Jobben in Wien

© Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien

All about Studying

Working in Vienna

Author: Rogin Mougoui (Red)

Are you moving to Vienna to study and don't know where to start looking for a job? Here are some helpful tips!

Basically, there are the following job opportunities:

  • Catering: Waiter, kitchen assistant, or barista — you will often find flexible working hours here.
  • Retail/sales: Temporary staff are often sought after in shops, boutiques, or supermarkets. 
  • Museums & cultural institutions: Ideal if you are interested in art, history, or tourism. 
  • Office jobs/home office/remote: Many companies offer student jobs in the office or remote. 
  • University-related jobs: Temporary jobs or tutoring positions at TU Wien, the University of Vienna, universities of applied sciences, or the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. 
  • Seasonal jobs: Summer and winter jobs, e.g., in tourism, events, or at trade fairs. 
  • Promotional jobs: Ideal for communicative people – e.g., distributing flyers, promoting products, or working at events.

What types of employment are there?

Marginal employment

If you regularly earn no more than 551,10€ per month (as of 2025), your job in Austria is considered marginal employment.

Important to know:

  • You are only covered by accident insurance, but not automatically by health or social insurance.
  • If you are no longer co-insured with your parents, you must take out your own health insurance.
    ➝ The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) offers affordable student insurance from around 73,48€ (as of 2025) per month.
  • There is no time limit - the only important thing is that you stay below the income limit.

Students with a contract for work and services or freelance contract

Many students do not work as employees, but on a fee basis - i.e. via a contract for work or a freelance contract.
This means you receive money for a specific service or task - without fixed working hours or direct instructions. This is common for creative projects, tutoring or IT jobs, for example.

Important to know:

  • For tax purposes, it makes no difference whether it is a contract for work or a freelance contract.
  • You must pay tax on the profit (income minus expenses) yourself.
  • You are liable for income tax from an annual income of 13.308€ (as of 2025).
  • In this case, you must submit an income tax return to the tax office yourself.
  • Your employer does not automatically deduct any tax - so you are responsible for income tax (and possibly VAT) yourself.

Vacation jobs

Typically during the semester break - often full-time, usually temporary. Many students use the summer for an internship or a job, e.g. in tourism, at festivals or in childcare. In winter, many students work at Christmas markets.

Job tips

  • Avoid illegal employment! Otherwise you have no legal claims, for example in the event of illness or an accident.
  • Internships can open doors. A good internship is particularly worthwhile when starting a career or in creative fields.
  • Dare to ask! Asking for a job directly on site is often more effective than just looking online.
  • Pay attention to your number of hours. As an international student, restrictions may apply - find out in good time! 
  • Sometimes it's worth deliberately staying low-income employed. This will save you higher taxes, because as soon as you earn more, you have to pay full social insurance contributions (health, pension and unemployment insurance).

Jobs at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

  • Students at the Academy of Fine Arts often receive their first job offers shortly after enrolment - including for work outside the university.
    These jobs are often specifically tailored to certain fields of study and can be easily combined with everyday student life
  • there is also the “Academy Calls” submission platform for internal job advertisements.
    There you will regularly find job offers, project work and vacation jobs related to art or culture that are aimed exclusively at Academy students.