Chef and Kitchen Jobs in Austria for Foreign Workers (2026)

Austria runs on tourism twice a year: ski season from December to April, and lake-and-mountain summer from June to September. Both seasons need thousands of cooks, and Austrian employers have been recruiting abroad for years because the domestic labour market cannot cover it. Chefs have repeatedly appeared on Austria's official shortage occupation list, which opens a specific immigration route that many other countries do not offer.

Two main routes for non-EU cooks

The Red-White-Red Card for shortage occupations

Austria's Red-White-Red Card is a points-based work-and-residence permit. When cooks are on the national shortage occupation list - as they have been in recent years - qualified chefs can apply under the shortage-occupation category, scoring points for qualifications, experience, language skills and age. You still need a job offer, and the employer's pay must meet the applicable collective agreement. The shortage list is updated annually, and some professions appear only on regional lists for specific federal states, so check the current list before assuming eligibility.

Seasonal worker quotas

Separately, Austria sets annual quotas for seasonal workers in tourism. Employers in ski resorts and summer destinations use these contingents to hire non-EU kitchen and service staff for a limited season. This is the classic entry point: a winter in a Tyrolean resort kitchen, arranged by the employer under the seasonal quota. Registered seasonal workers who return regularly can benefit from favourable treatment in later applications.

Where the jobs are

• Tyrol and Salzburg - the heart of ski tourism: Ischgl, Sölden, St. Anton, Zell am See. Huge winter demand for every kitchen role.
• Carinthia and the Salzkammergut - lake resorts with a strong summer season.
• Vienna - year-round city gastronomy, from traditional Beisl kitchens to hotel brigades.
• Wellness and spa hotels - a distinctly Austrian segment with half-board kitchens feeding guests two full meals a day.

Pay, the 14-salary system and living costs

Austrian hospitality pay follows collective agreements, and salaries are commonly paid 14 times per year (with extra payments in summer and at Christmas). As a rough 2026 guide, a trained cook typically earns around 2,100 to 2,800 euros gross per month, with chefs de partie and sous chefs higher, and head chefs in good houses well above 3,000. Resort employers very commonly include staff accommodation and full board, which is worth several hundred euros a month - in a season job with room and meals provided, much of your wage can actually be saved. Vienna offers higher variety but you pay your own rent.

Getting hired

Resort hiring runs early: winter-season recruitment peaks between August and October, summer recruitment between February and April. German helps enormously in Austrian kitchens - many resort brigades are international and function in a German-English mix, but employers prefer candidates with at least basic German. EU citizens can be hired directly with no permit; non-EU candidates should present recognised training, cuisine specialisation and references to justify the paperwork. For the bigger picture on how European work permits and sponsorship interact, read EU work permits and visas explained and how EU employer sponsorship works.

Never pay anyone for an Austrian job offer or visa promise - legitimate resort employers and agencies do not charge workers.

Life in a resort kitchen

Austrian resort work follows a rhythm worth understanding before you sign. The season opens gently in early December, explodes over Christmas and New Year, stays intense through February half-terms, and winds down in late March. Split shifts are standard in half-board hotels - breakfast and dinner service with afternoons free, which in a ski village means afternoons on the slopes if you negotiate a staff ski pass, something many employers include or discount. Zimmerstunde, the afternoon break, is when seasonal staff actually live. Ask in the interview about staff meals, the room you will get, and the ski pass - the answers tell you a lot about how the house treats its people.

Two good seasons with the same Austrian employer often lead to a year-round offer or a recommendation across the valley - resort hiring runs on word of mouth.

Legal note

This is general information, not legal advice. The shortage occupation list, seasonal quotas and Red-White-Red Card criteria change every year. Verify current rules at migration.gv.at or with the Austrian embassy before making plans.

Austrian resorts start looking months before each season. Create your free profile on Workuro today - it is free, no credit card needed, and employers contact you directly.