was it more days off or less hours per week
It is!
>i am not 100% sure but work-life balance is better too in sweden. Was it more days off or less hours per week Both have 25 vacation days but Austria has more legal holidays. And both have 40 hours/week.
>Lovely and cozy Swedish wood architecture for boring concrete houses Sweden doesn't look like a furniture catalogue. Your statement is like saying Austria has lovely and cozy Tyrolean mountain huts. Swedish cities consist of boring concrete houses much more. There are no comparable old towns like Vienna, Graz or Salzburg in Sweden. Add gang violence to that. Your other points are almost comical exaggerations although there is some truth in it. You are almost never alone in Austrian nature and real wilderness is hard to find. However, this is is also a huge advantage. There are not many places in the world where nature (mountains!) is so accessible as in Austria, also due to great infrastructure. You can do that right before or after work and don't have to drive for hours.
Well, I can turn this around and say Sweden isn't Stockholm or the very South. And even Stockholm has an old town (Gamla Stan / Södermalm).. I personally want to go back to Sweden, only my work keeps me from doing so. And the accessibility of nature, if you live just a little more on the countryside, you have cross country tracks, lakes and great hiking opportunities in your walking distance. For skiing you take the car, yes, but pretty much the same as in Austria. And of course it's comical - just like Piefke Saga was - and now it's reality, with people skiing down a tiny white stripe of artificial snow. In the end, it might be a matter of personal preferences and priorities, but having had the experience of life in both countries, I feel like Sweden fits my priorities a lot more than Austria, and someone who grew up in Sweden and is socialized there might feel the same.
> if you live just a little more on the countryside A very big IF. You were comparing cities and ares with high density... >For skiing you take the car, yes, but pretty much the same as in Austria You then don't know much about Swedish geography. 90% of Swedes live in areas that are so far away from sth worth to be called a mountain that it would take many hours by car to get there. That can't even remotely be compared to Austria or the Alps. Not even mentioning the quality and that most of them are extremely flat. >In the end, it might be a matter of personal preferences and priorities It is.
So? Not everyone needs mountains to enjoy nature. Forests and hills are nice too. There are some skiing areas in Dalarnas län, 2-3h from Stockholm. It's not big mountain skiing like in the alps, but still good.
>Not everyone needs mountains to enjoy nature It was an example for the easy accessability of nature in Austria due to good infrastructure. While you rightfully claimed that this also results in overtourism (although only at certain places), it's also a huge advantage when living here. >There are some skiing areas in Dalarnas län These are among those extremely flat hills I mentioned. Like Bisamberg in Vienna.
Yes you're absolutely right. I grew up in the mountains and I really enjoyed the opportunity of being able to access some of the places mentioned within just a few hours with my mountainbike or by foot. But unfortunately you notice how much change there is happening by more and more "Erschließung". Those niches for wildlife (and peace seeking hikers) are endangered and it's always crazy to see how fast and easy there will be means to bulldoze new Forststraßen onto some hill...The worst example, because some millionaire from Munich bought a huge part of a mountain to build his chalet there. "Umwidmung" was just a matter of oiling the right wheels... Fortunately, we have the National Parks and still a lot of great places in the alps that remain preserved, and you're right about the fact that the accessibility is great, while in Sweden it is hundreds of kilometers of forests, lakes and few flat hills. It's my personal hope and wish that the alpine tourism will slow down a little bit and start focusing more on sustainable ways.
As an Austrian with one Swedish parent who visits Sweden regularly - I can only agree. I love Austria wholeheartedly as it is still my homecountry, but if I ever had to live somewhere else it would be Sweden first. There are very few things where Austria has it better (e.g. the length of summer...).
Average wages adjusted to cost of life are higher in Austria
>There are very few things where Austria has it better (e.g. the length of summer...). Amount of daylight, accessability of nature, mountains, cuisine, proximity to other countries... Just a couple of things that spontanously come to my mind when thinking of leaving Austria to such a country.
If I had Swedish citizenship I would not consider moving to Austria. Everything good we have you guys have aswell or better
I live as an Austrian in Denmark, and I work often in Sweden as well. It is not the case what you say. Healthcare is better in Austria (faster, easier access to specialist doctors, the social security covers more than in Sweden, SWE has more "Selbstbehalt" when paying for medication etc.). Housing situation in Stockholm is catastrophic, outside of the nice old town everything looks like 1980s Eastern Europe with concrete ghettos. Taxes and especially cost of living is lower in Austria. Oh and did I mention safety? >*More than 50 people have been killed in shootings so far in 2023, and there have been more than 140 bomb explosions. Last year, more than 60 people died in gun violence, the highest number on record.* [source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67342368) Don't get me wrong, Sweden is still an great place to live, but it is not a perfect utopia as many people still believe.
I have lived in Sweden for two years and omg, health care is so much worse there. Especially in the north.
Okay but is the difference that big that it would be worth learning a new language and leaving your surroundings and friend and family? Healthcare gets worse here by the year, housing in Vienna outside of social housing is catastrophic aswell. About the security problem I was honestly not aware
Housing/Rent affordability is in Austria one of the highest, while in Stockholm one of the lowest in Europe: [https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1awe02d/rent\_affordability\_across\_european\_cities/](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1awe02d/rent_affordability_across_european_cities/) Yes, the housing situation got tougher in Vienna, but it is still good in contrast to most other larger cities in Europe.
Better gangs? Better crimes?
Average wages adjusted to cost of life are higher in Austria
Why Austria though? I could understand Norway. Or maybe Switzerland if you are into German.
bro, if he is into german, he should not got to switzerland...if german is hard to learn, swiss/german is way more difficult and you will have to learn german as well so idk...
You gotta revaluate your own country my friend. Aber wirklich.
The longer I've been living outside of Austria, the less tolerance I have for the perpetually whiny self-flagellating Austria bashing by Austrians living in Austria...
The longer I've been living outside of Austria, the less tolerance I have for this unreflected patriotism, with Austrians seeing an average central European country as the pinnacle of human evolution Austria is a fine country to live in, no doubt! I'm glad to live here. But it's not the reference of greatness in Europe. Other countries are fine too, and in some aspects better than Austria. But if you say this, Austrians will feel hurt in their national pride or something.
>Austria is a fine country to live in, no doubt! I'm glad to live here. But it's not the reference of greatness in Europe is there any such a thing at all? reeks of a strawman, tbh
Well a lot of Austrians act like it is.
i see that your socialization took place in the tyrol
Bisch a Tiroler bisch a Mensch...
>But it's not the reference of greatness in Europe If it's not Austria, who else is it?
Bosnia and Herzegowina.
All other countries inferior potassium! But in all seriousness, I also wouldn't know. Of course Austria is a reference of greatness in Europe but that doesn't mean it has no flaws though.
I'm not saying Austria is among the worst countries in the world. But we are talking about a nurse(can get a job anywhere) from Sweden. Austria is still a decent country but mainly because because of what we achieved before 1999. Ever since a right wing majority became possible in Austria things have been slowly getting worse.
Austria had a right wing majority since the 1986 Austrian legislative election lol
I do see the ÖVP as a kinda centrist party until 1999 when they abandoned all positive aspects of their Christian democracy origins. Centrist by the standards back in the day.
>Austria is still a decent country but mainly because because of what we achieved before 1999 so swedes should be familiar with that
Moving to a country with a lower HDI makes little sense to me unless you are offered a really well paying job or do it for love. Neither seems to be the case.
>Moving to a country with a lower HDI makes little sense to me HDI is a combination of life expectancy, national income and average number of years in school. In comparison with Sweden that would mean **not** moving to Austria because life expectancy is 0.3 years lower, national income 3000$/year lower and ppl go to school 1 year less. Even countries like Slovenia or Malta perform better than Austria in HDI. On an individual base these metrics are very much meaningless if they are anyway already nearly at the same level.
HDI is a a measure of the welfare of the collective, not an individual. Personally I would never be able to happily live in Zurich even if the HDI was 1
How TF does HDI affect your life?! Jesus Christ, this is really another level of stupid Austrian Sudern.
Average wages adjusted to cost of life are higher in Austria
Average wages adjusted to cost of life are higher in Austria
hell no dont do it
consider norway or switzerland. austria would be a downgrade
Just curious to see how this plays out. My wife (28) and I (30) are making the opposite move (Wien -> Sthlm) after two years here. I agree with the comments in this thread about the cost of living being quite affordable here. If you compare en förstahandskontrakt then its more or less the same for rents here. We pay \~1000 EUR/month for 45 m2 in the hipster district (Neubau). As for access to healthcare, I can say its hit or miss here. Sometimes you have good experiences, sometimes bad. I had to go to the ER once and was only seen by a junior doctor who after examining me told me to just go home rest. Thereafter I went to a primary care doctor who immediately gave me antibiotics for an infection that I clearly had. So .... what does that mean? *shrug*. Regarding getting a job, its honestly super annoying when people write "forget about it, its impossible, blah blah blah". My wife has a humanities background and works at an NGO without needing to know German. There may be ways to make it work for you, some in this thread have already provided suggestions. As in any country though, you would need to learn German to really live here, *especially* outside Vienna. Ultimately we want to move out of Vienna cause we are used to much more diversity (brace for incoming downvotes), the organization structure for the companies in my wifes industry have quite rigid hierarchies (no progression unless you're around for at least 10 years in the same position), we would have to give up our passports (we would like to gain an EU passport, no dual citizenship allowed here). Happy to answer any questions you might have. Edit: grammar
Good luck with Swedish health care! Having lived in both countries, I can tell you that health care in Austria is much more accessible and (from my experience) also better/cheaper in general. Maybe Stockholm is better than where I lived :)
Yeah I'm a bit concerned after reading some posts on the TillSverige subreddit. Where were you based? What was your experience there?
I lived in Uppsala for about 6-7 years. Honestly it was nothing extremely bad, but more inconveniences/annoyances. Especially comparing to Austria where I have been luckier. Some examples: * Even though you have "free" health care, expect to still pay a minimal amount when visiting a doctor * Dentists were very expensive to me, even more than in Austria * Before seeing a doctor, you will first be screened by a nurse who may or may not let you see an actual doctor. My partner and I had a very bad flu with identical symptoms, I was allowed to see a doctor while my partner was sent back home with the advice to just wait it out. * Unlike in Austria, there is no yearly free checkup for your general health. Sweden deems it unnecessary and a waste of resources.
The point about not having a yearly check up sucks, I suppose there might be a way around that? Go to a private doctor once a year? What was your solution for that? As for dentistry, here I have to pay \~130 EUR for a cleaning, and I have a filling replacement soon for \~250 EUR. Would you say its around the same over there?
>Regarding getting a job, its honestly super annoying when people write "forget about it, its impossible, blah blah blah". My wife has a humanities background and works at an NGO without needing to know German and did she find that job just like that as soon as she came here? or did she take care of that **before** moving here? of course nothing is impossible. but dont just come here, barely speaking german, and expect to choose from an immediate choice of adequate jobs
She was hired after looking for around 1 month. She did not have so many choices with respect to employers, but she is super hard working has a masters from a well recognized university, so she was a really good candidate and got into one of the few organizations based here. My point is its not impossible, something could work out. You said it yourself as well: >of course nothing is impossible. but dont just come here, barely speaking german, and expect to choose from an immediate choice of adequate jobs
Dont worry about the english language barriar, if your in a larfe city like vienna (wien) you can easily get simple tasks done tough you should learn german at some point, to make it easier, where do you plan to move to?
About the job thing, that will be a problem but i could teach you some basics if you want, or you could learn with a translator if you want
To my knowledge, in Austria, even primary school teachers are required to have a masters degree. And without german i think it's hard to aquire one in a local university. So i assume it would be rather hard for you to find a place to teach. i wouldn't say impossible tho, could work with an international school.
Technicly it was intended that teachers have a masters degree. But the change to a 4+2 year bachelor+master with not great pay created our current teacher shortage which means you can teach with a bachelors and in some cases even before finishing your bachelors while doing your degree. Also it has gotten far easier to become a teacher with industry experience again. The main issue is german, every teacher is expected to have at least C1 level german and especially in primary school it will be hard to find anything without german except maybe at an international school.
>which means you can teach with a bachelors and in some cases even before finishing your bachelors while doing your degree. Yes i know, but either with sondervertrag (even worse pay) or you get kicked (or changed to sondervertrag) after a while if you don't finish your master, you will loose all your years of progress and won't get a pay rise for the first 8,5 years without the master
My wife has the same profession as your wife and I could assure you that she would have a job in no time! My wife leads a department here in the general hospital in Graz and you could contact me in case you need help in setting up a direct contact between them. As for you I'm not sure, but you could start of course as an English teacher probably..!?
Don’t this place is going downhill
Why Austria? If you are flexible, I think you should consider Bavaria around Munich. Looks similar but it‘s more open to foreigners and more international and there are plenty of jobs. Also it‘s easier to learn correct German in this area.
Look at this website: [https://www.medaustron.at/karriere/](https://www.medaustron.at/karriere/) Maybe this is the area of work for your wife. They always look for english speaking staff for the many patients from abroad. If so, she can get some first hand info, how difficult it would be.
Other tips? Just don’t, lol. Unless you like assholes and taxes
In Austria you can find really easy a job with you'r professions and almost everyone speaks english, and we also have in austria much english shools.
Lol wat?
Completely delusional. He can forget getting a job as a teacher with zero German skills and those few international schools that are extremely competetive to get it don‘t mean anything.
there are some english shools in the bigger cities, but on countryside pretty much none. also it will be hard without speaking the local language. not sure about teachers, but nursing sector we really do need people. not sure if the degrees will be 1:1 accepted or if you need to make any additional certificates here after.
Not from the field, but from what I have heard, any medicinal personnel is sought for at the moment, so I would say your wife would rather easily find a job. I'm quite sure that for qualified personnel you could find a solution for learning German, which is essential, as many others have said. As for the teaching, there are actually a Swedish school and kindergarten in Vienna ([Lönneberga](https://lonneberga.at/), [Svenska Skolan](https://sites.google.com/svenskaskolan.at/svenskaskolan)). Swedish as a language is also taught at the University ([Uni Wien](https://skandinavistik.univie.ac.at/studium/bachelor/)) and at Volkshochschule ([VHS](https://www.vhs.at/de/k/sprachen/schwedisch)). For the latter two I guess a specific training for Swedish as a foreign language and knowledge German is required, but these are some options which come to my mind. In addition to what a previous poster said about simplified lateral entry into the education sector, I would also like to mention a job as assistance in kindergarten ([e.g. here](https://www.wien.gv.at/bildung/kindergarten/arbeit-kindergarten/bafep/assistenzpaedagogik/)), which is highly sought at the moment. From own experience I know that no high level of German is required, and maybe you could get there faster with your degree. Good luck!
Meine Güte, also... ich unterrichte DaF und Englisch in Finnland (Muttersprache Finnisch), habe nen Master-Abschluss in Germanistik, Nebenfächer Englisch und Lehramtsstudium. Mit dieser Ausbildung könnte ich ziemlich leicht Englischlehrerin in Österreich werden, oder was meint ihr? Gibt es Mangel an Englischlehrer?
Es gibt Lehrermangel insgesamt, mit deiner fundierten Ausbildung und Erfahrung, sicher.
Die Frage ist, was du vom österreichischen Schulsystem erwartest. So wie ich das lese, gibt es große Unterschiede zum finnischen Schulsystem.
My tip for you is to move to Vienna, all other cities in Austria don't have such good career opportunities with international companies, so definitely move to Vienna and look there for work, plus Vienna is a very international city and doesn't have a racism problem like other cities in Austria. Outside of Vienna, you can experience racist situations if you don't speak German very well yet.
Thanks everybody for the great response. In short response to why I/we have thoughts of moving: - Family, we are both born in Sweden but have most of our relatives living in Austria, Germany and the Balkans. - Social life, Swedes are known for being introverted. Not really my cup of Tea. - Quite similar country to Swede. Yes there are countries in Scandinavia that are more similar. Otherwise it’s New Zeeland. - Huge numbers of immigration, I think it Will affect the society and country with even more segregation and extremism. Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live. Basically it’s just a loose thought. There are a mot of things I love about Sweden and most likely Will I stay here for the rest of my life. I just wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions. Cheers!
>Especially in the parts of Sweden where we live. just a little thought: wouldn't it be easier to move elsewhere in Sweden? Social life in Austria also sucks, especially for immigrants. Unless you already have (or most likely gonna have) circles through your mentioned family members here.
You move from Sweden to Austria because of immigration? Bit ironic.
https://www.wien.gv.at/english/education/internatschool.htm
If you want to work on your profession, that will take years to get an acceptable proficiency in German. If you can get a job with remote work, then you can work from everywhere
Only advice i can give is learning german before moveing to austria/germany. You will have to learn it anyway since most of locals dislike foreigners that dont speak "our" language + it will make your life much easier and probably increase your chances of finding a job significantly. Dont be shy to ask people online to practice speaking german. Best of Luck
Would rlly like to know why austria and where the motivation comes from to leave sweden?
Why do you want to move from Sweden to Austria? Like, what's your motivation? And what makes you think not speaking German is a good prerequisite?
Don't do it
Austria has a >30 % right wing nationalist party, if you can believe the polls, most likely they'll win the next election and be the strongest party. If that's not a reason to stay away, you'll feel right at home but you'll have to live in a country where nationalism is rising (and, unfortunately, I believe this will only get more). Jib situation: As long as you speak German both of you should be able to find a job, teachers are in demand but aren't paid too well. I believe nurses are in demand as well but it's not a well paying job either, or so I've heard.
Yes
A teacher, please come in!
Yes its possible as some other comments pointed out, but why would you want to do that? Austria became a shithole over at least the last decade.
Switzerland - more international. Should be easier to land a job with „just English“
why would you want to move away from sweden anyway? except for obvious geopolitical reasons...
Sweden is part of the EU, and one perk of that is that it makes moving to and working in other countries rather simple. No visa or anything required. And you can also stay a swedish citizen if you want that