Live, Work & Travel in Switzerland & Austria
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Amadeus Association – Provides German language courses in Vienna, vocational training and work experience programmes throughout Austria including ski and snowboard instructor courses with paid work experience in the Austrian Alps.
Bergwald Project – Campaigns against the destruction of mountain forests in Switzerland, arranging for volunteers to be able to experience the ecosystem first hand.
Employment in Switzerland and Austria
Employers, Agencies & Placement Services
ACLE – an Italian educational association accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education and the World TEFL Accrediting Committee. ACLE has over 30 years of experience in the language-learning and language-teaching sector. Each summer the association trains and places more than 400 English tutors in camps to teach English to Italian children and teenagers.
Alpenrider – Alpenrider is run by boarders, skiers and mountain people who love the mountains. They offer “a young persons chalet” in Kitzbuehel complete with its own bar in the chalet and a fun easy going atmosphere that revolves around cleaniness and customer support.
Altitude International Camps – Run camps for children in Verbier, Zermatt and the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps. We couldn’t find any employment information on their site but Altitude have advertised for staff in our Jobs Abroad Bulletin where they were looking for fully qualified language tutors throughout the months of June, July and August to teach English, French, German or Spanish to children aged four to 16 years. They have also advertised for group leaders.
Austria Classic Hotels – Over a dozen hotels across Austria. There isn’t any employment information but the hotel list provides the email addresses of all the hotels in the group.
Camp Montana – 120 counselors, sports instructors and language teachers are employed by this Swiss summer camp. Staff members are carefully chosen on the basis of their age, education, experience, maturity and ability to work with children.
Camp Suisse – This summer camp looks for friendly and kind, honest and highly-motivated youth development professionals. Cleaners, chefs are among other staff taken on.
The Childen’s House – An international Montessori kindergarton in Vienna that sometimes employs teachers trained or experienced in Montessori education.
English for Kids – English teachers and camp counsellors employed in Austria. The site is in German but the ‘Job Opportunity’ link at the bottom of the page and subsequent employment information is in English.
Gampe Thaya – This traditional mountain lodge in the Oetztal Alps invites job applicants.
Hotel de Werdenberg – An Austrian hotel that we once noticed looking for a chef to feed hungry skiers.
Les Elfes International – Are always on the lookout for enthusiastic professional staff, who like children, for their summer and winter camps and travel programmes in Switzerland.
Le Rosey Summer Camps – Sports instructors and arts and crafts teachers employed.
Leysin American School in Switzerland – Welcomes applications starting during September and October for the following Summer for their Summer in Switzerland programme. Candidates with an EU passport or who live in a country that is part of the Schengen agreement are preferred. Multilingualism is a plus; they are particularly interested in speakers of Arabic, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish.
Lovell Camps – Summer and winter camps in the Swiss Alps. No employment information but they state that their English speaking staff are either professional teachers, skilled international and Swiss ski instructors, or experienced camp counsellors.
On the Piste – Independent ski holiday company with positions in Switzerland.
Perfect Way – A Swiss agency happy to place British girls.
Pro Filia – Au pair postions in Switzerland.
Ski Armadillo – A small independent company run by experienced skiers that have spent many seasons in Verbier.
TASIS – Teaching or counsellor positions in Switzerland.
The Three Tells – An Interlaken Irish pub that may have vacancies.
Young Austria – Should you be 20 years or older, creative, patient with kids, friendly, flexible, sporty and full of ideas, then you can join their camp counsellor team.
Employment Resources for Finding Work in Switzerland and Austria
Advice & Useful Sites for Finding Work
AMS – The Austrian Public Employment Service provides information on working, recruiting and studying in Austria.
Kitzbuhel – Tourist and other information for the Austrian winter resort.
HELP.gv.at – An Austrian government agency help site for foreign workers.
Interaktive Karriereforderung – An AMS run forum on careers in Austria. In German.
Jobs Austria.at – Austrian job search engine. In German.
Jobsearch.at – A German language job portal for Austria.
Ladiesjobs – Jobs for the girls in Austria. In German.
Migration.gv.at – The federal government’s official information on migration to Austria.
Oscars – There are pictures of people in chef hats alongside words like hotellerie, gastonomie and tourismus so I’m going to go out on a limb and say this German language magazine is for the Austrian hotel and catering sector.
Wildschoenau Tourist Office – Tourist office for Austrian winter resort.
Gap Year & Voluntary Work in Switzerland and Austria
Unpaid Positions & Adventure
Amadeus Association – Provides German language courses in Vienna, vocational training and work experience programmes throughout Austria including ski and snowboard instructor courses with paid work experience in the Austrian Alps.
Bergwald Project – Campaigns against the destruction of mountain forests in Switzerland, arranging for volunteers to be able to experience the ecosystem first hand.
Gruppo Voluntari della Svizzera Italiana – The Group of Volunteers of Italian Switzerland (GVSI) organises one week long community service workcamps between June and September.
Grenzenlos – An Austrian NGO based in Vienna, Grenzenlos is a non profit association aiming to promote world peace and tolerance through international non formal education programmes. They can help organise internships and workcamp placements in Austria.
International Conference Volunteers – Voluntary work assisting with conferences available in Switzerland.
Landdienst-Zentralstelle – Agricultural vacation work in the farming cantons of Switzerland. Details in English, French, Italian and German.
WWOOF Austria – Working vacations on organic farms in Austria. In German and English.
WWOOF Switzerland – In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
Living in Switzerland & Austria
Real Estate and Resources for Staying Long Term
About Austria – Provides a list of estate agents in the living in Austria section plus travel information and city guides.
Travelling in Switzerland & Austria
Accommodation & Getting Around
Alpbach – Austrian village surrounded by 160 km of well marked hiking trails and 45 km of family friendly ski runs.
Swiss Backpacker News – Low cost travel guide to Switzerland.
Swiss Backpackers – Hostels in the Alps.
Swiss Federal Railways – Features an online timetable, fare finder and ticket ordering.
Tourist Office Obergurgl-Hochgurgl
Other Useful Websites
Culture, News…
ABC-Zentrum Sprachinstitut Vienna, Austria – German courses in Vienna.
Alpha Sprachinstitut Austria – Learn German in Vienna. Intensive German courses, cultural programmes, accommodation. Following the system of the Goethe-Institute, courses prepare for internationally recognized certificates.
DeutschAkademie – German Course Vienna at DeutschAkademie. Intensive language training with modern and communication oriented methods in small groups of five to nine students.
Germanspeakers.com – Study German in Vienna. Beside theory and communication training in class you will experience Vienna by various interactive learning actions.
Index image courtesy of Claudia Beyli