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MOVING TO AUSTRIA

What makes Austria a difficult country for foreign residents to get started?

Austria generally ranks high in quality of living surveys, but it can be complicated for immigrants who move there. What makes Austria complex for new arrivals and how does it compare to its neighbours?

Published: 21 March 2023 15:01 CET
What makes Austria a difficult country for foreign residents to get started?
Vienna's Stephansdom, a symbol of the Austrian capital. (Photo by Matthew Yong on Unsplash)

Austria is considered one of the best countries in the world to live and work in. It is always placed high on quality of living rankings, has excellent public services and is generally a safe country. 

However, Austria is a challenging place to move to, as a new InterNations survey showed.

Austria ranked 32nd in the Expats Essentials List title “Where do Expats Struggle Most to Get Started”, just behind Brazil, Hungary and Denmark, and ahead of the Philippines, Cyprus and Hong Kong.

The top destinations for dealing with administrations, digital life, housing and language were Bahrain, UAE, Singapore, Estonia, Oman, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kenya and Canada.

The bottom ten were Malta, France, Czechia, Vietnam, Greece, Italy, Kuwait, China, Japan and Austria’s neighbour Germany.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Will Austria follow Spain in introducing a digital nomad visa?

The ranking took into consideration four main criteria. The first was digital life, which includes the availability of administrative services online, ease of obtaining high-speed internet access at home, ease of paying without cash, and unrestricted access to online services such as social media.

It also looked into housing, both affordability of housing and ease of finding a home for expats; administration topics, including ease of dealing with local bureaucracy, ease of opening a local bank account and ease of obtaining a visa. 

READ ALSO: Renting in Austria: How to find a furnished apartment

The fourth factor was language, considering ease of living without speaking the local language and the ease of learning the local language.

Language remains an obstacle

The immigrants interviewed for the InterNations survey found that getting started in the Alpine republic wasn’t easy. Besides its overall ranking of 32nd, it was in the bottom ten in two criteria: cashless payments (45th) and applying for a visa to move (43rd). 

READ ALSO: Why is cash so important to Austrians?

The lack of cashless payment options is particularly disturbing to foreigners, with 14 percent saying they are dissatisfied with it, almost twice as many as worldwide (8 percent). “You can rarely pay by card, and ATMs are hard to find,” said an Irish resident. 

They also struggle with the national language. Austria is a German-speaking country, but the many dialects can make it even more challenging to get around – even if you took German classes.

“The locals speak a dialect that I, as a foreigner, don’t quite understand. This makes me feel excluded sometimes”, said a survey participant from the UK. “I have taken German courses, but people here don’t speak as they do in the courses’, they added.

READ ALSO: ‘Brutal’: What it’s really like to learn German in Austria

Survey participants found it difficult to find their way around Austria without knowing the national language (39 percent), and 52 percent found it difficult to learn (compared to 38 percent worldwide).

On the other hand, the housing search wasn’t an obstacle for immigrants, according to the survey. The majority of respondents (56 percent) found it easy to find a place to live, which is slightly above the global average of 54 percent. They also consider housing affordable (47 percent are satisfied with prices, compared to 39 percent worldwide).

Austria’s administration receives mixed ratings: While opening a bank account is easy (14th), Austria ranks in the bottom ten for visa issuance (43rd): 31 percent of immigrants had difficulties obtaining a visa (vs 24 percent worldwide).

How does Austria compare?

When looking at the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) region, Austria was right at the middle of the ranking, 32nd, while Switzerland ranked higher (20th), and Germany was the worst country to settle as an immigrant (52nd).

READ ALSO: 11 Austrian life hacks that will make you feel like a local

Switzerland was among the top ten (7th) regarding digital infrastructure and administrative issues, but Austria ranked 29th in the first and 27th in the latter (Germany was 48th and 36th).

Austria took the lead compared to its neighbours when it comes to housing, ranking 25th, ahead of Switzerland (44th) and Germany (47th).

Regarding languages, how well you can live without speaking the national language, or how easy it is to learn it, Switzerland ranked 30th, followed by Austria at 38th, and then Germany in the 49th spot.

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LIVING IN AUSTRIA

EXPLAINED: What you need to know about therapy in Austria

If you want to see a therapist in Austria, you can choose between going private or waiting for a public appointment. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 11 April 2024 09:28 CEST
EXPLAINED: What you need to know about therapy in Austria

In Austria, you can participate in a wide range of different therapy methods through both public and private practitioners. Here is what you need to know about the different options.

Public Therapy

To access therapy with a public health insurance therapist in Austria, you need a referral from your Hausarzt confirming your need for this kind of service.

The cost of therapy with a public practitioner in Austria can vary depending on factors such as the therapist’s qualifications, location, and your specific insurance fund.

In general, if you are covered by the most common public insurance fund, ÖGK, you can access therapy with a public therapist and receive a reimbursement of around €35 per hourly session. Other funds have different reimbursement scales, and some private healthcare funds may cover more of the cost. It is important for each patient to check with their specific fund.

Regarding availability, it can sometimes be challenging to get an appointment with a public therapist.

Some patients wait for many months, and the waiting time can vary depending on factors such as the urgency of your needs and, of course, the therapist’s availability. If you want to get an appointment as soon as possible, it is a good idea to sign up on the public therapist waiting list. 

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How the Austrian healthcare system works

Private Therapy

If you are looking for a private therapist, you are likely to receive help sooner. You do not need a referral and can contact the therapist yourself. This may contribute to more effective care, but it also comes with a higher price.

A one-hour session with a therapist costs around 80-150 euros, the price vary depending on factors such as the therapist’s fees and the type of treatment. If you are insured under the Austrian public health insurance system (ÖGK) and choose to see a private therapist, you typically pay for the sessions entirely yourself.

Some private insurance plans might cover the cost of private therapy sessions, which may make it beneficial to sign up for a private healthcare fund. The degree of coverage often depends on each patient’s specific case and insurance package.

Popular private insurance funds in Austria include Allianz and UNIQA, through which you can request more information about possible coverage.

English-Speaking Therapists

There are many English-speaking therapists in Austria, although they are more common in larger towns and cities.

Unfortunately, in more rural regions, it can be difficult to find an English-speaking therapist. However, many mental health practitioners offer their services online via video calls, a trend that increased during the 2020 pandemic.

When you visit your Hausarzt to discuss your therapy plan, you can ask them to refer you to an English-speaking therapist. If you instead prefer private therapy, you can search online for a therapist speaking your desired language.

READ MORE: Everything foreigners need to know about the Austrian healthcare system

Useful links for finding a therapist in Austria

Below are three organisations in Austria responsible for regulating the practice of psychotherapy and maintaining lists of registered therapists on their websites.

European Association for Psychotherapy

ÖBVP – Österreichischer Bundesverband für Psychotherapie

Professional Association of Austrian Psychologists (BÖP)

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