Working as a volunteer

How can I work as a volunteer?

More than half of the people in Austria spend their free time doing some voluntary work. There is no exact timeframe – typically people work a few hours per week or month. It depends on the position, the organization and the time you have.

In Austria there are 2 possibilities to work as a volunteer:

As an asylum seeker you can do some additional work with the Service Employment Cheque (=Dienstleistungsscheck) to earn some money. But be careful to not overstep the boundary for additional income defined by each region in Austria, so that your primary care (=Grundversorgung) is not in danger. Here you can find more information about the Service Employment Cheque and what you have to know about it.

If you want to do seasonal work, you have to talk to the AMS and let them give you an employment approval (=Beschäftigungsbewilligung). For that you have to make an appointment at the AMS.