Austria
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Country Information
- AFS Country Code: AUT
- See http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/7937 for more information on Austria.
Placement
- Age Requirement: 15.5-18.0 years
- Language Requirement: All programs require a basic working knowledge of German (1 year). Students who have not had the chance to study German in school beforehand, are obliged to take a German course BEFORE they are coming to Austria. We will ask for the certificate/confirmation of attendance.
- Graduates: Not accepted
- Health Restrictions: General good health is needed. Students who had a psychological disorder must be cured and off any medication/therapy for at least 2 years before the program starts. Students with any kind of physical restriction can be accepted, depending on the severity of the condition and required medical assistance during the stay in Austria (incl. medication).
- Smoking: Non-smoking students are easier to place although on the other side AUT cannot guarantee non-smoking families (although the amount of smokers in a family are strongly decreasing).
- Dress:
- Location: Students are primarily placed in rural or suburban areas - only very few are placed in the city of Vienna or Salzburg. Host families have pets, they like cats and dogs. So students who have troubles living with a pet are very difficult to place.
- Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarians are o.k.; allergies to special food products are also acceptable; Vegans are very difficult to place. In general Austrians eat a lot of meat, vegetables, pasta and pastries. Definitely cannot accept Vegans.
- Other Activities: Extracurricular activities can and will likely include: picnics; sports; arts; meetings; travel; sampling new foods; camping; listening to different types of national music; and of course, making new and long-lasting friends. Local AFS volunteers and staff gather families, friends, and neighbors to promote friendship, ties, and participation in the community. Many of the extra activities are organized by the host school (skiing week, visit another country within Europe for a week - sort of class-exchange, etc.) - the students have to pay these trips themselves
Travel Information
- Visa:
- Departure Information:
- Arrival & Orientation:
- Departure:
Host Families
- Support Information: Host families look forward to hosting Americans, like Americans, but there has been a short fall of Americas students in the past 7 years. The three week deadline is nearly guaranteed. Expect 6-14 year old host siblings; most host families have children. AUT finds host families through the media: newspaper, radio, TV from February-July/July and begin placing in May
- Transportation: bus, train or walk to school
- Extracurricular: students will have a lot of free time, time to do extra-curricular activities, keep busy. The cost of living in Austria is high, so plan to bring sufficient spending money. AFS recommends that students bring €100 per month.
- Hosted in: 20% Urban 30% Suburban 50% Rural: 25% of students are placed in Vienna where they will live in a flat. Placements are generally in towns or cities, less likely to be rural.
Academics
- Transcripts/Diploma: Transcript of Grades possible (depending on host school), a Confirmation of Attendance guaranteed; Diploma impossible.
- School: School runs from September to July. Classes are from 8 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., although in some areas there is no school on Saturdays. Focus in school: languages, math, fine arts
- Transportation to school: by bus, by train or by host family, school may be within walking distance.
Scholarships & Sponsored Programs
See Scholarships or Sponsored Programs for Sending for more information.
General Country Information
- Description: After arriving in Vienna, you’ll attend a four-day orientation to introduce you to local life and culture. A German course will be organized for students, but every student should already have a basic working knowledge of the language. Austria has a deep educational tradition, having established a compulsory school system in 1774. You will attend a public school and be placed in either grade 10 or 11. The Austrian school system gives students plenty of free time since school days only last until approximately 2pm. While homework will take up some of that time, extracurricular activities such as choir, sports, and theater groups are available.
- Religion: Almost 80% of Austrians are roman Catholics; other religious affiliations are very rare (other than Catholic and Protestant) and therefore AUT cannot guarantee students in case they require access.
- Language: German, with regional dialects, high German spoken and learned everywhere
- Climate: Four Seasons; distinct-hot in summer, cool in winter
- Political alignment: Neutral, along with Switzerland since 1955; has been a part of the EU since 1995, and adopted the Euro in 2001
Return to the Country Information page.
For information, questions or concerns, contact the Program Information Specialist or countryinfo@afs.org.
