From 24-Hour Care to a Permanent Position: How to Make the Transition

Your Situation Today: Self-Employed Personal Care

Being there for someone around the clock—cooking, providing care, listening, staying up all night—24-hour care is one of the most valuable jobs in Austria. Tens of thousands of caregivers, most of them from Slovakia and Romania, keep this system running. Without them, many older adults would not be able to stay in their own homes. Many caregivers have even completed nursing training or earned a nursing diploma in their home countries—yet they still work in Austria at a level below their qualifications.

Legally speaking, in 24-hour care you’re almost always self-employed: You have a business license for personal care, work on a rotating schedule—usually 14 days in the care recipient’s home, then 14 days off—and bill your own fees. Depending on the agency, federal state, and level of care needed, this often leaves you with about 1,050 to 1,400 euros net per rotation. That sounds fine at first. But there’s another side to being self-employed:

• You pay your social security contributions yourself: health, accident, and pension insurance are deducted from your fee—and the bills still come even in months when you work less.
• No paid vacation, no sick leave: If you’re sick or need a break, you don’t earn anything.
• No 13th or 14th month’s salary: The special payments customary in Austria aren’t available to the self-employed.
• Dependence on agencies: Many agencies charge ongoing placement fees and have a say in which family you’re assigned to and under what conditions.

This work deserves respect—and you deserve an honest answer to the question: Does it have to stay this way forever? The good news: No. Austria is urgently seeking care workers, and there are clear paths from self-employed caregiving to a permanent position.

What a permanent position offers you

As a salaried caregiver—for example, in a nursing home, with a home care service, or in a hospital—you are no longer considered an entrepreneur but an employee. This means the rules of a collective bargaining agreement automatically apply: In the social sector, this is usually the SWÖ collective bargaining agreement; for church-run organizations, it’s the collective bargaining agreements of Caritas or Diakonie. Specifically, this means:

• 13th and 14th monthly salaries: Vacation pay and a Christmas bonus are added to your annual salary.
• Paid vacation: at least five weeks per year—and you continue to receive your salary.
• Sick leave with coverage: As an employee, you’re insured through the Regional Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK); your employer contributes to the premiums, and you continue to receive your salary if you’re sick.
• Predictable shifts: Scheduled shifts instead of 14 days of continuous work. You live in your own apartment and have time off after work.
• Pension contributions: Your employer contributes to your pension—important for later in life.

And the salary? According to the SWÖ collective bargaining agreement, the starting salary for a nursing assistant in 2026 will be around 2,600 to 2,800 euros gross per month, including a nursing allowance—plus additional pay for night, weekend, and holiday shifts. A home care aide typically starts at between about 1,900 and 2,100 euros gross, depending on the provider, also plus allowances and special payments. As you gain years of experience, your salary automatically moves up to higher pay grades. The exact amounts vary depending on the collective bargaining agreement, federal state, and job classification—you can find reliable figures in your employer’s current salary tables and at the Chamber of Labor.

Important for an accurate comparison: Gross pay is not the same as net pay. However, thanks to special payments, employer-paid social security contributions, paid vacation, and pension contributions, a salaried caregiver is almost always significantly better off on an annual basis than a self-employed caregiver with a similar monthly income.

There’s also a wide range of job opportunities: nursing homes and senior living facilities, mobile care services (in-home nursing), hospitals, day centers, and assisted living facilities are constantly looking for staff—in cities as well as in rural areas. This gives you something you’d hardly have as a self-employed caregiver: room to negotiate. You can choose where you work, whether you want to work full-time or part-time, and whether you prefer day shifts or night shifts.

Three Paths to Permanent Employment

Which path is right for you depends mainly on whether you already have care training from your home country.

Path 1: Have your existing training recognized

Many caregivers from Slovakia and Romania have completed nursing school or a nursing degree in their home countries. You don’t have to let this qualification go to waste: Through recognition (for EU qualifications) or nostrification (for qualifications from non-EU countries), authorities will assess whether your training meets Austrian standards. If certain components are missing, you can often make them up through supplementary exams or an internship—so you don’t have to start from scratch. Our guide to the recognition of foreign qualifications explains the step-by-step process, the documents you’ll need, and who is responsible.

Option 2: Complete the nursing assistant training program in Austria

If you don’t have nursing training—or if the recognition process would be too time-consuming—you can complete the nursing assistant training directly in Austria. It takes about one year full-time and is offered at nursing schools and educational institutions throughout Austria. The best part: You don’t have to go through this period without an income. The AMS nursing scholarship supports retraining for nursing professions with at least 55.01 euros per day—that’s about 1,650 euros per month (as of 2026). While receiving the grant, you’re covered by health, accident, and pension insurance. You can find out if you meet the requirements during a consultation at the AMS. You can also find details at oesterreich.gv.at.

Path 3: Home Health Aide as a Faster Entry Point

The quickest path to employment is training to become a home health aide: It includes about 200 hours of theory and 200 hours of practical training and takes only about three and a half to four months on a full-time basis. As a home care aide, you’ll assist people in their homes with household chores and basic care—tasks you’re already very familiar with from 24-hour caregiving. The AMS provides an overview of training providers and the process. Many people use home help as an intermediate step: first getting into the workforce quickly, then pursuing further training to become a nursing assistant while working. And if you’d prefer to work in a role that doesn’t involve caregiving at all, jobs as domestic helpers are also in high demand in Austria.

Healthcare Professions Register: Registration Is Mandatory

Before you’re allowed to work in a care profession in Austria—as a care assistant, licensed practical nurse, or registered nurse—you must register with the Health Professions Registry. This is not a formality that can be put off: without registration, you cannot practice the profession; without the right to practice, you cannot have an employment contract.

There are two registration authorities: The Chamber of Labor is responsible for nursing assistants and certified nursing assistants, as well as for all employed nursing staff. Gesundheit Österreich GmbH registers, among others, graduates of universities of applied sciences and individuals who work primarily on a self-employed basis. To register, you’ll need proof of your qualifications (for foreign degrees, the recognition notice), proof of identity, and, depending on your profession, additional documents. After registration, you’ll receive a professional ID card; the registration is valid for five years and is then renewed.

The registry also offers you protection: it officially validates your qualifications. Employers can verify that you are authorized to practice the profession—and you can prove that you are a recognized nursing professional and no longer “just” a care worker. For many who have worked below their educational level for years, this registration is a significant milestone.

Practical tip: Submit your application as soon as your recognition process is complete or you have your Austrian certificate in hand—then you can start working right away.

German as the Key

No matter which of the three paths you choose—there’s one thing you can’t get around: German. For advanced nursing (certified health and nursing care), the authorities generally require a B2 level; for nursing assistance, it’s usually B1 to B2. And even where a certificate isn’t required, your German skills will determine the outcome of job interviews, your success in training, and your day-to-day work as part of a team. You can read about which exams count and how to pass them in our guide to German B2 for nursing staff.

Your big advantage as a caregiver: You’re already immersed in the language. You speak daily with the person you’re caring for, with family members, and with doctors and pharmacists. What you usually still lack for training and certification is the technical terminology—care documentation, clinical presentations, and handover phrases. You’ll learn these the fastest with real technical texts rather than textbook dialogues.

Incorporate language learning into your rotation schedule right from the start: short daily sessions during work, focused study blocks, or a course during your weeks off. This way, you’ll reach your target level while going through the certification process—and won’t waste any time.

Your 12-Month Plan

The change may seem big, but it consists of many small steps. Here’s what your year could look like:

1. Months 1–2: Get advice. Schedule an appointment at a recognition counseling center (AST—contact point for people with qualifications earned abroad) or at the AMS. There, you’ll learn—free of charge—which path is right for your situation and what financial support is available.
2. Months 1–3: Gather documents from your home country. Diplomas, transcripts, training certificates with hour logs, birth certificate—preferably with certified translations right away. Use your scheduled time off to run errands at government offices in Slovakia or Romania.
3. Starting in Month 1, ongoing: Systematically improve your German. Study every day—in short, regular sessions, at home with a course or study blocks. Register early for an exam at your target level; having a set date keeps you motivated.
4. Months 4–6: Submit your application. File the application for recognition with the appropriate authority—or enroll in the nursing assistant or home care aide training program and apply for the nursing scholarship from the AMS in a timely manner.
5. Months 6–10: Meet the requirements. Take any supplementary exams or complete internships if the authorities require them, and take your German exam.
6. Months 9–12: Apply in parallel. Don’t wait for the final decision: Contact nursing homes and home care services in your preferred region beforehand. Many providers reserve positions for candidates whose application process is nearing completion—and your years of experience in 24-hour care are a strong selling point.
7. Finally: Register and get started. As soon as you receive your decision or certificate, apply for registration in the Health Professions Register—and sign your first employment contract.

Not every application process is completed within twelve months—some take longer, some go faster. The key is to tackle the steps simultaneously rather than one after the other: learning German, gathering documents, and working aren’t mutually exclusive. And until you make the transition, you’ll continue to earn a normal income from your caregiving work. By the way, this article is not a substitute for legal advice—binding information regarding your specific process can be obtained from the relevant authorities, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Chamber of Labor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read more in the guide: German B2 for Caregivers · Getting Foreign Degrees Recognized · Housekeeping Jobs in Vienna