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After You Have Been Accepted to the Austrian Teaching Assistantship Program |
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Procedures After Arriving in Austria (with
which to be familiar before arriving)
Procedures After Arriving In Austria Orientation Seminar First, a friendly word of advice: If the following pieces of information (about what you must do once you arrive in Austria) seem a bit overwhelming to you at the moment, do not panic. The conductors of the orientation seminar will go over all of this information again with you in September / October. More information about the orientation seminar (logistics, etc.) will be send to you in the offical letter of appointment and can also be found in the TA handbook. Registration with local authorities Please note: Registering with the Austrian authorities and securing your residency permit follow two separate procedures and are therefore handled by different authorities. Within three days of entering Austria (counting weekdays only), you (and your dependants) technically are 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.
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. Furthermore, you are required to deregister with the authorities at the end of your stay in Austria. Financial Information (and now, for the moment we've all been waiting for...) Your monthly income, or Aufwandsentschädigung, will automatically be DEPOSITED DIRECTLY into your Austrian bank account at the middle of each month. The deposit of your first paycheck may be delayed for administrative reasons, but should arrive at the latest in November. NOTE: Be sure to bring enough money with you to cover your financial matters which preceed your first paycheck. 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. Your bank account MUST be a Gehaltskonto (if you plan on being paid), because that is the type of account necessary for your employer to be able to deposit your paycheck. When going to open 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 prevent delayment of any paychecks. Monthly income is generally about € 1,250 (it varies, depending upon available funding, from year to year). Deductions: 17.8% of your monthly income will automatically be deducted for social security, which includes health care coverage in Austria. [NOTE: Though you may not be thrilled with the prospect of watching 17.8% of your income 'disappear' each month, you DO get something in return. The coverage that you get as a result rewards you with such joys as complementary dental and doctor appointments, insurance in the event of accident, etc. 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.] Taxes: Income tax will be deducted directly from your paycheck. 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 return 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, generally of the same amount as 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 completely covered by the Austrian compulsory health insurance program of the BVA Versicherungsanstalt öttentlich Bediensteter(regional insurance agencies). You will receive a special insurance card and number (Sozialversicherungskarte, Sozialversicherungsnummer) and the so-called e-card, from the agency responsible for insuring you. Bring the e-card with you whenever you need treatment. Coverage includes eye examinations, basic dental care, pregnancy, medication, therapeutic and laboratory services, medical supplies, hospitalization, etc. Many Austrian physicians have contracts with the BVA, which has a 20 % deductible for out-patient treatment. NOTE: Not all dental work is covered by this insurance. Before having dental work done, ask what services are included to avoid misunderstandings regarding costs. Austrian medical insurance also covers medication. A prescription fee (Rezeptgebühr) of € 4.80 is collected for each medication prescribed. The physician responsible for prescribing the medication must be consulted if additional medication is needed and issues another prescription. If you go on vacation in Austria, you may request an Urlaubskrankenschein for the eventuality that you become ill while away from your place of residence. Austrian health and accident insurance also is valid in a number of European countries (ask at your school before you travel to see if you are covered). For treatment outside of Austria you need an Auslandskrankenschein. Teaching assistants can request both of these from the appropriate office at their schools. NOTE: The insurance coverage for U.S. teaching assistants does not apply to the United States. Should you visit the U.S., 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 state(s) you will be visiting. 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, e.g if your gross salary is € 1,251 the insurance premium for your spouse would be 3.4% thereof or € 42.53. 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 to let them know that you will not be coming to work. You may take three days of sick leave without confirmation from a physician. If you miss more than three days of work due to illness, you are required to bring a confirmation from a physician that you were ill. Public Transportation Austria has one of the best public transportation systems in the world. In fact, you should have little problem using this system for travel around Austria. A useful tip provided by former Teaching Assistants is the purchase of the so-called "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 45%. If you are under 26 the card will cost you € 19.90 otherwise it will amount to € 99.90. More information on the Vorteilskarte and the Austrian Railway System can be found online at: http://www.oebb.at/ |
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| The Austrian-American
Educational Commission (Fulbright Commission) endeavors to update the information on this site on a regular basis, but cannot guarantee its accuracy at all times. |
last
modified 10/05/2004 © All Rights Reserved |
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