Hotel School Finder

The Austrian constitution allows each of the nine Austrian Federal Provinces to control itself due to a federal principle.

Although the constitution designates responsibilities to the provinces, it is the Federal Government that is accountable of general economics of policy, public transportation, financing and subsidies - basically all areas that relate to tourism.

Marketing strategies in Austria’s tourism industry are provided by the Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO). The Austrian Federal Government, governments of the nine provinces and the Austrian Economic Chamber work jointly with ANTO to promote the tourism industry.

With a substantial budget (approxiamtly 50 million €) ANTO’s goal is to promote tourism in Austria both nationally and abroad. With 24 office locations in major incoming-tourist countries around the world, marketing offices and honorary representatives designated in other countries.

The tourism and leisure industry of Austria is a key player of the country's economy. Solely with foreign currency from tourism the country’s earnings are in the billions. The tourism industry brings in almost 20% of Austria’s yearly export earnings. When dealing in terms of the income from foreign currency (per capita from tourism) Austria ranks second worldwide, only exceeded by Cyprus and followed by Switzerland.

Tourism industry offers attractive career opportunities for young adults. Out of the top ten most popular apprenticeship programmes with females, four are found in the tourist sector. Among males, apprenticeships for cooks qualify as the most popular qualification.

There are a wide variety of opportunities offered to them before and after apprenticeship training. Students in the tourism industry have options that can give them a career that they desire and with formal qualifications rapid advancement.

The tourism industry in Austria provides training in many professions such as cooking, hotel and restaurant commercial trade, travel agency, fitness consultant and many others. Apprenticeship training takes three years, double apprenticeships take four years.

A goal of a three-year programme in intermediate school of hotel industry and catering occupations is to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills to enable them the ability to utilise professionalism in the fields of the catering industry with a focus on hotel industry. Focus is directed on practice-oriented instruction including the learning contents in the framework of accompanying practical seminars. A final examination is taken at end of training.

Switching over from an intermediate school, that is for hotel industry and catering occupations, to one of a higher technical or vocational school the training focus is in principle possible.

In the three-year training many compulsory subjects are taught: German, English, French, Law, Tourism, Food service and many other choices.

During the educational process a student must take two mandatory work experience periods lasting twelve weeks each between grades 1 and 2 and between 2 and 3. There are various special programmes available on an intermediate level, for example, Adults’ programmes where the minimum age is eighteen.

A five-year training programme in theoretical and practical knowledge is given in a higher school for tourism or higher school for occupations in tourism and teaches the skills one needs for starting a practical professional career.

After successfully completing the course, students have a Reifeprüfung (final exam) allowing them to pass on to university study. The focus in these schools is to teach high qualifications for advancement to head positions in hotel, restaurant or travel and institutions of tourism industry.

Students wishing to attend a higher school must have completed a secondary school education and successfully pass admissions test.

In the five year training many compulsory subjects must be completed: German, Second living foreign language, Tourism and marketing, Economic Informatics along with many other pertinent subjects. Some are only studied depending on focus of instruction.

In a Tourismuskolleg a student can achieve the same knowledge and skills as in a higher school with a two years course in tourism. Admittance conditions are either completion of a secondary school and recipient of Reifeprüfung or a university study qualification examination (Studienberechtigungsprüfung).

The two-year training has many mandatory subjects to be taken: Technology of Tourist Enterprises, Marketing, Transport Industry, Business Administration and Management of Restaurants, Meals and Cooking and Kitchen Organisation and Economics are just a few of the subjects that must be taken.

Hands-on work experience in companies and institutions in the tourist industry for a period of twelve weeks in the key summer holidays prior to the third semester is mandatory.

Since the mid 90’s Austria has expanded its education to include Fachhochschulen which offer higher education other than universities. Due to the shorter duration of studies and job-targeted educational content, FH’s represent an extension and a substitute to studying at university. Every FH course is concluded with a diploma and an oral exam in front of a commission. Graduates from Fachhochschulen are permitted to carry on a course study leading to the degree of doctor at university, with the time of the study prolonged by two semesters.

In the tourism and leisure industry sector, four Fachhochschulen (Krems, Modul, Villa Blanca and Klessheim) exist in Austria presently. The duration of study is 7 to 8 semesters.

The goal of University Study Programmes for Tourism is to convey and expand the students’ understanding of the most recent, state-of-the-art management tools for performance in the hotel industry, in tourism associations as well as in other companies and organisations associated to tourism. Aside from skills only connected to business administration and management, the economy as a whole plus the social and ecological structure of tourism is incorporated into the curriculum, thus creating the global prerequisites for up to date tourism management.

Connections to tourism are found in nearly all branches of the studies Social Science and Economics. The cause for this is that university education does not mainly focus at providing job-oriented awareness but rather at conveying practice on substance needed in a number of professions.

By definition a foreign student is someone who does not have an Austrian citizenship. However, there are some foreign nationals that enjoy equal status with Austrians; these countries are Luxemburg, citizens of Liechtenstein and people that were born in the province of Bolzano, Italy with German as their mother tongue, who have declared themselves members of these language communities and who do not possess an Austrian citizenship.

The precondition is that there must be enough vacancies available for foreign students. EU and EEA citizens are admitted despite the number of vacancies available.

For admission foreign students are allowed to study courses at university if their education is equivalent to the “Matura” (Reifezeugnis) and meet the requirements for them to enter a university in their own country. They also must give evidence that an institution of higher education in the awarding country would accept them for university studies in the relevant field.

Students must also have a good comprehension of German, this is essential. Students must pass a mandatory German language examination, both written and verbal, at the university prior to registering as a full-time student. There are many German language courses in all the university towns and at a number of language schools.