Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

TheSolutionCounts ("we", "us", "our") is a consulting and advisory firm registered in Austria. We provide services to international students, graduates, employers, and entrepreneurs across Europe.

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data only to the extent necessary to provide our services or respond to your enquiries. The categories of data we may collect include:

• Contact information — name, email address, phone number
• Professional information — academic background, employment status, company name
• Usage data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on site (collected via cookies)
• Communication data — messages, emails, and records of correspondence with us

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Contractual necessity — to provide the services you have requested
• Legitimate interest — to improve our website, prevent fraud, and ensure security
• Consent — where you have given explicit consent (e.g., marketing communications, cookies)
• Legal obligation — where we are required to process data by law

4. How We Use Your Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries and providing requested services
• Managing our client relationship and delivering advisory services
• Sending service-related communications and updates
• Improving the functionality and content of our website
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Data Sharing

We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business. These include:

• Cloud hosting and IT service providers
• Email communication platforms
• Payroll and HR partners (where required to deliver employment support services)
• Legal and compliance advisors

All third-party processors are contractually bound to process your data only on our instructions and in compliance with GDPR.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by applicable Austrian and EU law. Typically:

• Client data is retained for 7 years following the end of a service engagement (in line with Austrian commercial law)
• Enquiry data is retained for up to 2 years if no engagement follows
• Website analytics data is retained in anonymised form indefinitely

7. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right of rectification — to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right of erasure — to request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing — to limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is consent-based, you may withdraw at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at office@thesolutioncounts.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority (dsb.gv.at).

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience and analyse site usage. For full details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR Chapter V, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a revised date. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us: