US Teaching Assistantship Program

Applications for the US Teaching Assistantship (USTA) program must be submitted through the application portal. Before applying, please continue reading below for more information about the program.

 Apply for USTA program

Each year, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF) seeks recent college and university graduates interested in teaching English in Austria. Fulbright Austria (Austrian-American Educational Commission) has been responsible for recruiting US citizens for this outstanding program since 1962. More than 4,000 US teaching assistants (USTAs) have made a difference in hundreds of thousands of young Austrians’ lives over the decades.

The objective of the BMBWF's teaching assistantship program—which also brings native speakers from countries such as Russia, Spain, France, and Italy into Austrian secondary schools—is not only to expose young Austrians to native speakers, but also to arouse their interest in other cultures based on cross-cultural dialogue and personal contacts.

Fulbright Austria facilitates the placement of assistants at schools in all nine Austrian provinces under the auspices of this program, which is funded by the BMBWF. Teaching assistants receive a monthly salary along with medical insurance and are required to apply for the appropriate work and residency permits. Although Fulbright Austria administers this program, US teaching assistants are not Fulbright grantees, but rather salaried employees of the provincial school districts employing them. Those interested in applying for US Fulbright student awards in Austria should consult the US Fulbright student page, which includes two awards that combine teaching with the student grant.

English teaching jobs in Austria—in every setting imaginable

Every year, the BMBWF collaborates with provincial school boards to place more than 140 teaching assistants in communities large and small in all nine Austrian provinces. The BMBWF places US teaching assistants in Austria at more than 200 schools and in over 1,800 classrooms, and they have contact with an estimated 40,000 students every week.

While completing your application, you can indicate your preferences in terms of province, city, and/or region. Fulbright Austria works closely with the BMBWF to place applicants according to their preferences and backgrounds; however, positions in urban centers such as Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Graz are limited, so you should also be prepared to take an assignment in smaller, less metropolitan, or rural communities.

In addition to indicating your location preferences, you can also specify in which type of school you would prefer to teach English. Austria has a highly differentiated secondary-school system that is substantially different from the US, so we encourage you to review our section on the Austrian education system.

Months of first-hand experience teaching English in Austria

If accepted into the program, you work as a salaried English teaching assistant in Austria from 1 October to 31 May. You are also required to attend a five-day orientation the week before school starts.

If you demonstrate superior performance in your first year, you may also apply to extend your English teaching assistant job in Austria for a second year. Please note that extensions are up to the discretion of the BMBWF, which limits participation in the program through Fulbright Austria to two years. Second-year teaching assistants are not required to attend orientation prior to starting their second year.

Registration and log-in

Before you can access the application for teaching assistant jobs in Austria, you first need to register by entering a username and password and providing basic personal information. Your username should be in the following format: first name (period) last name, e.g. Jane.Doe. Once you have entered the required information, click on “Create profile.” You will then receive an email confirming registration and issuing you a new password. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email in your inbox, and do not register more than once!

Personal data

Enter your personal information as specified in the online application for the teaching assistant program in Austria, paying particular attention to the mandatory fields. Please note that this information is for internal use and is only shared with parties relevant to application processing and placement; Fulbright Austria will not sell or share this information with outside parties. More information on how we handle your personal data can be found in our privacy statement.

Contact information

Please provide Fulbright Austria with both a permanent and a current address as well as your preferred email address. All official correspondence will be sent to your email address.

Experience

In addition to uploading their CV in the “Uploads” section of the application, those interested in teaching English in Austrian schools must also complete the application section regarding general work experience, relevant work experience, and social engagement. If you do not have any experience in a particular category, you may leave it blank. If you do have experience in any of the three categories, please list the three most relevant employers/activities in each category, starting with the most recent. Include the name of your employer(s), your duties and responsibilities, the duration of employment, and the number of hours worked per week.

Uploads

 The following documents must be uploaded as individual PDFs (no larger than 2MB) by the January 15 application deadline:

• Curriculum vitae
  • Your curriculum vitae should include the most important information about you that is relevant to English teaching jobs in Austria. Your CV should not exceed two pages. Please do not use the Europass format; instead, create your own CV to provide comprehensive and well-structured information about yourself, your education background, work experience, study abroad experiences, extracurricular activities, social involvement, skills, etc.

• Proof of German proficiency
  • A certificate or signed letter confirming that you have a German proficiency level of at least “intermediate mid” based on the ACTFL guidelines. Said letter can come from a German professor or department and should be on institutional letterhead. The certificate can be one issued by the Goethe-Institut or a similar institution.

• Current (or final) official transcript

  • Your application to be a teaching assistant in Austria must include your current transcript if you are currently in your final year or your final transcript if you have already received your undergraduate degree. In either instance, it must be an official transcript to be accepted. Do not upload screenshots of your student account. Scanned copies of your official transcript are sufficient at the time of application. If you are a transfer student, upload all of your transcripts as a single PDF. If you are currently a graduate student, please upload your final undergraduate transcript and your current graduate transcript as a single PDF. If you are selected to teach English in Austrian schools, you will be required to send or, preferably, to have your registrar email an official PDF transcript to Fulbright Austria once you have received your degree.

• Personal statement

  • When working on your application for teaching assistant jobs in Austria, you should view the personal statement as an opportunity to talk about yourself, your motives for applying to the USTA program, and the attributes you feel will make you an effective teaching assistant. There is, of course, no formula for this statement; simply consider what you personally think is important for application reviewers to know about you. Previous applicants have chosen to address, amongst other things, their personal histories, family background, intellectual development, or key experiences that have affected them or led them to consider a career in education. No matter what aspects of your life you opt to emphasize, be sure to focus on the things that make you unique. You may submit your personal statement in English or German. The statement should not exceed 1,000 words.

• Two letters of recommendation

  • You are encouraged to choose references who can best address the qualifications and skill sets required for teaching assistant jobs in Austria. Please contact potential references far enough in advance to confirm that they are willing to write your letters of recommendation and to give them ample time to complete your letters. Once each reference has confirmed, enter their name and email address in the application. The reference will then receive an email asking them to complete a short questionnaire and write a letter of recommendation. The online application system allows you to track whether a reference has submitted their letter of recommendation for you. Moreover, you may remind references once to submit their letters of recommendation, or you can remove references who have not submitted their letters and enter new references. Bear in mind that both letters of recommendation must be received by the 15 January deadline.

• Signed application form
  • Once you have completed the entire online application, you will need to print a copy, sign it, and then upload the signed copy as a single PDF. Double-check that the information you have entered is accurate before printing, signing, and uploading the application.

Preparing for teaching assistant jobs in Austria: your pre-departure checklist

Being accepted into the USTA program is only the first step; upon acceptance, there are additional requirements to teach English in Austria, and these action items should be completed immediately:

• Email your signed letter of acceptance and pay the €100 processing fee to Fulbright Austria

• Inform Fulbright Austria before 1 May if you plan to reside in a city other than the city in which your Stammschule is located

• Ensure that the information contained in the Bestätigung you receive in mid-May is correct

You will also need to take care of the following items as soon as possible, but no later than 1 July:

• Email your official final transcript to Fulbright Austria or have your university’s registrar do so

• Send a photo to Fulbright Austria per email for internal use

• Submit a complete residency permit application to an Austrian consulate or honorary consulate in the United States or your current country of residence. A complete application includes:
  • Birth certificate with apostille
  • Police clearance letter with apostille
  • Passport (color copy), must be valid for at least six months after the projected end of your stay in Austria
  • Bestätigung and supplementary correspondence provided by Fulbright Austria
  • Passport-sized photo for Austrian authorities
  • Completed and signed application form

Do not forget to:
 

• Get a receipt for your residency permit from the (honorary) consulate and email a copy to Fulbright Austria

• Contact your school(s) and the teaching assistants currently placed at your school(s)

• Research your school online, particularly if it is a specialized school

Registering with the local authorities

Eligibility

• Are non-US citizens eligible to teach English in Austria at secondary schools as participants of the US Teaching Assistantship program?
  • No. US citizenship is one of the requirements for participating in the US Teaching Assistantship program.

• If I have dual citizenship, am I eligible to participate in the US Teaching Assistantship program?
  • Yes, dual citizenship is acceptable if you are a dual US citizen.

• Am I eligible for the US Teaching Assistantship program if I have not yet graduated?
  • You can apply as a graduating senior but must have your degree in hand before you assume your position and start teaching English in Austria. Fulbright Austria must receive your final transcript by 20 August.

• I already applied to be a US teaching assistant in Austria once but was rejected / put on the waitlist / withdrew from the program. Am I still eligible to participate in the program?
  • Yes, applicants who have already applied but did not participate in the program are still eligible.

• Can I apply for the US Teaching Assistantship program administered by Fulbright Austria if I also apply to a Fulbright ETA program in a different country?
  • Yes, because—in contrast to Fulbright ETA programs—the Austrian US Teaching Assistantship program is not part of the Fulbright Program, but rather an Austrian government program administered by Fulbright Austria on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF).

Applications

• Can the online application form for English teaching jobs in Austria be submitted more than once?
  • No, each applicant may only submit the online application once. If you experience technical problems, please contact the USTA program officer.

• I have registered by creating a username and password but have not yet received an email with my login information. What should I do?
  • Check your spam filter and junk mail folder. If you have already registered once, please do not register a second time. Instead, contact the USTA program officer.

• Can I make changes to my online application?
  • Yes, you may register and then log in to work on your online application. You can save any work in progress and continue at a later time. You can continue to work on or amend your online application until you have submitted it, at which point you will no longer be able to make changes. Please note that only complete applications can be submitted. Be sure to double-check your entries to ensure they are accurate.

• Can I make changes to my online application after submitting it?
  • No. Once your online application has been submitted, you will no longer be able to access it to make changes. Please note that you that the system will only allow you to submit complete applications.

• How long should the application essay / personal statement for teaching assistant jobs in Austria be?
  • Your personal statement can be written in English or German and should not exceed 1,000 words.

• I already applied last year to teach English in Austrian schools as part of the USTA program and am applying again this year. Is it possible to use the same letters of recommendation that I submitted last year, or should I procure new ones from new sources?
  • Please provide new letters of recommendation for this year’s application. The sources can be the same, but the letters must be current and uploaded by the recommender using the online application system.

• Do my letters of recommendation and transcripts need to be mailed to Fulbright Austria?
  • Please do not send any items to Fulbright Austria via post unless explicitly instructed to do so. All application materials should be uploaded using the online application system.

• Do the letters of recommendation need to be in English, or can they also be in German if the person writing them is a native German speaker?
  • The letters of recommendation can be written in English or German.

• Is there a specific evaluation form that I need to complete for a certificate or letter from a German department?
  • No, there is no specific form; a letter from a qualified individual/institution is sufficient. The letter needs to certify that your German proficiency is at a level comparable to the minimum requirements for “intermediate mid” or above based on ACTFL guidelines. Following the EU CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) standards, applicants should be at a B1 level or higher. Please note that the letter must be on institutional letterhead and signed by the person issuing the proof of German proficiency.

• To prove my language proficiency, should I have the German department administer the ACTFL OPI test or simply write a letter stating that I am at the “intermediate mid” level and meet the German-language requirements to teach English in Austria?
  • If your German department can confirm that you are at an “intermediate mid” level or higher based on ACTFL guidelines, then the OPI test is not necessary.

• Is it an issue if my language proficiency letter AND a letter of recommendation come from the same professor?
  • It is not a problem for a language proficiency letter and a letter of recommendation to be written by the same person. Please note, however, that the language proficiency letter is one of the mandatory uploads you need to complete as part of the online application. Therefore, while the two letters can be written by one person, you still must upload each letter as a separate document.

• The deadline to apply to work as an assistant English teacher in Austria is 15 January. However, my final grades for the fall semester will not yet be available on my transcript. Will this be an issue?
  • No. Simply upload your most recent transcript before the January 15 deadline. If you are accepted into the program, you will be required to submit your final transcript to Fulbright Austria as soon as you have it.

General questions about the program

• Do US citizens need a visa to live and teach English in Austria?
  • US citizens can stay in Austria as tourists for 90 days without a visa. However, when starting their jobs on October 1, US English teaching assistants in Austria need to be in possession of a valid residency permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung für Sonderfälle unselbstständiger Erwerbstätigkeit), which they must apply for at an Austrian consulate in the US (or in their current legal country of residence). Participation in the USTA program is only permitted with said permit. (Please note that US citizens with dual citizenship in an EU country—who already have the right to live and work in Europe by virtue of their EU citizenship—are exempt from the permit requirement.)

• As a US teaching assistant in Austria, am I a Fulbrighter?
  • You are a member of the Fulbright Austria community, but you are not a Fulbrighter because—in contrast to the ETA programs within the Fulbright Program—the USTA program is not a Fulbright grant program, but rather an Austrian government program funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF). Fulbright Austria has administered US participants in this program on behalf of the ministry since 1962. Therefore, as a program participant teaching English in Austria, you are a salaried employee of the respective provincial school board, not a recipient of a Fulbright grant.

• Can teaching assistants begin their assignment after 1 October or end sooner than 31 May?
  • No. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF) stipulates that program participants must be available for the entirety of the assignment, from 1 October to 31 May.

• Can I take part in the program and teach English in Austria for more than one academic year?
  • Yes. If your performance merits an extension, you may apply for a second year. You can request either to stay in your current school(s) or to be placed in schools in another part of Austria. If, for example, you were assigned to teach English in Salzburg in your first year, you can remain in Salzburg or ask to teach English in Graz, Innsbruck, Vienna, etc., in your second year. Please note, however, that extensions are only granted to teaching assistants with a documented record of superior performance.

• Can I participate in the program for more than two academic years?
  • No. Participation in the US Teaching Assistantship program administered by Fulbright Austria is limited to a maximum of two academic years.

• As a US teaching assistant in Austria, would I be able to take on another job?
  • No. Your residency permit will be issued exclusively for the US Teaching Assistantship program and precludes you from being otherwise employed. Any additional employment will have legal consequences, the worst-case scenario being expulsion from Austria and the EU / Schengen Area. (The residency permit—and the corresponding restricted access to the Austrian/EU labor market—only applies to US citizens; those who hold dual citizenship in an EU country and thus have the right to freely live and work in the EU are not subject to the same restrictions.)

• Are US teaching assistants insured?
  • Yes, USTAs are registered with the Austrian insurance company BVAEB during their assistantship.

• Is housing included in the program? If not, does Fulbright Austria provide assistance in securing housing?
  • No, housing is not included in the program. Fulbright Austria provides useful information about how to secure housing, but each teaching assistant is responsible for finding their own accommodations.

• How do US teaching assistants in Austria prepare for their assignments?
  • The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF) organizes a five-day orientation seminar in late September that provides English-speaking teaching assistants with information about logistical and practical issues and teaching techniques. Fulbright Austria also issues two different handbooks to help teaching assistants prepare in the months prior to their arrival in Austria.

• What is the best way for US teaching assistants to get information about the schools and areas where they have been placed?
  • You will have a contact teacher at each school to which you are assigned and will be provided with their contact information. You will also have access to a list of current US teaching assistants, who are a good source of information specific to your school(s) and area, and in many cases the schools have their own websites with relevant information.

Duties and responsibilities

• As a US English teaching assistant in Austria, do I have to test and grade students?
  • No. You can assist the teacher in these tasks, but testing and grading are not part of your responsibilities as a US teaching assistant.

• How many hours do English teaching assistant jobs in Austria entail?
  • You are required to work 13 hours per week in the classroom, and you will also need additional time outside of the classroom to prepare your lessons.

• How should I prepare for my job as a US teaching assistant?
  • Contact your school(s) as soon as possible to find out what they expect you to prepare and whether they would like you to bring any materials with you from the US for your classes. Also be sure to familiarize yourself with the focus of your particular school(s) (e.g., business, technology, agriculture, etc.).

If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact the USTA program officer.