Preparation while still in the United States

• Finding Living Accomodations
• Packing for Austria

Procedures after arriving in Austria (with which to be familiar before arriving)

• Orientation Seminar
• Registration With Local Authorities
• Financial Information
• Health Care Coverage
• Public Transportation

Finding living accomodations

The best way to begin your search for housing in Austria is probably by contacting your Stammschule. (If you will be teaching at two schools, then your Stammschule is the first school listed on the memorandum sent to you). Your BetreungslehrerIn or another teacher should be able to point you in the right direction to find local housing. We also provide you with tips on finding housing in our TA Handbook and post some housing offers and advice on the Fulbright Forum, which you can join once you are accepted as a USTA.

Packing for Austria

Here are a few things to consider before lugging any media materials from the U.S.:

• If you will be teaching in or near one of the larger cities, e.g., Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, you will be able to find most types of media in English (e.g., newspapers, magazines, books, CDs, and movies) there. However, be aware that American CDs, and movies are more expensive in Austria than in the U.S.
  If, however, you are teaching in one of the more rural areas (which is likely),you might consider bringing a few materials with you from the U.S. or buying them when you are in one of Austria's larger cities.
• Unfortunately, U.S. DVDs are incompatible with European DVD players. Some schools will have equipment that can play both the American and European format, so it is important to check with the school(s) at which you will be teaching to learn more about their equipment accessibility if you plan to use a lot of DVDs. Many schools have internet access, so it is often possible to play clips off of Youtube or similar sites, if you want to show a clip from an American TV show, for example.
• Check with your school(s) to confirm the above information and to ask any further questions you may have about teaching materials.

Clothing:

Though appropriate teaching attire is generally fairly casual in Austria, it is a good idea to ask the principal or a teacher at your school(s) about what teachers generally wear there. Compared to the U.S., clothing in Austria is relatively expensive, so you may want to avoid buying your 'teaching wardrobe' on site. You will most likely have at least one occasion here for which formal attire will be appropriate, for example a your school's ball (prom), the opera, some other ball, etc.

Austrian winters can be pretty rough, so bring some warm clothing, especially if you'll be in the mountains. The climate will vary a bit, depending upon the region in which you teach.

Electrical Appliances:

Europe has differently-shaped plugs and a different (much stronger) voltage system (240V) than the one used in the U.S. Thus, you will FRY your electronics(and possibly yourself) if you try plugging them in here without making sure they contain, or are hooked up to, an appropriate converter. If you bring a laptop, it should contain a converter, and many cell phones do as well. Hair dryers and curling irons typically do not. In any case, remember and check the voltage difference before packing any electrical appliances, and consider buying cheaper ones once you get here.

Money:

Your first paycheck will not arrive until mid-November (that is when you will get your salaries for October and November), so bring adequate funding to cover all of your expenses up until that point. Bear in mind that these expenses will likely include a security deposit for your living space. From November on, you will receive a monthly net salary of around € 1,050.00. This paycheck will be deposited directly into an Austrian bank account which you will open immediately upon arrival in Austria.

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Registration with local authorities

Please note: Registering with the local Austrian authorities and securing your residency permit are two seperate issues and are handled by seperate authorities!

Within three working days of entering Austria, you (and your dependants) are technically required to register with the appropriate authorities.

In Vienna, you register with the Magistratisches Bezirksamt.

Elsewhere in Austria you register with the local Magistrat or Gemeindeamt.

For registering with the Austrian authorities, you will need:

1. Meldezettel registration form
2. A signature on the Meldezettel from your landlord/landlady
3. Your passport and supporting documents if applicable.

Fill out the Meldezettel form and have it signed by the person renting you your accommodation or by the owner of the house you are living in (UnterkunftgeberIn or landlord/landlady) in Austria. Once you have collected your landlady's or landlord's signature (bottom left hand corner of document) on the Meldezettel, your form is ready for the registration office.

Be sure to bring your passport and any other relevant documents (e.g. marriage license for spouses) with you to the appropriate office.

The authorities record your personal data, passport number, and current and home addresses and assign you a twelve digit "central registration number" (Zentrale Melderegister-Zahl or ZMR-Zahl), which you use in any further official business to identify yourself.

Please note that this number will be used to ascertain if you have a valid residency permit as well as its expiration date. In Austria the Meldezettel is an important document for identification purposes. It is a good idea to keep a copy of your Meldezettl in your wallet at all times, along with a copy of your passport. Furthermore, you are required to deregister with the authorities at the end of your stay in Austria.

Financial Information

Your monthly income will automatically be deposited directly into your Austrian bank account at the middle of each month. Unfortunately, your October paycheck will not arrive until in mid-November. Be sure to bring enough money with you to cover living expenses, security deposit, etc. from your arrival until mid-November.

Make sure to open up an Austrian bank account as soon as you arrive in Austria and inform your school(s) immediately as to which bank you are using and what your account details are. Your bank account MUST be a Gehaltskonto, otherwise your employer (the school) will be unable to direct-deposit your paycheck. When opening your Gehaltskonto, tell the bank that your employer is the Landeschulrat, or if you work in Vienna, it is the Stadtschulrat. Open your account and inform your school as soon as possible to make sure that you get paid on time!

Monthly income is about € 1,300 (it varies, depending upon available funding, from year to year), and deductions for social security (including health insurance) and income tax resulting in a net take-home pay of about € 1,050.

As a side note, you may want to check with the U.S. Social Security Administration about the possibility of counting your time spent working in Austria toward your social security requirements (their calculations of your total time as a working citizen) in the U.S.

Tax Returns: The taxes deducted from your paycheck are based on a yearly salary. Therefore you will pay a lot more taxes than you actually owe. You should file for a tax refund at the end of the year. The necessary forms are available at your local Finanzamt.

Salary statements: TAs receive a monthly salary statement, or Gehaltszettel, which shows the gross income and the various deductions. In most cases you will see the information on the bank statement of your Gehaltskonto.

Transportation Costs: If you are working in two schools which are located in different cities, you may be reimbursed for the cost of transportation between the two schools. This usually happens via an agreed-upon raise in your monthly salary, equivalent to the cost of public transportation between the two cities.

Health Care Coverage

During the period of their assignments in Austria (note: not beforehand or afterward), teaching assistants are covered as “employees” by the health and accident insurance program of the BVA – Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter. For detailed information on the conditions and extent of coverage, teaching assistants should consult the BVA website at www.bva.at or call the BVA Hotline at 05 04 05.

A month or so after you have started working, you should receive a special electronic insurance card (E-Card), which looks like a credit card, and insurance number (Sozialversicherungskarte, Sozialversicherungsnummer), from the agency responsible for insuring you. Bring this so-called e-card with you whenever you need treatment.  It has all relevant data for the physicians and insurance agency.

Coverage includes treatment for illness and injuries, eye examinations, some basic dental care, pregnancy, medication, therapeutic and laboratory services (if prescribed by a physician), medical supplies, hospitalization, etc. Many Austrian physicians or hospitals have contracts with the BVA. Make sure that the health care provider you consult has a BVA contract before going in for treatment.  Health care providers bill the BVA directly for the costs of treatment, and the BVA bills you for 20% of the total. This insurance has a 20% deductible (Selbstbehalt) for out-patient treatment; in-patient treatment (hospitalization) is covered in full.

Austrian medical insurance also covers medication. A prescription fee (Rezeptgebühr) of € 4.90 is collected for each medication prescribed. The physician responsible for prescribing the medication must be consulted if additional medication is needed, and he/she will issue another prescription. Note: birth control medication is not covered by your insurance, and typically runs € 10-€ 20 per month.

If you go on vacation outside Austria, you may request an Urlaubskrankenschein (also called Auslandsbetreuungsschein) in the event that you become ill while away from your place of residence. Austrian health and accident insurance is valid in EU countries as well as in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland. You need to check that your e-card has “Europäische Krankenversicherungskarte” written on the backside (above the signature) and take your card with you during your travels.

NOTE: The insurance coverage for U.S. teaching assistants does not apply to the United States. Should you visit the U.S. in the course of your assignment, you must provide for adequate insurance coverage yourself either by contacting a U.S. insurance company or a local Austrian insurance company that will provide you with a moderately priced Reiseversicherung. Before traveling outside of the European Union (e.g. in Eastern Europe), you should inquire if there are insurance reciprocity agreements between Austria and the countries you will be visiting. The BVA currently has bilateral agreements with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro und Turkey.

Health insurance for accompanying dependents: Children are insured free of charge under the auspices of parental insurance. Spouses may be insured free of charge if they are exclusively engaged in child-care. Otherwise, insurance premiums have to be paid to insure accompanying spouses. The rate of premium is 3.4% of the gross salary of the primary insurance carrier.

If you fall ill...
If you get ill and are unable to work, it is important to call in sick at your school or schools immediately on the first day to let them know that you will not be coming to work. You are required to get a note from your doctor (Krankenstandsmeldung) that you are ill, which has to be forwarded to the BVA. Please inquire at your school whether you are required to bring a confirmation from a physician (this may depend on the duration of your illness).

Public Transportation

A useful tip provided by former Teaching Assistants is the purchase of the discount train card (Vorteilskarte) which is issued by the Austrian Railway Company (ÖBB) and can be applied for at Austrian train stations. Please remember to take an ID and a passport photo with you. This card is valid for one year and reduces the costs of train rides by up to 50%. If you are under 26, the card will cost you € 19.90; otherwise, it will cost € 99.90. There is also the possibility of getting a 25 % reduction for traveling in most European countries with your Vorteilscard. There are also an increasing number of discount fares offered by the ÖBB to neighboring EU countries (sometimes as low as 29 Euros for a seat on a night train). More information on the Vorteilscard and the Austrian Railway System can be found online at: http://www.oebb.at

Inquire at the local transportation services about available monthly/annual tickets that might save you some money.

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