Experience as an SAP consultant in Austria or where an IT professional can live well
Thanks to the immigration program for highly qualified specialists to Austria, which opened in July 2011, I was able to try my chance and change my life for the better.
What is the usual Russian SAP consultant used to seeing daily? Processing, nerves of the boss or client, constantly dissatisfied users. The consultant has to come home late if you do not live in a hotel of a thread in a distant northern city. One St. Petersburg SAP consultant once remarked: “It's normal when you wake up on a train at night and you don’t remember where you are going — to St. Petersburg or Moscow.” Yes, they pay well for all this, as non-SAP consultants believe. But no more than a professional developer, with the only difference being that you can come to SAP from a business, or, for example, by working as a secretary somewhere in the office where SAP was introduced at the “next door”. Although there are good companies in Russia, where a healthy team is nice and comfortable, they are fed, and they leave home after 18. But there are few of them, and more often they are foreign.
And it was this last thought that prompted me to try myself abroad, especially since foreign HR agencies attacked me with their Russian-speaking agents for a long time.
I couldn’t find a job through them, because these agencies do not even know how to get a work visa, but instead they ask the duty question: “Do you need Sponsorship?” Yes I need it. I need the support of the employer in the form of an official offer, which will create the basis for obtaining a work visa. I don’t need any money. But these employers, as soon as they see the word "Sponsorship" on the resume, immediately put off such candidates, even if they are "seven spans in the forehead." Because employers do not know how simple it really is to get this work visa. Another type of agency - “bodyshop”, at first they offer a fictitious contract with them, and then they sell you from you or do not sell them at all - you look for a job yourself. I immediately did not want to go there for obvious reasons.
In the end, I found one company that does a visa, and helps to find work, and the prices are reasonable. Sent, prompted, reasoned.
So, I'm in Austria. I work for internal consultants. It looks like ours. But the company has a beautiful office that meets the requirements of ergonomics. There are strictly 4 people in the office, in Russia at least 8 people would be able to accommodate a cabinet of the same size. So that everyone suffocates from the smells of soared bodies and boiling brains. Further, each table has a length of at least 1.5-2 meters. A minimum of two people can accommodate. But here strictly -1 people. On the table you can put 1 computer with a large monitor with anti-reflective coating. And next to a laptop connected to a monitor. And much more that can be accommodated on the table - there would be a desire. Above the table are fluorescent lamps with automatic adjustment that reacts to movement and the level of external light. There is a lot of external light, since the walls in the room are glass. Winter is not cold. And of course, comfortable, refurbished chairs. They say that this is not the case in all companies, but in large ones — labor safety is strictly observed. And I noticed the effect right away, since I almost no longer saw in the mirror my red, inflamed overworked eyes.
Another important point is the work week, which lasts 38.5 hours. This means that every day you can work for 8 hours 15 minutes, and on Friday - a short day. Work can be started from 6.30 to 9.00. To whom it is convenient. But after 8 hours and 15 minutes, be nice - go home, or explain what kind of processing you have.
Maybe you want to work 1 hour more every day, and take a day off on Friday? Well, maybe I’ve got a day for a vacation, great. Neither is production necessity? Payment in double size. By the way, on account of the vacation - in Austria, leave is 5 weeks, usually they beat for 3 weeks in the summer and one week in the fall and spring. Some foreigners take 2-3 weeks of “home-office” and go home to work. This is possible by agreement with the authorities. In my company, without sick leave, on trust, you can get sick for 3 days. Then I need a sick leave. If an employee lives more than an hour from the place of work, then a year after employment, he can take Friday as a “home-office”. By the way, the road to work is compensated.
Sometimes you think it’s not work, but just rest. You can be at home at 4-5 o’clock all evening, if you want - go to the mountains, go for a run or a concert, stay with your friends or family. Probably, of course, there are cons, and not in all the teams are “boss-cutie”. Perhaps we are lucky, I do not know. But to each his own.
In Austria, by the way, a strong union. It is necessary to deduct small contributions from the salary, but he is fighting for the interests of workers. Now, for example, they are lobbying for a reduction in payroll taxes. By the way, a sensitive question about taxes. Austria has a progressive tax system. Salaries of up to 11,000 euros per year are tax deductible. A novice SAP consultant, without much experience, can count on a salary of about 2,000 euros / month on hand. A consultant in external consulting is necessarily a professional. IT professional in Austria receives from 50 thousand euros per year. That on hand will be about 3,000 euros per month. Another important point is the 14 salary. Add-on for Christmas and summer vacation. At the same time, the cost of living in Austria is about 400 euros, plus a minimum of 450 for rental housing. The difference is palpable.
In addition, the government of a land or city often offers various integration programs for immigrants, through which compensation can be obtained for learning the German language. Yes, by the way, to work as an IT professional in Austria, knowledge of only English is sufficient, but confident.
There are also various surcharges for children, in addition to maternity leave. Subsidies for a child and one of the spouses earning less than 6,000 euros per year, and so on. An interesting thing for IT professionals is a tax refund. So, in the tax return you can include the purchase of a computer or other device for the home, which you allegedly need because of your professional activities. The state can compensate up to 400 euros. As well as conducting double farming, when part of your family is left, for example, to live in Russia, and you are here and, therefore, forced to pay two apartments and all other utilities doubly. There are a lot of such moments in the legislation, the main thing is to learn to understand them. With a seemingly lower salary than in Moscow, one can live much better.
Now a little about life itself in Austria. Of course, Vienna is the cultural capital of Austria and for art lovers there is a ton of everything, for the Russian-speaking population - a wide circle of friends.
In other lands, for example, in Tyrol, a healthy lifestyle is highly respected, even excessively obsessed with it. After all, nature has - mountains, skiing, hiking, bicycles, swimming in the lakes. Products manufactured in Austria are strictly controlled, as are imported products. Keep track of GMOs and quality. Delicious bread and rolls are served fresh and warm every morning, as bakers have been working since 5 in the morning. The main thing is a feeling of calm and comfort. In Austria, foreigners, especially educated, including Russians, are well treated. For those who are ready to smile, say hello and talk on the street with a neighbor, there will always be a cheerful company and a positive attitude. Yes, most contacts in Austria do just that: just on the street or in the subway. Sometimes the same immigrants from nearby countries can tongue out, sitting behind a grocery store cash register. But this does not frighten us; all the same, the mood in Austria is good.
Life of SAP Consultant in Russia
What is the usual Russian SAP consultant used to seeing daily? Processing, nerves of the boss or client, constantly dissatisfied users. The consultant has to come home late if you do not live in a hotel of a thread in a distant northern city. One St. Petersburg SAP consultant once remarked: “It's normal when you wake up on a train at night and you don’t remember where you are going — to St. Petersburg or Moscow.” Yes, they pay well for all this, as non-SAP consultants believe. But no more than a professional developer, with the only difference being that you can come to SAP from a business, or, for example, by working as a secretary somewhere in the office where SAP was introduced at the “next door”. Although there are good companies in Russia, where a healthy team is nice and comfortable, they are fed, and they leave home after 18. But there are few of them, and more often they are foreign.
How I looked for ways to move
And it was this last thought that prompted me to try myself abroad, especially since foreign HR agencies attacked me with their Russian-speaking agents for a long time.
I couldn’t find a job through them, because these agencies do not even know how to get a work visa, but instead they ask the duty question: “Do you need Sponsorship?” Yes I need it. I need the support of the employer in the form of an official offer, which will create the basis for obtaining a work visa. I don’t need any money. But these employers, as soon as they see the word "Sponsorship" on the resume, immediately put off such candidates, even if they are "seven spans in the forehead." Because employers do not know how simple it really is to get this work visa. Another type of agency - “bodyshop”, at first they offer a fictitious contract with them, and then they sell you from you or do not sell them at all - you look for a job yourself. I immediately did not want to go there for obvious reasons.
In the end, I found one company that does a visa, and helps to find work, and the prices are reasonable. Sent, prompted, reasoned.
Organization of work and office in Austria
So, I'm in Austria. I work for internal consultants. It looks like ours. But the company has a beautiful office that meets the requirements of ergonomics. There are strictly 4 people in the office, in Russia at least 8 people would be able to accommodate a cabinet of the same size. So that everyone suffocates from the smells of soared bodies and boiling brains. Further, each table has a length of at least 1.5-2 meters. A minimum of two people can accommodate. But here strictly -1 people. On the table you can put 1 computer with a large monitor with anti-reflective coating. And next to a laptop connected to a monitor. And much more that can be accommodated on the table - there would be a desire. Above the table are fluorescent lamps with automatic adjustment that reacts to movement and the level of external light. There is a lot of external light, since the walls in the room are glass. Winter is not cold. And of course, comfortable, refurbished chairs. They say that this is not the case in all companies, but in large ones — labor safety is strictly observed. And I noticed the effect right away, since I almost no longer saw in the mirror my red, inflamed overworked eyes.
Opening hours in Austria
Another important point is the work week, which lasts 38.5 hours. This means that every day you can work for 8 hours 15 minutes, and on Friday - a short day. Work can be started from 6.30 to 9.00. To whom it is convenient. But after 8 hours and 15 minutes, be nice - go home, or explain what kind of processing you have.
Maybe you want to work 1 hour more every day, and take a day off on Friday? Well, maybe I’ve got a day for a vacation, great. Neither is production necessity? Payment in double size. By the way, on account of the vacation - in Austria, leave is 5 weeks, usually they beat for 3 weeks in the summer and one week in the fall and spring. Some foreigners take 2-3 weeks of “home-office” and go home to work. This is possible by agreement with the authorities. In my company, without sick leave, on trust, you can get sick for 3 days. Then I need a sick leave. If an employee lives more than an hour from the place of work, then a year after employment, he can take Friday as a “home-office”. By the way, the road to work is compensated.
Sometimes you think it’s not work, but just rest. You can be at home at 4-5 o’clock all evening, if you want - go to the mountains, go for a run or a concert, stay with your friends or family. Probably, of course, there are cons, and not in all the teams are “boss-cutie”. Perhaps we are lucky, I do not know. But to each his own.
Workers' interests, union, salary and taxes in Austria
In Austria, by the way, a strong union. It is necessary to deduct small contributions from the salary, but he is fighting for the interests of workers. Now, for example, they are lobbying for a reduction in payroll taxes. By the way, a sensitive question about taxes. Austria has a progressive tax system. Salaries of up to 11,000 euros per year are tax deductible. A novice SAP consultant, without much experience, can count on a salary of about 2,000 euros / month on hand. A consultant in external consulting is necessarily a professional. IT professional in Austria receives from 50 thousand euros per year. That on hand will be about 3,000 euros per month. Another important point is the 14 salary. Add-on for Christmas and summer vacation. At the same time, the cost of living in Austria is about 400 euros, plus a minimum of 450 for rental housing. The difference is palpable.
Compensation and surcharges in Austria
In addition, the government of a land or city often offers various integration programs for immigrants, through which compensation can be obtained for learning the German language. Yes, by the way, to work as an IT professional in Austria, knowledge of only English is sufficient, but confident.
There are also various surcharges for children, in addition to maternity leave. Subsidies for a child and one of the spouses earning less than 6,000 euros per year, and so on. An interesting thing for IT professionals is a tax refund. So, in the tax return you can include the purchase of a computer or other device for the home, which you allegedly need because of your professional activities. The state can compensate up to 400 euros. As well as conducting double farming, when part of your family is left, for example, to live in Russia, and you are here and, therefore, forced to pay two apartments and all other utilities doubly. There are a lot of such moments in the legislation, the main thing is to learn to understand them. With a seemingly lower salary than in Moscow, one can live much better.
Free time and relaxation in Austria
Now a little about life itself in Austria. Of course, Vienna is the cultural capital of Austria and for art lovers there is a ton of everything, for the Russian-speaking population - a wide circle of friends.
In other lands, for example, in Tyrol, a healthy lifestyle is highly respected, even excessively obsessed with it. After all, nature has - mountains, skiing, hiking, bicycles, swimming in the lakes. Products manufactured in Austria are strictly controlled, as are imported products. Keep track of GMOs and quality. Delicious bread and rolls are served fresh and warm every morning, as bakers have been working since 5 in the morning. The main thing is a feeling of calm and comfort. In Austria, foreigners, especially educated, including Russians, are well treated. For those who are ready to smile, say hello and talk on the street with a neighbor, there will always be a cheerful company and a positive attitude. Yes, most contacts in Austria do just that: just on the street or in the subway. Sometimes the same immigrants from nearby countries can tongue out, sitting behind a grocery store cash register. But this does not frighten us; all the same, the mood in Austria is good.