This thesis analyses how young refugees experience learning and living in Austria. It examines their motivation for learning and how their motivation may be influenced by the difficulties they face (e.g.: PTSD, anxiety, very low levels of literacy, language barriers, having never attended a school before or having not attended one in a long time, refugee accommodation, and limited access to education). Although there have been some explorations of this topic in various contexts, there is a lack of research concerning the lives of unaccompanied minors in Austria and especially those who are not assigned to Austrian schools. A qualitative research approach was applied with Grounded Theory to analyse the eight interviews with UMs that I conducted. I categorised my finding in eight thematical groups. The analysis found that almost all learners were extrinsically motivated, and that some bordered on amotivation. Characteristics of educational resilience were found in all participants, but it appeared harder for some to maintain this resilience than for others. Uncertainty of the learners futures impacted their motivation to learn immensely; two of those who have not yet been granted asylum found learning German futile, seeing as they may not need it in the future if they were asked to leave the country. The results presented in this thesis do not claim to be representative of all UMs lives; they point towards issues that need further quantitative investigation. This study shows that it is essential that education for UMs and refugee children/youth is improved. It is of paramount importance to improve teachers training so as to provide them with the needed skills and knowledge about potentially helpful approaches, such as translanguaging. This study also suggests there is room for improvement regarding basic educational programs, asylum procedures in Austria, and in accepting and including multiculturalism and multilingualism into Austrian classrooms.