Working and Social Security system in Germany

Published on: 08:26 0

Can I work as a foreign student in Germany?
Many of our clients wish to work during their stay in Germany. Some wish to have job experience and some just need the money.

It is important that the study is not neglected. For the assessment of social insurance, it is important that the student is “properly registered” and enrolled. The study must be at the forefront and the student must be mainly devoted to the study.
During the semester, the work week must not exceed 20 hours. Exceptions to this may be, if you are working mainly on weekends or in the evening and night hours. It is different in the semester break, during which period, there is no time restriction.
According to immigration law, foreign students are authorized to work. The period is limited to 120 days or 240 half days. This does include the preparatory period during the first year of the stay. Please see § Paragraph16 passage 3 of the Residence Act.

When is social security contributions due?
If during the term, if work does not exceed 20 hours a week, then there is no social security payment towards state health care insurance, the sate nursing care insurance and the state unemployment insurance.
However, as soon as the income exceeds 450,-EUR per month, mandatory contributions have to be made to the state pension scheme. The contributions are half paid by the employer and half paid by the employee.
The same rules apply even if the student works during the holidays, however the 20 hour rule does not apply in that case.

During the semester, if a student works for more than 20 hours a week, then social security contributions become mandatory, unless the job is from the onset for maximum 2 months or limited in such a way that the students work only on weekends or in the evening and night hours.
During the course of a year (that is 365 days in a row) working with a variety of jobs, if one crosses more than 20 hours a week in total or completes more than 26 weeks, then the student is technically an employee. The special status of the student is forfeited and social security becomes mandatory.
Mini Job (small jobs) to foreign students
Mini jobs are often called 450-Euro-Jobs.
With mini-jobs the pay is crucial. The income must be below 450, – EUR per month.
It is very important that in the assessment of social security, all the adjacent low-paid jobs shall be totaled up. If 450, – EUR limit is exceeded, then it is no longer a mini job. If the study remains the main purpose (main occupation),  then only contributions have to be paid to the state pension scheme.
If the student is with a state health insurance, then the employer must pay a fixed amount to the state health insurance and the state pension insurance. For persons who are privately insured or persons who are insured through MAWISTA in a travel health insurance, the employer does not have to pay any health insurance premiums.
Internship while studying
If during the course of study, an internship is compulsory and prescribed in the study and examination regulations, then the salary is always exempt from social security. As proof, the employer has to submit a certificate of enrollment.
If it is a non-mandatory internship but in line with the success of study and the wages are less than 450, – EUR per month then social insurance contributions do not have to be paid. However, it must concern the first desired degree, an example; a PhD does not come in this category.
An internship before or after the study is not considered as a social-security-free internship.
Working during the semester:
If the job is limited to the summer break, the number of hours of work per week does not matter and no contributions have to be made towards state health care insurance, the state nursing care insurance and the state unemployment insurance. This is only valid for short-term employment of less than 60 calendar days or 50 working days per year. When the 60 calendar days or 50 working days late are crossed or the earnings of 450, – EUR per month is exceeded then contributions to the state pensions scheme become mandatory.
Where can I get a social security number / social security card? People who take up employment for the first time in Germany need a social security card. This applies to the vast majority of foreign students.
The social security card should be applied for by the first employer. The mini-job application must be submitted at the mini-job headquarters and for employment with social security; a public health insurance company has to be contacted. The employer then receives the social security number and the employee (student) receives his/her social security card sent by mail.
The social security card is valid for a life time and should be kept well.
This information is supplied without liability.

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Accommodation and Banking Facilities in Germany

Published on: 08:20 0

Accommodation / Housing
Unfortunately, housing in Germany is one of the major challenges. Many foreign students look for an apartment upon arrival in Germany. It often happens and it is pretty difficult. At major university towns, there is a housing shortage. The number of students looking for accommodation well exceeds the offers. Moreover, the cost of accommodation should not be underestimated. For a small apartment, one could pay a rent of 300 € – 600€. The additional costs, for example, for water, electricity, etc. must also be budgeted.

The search for a suitable accommodation should start in your friend´s circle. People, who have been living for a long time at the University site, one can provide important tips, such as, which area offers good living quarters or the quality of public transport in that area. They often know which apartments are available and which will be available shortly, including information of the landlords.
In some cities, real estate agents have also specialized in the mediation of apartments to students. However, be aware that this service is not free. A successful mediation can cost up to 2 – 4 months’ rent in form of commission to the broker.
Every university has at least one notice-board indicating the availability of apartments, often from persons who offer an available room in a shared apartment. Almost all universities have their own dormitories, which can be very helpful to many students. These accommodations are usually inexpensive but are often fully booked.

Student unions also assist one to find an accommodation on the private market. Home offers can be found on specialized internet portals such as this one www.live-like-a-german.com. International offices and secretariats offer good advice and support in finding housing. Some colleges have set up welcome centers that also can be used for assistance.

Banking facilities in Germany
Every foreign student should attempt, as early as possible, to open a bank account in Germany after arrival. Bank accounts can sometimes be opened in their home country, for the stay here which only has to be confirmed on arrival. The Deutsche Bank is especially well represented internationally; as a result, many students opt for a checking account at Deutsche Bank. Many payments, for example, the payment of the cell phone contract, the payment of rent or even the health insurance contract run without cash, so a normal checking account is very necessary. Some banks offer a free checking account for students, for the duration of the course. When deciding on a bank, besides the running cost of the account, other important factors include the existence of a branch office in the area, whether English is spoken, the cost of a cash withdrawal, etc.

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What Does It Cost to Study in Germany

Published on: 08:18 0

The question “And what does this cost?” is one of the first questions one is asking or is being asked by parents when their children want to study abroad. Not only a whole degree abroad but also a single term can include costs that wouldn’t be there in the home country.

The first point of the costing is the tuition fee. In Germany these are quite low compared to other countries and at some universities there are no fees. Most German universities are financed by the state and government and just a small amount of their money comes from tuition fees. How much has to be paid depends on the location of the university. Every federal state can decide on its own, if it has enough money to abolish tuition fees or if it needs additional fees. The federal states Bayern, Hamburg, Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen still charge tuition fees. These are obligatory for most students and account about 500 Euros per semester. All other federal states do not charge tuition fees or just fees for long-time students and for a second degree.

Those who want to study at a private university have to calculate with much higher tuition fees. The private universities are financed only from tuition fees and therefore these are much higher. It is possible, that students have to pay up to 20.000 Euros per year.
In addition to the tuition fees it is normal in Germany that there is another amount called the semester fee. This amount has to be paid by every student and covers administration costs and the finance of cafeterias, sports areas and residential homes. Furthermore, it includes the money for a semester bus ticket. At most universities it is possible to use the students-card as a ticket for bus and train in the area. The semester fee can differ from university to university and costs about 150 to 250 Euros.

The second big part besides the tuition fees are the living-costs. Germany is not much more expensive than other countries but one needs quite a lot of additional money when not living at the parent’s house. Living-costs in Germany differ a lot depending on the area. It is a big difference living in a big industrial or university-city or in a small town which is not that overloaded with people. Especially in the areas with high housing shortage the students form apartment-sharing communities and share the basic costs.

The apartment-sharing is a cheap alternative to the own apartment. Universities also provide residential homes for their students in which one can live cheaply. In most cases the kitchen is shared with other students and one has a small single room. Applying early for a place at the residential home raises the chance to get one of the strongly demanded places. Residential homes cost between 200 and 400 Euros, a room in an apartment-sharing community between 300 and 500 Euros. A single apartment can cost from 400 Euros upwards.

There are some more things that are needed to live besides a room. Starting with food and clothing, continuing with books for university and free-time activities these costs form another part in the costing. Depending on the subject one has to buy a lot of books or copy the lecture material, these costs can be about 50 Euros per semester. The money needed for food depends on every person. Is it enough to have the food from the cafeteria or do you want to cook wholefood products at your home? Additionally to the food there are free-time activities. It doesn’t matter if one prefers sport and has to pay for club memberships or if one likes to go out with friends and needs money for this. In total, it is a good way to look at the own lifestyle and calculate with about 200 Euros more.

Coming from a different country means that one wants to go home sometimes to see the family at Christmas or on holidays. For these travels there are more costs to be calculated, which can be quite expensive depending on the distance to the home country.
Everyone should calculate for his or her own needs and make a list what he or she needs to live. Just if the finance is secure it is possible to study in Germany

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Getting MBA in Germany

Published on: 05:34 2

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most popular Master-degree programs and is taught and approved worldwide. Therefore, the degree MBA has enforced as self-standing degree. It is well-known for its strong links between practical experience and theoretical knowledge.

In Germany it is also possible to get the MBA degree in different ways. Doing it as a full time study program it takes 12 to 24 months to get the degree, depending on program, state and university. It is also possible to do the MBA as half-time studies. Then it is possible to keep working in one’s company and study at evenings or at the weekend to get the degree. Because of the limited study time it therefore takes longer to get the degree.
Those who want to keep working during the MBA studies can also choose another model, called the Executive MBA. In this model the studies take part in an agreement with the employer and are also financed by this. This MBA was made for executive managers and is structured very tight.

A last alterative is given by the Distance Learning, meaning the studying at home. With the internet it is possible and easy to get the necessary documents and one can learn on his or her own at home. This provides a flexible design of the studies but also requires discipline.
Admission requirements for the MBA program are similar to those for normal master degrees. It is necessary to have a finished another studies before, either Bachelor or Diploma degree. In some cases it is possible to avoid the degree with enough practical experience in the subjects. Different as in normal Master programs the MBA is taught at Business Schools instead of universities.

The motivation for a MBA study program is quite similar to the one for a master program, further education in important topics, better opportunities for the career and deepening of one’s knowledge. These studies are often started after some time of practical working. The MBA degree is approved in management-networks but has also become that widespread that the single studies are no longer the way to executive positions. It is also necessary to use the gained knowledge in a positive way.

To get the degree it is necessary to do a master-thesis and to pass an oral exam.
 
The MBA programs in Germany today are quite widespread and demanded. Unfortunately, with the spreading comes also a loss of quality. Not every Business School is similar to the others concerning content and quality of teaching. To find the good ones it is a great help to look at the accreditation of the study programs. Independent companies check the quality of the offered program.
An MBA program is financed only by tuition fees. Therefore, these fees are quite expensive. For an MBA program one has to calculate about 90.000$ including costs of living etc.
MBA programmes in Germany are usually a little less expensive than in the UK and the USA. But more over: If the “Master of Business Administration” title isn’t that important to you and you would also go for another professional Masters degree (such as a “Master in Management” or an advanced “Master of Science”), then Germany offers some very affordable study options. More info on Masters in Germany  can be found at MASTERS AND MORE. The information service for postgraduate studies also organizes fairs in Germany, the UK and other countries, where Universities and Business Schools from all over the world present their Masters and MBA programmes.
Those who are interested in such a program and in the German Business Schools can get further information on the webpage www.mba.de. Which places offer this study program? What possibilities are provided to finance the studies? Where are the main differences between MBA and Master? Furthermore, they offer a searching machine to find the suitable Business School for oneself. There are also dates for information presentations for the different topics.

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15 reasons why you should learn German language

Published on: 05:29 0

Here are many reasons why you should learn German language – below we highlight 15 of those reasons:

EARN

1. Germany is the world’s second-largest exporter.
2. The German economy ranks number one in Europe and number four worldwide. Its economy is comparable to that of all the world’s Spanish-speaking countries combined.
3. Germany is home to numerous international corporations.
4. Direct investment by Germany in the United States is over ten billion dollars.

KNOW

1. German has the largest number of native speakers in the European Union (far more than English, Spanish, or French).
2. German is among the ten most commonly spoken languages in the world. It is also a lingua franca of Central and Eastern Europe. And as for “all Germans speak English anyway”? That’s pure myth.
3. 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine have gone to scientists from the three major German-speaking countries, while many laureates from other countries received their training in German universities. Eleven Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to German-language writers, and seven Germans and Austrians have received the Peace Prize.
4. Germans are world leaders in engineering.
5. German and English are similar. Many words in German sound and/or look the same as equivalent English words, because the two languages share the same “grandparent.” For example, look at these words:
   Haus = house, Buch = book, Finger = finger, Hand = hand,
   Name = name, Mutter = mother, schwimmen = to swim,
   singen = to sing, kommen = to come, blau = blue, alt = old,
   windig = windy.
6. The German-speaking world has produced some of the most revered filmmakers of the 20th century – from Fritz Lang to Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders and a new generation of transnational directors such as Tom Tykwer and Fatih Akin. German and Austrian filmmakers such as Lang, Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch also shaped the history of Hollywood.

THINK

1. German is the language of Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, and Kafka, of Mann, Brecht, and Grass. Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner, Mahler, and Schoenberg spoke and wrote German, as did Freud, Weber, Einstein, and Heisenberg, Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger.
2. German is the second most commonly used scientific language in the world.
3. 18% of the world’s books are published in German, and relatively few of these ever appear in English translation.
4. 68% of all Japanese students study German. What do they know that you don’t?
5. Many of the Western world’s most important works of philosophy, literature, music, art history, theology, psychology, chemistry, physics, engineering and medicine are written in German and continue to be produced in German.

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Scholarships and Financing

Published on: 05:26 0

Deciding to study abroad includes also to know what costs might be included and different to those who would exist when studying at home. Depending on where you come from the costs in Germany can be higher or cheaper than in your home country. It is also important to know that costs like those for the health insurance or for traveling home can arise.

Tuition fees in Germany are quite cheap when combined with other countries. Most universities and technical colleges are financed by the state and just a small amount is financed by the students. In Germany every state can decide if tuition fees are necessary or if they can be dismissed. The federal states Bayern, Hamburg and Niedersachsen do charge tuition fees which are about 500 Euros, which is quite cheap. The other federal states do not charge tuition fees but some have special regulations concerning long-time students or a second degree.

All students have to pay another amount of money called the semester fee. With this fee the administration costs for the own person are paid and cafeterias, residential homes or sport facilities are financed. In most cases with these fees one also gets a semester ticket that can be used for bus or train in the area. The semester fee is about 150 to 250 Euros.
To study at a private university or technical college is much more expensive because these are financed only by tuition fees. The fees for these universities can be up to 20.000 Euros per year.

Additionally, there are costs for a health insurance which is necessary in Germany and the normal living costs. Renting costs can differ a lot depending on where and how one wants to live. In the big industrial and university cities the rent can be quite expensive because there is not much space for all the people. For German students it is therefore normal to share a flat with other people and make an apartment-sharing community to lower the costs for everyone. Another cheap opportunity is the residential homes from the university. These are always strongly demanded and it is therefore important to apply for a place early. Costs for the rent are in residential homes 200 – 400 Euros, in apartment-sharing communities about 300 – 500 Euros and for a single apartment from 400 Euro upwards, these amounts can differ from town to town.

In addition to the rent there are also costs for food, books, copies, telephone, internet, clothing, free-time and many more. Combined with other countries Germany has EU-average costs in this area. How much money is needed depends on many coefficients. One can calculate with about 200 – 300 Euros.
To finance all these things it is important to know early enough what budget one has and what are the other alternatives.
A student-job in Germany cannot always be done by international students. First there have to be checked the rules and regulations for one’s home country. But then a student-job can be a good way to improve the budget. Job offers can be received from university as well.

Another opportunity is to apply for scholarships. It can either be a scholarship from one’s home country or a scholarship from Germany. In Germany there are different foundations and organizations that help international students. The scholarships from the DAAD ( German Academic Exchange Service ) are always good and on the webpage can be found a list of all scholarships to search and find the best one. For students from Europe there is also the possibility to get scholarships from the ERASMUS-program. It makes sense in every case to apply for a scholarship. Even if they just pay for a small part of the costs it can be a big help.
It is also that important to get the information about how to finance the studies early because in Germany there is needed a proof of financing. This proof is very important because it is needed for the application, for the visa and for the residence permit. There has to be a proof that one has 8.000 Euros per year from different sources.

The finance is a very important part that should not be underestimated and about which ne should think early if wanting to study abroad.

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Germany Visa and Entry Requirements

Published on: 05:24 0

What kinds of documents and papers one needs for the entry to Germany depends mainly on where he or she comes from and on how long he or she wants to stay in Germany. It is important to get the necessary information and to put together all the papers quite early and in time before the studies abroad.


In general there are the following rules: For citizens from the EU or from the countries Island, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is only necessary to have an identity card to entry Germany. It is not necessary to have a visa. Citizens from other countries instead need a visa if they stay in Germany for more than 90 days. There are some more rules for the visa application as well. Citizens from the countries Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and the USA can apply for their visa even after they arrived in Germany. For citizens from other countries it is necessary to apply for the visa before coming to Germany.

If staying less than 90 days in Germany there are even more regulations. Citizens from certain countries can entry Germany for this time without a visa. These are Venezuela, Vatican City, Uruguay, Singapore, Seychelles, Paraguay, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Mauritius, Malaysia, Macau, Croatia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Chile, Brunei, Brazil, Bolivia, Bermuda, Barbados, Bahamas and Argentina.
More detailed information and lists of the certain countries can also be found on the webpage of the Foreign Office or by going to the consulate or the German embassy in one’s home country. For those who just want to go to Germany for one semester there are also information councilors at the home university.

When applying for the visa there are different ones for what one has to apply. What kind of visa is necessary depends on the application to the German university. If the university place is already secure and confirmed one can apply for a visa for the stay for study purposes. If the application is not yet confirmed or one has to apply for a visa to visit the German university or to do a test one has to apply for a visa for the purpose of university application.

But careful, the visa doesn’t cover the whole stay in Germany. Those visas normally just last for three months. Afterwards, one has to apply for an additional residence permit in Germany. This can be done at the Aliens Department after changing one’s residence at the Registration Office
.
Those who are still confused or who have further questions can go to the International Office at the German university. The councilor can answer all the important questions and remember the deadlines.
To get a visa and later the residence permit one need certain document.

For the visa it is necessary to show the health insurance in Germany (you can choose: ReiseCare or Allianz) and a proof of financing. The German Embassy or the Consulate can say what else is required, for example German knowledge, the confirmation of the university place in Germany, etc.

For the residence permit it takes the confirmation of the Registration Office, health insurance, certificate of enrollment, identity document and visa. It is also important to know that the residence permit is not for ever but just lasts for two years. Those who study longer can extend the permission.

All those formalities are quite confusing and it can also last a long time till all documents are applied and confirmed. Therefore, it is really important to get the information in time. Especially for those who study the total time in Germany and organize their stay alone. When doing a semester abroad there is a lot of help from the home university as well but it is also good to start planning early.

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