Hire proven ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) professionals in Austria, matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.
CTFL holders bring solid test fundamentals, defect reporting, test design techniques, and structured work with test cases and risk-based thinking. They fit well in software delivery, regression work, and acceptance testing, with fast, precise matching to vetted freelancers who hold the certification.
About the certification
What CTFL means
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level, often called CTFL or ISTQB Foundation Level, is the entry certification for structured software testing. It shows that a tester understands the language of testing, the purpose of test work, and how testing supports quality across the software lifecycle.
Core skills
- Test principles and the role of testing in delivery
- Test design techniques for building effective test cases
- Defect reporting and clear communication with developers and business teams
- Test levels, test types, and the basics of test management
- Risk-based thinking and how to focus effort where it matters most
Typical holders
CTFL is common among junior testers, business analysts who support testing, QA team members, and developers who work closely with test activities. It is also a good starting point for freelancers who want to show a shared testing vocabulary and a disciplined approach to quality work.
What it signals
A freelancer with CTFL can usually contribute to manual testing, review test cases, prepare test data, execute checks, and document results in a clear way. For companies in Austria, this is useful when teams need reliable support for local delivery, German-language collaboration, or remote work within international product teams.
Where it helps
- Web and mobile application testing
- Regression and release support
- User acceptance testing preparation and execution
- Defect triage and test reporting
- Cross-functional projects where testers work with product and development teams
Why companies ask for it
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level does not prove deep specialization. It does show that the freelancer understands standard testing terms, follows a structured method, and can join a team without needing the basics explained from scratch. That makes CTFL a practical filter when you need dependable testing support for short engagements or embedded project work.
Meet FRATCH ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
Hannes Kasch
Head of Development
Last position:
Business Analyst, Scrum Master, Electronic Legal Communication / Agile Coach at Bundesrechenzentrum GmbH (Bundesministerium für Justiz)
- Backlog Management
- Scrum Master
- PO for the Ministry of Justice
- Optimizing Agile Processes
- Classic Business Analysis, User Stories and Testing
- Operational Topics like Nagios Monitoring and Incident Handling
Tools:
- Jira / Confluence
- SQL Developer
- Elastic / Kibana
- Visual Studio Code
Octavian Golea
DWH Technical Analyst
Last position:
Oracle DWH Analyst at Infomotion Gmbh
Oracle PL/SQL, Oracle SQL, ITIL
Michael Polivanov
Delivery Lead | IT-Implementation & Strategic Requirements Engineering
Last position:
Strategy Consultant & Program Architect at Hypo Tirol Bank AG
- Portfolio Analysis & Migration Roadmap: Conducted structured analysis and risk classification of the HCL Notes infrastructure, created a prioritized migration portfolio with effort estimates as a key decision basis for management.
- Target Architecture & Modernization Concept: Developed the architecture strategy for retiring legacy applications, defined requirements for a centralized business process engine to reduce OPEX and licensing costs in the long term.
- Program Governance & Setup: Established roadmap and backlog structures as well as central project documentation (MS SharePoint), set up stakeholder management for the Notes decommissioning program.
Thomas Pacher
QA Tech Lead
Last position:
QA Tech Lead at ready2order GmbH
- Leading a team of QA Engineers
- Implementing effective test strategies, driving the test automation strategy forward
- Hands-on testing for the web and mobile application (iOS, Android)
- Creating, maintaining, and executing test plans as well as documenting test results (Testrail)
- Evaluating and integrating new tools to improve the testing process (e.g. Playwright)
Namik Delilovic
ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
Last position:
Test Manager / Test Automation Engineer at Sky Deutschland GmbH
- Implemented and maintained 443 automated test cases with a 99% pass rate (441/443)
- Enabled CI for test automation: automated runs on review/merge, reporting via Xray
- Introduced accessibility and performance checks and established them in reporting
- Served as QA lead in daily operations with stand-ups, Kanban progress tracking, prioritization, and targeted task distribution
- Handled defect triage and stakeholder communication with daily triage, QA status analysis, and actionable recommendations
- Developed and maintained a stable regression suite for CRM/Salesforce flows (UI/E2E and near-API validations)
- Integrated CI/CD using Jenkins pipelines with Groovy (IaC)
- Maintained QA documentation, test conventions, and processes in Confluence, aligned across the team
- Conducted Salesforce Einstein chatbot testing with intent/topic validation and output checks, and used Robot Framework/Python suites for continuous quality monitoring
- Technology stack: Jira, Xray, Confluence, Jenkins, Groovy, Git, Java, Selenium, Playwright, Cucumber, TypeScript, Postman, REST, Salesforce, Google Cloud, Lighthouse, Evinced, Scrum/Kanban, BDD (Gherkin)
Volkmar Travnicek
UX Manager - Project Manager - Business Analyst – Requirements Engineer – SAFe Consultant
Last position:
Consultant | Business Analyst – Requirements Engineer – Agile Coach - Designer at ÖBB BCC
- Redesign of system error messages for Jira & Confluence
- Evaluation and implementation of new system extensions
- Analysis and design of new business processes with UX expertise
- Support for the implementation of SAFe
Johanna Urbanz
Manager
Last position:
Manager at Deloitte Consulting GmbH
- Technology consulting and project management focused on SAP ICMR and SAP Group Reporting
Vladislav Filipic
Senior Test Automation Engineer / Test Manager
Last position:
Senior Test Automation Engineer / Test Manager at Stadt Wien – WUKSEA
- Creating test scenarios, manual test cases and test data using boundary value analysis and equivalence classes
- Executing functional and non-functional tests (manually with Postman and web application, automated with WebDriver, JUnit and NUnit)
- Setting up, automating and maintaining the test automation framework with Java, Spring Boot, Selenium and Cucumber in IntelliJ (system, regression, smoke, UI and integration tests for web front-end and SOAP API backend interfaces)
- Automating backend NUnit test cases in Visual Studio
- Test management: developing and implementing test strategy and test plans, controlling tests, quality ownership and prioritizing risk-based tests, as well as maintaining documentation in Confluence
- Detailed analysis and quality assurance of requirements
- Creating and maintaining Jenkins pipelines, ensuring quality in build & deployment
- Close collaboration with business analysts, developers, testers and test management
- Identifying, creating and tracking defects/bugs, with thorough test documentation
- Reporting test results and defect reports
- Monitoring test processes and continuous improvements
- Reviewing test data and test results in PostgreSQL database via pgAdmin
- Supporting effort estimation and backlog prioritization
- Analyzing and debugging development code System environment: Java, JUnit, Spring Boot, Selenium, Cucumber, JavaScript, Jenkins, C#, NUnit, Postman, Bitbucket, Confluence, Jira, xRay, pgAdmin, PostgreSQL, SonarQube, Maven, IntelliJ, Visual Studio, CI/CD, SOAP API interfaces
Nedim Kupusovic
Manual Tester and Test Automation Engineer
Last position:
Manual Tester and Test Automation Engineer at IT-Systemhaus der Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- Design appropriate test cases to verify the GUI in Azure Test Plans
- Creation and execution of manual test cases
- Test design for user stories to be implemented in the current sprint
- Analysis of deviations/bugs based on log files and Kibana dashboards
- Creation of bug tickets with error description, screenshots, and short videos
- Prioritization of open bug tickets together with the PO
- Retest of bugs and hotfixes
- Execution of manual tests to ensure a 100% fulfillment rate of all functional requirements
- Selection, installation, and maintenance of a test automation tool (Selenium)
- Implementation of automated regression tests
- Continuous expansion of the object repository and adaptation of automated test cases (acceptance, integration, and system tests)
- Creation of test logs before each sprint change
Wael Azar
Test Automation Expert
Last position:
Test Automation Expert at Ebcont Work GmbH
- Automating software tests with Tosca instead of manual tests
- Ensuring system stability by fixing errors early
- Optimizing for faster releases and better software quality
- Technologies: Tosca, API Testing, JIRA, Confluence
Cédric Monnier
Senior Test Engineer / Test Coordinator
Last position:
Senior Test Engineer / Test Coordinator at Ministry of Finance
- Integration of a standard software for customs clearance (EU project NCTS 5 & 6)
- Test planning and analysis through domain workshops
- Creation of 250 detailed test cases with corresponding test messages
- Automation of 80% of tests in the Java-based TAF
- Tools: SoapUI, Selenium, Jenkins, Confluence, TestNG, IBM Rational
Svyatoslav Rymar
VP of Operations
Last position:
VP of Operations at Mindojo & Plingo
- Plingo ESL app development: Contributed significantly to the development and launch of Plingo, an innovative ESL application designed for kids. Orchestrated the assembly and development of a dedicated engineering team, steering the product from inception to its successful market introduction. The app got 2 million downloads and consistently positive reviews. Acknowledged internationally, Plingo was a finalist in the 2024 Kidscreen and Bett awards and was honored in Israel's national competition for language learning innovation.
- Team leadership & operational improvement: Oversaw the expansion and operational scaling of the company, growing the team from 10 to 50 members. Coordinated efforts across product management, engineering, and content production to improve efficiency and expand operational capacity.
- Customer engagement & feedback: Launched targeted user engagement initiatives, such as surveys and interviews, maintaining a high customer satisfaction rate of 4.8/5. Applied data-driven approaches to refine development processes, shortening product time to market and increasing organizational transparency.
Clemens Novak
IT Business Analyst / Project Manager
Last position:
IT Business Analyst / Project Manager at Self-employed
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) statistics
Typical experience
18 years
Average project duration
2.3 years
Certifications per freelancer
6
Top business areas
Information Technology, Quality Assurance, Product Development
Top industries
Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Government and Administration
Most common languages
German, English, Bosnian
Bachelor's degree or higher
100%
Master's degree or higher
78%
Doctorate
11%
Salary / Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers holding this certification are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need more info? We have all the details about FRATCH
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) validates practical testing basics and a shared understanding of how software testing works. It covers test design, defect reporting, test levels, and the ideas behind risk-based testing. For a company, that usually means the freelancer can work in a structured way and communicate clearly with the team.
Yes. CTFL is the common abbreviation for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level, and many professionals also call it ISTQB Foundation Level. Searchers may use either name, but they refer to the same entry-level certification.
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level is a good fit for junior testers, QA team members, business analysts involved in testing, and developers who need a stronger testing mindset. It is also useful for freelancers who want to show that they understand standard testing language before taking on more advanced test work. Companies often look for it when they need reliable manual testing support.
A freelancer with CTFL is often well suited for manual test execution, test case preparation, defect logging, and regression support. They may also help with acceptance testing, test documentation, and coordinating with developers or product owners. The certification signals solid fundamentals, not deep domain specialization.
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level is the starting point. More advanced ISTQB certifications go deeper into areas such as test analysis, test automation, test management, or specialist testing domains. If you need someone to lead a test strategy or own a complex QA function, Foundation Level alone is usually not enough.
Before preparing for the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level, it helps to have some hands-on exposure to test cases, defects, and software delivery cycles. The certification is designed to be accessible, but it still expects candidates to understand basic testing concepts and common terms. Many professionals study with practice questions and a structured syllabus review.
For CTFL, renewal rules depend on the current ISTQB scheme and local certification path. In practice, holders should keep their knowledge current because testing methods, tools, and team practices evolve over time. Companies usually care most that the freelancer can apply the fundamentals well in today’s projects.
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level is useful anywhere teams need structured software quality work, especially in product teams, consulting environments, and projects with formal test processes. In Austria, it can matter when companies want freelancers who can join local or cross-border teams and communicate clearly in English or German, depending on the project. It is especially relevant for manual testing, release support, and acceptance testing.
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
