Reconciling work & family life
As one of the largest employers in Austria, the University of Vienna strives to support its staff in reconciling job and family duties. The following website provides information about the University of Vienna's offers and services related to the reconciliation of work and family life.
Childcare & services
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For working fathers and mothers, access to high-quality childcare services is one of the core prerequisites to be able to meet the daily challenges of reconciling work and family life. This does not only include permanent childcare facilities, but also short-term and flexible forms of childcare, e.g. during holidays or when a child falls ill.
The University of Vienna, the City of Vienna and (funded) private institutions offer a wide range of high-quality childcare services.
Day care groups of the Children’s Office (University of Vienna)
The Children’s Office of the University of Vienna runs five care groups at three different locations. The care groups are open to children whose parents are employed at the University of Vienna. The Children’s Office offers half-day or full-day care groups for children from 0 to 6 years of age (until they reach school age).
Those needing childcare services are entered in a list. The places are primarily assigned to staff of the University of Vienna. Any remaining places are made available to students of the University of Vienna.
Additional information:
Childcare in Vienna
Since 2009, children aged 0 to 6 years have been eligible to attend municipal kindergartens for free. Private kindergartens, care groups and childminders receive funding, enabling them to offer places free of charge as well. Kindergarten attendance is compulsory for children who have reached the age of 5 before 1 September of the current calendar year and whose main residence is in Vienna.
Registration for a place in a childcare facility: All the information you need about how and when you can register your child at a public or private childcare facility (nursery, care group, daycare centre) and about specific topics and service centres for childcare in your district is available here (in German).
Location of childcare facilities in Vienna: This map (in German) shows all public and private childcare facilities in Vienna.
Free private childcare places in Vienna: The online platform "Kinderdrehscheibe" (in German) helps you find free private childcare places in your area, such as childminders, toddler groups, kindergartens and day care centres.
Childminders: You can also search for childminders on the websites of the relevant sponsoring organisations (Eltern für Kinder Österreich, Hilfswerk (in German), Volkshilfe (in German) etc.) anfragen.
Kinderuni holidays
The Kinderuni holidays target children aged 7 to 12. Its goal is to increase children’s interest in the academic world and research in an informal way. The children are supervised throughout the whole day or week (with or without sleepover). The schedule not only focuses on academic knowledge and research, but also includes activities, sports and games. Upon application, reduced fees are granted to children of employees of the University of Vienna.
Additional information:
Vienna Children's University
University life at the Vienna Children’s University is almost like a real university. The only difference is that the students are slightly younger: between 7 and 12 years. Similar to real universities, the students of the Vienna Children’s University have the opportunity to choose lectures from a wide range of disciplines. Children can attend the Children’s University on only one or on several days. Participating in the programme of the Vienna Children’s University is free of charge.
Additional information:
Childcare on long weekends
In cooperation with the Works Council of the Scientific Staff, the Works Council for the General University Staff of the University of Vienna organises childcare services for school holidays that fall on a workday.
Additional information:
- Works Council for the Non-Academic University Staff (in German)
- Works Council for the Scientific University Staff (in German)
Summer holiday week
University employees have the opportunity to use the childcare services offered during the summer holiday week. This summer holiday week targets children of University employees aged 3 to 12. Due to the financial cooperation between the two works councils (for the general university staff and the scientific staff), the participation fees are very low.
Additional information:
External childcare providers
- Holiday care & summer camps offered by Kinderfreunde (in German)
- Guest places in childcare facilities during holidays (3 to 10 years)(in German)
- Database of holiday care for winter holidays, Waster, Whitsun & summer holidays (Familie&Beruf Management GmbH)(in German)
FleKuKi - Flexible short-term childcare at the University of Vienna
FleKuKi is a flexible short-time childcare service for children, provided for employees of the University of Vienna. FleKuKi serves to provide ad hoc childcare by the hour in case of acute gaps in the provision of childcare caused by occupational obligations and a lack of childcare.
This service is financed by the Human Resources and Gender Equality unit. Childcare is provided by the qualified “Flying Nannies” personnel of the Vienna University Children’s Office. Flying Nannies are trained childcare professionals who provide childcare on site and wherever they are needed. They create spaces for children to play, let off steam, have fun and relax.
Additional information:
Flying Nannies during events/conferences
The “Flying Nanny” service provides flexible childcare where and when needed. The Vienna University Children’s Office organises childcare during seminars, conferences, meetings, etc. Childcare slots are provided according to your needs.
Additional information:
In the event of illness
The following institutions provide institutional childcare for children who have fallen ill at short notice at home:
In cooperation with the Vienna University Children’s Office, the Human Resources Development unit provides childcare for the duration of seminars and coaching sessions. This service is free of charge for employees of the University of Vienna.
If you are interested in this service, please send an e-mail to Human Resources Development as soon as you have received the final confirmation for the seminar. Please make sure you include your supervision needs (number and age of the children, supervision hours) as well as your contact details (e-mail address and/or telephone number) in this e-mail.
A complete list of changing tables in all of the buildings of the University of Vienna is available here.
The floor plans and the access guide to lifts facilitate orientation and enable barrier-free access (also with pushchairs) to the Main Building of the University of Vienna.
Nursing care for family members
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When family members depend on care, many new issues arise, including the question of how to reconcile work and care responsibilities. This page provides you with a brief overview of labour law-related possibilities and central contact points in Vienna.
If employees of the University of Vienna are not able to come to the office because they have to care for family members who live in the same household and have fallen ill, they are entitled to take dependant care leave.
Additional information:
Employees have the opportunity to agree on a care leave or part-time care leave for a duration of 1 to 3 months with their employer. This is an interim measure to relieve employees who have to care for family members or to allow them to take control of the care situation. For the purpose of end-of-life care or care for seriously ill children, employees have the opportunity to take a family hospice leave. In both cases, you may be entitled to Pflegekarenzgeld (care leave allowance) under certain conditions.
Additional information:
- about care leave & part-time care leave (Intranet) (in German)
- about care leave & part-time care leave (help.gv.at)(in German)
- about family hospice leave & part-time family hospice leave (help.gv.at)(in German)
- Sozialministerium Service (in German)
People who receive nursing care and support services on a permanent basis are entitled to care allowance. The amount of care allowance depends on the care needs. The application for care allowance has to be submitted to the relevant pension or social insurance provider.
Additional information:
The Fonds Soziales Wien is the main contact point for issues relating to nursing care and support in Vienna and takes care of issues pertaining to nursing care and support on behalf of the City of Vienna. These include the processing and payment of financial support for care places, referrals to nursing care services (mobile/inpatient care, 24-hour care, etc.), counselling services and more. General information about nursing care is available on the website of the Sozialministeriumsservice.
Additional information:
Useful links
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- Seminar- & course programme of the Human Resources Development unit (in German) - also available for employees taking leave of absence
- Back-to-Research Grant - grant for female postdocs who have reduced or interrupted their research because of care obligations in their families (Gender Equality and Diversity unit)
- General information about the childcare allowance (in German)
- Online calculator for childcare allowance (in German)
- Tax deductibility of childcare services (in German)
- Familienbeihilfe (family allowance)(in German)
- Familienhärteausgleich (family hardship allowance)(in German)
- Wohnbeihilfe (housing benefit)(in German)
- Sole earner and single parent tax credit (Intranet)
- AMS Kinderbetreuungsbeihilfe (childcare support)(in German)
- Maternity Protection Act (Mutterschutzgesetz, MSchG): contains regulations regarding the protection against notice of termination of employment, maternity protection, (shared) parental leave, employment during parental leave and part-time employment for mothers
- Paternity Leave Act (Väter-Karenzgesetz, VKG): contains regulations regarding the protection against notice of termination of employment, (shared) parental leave, employment during parental leave and part-time-employment for father
- Kinderbetreuungsgeldgesetz (KBGG)(childcare allowance act)(in German): prerequisites, amount and duration of entitlement to childcare allowance
- Information provided by the Arbeiterkammer on the issue of work & family (in German)
- Organisation & information before and after the birth of a child: mother-child booklet (Mutter-Kind-Pass), registration in a hospital, name of the child, custody, etc.
- karenz.at (in German)
- Information by the Austrian Federal Chancellery about care allowance (in German)
- Guide to applications for care allowance by the Main Association of the Austrian Social Security Institutions (in German)
- Fonds Soziales Wien (in German)
- Plattform for caregiving & supporting relatives by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs & Consumer Protection
- IG Pflegende Angehörige (in German)
- Information about nursing care by the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (in German)
- Unikid - Unicare Austria (in German): information platform for parents who are employed at an Austrian university
- Wien Xtra (in German): information, events, information about childcare services and brochures on the topic of children in Vienna
- Single parents in Vienna (in German)
- ABZ women's counselling: counselling for women regarding maternity leave and return to work
- Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnen Förderungsfonds, WAFF (Vienna employment promotion fund) (in German): provides support for return to work (e.g. after a leave of absence for the purpose of caring for a child or family member)
- Counselling for women (in German): reference guide by the Federal Ministry of Education and Women’s Affairs including information about women’s concerns, relevant addresses and contact points
- Students with children (in German): information by the Austrian Study Grant Authority