1. “Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for it
Katharine Whitehorn

2. Career choice What am I going to do after my A-Levels?
Three possibilities:
Take a year off, have a break and gather information (GAP YEAR)

3. Start a professional/vocational training
developing the skills you need to work in a specific industry or job

4. Find an employment and enter working life directly

5. Public Employment Service Austria

6. What is important? What do you need to consider?
Career choice
What is important?
What do you need to consider?

7. Most important factor should be your PERSONAL INTERESTS and ABILITIES
How to find them?

8. Sometimes the way we see ourselves differs a lot from the way other people see us. To get a clearer view of yourself it can be useful to get some external assessment (from friends and family). Strengths and weaknesses profile:
Question
Self-perception
Evaluation by others
Which special skills/abilities do I have?
What am I really good at?
Which tasks present difficulties for me?
In which areas do I still need to work on myself?
Which job (area) is not for me?

9. John Holland: RIASEC test
Realistic (Doers),
Investigative (Thinkers),
Artistic (Creators),
Social (Helpers),
Enterprising (Persuaders), and
Conventional (Organizers)

10. Other possibilities to get personal career counseling
Psychologische Studierenberatung
ÖH (Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft)
(key2success)

11. Get information on the job market
Encyclopedia of jobs (more than 1,800 jobs described) :
Find out in which areas work force is needed and which qualifications are required :
Have a look at job advertisements in newspapers or in the internet

12. Gap Year choices:
Au-pair: spend 6-12 months abroad taking care of children, babysitting, cleaning (30 hours)
Voluntary social year: 6-18 months working in social, charitable or public utilities, inside or outside the country
Doing casual work in an EU member state (summerjob, European jobs network), or in Austria
Military or community service (not only for boys)

13. Professional /vocational training (Higher Education)
Study at University: Bologna System (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate)

14. Study at University of Applied Sciences: Fachhochschule (BA,MA)
Study at a College: 2 years condensed of vocational schools
Study at a School of Education PH: training to become a teacher in primary and secondary education
Apprenticeship after the A-Levels: in some fields a year less than usual

15. Start a job Main fields after A-Levels: Public services
Regional administration (Bund, Länder, Gemeinden)
Representations of interest (chamber of commerce/agriculture)
Health insurance / social insurance
Banks and insurances
Commercial concerns (airlines, ...)
Usually accompanied by some sort of vocational training

16. How to find a job? Networking: ask friends, family, acquaintances
Do some casual work to gain experience (also for your CV)
In newspapers
Online job boards, career centers

17. Application for a job
(=basically advertisement for yourself, it is the first impression an employer gets, hence very important)
contains:
Personal Statement or Letter of Application: provide additional information on your skills and experience (why you are qualified for the job that you are applying for)
Curriculum vitae (EU standard CV)
Foto (portrait)
Certificates, school reports, ...

18. For more information go to:

19. Your task:
According to your strength and weaknesses, the test you took to find out about your interests and skills, and you personal requirements, try to find the job that would suit you best and would make you happy. Find out about the requirements for this job, the education/training you need for it and find a job advertisement on the internet where this job is offered. Then write a letter of application to the company.
Having searched for information on your dream job describe what a normal day looks like for a person working in this job. Also reflect on whether it would be a real option for