Frank, 43: A German physicist’s employer asked him whether he wanted to work for the company for a few years in Austria. His life as an expat on an international posting came with lots of privileges. In the meantime he has settled here.
My second child was less than a year old when my employer asked me in 2003 whether I wanted to move away to Germany for a few years and work in Austria. The offer was in line with a promotion and the relocation brought lots of privileges with it for my family and I because of the expat status. But what tempted me the most was the prospect of being able to set up something new for the company. In 2007 my family and I went to the USA on a secondment for two years. Since we’ve come back to Europe we’ve been living in Austria once more where I now have a local contract.
My wife and I had mixed feelings about a totally new life in Villach, not because it’s in Austria but because it’s a small town and at the time we were living in Munich city, and we made full use of all it had to offer culturally. We had a good circle of friends and – what was great for a family with little children – my wife’s aunt lived in our house and the in-laws weren’t far away. It was also clear that my wife’s career opportunities – she’s an art historian – would have to be put on hold in Villach.
The only thing I remember being complicated about this international move was the “untypical nature” of my car. Apart from that I didn’t notice anything particularly different to our previous moves within Germany. My employer supported me well regarding the search for an apartment, the move and visits to the authorities. As my employment in Austria was an international secondment I was able to stay in the German pension fund system and had valid worldwide private health insurance. I had working abroad surcharges in my salary and my employer paid for a tax accountant.
These privileges were cancelled when I changed to a local contract in 2009. I also had to decide then whether we should go from the USA to Munich or come back to Villach. The main reasons were to do with the private sector which had paid the surcharges for Villach and the social circle that we had built up here in the meantime. We had also come to appreciate the leisure pursuits on offer and how easy it is to enjoy them.
In the end the educational system was the determining factor for Villach in 2009. Because the older the children are, the greater problems with international moves. When we came back from the USA it was time for our older son to switch to a new school. If we’d gone back to Munich it would have been very difficult to find them places in a grammar school. The schools were obviously much more accessible. The bilingual stream at St Martin grammar school was furthermore a good opportunity for them to continue with their English.
I personally have always come across good facilities in Villach to cater for the opportunities I want in life. The first thing that strikes me that could be made simpler to manage for “newcomers” would be to improve the online information service. One simple example: the bus timetables are incomprehensible if you don’t know the areas in question and are very difficult to find online.
As a German I only feel “half foreign” in Austria. For example, I sometimes have to remind my Austrian colleagues that I’m a foreigner when we’re talking about foreign policy. There’s also the fact that I’m not allowed to vote in Austria which lots of Austrians don’t initially know. On the other hand everybody knows I’m German as soon as I open my mouth and in a pub they’ll say “have a good holiday” when I say goodbye.
Overall I think that society here in Carinthia is cohesive because of its reluctance to change, especially in rural areas. When there’s an electoral campaign I’m shocked at how the xenophobic election posters are blatant to a greater or lesser extent. On the one hand because I’m a foreigner, on the other because I’ve got lots of foreign friends and work colleagues who I like very much too. In my company it’s very international. I naturally have a lot of contact with colleagues from Austria but also from lots of different countries. Our company language is English.
I don’t think I’ll apply for Austrian citizenship. Apart from the right to vote my nationality doesn’t matter at all in daily life. But I also feel like a German. I support the German national football team and am proud of Geothe, Gauss and Planck. Moreover, I’m always going to be perceived as one on account of my (lack of) accent. As a result I find that my nationality is also a part of me. 09.12.2013