Living in Germany

Do you want to emigrate to Germany or have you just moved to Germany? Would you like to find out more about living in Germany? What makes living in Germany so worthwhile? What is working life like in Germany? We can provide you with information, important tips and useful everyday knowledge on the subject of ‘Living in Germany’.

Germany is a country in Europe and covers an area of 357,595 square kilometres. The country is divided into 16 federal states, with Bavaria being the largest. The capital is Berlin and the official language is German. There are 83.8 million people living in Germany, 21.2 million of whom have a migrant background. Turkish guest workers came to Germany as early as the 1960s, which is why the Turkish community is particularly large with around 2.9 million people. Out of these 1.5 million still have a Turkish passport.

Germany is one of the six founding members of the European Union (EU) and is also one of the most important members of the EU due to its economic strength. In Germany, as in most EU countries, the currency used for payments is the euro.

Perhaps you already know why you want to move to Germany. But what makes living in Germany so great?  

Germany is an economically strong and stable country and one of the most important economic powers in Europe. Although Germany is experiencing rising unemployment, at six percent the number is still low. This country also has a solid educational system and a particularly good social security system.

Germany is also considered one of the safest countries in Europe. Not only is the crime rate low, but Germany is also relatively safe compared to other countries when it comes to natural disasters. However, storms and floods are becoming more frequent in Germany, although they are not as severe as hurricanes or tornadoes.

The lack of speed limits on German motorways is often the first thing people think of when Germany is discussed. However, this is not entirely correct. Although there is basically no speed limit on motorways like in other countries, speeds are still limited on many motorway sections in Germany due to roadworks or safety measures. For example, you are often only allowed to drive at 120 km/h on motorways or 80 km/h or only 60 km/h in section with roadworks. You are allowed to drive 50 km/h in urban areas and 100 km/h outside urban areas. You must also drive on the right. Please note that you must carry your driving licence, vehicle registration document and ID with you at all times when driving.

If you are not from an EU member country and have moved to Germany you are allowed to drive in Germany with your foreign driving licence six months after registering your place of residence. However, you should check whether you need a certified translation of your driving licence. After six months, you must apply for a German driving licence. In some cases, it is necessary to take another test in order for you to obtain a valid licence.

What makes emigration to Germany especially attractive is the fact that the social welfare and healthcare systems are particularly good.  

Germany is a welfare state, which means that the state protects you from social risks. On the one hand, this means that you are always covered by statutory health insurance, regardless of whether you are working or not. In addition, even if you are unemployed through no fault of your own, you will always receive at least basic income support. If you have already worked for several years and become unemployed through no fault of your own, you will even receive 60 per cent of your previous salary. If you are an employee, you will automatically be protected from further risks, as you pay directly into the following insurances with your salary. The contribution amount depends on your salary.  

• Health Insurance
  This is the statutory health insurance. There is also a private health insurance for civil servants and self-employed people.
• Long-term Care Insurance
  This insurance protects you if you need long-term care.
• Pension Insurance
  When you retire, you will continue to receive monthly payments. The amount depends on how much you have paid into the pension insurance scheme over the duration of your employment.
• Accident Insurance
  This insurance comes into play if you need financial support for your recovery after an accident at work.
• Unemployment Insurance
  If you become unemployed through no fault of your own, you will not only receive basic income support, but also 60 per cent of your previous income through unemployment benefit.

Germany is known for its excellent healthcare system. Statutory health insurance covers most treatments. This mainly includes visits to general practitioners and most specialists, as well as hospitalisation, operations and, of course, vital treatments. Certain dental treatments and visits to osteopaths and alternative practitioners are not automatically covered. However, you can also take out supplementary insurance for this. In addition, you will either receive medication completely free of charge or have to pay a small amount yourself, between 5 and 10 euros. In Germany, this fee is usually called the “Rezeptgebühr” or ‘prescription fee’.

Tip: Always find out beforehand whether a specialist accepts both statutory and privately insured patients. There may also be longer waiting times due to the shortage of specialists. If you need an earlier appointment, you can contact your health insurance company.

The typical German is considered disciplined, structured and hardworking. But what is it actually like to work in Germany?

Working days in Germany are usually eight hours long and a full-time work week is around 40 hours. Legally, every working person is entitled to four weeks of holiday per year, although most employees in Germany enjoy more than five weeks. In addition to that, there are numerous public holidays in Germany. Depending on the federal state, you also have 9 to 13 public holidays off.

Tip: In Germany, you do not receive the agreed gross salary stated in your employment contract, but the net wage. The above-mentioned social security contributions are deducted from your gross salary automatically. You will therefore be paid the so-called net salary each month. There are several gross-net calculators online that can calculate the salary you will be paid.

If you have children who are to go to school in Germany, they can benefit from the fact, that the education system in Germany is free of charge for everyone. Although there are private schools, children usually go to a public school. Your child's education begins at primary school. Before that, parents are free to decide whether they want to have their children looked after in a kindergarten or by childminders, or whether they want to look after them themselves.

In Germany, school attendance is compulsory for all children starting from the age of six. If your child does not turn six until August or September, you can decide for yourself whether they should go to school. In this exceptional case, it is possible that your child will not be allowed to go to school until the age of seven.

• Primary School (Grundschule)
  A child’s education begins in primary school. There they attend first to fourth grade. In the fourth grade, a decision is made as to whether they will attend a Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium or, in some federal states, a comprehensive school in the fifth grade. This is primarily determined by the child's school performance.
• Secondary School (Hauptschule)
  Children attend the fifth to ninth grade there and receive a secondary general school certificate or a qualified secondary general school certificate, also known as a ‘Quali’. With these qualifications, young people can start vocational training.
• Middle School (Realschule)
  Children attend Realschule from the fifth to tenth grade which is one year longer compared to a Hauptschule. Here, young people receive a Realschulabschluss or ‘Mittlere Reife’, which roughly translates to a completed intermediary secondary education and also qualifies them to start vocational training programmes. However, young people with this qualification have a greater choice of training opportunities. And with this qualification, they can also complete an Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education and then go on to study, but only certain degree programmes.
• Grammar School (Gymnasium)
  Grammar school is the highest level of education for children. Here you attend the fifth to twelfth or thirteenth grade. There you will receive the general higher education entrance qualification, also known as the Abitur. With this qualification, young adults are completely free to choose what they want to study. They can study, but of course they can also start vocational training programmes, which they are sometimes even allowed to complete in a shorter time.
• Comprehensive School (Allgemeinschule)
  In some federal states, there are also comprehensive schools. These combine lower secondary school, intermediate secondary school and grammar school. There are different approaches here. After the tenth grade, pupils can decide whether or not they want to or can complete the general higher education entrance qualification.

You have moved to Germany from another country and your child is now to attend a German school?

In this case the school management and school authorities will decide how your child will be enrolled depending on their language skills. If the language skills are not yet sufficient for normal class attendance, the child will usually first receive trial lessons.

Tip: You are not sure which school you should choose and how to even identify a good school in Germany? You might want to pay attention to the following aspects:  

• A school should offer elective classes, i.e. courses that a child can additionally attend after school, such as theatre courses, choir, orchestra, etc.  
• A school should also offer extracurricular activities, as well as events and excursions.  
• Some schools also offer language courses for foreign students.

Families enjoy special protection in Germany. This is so important, it even is written in the German constitution. There is maternity protection, which obliges working mothers-to-be not to work for six weeks before and eight weeks after giving birth. In addition, parents, whether mothers or fathers, receive up to three years of parental leave. The prerequisite is that they are employees with a German employment contract.

Families also receive special financial benefits, such as parental allowance, which they can receive for up to 14 months. A distinction is made here between basic parental allowance (Basiselterngeld), parental allowance plus (ElterngeldPlus) and partnership bonus (Partnerschaftsbonus). All people from European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are entitled to parental allowance if they live and work in Germany. Citizens of other countries can also apply for parental allowance if they have a residence permit that authorises them to work in Germany. Furthermore, families receive child benefit (Kindergeld) regardless of the amount of salary until the child is 18 years old. The current amount is at 250 euros per month per child (as of 2023). Please note that you may need a translation of your child's foreign birth certificate to apply for child benefit and parental allowance.

In Germany, children are entitled to care and support in a child daycare centre (Kita) after the age of one. Unfortunately, this is not always possible due to the shortage of skilled labour in Germany. There is a shortage of daycare slots in Germany. You should therefore look for a daycare centre for your child as early as possible. Children in Germany can attend a crèche from the age of 0 to three and a kindergarten from the age of three to six. However, you also have the option of having your child looked after by childminders. They look after your child privately, which offers a more intensive care option. You can look for a slot in a daycare centre via the youth welfare office, for example, or you can simply look around yourself in your area. Choose a suitable daycare centre, take a look at it and form an impression before you register your child.

So far, you have been provided some useful information and tips about living in Germany. Would you like more tips on what to do in your leisure time and how to get by in the everyday life in Germany? Then simply read on: ‘Tips for Everyday Life in Germany’