You’ve been told the script. Study hard, become a doctor or a lawyer, and the money will follow.
It’s a safe, comfortable lie. And in Austria, it ignores a whole world of weird, wonderful, and wildly profitable careers that very few people talk about.
I’m talking about jobs that pay €60k, €80k, even €100k+ a year, without requiring you to spend a decade in university lecture halls. Jobs that are recession-proof, often union-protected, and so far off the typical career radar that they feel like cheat codes.
Let’s tear down the curtain on Austria’s hidden high-paying jobs. Some of them will surprise you. One of them might even make you uncomfortable.
The Uncomfortable Money: Becoming a Bestatter (Funeral Director)
Let’s start with the one that makes people squirm.
Sarah used to work as an account manager, pulling in a comfortable corporate salary. Now? She runs her own Bestattungsunternehmen (funeral home). And as she recently described in a Stern interview, her income has actually dropped since leaving the corporate world, which is the honest, unsexy truth about entrepreneurship. But here’s the kicker: established funeral directors in Austria can clear €60,000 to €80,000 a year. The job is “krisensicher” (crisis-proof), because as one Reddit user bluntly put it: “gestorben wird immer” (people die all the time).
Why it pays so well:
– Emotional barrier to entry. Most people can’t stomach it. That scarcity drives up wages.
– You’re managing logistics, regulations, and intense family dynamics. It’s not just “driving a hearse.”
– The work is non-offshorable. Nobody is outsourcing funeral planning to Mumbai.
The catch: You need a Meisterbrief (master craftsman certificate) to run your own shop, or you need to work as an angestellter Bestatter (employed funeral director). Empathy is non-negotiable. If you’re the type who gets awkward around grief, this isn’t for you.
The Train That Pays: Triebfahrzeugführer bei der ÖBB (Train Driver)
When I first saw this on a Reddit thread about high-paying Austrian jobs, I assumed it was a joke. It’s not.
ÖBB train drivers (Triebfahrzeugführer) earn a starting salary around €3,200 net per month, climbing significantly with seniority and night/weekend shifts. We’re talking €55,000, €70,000 annually before bonuses.
Why it pays so well:
– High responsibility. You’re moving hundreds of people at high speeds. One mistake is catastrophic.
– Irregular hours. Night shifts, weekends, holidays, the pay reflects the lifestyle sacrifice.
– Specialized union representation. The Gewerkschaft (union) negotiates aggressively.
How to get in:
You don’t need a degree. ÖBB runs its own internal training program, typically 12, 18 months. You need a clean criminal record, good health, and the ability to stay alert for hours without getting bored out of your mind. That last one is harder than it sounds.
The Vertical Goldmine: Aufzugstechniker (Elevator Technician)
If you’ve ever been stuck in an elevator, you know how urgent the job is. That urgency translates into serious cash.
Elevator technicians in Austria earn between €3,500 and €4,500 net monthly, with experienced Meister (masters) pulling €70,000+ annually. And here’s the secret: the job is about 40% mechanical work and 60% emergency response. When an elevator breaks down in a high-rise building on a Saturday night, the building management doesn’t haggle over your rate.
Why it pays so well:
– Specialized skills. Elevator mechanics combine electrical, mechanical, and software knowledge.
– Life-safety critical. Failed elevators trap people, and failed brakes kill people.
– Huge demand. Every new building in Austria needs elevators. And they all break eventually.
The trade-off: You’re on call constantly. Your phone rings at 2 AM. Your weekends are never truly yours. The money is fantastic, but it extracts a price.
The Comedic Money: Müllabfuhr (Garbage Collector)
I know. You’re laughing. Stop laughing.
Municipal waste collectors in Austria are Beamte (civil servants) or quasi-Beamte with union contracts. They earn around €2,800, €3,500 net per month, plus overtime, holiday pay, Zulagen (allowances), and a pension that would make most private sector workers weep.
Why it pays so well:
– Physical toll. Your knees and back pay the price. The job has a hard shelf life.
– Early morning work. Nobody wants to do this job, so wages get bid up.
– Union power. The Gewerkschaft (union) for municipal workers is one of the strongest in Austria.
The reality: It’s not glamorous. It’s genuinely hard on your body. But if you’re fit, don’t mind early mornings, and value job security over prestige, it’s a financial sleeper hit.
The Cockpit in the Sky: Fluglotse (Air Traffic Controller)
This is the hidden gem that everyone agrees on.
Air traffic controllers in Austria (working for Austro Control) start around €4,000, €5,000 net monthly. Senior controllers can clear €100,000+ annually. And the training? Fully paid by the employer.
Why it pays so well:
– Extreme stress tolerance required. You’re managing life-and-death decisions in real-time.
– High focus demand. The human brain struggles to maintain this level of intensity for full shifts.
– Tiny talent pool. Most people wash out of training. Only about 5% of applicants make it through.
How to get in: You need excellent English (native or near-native), strong spatial awareness, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The training takes 2, 3 years, and you’ll move to Vienna or Salzburg. No degree required, just raw cognitive ability.
The Quiet Billionaires: Notar (Notary)
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Austria has an ancient guild system, and no one has exploited it better than Notare (notaries).
As the commentators on that Reddit thread pointed out with barely concealed envy: notaries have territorial monopolies. You go to their office for your specific Bezirk (district). They charge legally fixed fees and face zero price competition. One Reddit user described it as a “Money glitch”, not just because of the fees, but because notaries get first access to real estate deals from estates (Verlassenschaften), letting them snap up prime Grundstücke (plots) before anyone else.
Why it pays so well:
– Legal monopoly. The state guarantees your business.
– Fixed fee structure. No race to the bottom.
– Inside information. You see every property deal in your district.
The catch: You can’t just become a notary. Positions are limited, and as the Reddit thread noted with dark humor: “Dein Vater muss Notar sein” (Your father has to be a notary). Or your uncle. Nepotism is essentially baked into the system. It’s infuriating. It’s also real.
The Sales That No One Sees: B2B IT Sales
Forget the “consultant” title that everyone uses to make entry-level jobs sound important. B2B IT sales in Austria is where the serious money lives.
Senior salespeople and Key Account Managers (KAMs) in specialty care or IT telecom regularly hit €100,000+ annual brutto (gross salary). Base salary plus commission structures mean your income scales directly with your results.
Why it pays so well:
– Direct revenue generation. Companies pay for what makes them money.
– High skill ceiling. The best salespeople are worth 10x their salary.
– Austrian business culture rewards relationship-based sales. Slow to build, but sticky once established.
The catch: You need C1 German at minimum. You need to understand the Austrian Geschäftskultur (business culture), which values trust and reliability over flashy pitches. And you need to handle rejection like a professional athlete.
The Bureaucratic Heaven: Beamter bei Internationalen Organisationen
This one was dropped like a grenade in the Reddit thread. An annual net salary of €85,000 for entry-level positions in organizations like the UN, EU, or EZB (European Central Bank). After five years? €100,000+. Plus absolute job security.
Why it pays so well:
– Tax advantages. International organization salaries are often tax-free or heavily reduced.
– Global talent competition. They compete with London, Geneva, and New York salaries.
– Political insulation. These jobs don’t disappear with budget cuts.
How to get in: Brutally competitive. You typically need a master’s degree, fluency in at least two EU languages, and specialized expertise in law, economics, or policy. But the payoff is extraordinary.
The Awkward Truth: What These Jobs Say About Austria
Looking at this list, a pattern emerges.
Austria rewards jobs that:
1. Have high emotional or physical barriers (funeral director, garbage collector, elevator tech)
2. Carry heavy responsibility (train driver, air traffic controller)
3. Are protected by unions or guilds (notary, municipal workers)
4. Generate direct revenue (sales, funeral director)
The country’s labor market is not a pure meritocracy. It’s a mix of merit, monopoly, and misery. The jobs that make the most money aren’t always the most prestigious. They’re the ones where you either endure something others won’t, control something others can’t access, or deliver results that translate directly into company profits.
Does This Apply to Expats?
Here’s the part that stings.
Most of these high-paying hidden jobs are difficult for non-German-speaking internationals to access. Train driver? Needs C1 German. Notary? Requires Austrian citizenship and connections. Municipal worker? Almost impossible without permanent residency and fluent German.
The exceptions:
– Air traffic controller (English is the working language)
– IT Sales (if your German is strong enough)
– Bestatter (possible if you have the Meisterbrief and fluency)
– International organizations (English + French or German is typical)
For expats, the most realistic hidden high-paying path is either:
– The international organization route (if you have the credentials)
– Freelance or remote work for foreign companies (avoiding the Austrian guild system entirely)
The Last Word
If you’re an Austrian-born professional feeling stuck in a career that doesn’t pay, this list is your wakeup call. The money is out there. It’s just not where your teachers told you to look.
If you’re an expat, take this list with a grain of realistic Austrian salt. The guild system runs deep. But knowing where the money flows, even if you can’t tap it directly, helps you understand the country’s economic soul.
And if you’re a notary reading this: yes, we all know about the “Money glitch.” Enjoy it while the monopoly lasts.