Inside the Expat experience: What makes settling in hard in Austria

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to leave behind everything familiar? Your country, language, routines, and support network and start over in a new country?
Now, add to that a new workplace culture, administrative hurdles, and a completely different way of doing everyday things. That’s the reality many international professionals face when relocating to a new country.

As part of my recent research to design a support program for expats in Vienna, I spoke personally with about 20 internationals living in Vienna and gathered survey data from an online questionnaire from 50 more respondents. Most of the participants, about 60%, were third country citizens and about 40% EU citizens. They shared open and honest insights into their relocation and integration experiences in Austria.

According to their responses the most common challenges they were facing with during their relocation to Austria were:

• Finding housing
• Language barriers
• Understanding bureaucracy

Other difficulties mentioned included schooling for children, cultural differences, and navigating the visa and application process. The most common reasons for a relocation to Austria are employment opportunities,
accompanying a spouse or studies. One topic I was particularly curious about was what internationals believe that companies could do better to support the integration of international employees in the workplace. Here
are the topics that occurred the most among the answers:

The most frequent topic, mentioned by about one-third of all respondents, was language and communication. Many internationals emphasized that language is a major barrier to feeling fully included. Workplace idioms or local dialects can unintentionally leave people out, while using clear, inclusive language helps everyone feel more connected.

The second most common response that came out was cultural awareness and training. Respondents expressed the need for companies to invest in intercultural understanding, especially for newcomers, but also for entire teams. Simple awareness of how communication styles, expectations, and workplace behaviors differ can make a huge difference in how integrated someone feels.

Close behind came the idea of a buddy or mentorship system. Several expats mentioned how helpful it would be to have a local colleague who could guide them through the practical and social aspects of life in Austria.
Other important factors include administrative and legal support, such as help with documentation, taxes, or residence-related issues, and social integration, like team-building activities and informal gatherings that allow people to connect outside of the office.

Altogether, these insights show that there is a need for a strategic support system for new international employees. The companies that recognize this and actively support their international employees through language, culture, and connection are the ones most likely to build truly international, engaged, and resilient teams.