Thanks for the replies to all
An update:
I signed the employment agreement last week with start date in early December, and submitted it to the Gemeinde this week.
They inform me that I can work immediately, but may have to wait up to two months for issuance of the permit.
Waiting to see...
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Re. your query/(situation?) Monocle:
No idea! I searched for an answer to this question myself for a fallback in case I couldn't gain employment, but couldn't find any definite information either way.
As a last resort maybe it's worth a try (unless anyone knows otherwise)?!