Rail chief’s new job as a Vienna dishwasher

Keith ran eastern Europe’s cargo network. Foto: EuroPics

By David R. Hill

Recession claims Deutsche Bahn chief.
300 job applications without success.

Vienna. The recession has dealt a more brutal blow to Vienna expat Keith Langham than most. In one fell swoop he went from being a highly paid rail executive responsible for running Deutsche Bahn’s eastern European network, to washing dishes in Aust- rian national broadcaster ORF’s Vienna canteen.

The Englishman, whose wife and two children live across the border in Hungary, has found it hard to deal with the change in pace after 32 years with Deutsche Bahn.

Short notice

When he was called into human resources in Jan- uary Keith thought he was going to be posted abroad but instead they told him that the company was being restructured and they no longer needed his services.

"It’s been a cruel blow that's for sure,” he said.

"A few months ago I was responsible for moving thousands of tonnes of rail cargo through Eastern Europe every day, but now all I move is the slops bucket from one end of the kitchen to the other!”

Many men would fold under the pressure of such an extreme change in fortunes but Keith has man- aged to stay philosophical throughout.

"I am not ashamed of my current situation. I am the victim of the credit crunch and I am doing everything in my power to haul myself back on my feet,” said the 53 year old.

When the Austrian Times first spoke to Keith two weeks ago he had filled out a total of 215 applications for jobs in anything from IT to property. Now he has filled in a further 90, but it has effectively got him no where.

"You’ve got to send off 50 applications just to get one reply,” he said. "And then you might not even get an interview. You have to see every reply as a small victory though. Otherwise you’ve got nothing.”

Keith manages to keep a British sense of humour about it all though. "I see everything rather as a bad joke, but I would never let it get me down. Having my family around me is far more important than a good job,” he said.

"But of course when your kids want a new toy and you have to tell them you can’t afford it, you can’t help but think it would help,” he added.

Long way from home

Keith grew up in rural Devon, west England. He left school at 18 with no more than three A-levels and a burning desire to see the continent.

After some time in the Netherlands he arrived in Germany where he would spend the next 20 years.

Keith remains optimistic about learning a new trade though. "The thought of what I might be doing in a year really excites me,” he said. "I’m good with comp- uters and my linguistic skills are better than most so I’m sure I’ll find something lasting soon.”

Potential employers in Austria and abroad can contact Keith on +43 664 311 0533 or at langham.keith@gmail.com

Printausgabe vom 27.06.2009