Month: August 2023

Back at work… for 5 weeks

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Back to work

As mentioned in my previous blog, the Austrian maternity leave system is generous. So I opted to go back to work for two months while hubby stayed home with Sam. During this time I also took all the holidays owed to me, so the end result was a brief five week stint of work for me.

I’m not sure how ideal it is for businesses – to gain an employee back for such a limited amount of time, or to lose one, but it did me a whole lot of good, and in the end, that’s the most important thing.

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The Austrian maternity leave system – giving me a break

debbiekaye19802 Comments
baby shoes

I was told when I moved to Austria that if I planned to have children I should definitely do it here because the system is so generous. And yeah… it was hard going through pregnancy and postpartum in a foreign country… but the advice was right… the maternity leave is generous. The system is good to parents.

Starting with eight weeks of paid leave before you even go on official maternity leave, it’s pretty standard to take two years off as a stay at home parent. During this time your workplace cannot fire you. And they must take you back in a part time role.

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Tick… tick… tick… boom

debbiekaye19803 Comments
tick

I am Australian. I come from the land of dangerous animals… of deadly crocodiles and sharks and jellyfish and snakes and spiders… all of which I never really worried much about when I was in Australia.

But here in Austria… the ticks freak me out.

Tiny little creatures, they are. Innocently bumbling around in grass and foliage on the forest floor. Not too smart, not too fast. But since you don’t feel them bite, they just hang out on you for a while… gorging.

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