Living and Working in Germany
Pamela Wilson
Living and Working in Germany, first published in 2000 and now in its 4th edition, is the most comprehensive book available about daily life – and is essential reading for newcomers. What’s it really like Living and Working in Germany? Not surprisingly there’s a lot more to life than bier, bratwurst and beetles! This book is guaranteed to hasten your introduction to the German way of life, irrespective of whether you’re planning to stay for a few months or indefinitely. Adjusting to day-to day-life in Germany just got a whole lot simpler!
Download the first 25 pages FREE now (including the Table of Contents), and see for yourself the wealth of priceless information this book contains (including finding a job in Germany, German employment conditions, German permits & visas, German immigration and German customs)! It's packed with comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information, facts and figures, and 'insider’ tips, all written and presented in the ‘easy to read and understand’ style for which Survival Books are famous. Our books will save you weeks or months of research, answer hundreds of questions – including many you hadn’t even thought of – and help you avoid problems and save money!
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Other guides for Germany
Extracts from the book…
Employment Conditions
Employment conditions in Germany are governed by German labour law (Arbeitsgesetze), collective agreements (Tarifverträge), and the terms of an employee’s employment contract. Collective agreements are negotiated between unions and employers’ associations in many industries, and generally apply to employers and employees, irrespective of whether they’re union members. Agreements specify minimum wage levels for each position in the main employment categories for the industry, as well as controlling the permissible working hours and often even holiday periods.
Different rules apply to different categories of employee, e.g. directors, managers and shop-floor workers. Foreigners are employed under the same conditions as German citizens, and part time employees generally receive the same rights and benefits as full-time employees on a pro rata basis.
German employees enjoy excellent employment conditions and social security benefits, and extensive rights under labour laws, collective agreements and local custom. Labour laws (and there are many) detail the minimum conditions of employment, including working hours, overtime payments, holidays, trial and notice periods, dismissal conditions, health and safety regulations, and trade union rights.
An employer’s general rules and regulations or terms (Arbeitsbedingungen) regarding working conditions and benefits applicable to all employees are usually contained in a booklet provided to employees. When negotiating your conditions of employment for a job in Germany, you may find the checklists at the end of this chapter useful.
As in many other European countries, all business establishments with more than a handful of workers must have a works council (Betriebsrat) – see Unions & Works Councils on page 58. The severity of the unemployment situation combined with the high costs and onerous responsibilities of hiring people has prompted the government recently to introduce significant labour market reforms, which essentially create a subsidiary realm of work where different = rules apply: the ‘mini-job’. These offer no protection against dismissal, no permanent contract and no union involvement, and are poorly paid – around 20 per cent less than the standard for the industry concerned – but are considered to be ‘better than no job at all’.
Surprisingly, Germany’s powerful unions have accepted the concept. Mini-job employees who earn up to €400 per month don’t have to pay any income tax or social security contributions and their employers pay a flat rate of 25 per cent to cover the latter. Those earning between €400 and €800 pay lower tax and social security than those with ‘proper’ jobs.
German Banks
There are three broad categories of bank in Germany: private commercial banks (Kreditbanken), public savings banks (Sparkassen) and credit co-operatives (Genossenschaftsbanken).
The differences between the three types of bank relate principally to their legal forms and business structures rather than to the services they offer, and most banking institutions offer a full range of banking, investment and insurance services; many banks also provide advice regarding property rental and purchase and personal financial planning. It isn’t unusual to find banks selling travel packages or tickets to local concerts and other events.
Private commercial banks include the so-called big three German banks: Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and Dresdner Bank, often described as ‘universal banks’. The private banking sector also includes almost 200 regional banks (e.g. Bayerische Vereinsbank, BfG Bank and Berliner Bank), the Postbank (see page 125) and numerous branches of over 300 foreign banks (including Barclays and Citibank).
Public savings banks include the 11 federal state banks (Landesbanken) and 11 federal building and loan associations (Landesbausparkassen) as well as the 500 or so local Sparkassen that are independently operated by town, district and municipal authorities. The Landesbanken and Landesbausparkassen don’t do business directly with the public, but through the Sparkassen. When you buy a home, for instance, you can go to your Sparkasse and have them arrange it for you with the LBS or you can go directly to the LBS (whether you’re a Sparkasse customer or not).
Co-operative credit associations, once limited to members of specific trades or professions, long ago evolved into full service banks, mostly operating under the names of Volksbank or Raiffeisenbank. Choosing among the hundreds of banks available is no simple matter. One important factor to take into account is that some businesses have a preferential arrangement with a particular bank, which may result in lower bank charges for employees. Comparisons between banks can be found on www.banken.de and www.dooyoo.de/banken.
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PRICE: £15.95
PUBLICATION: July 2011
EDITION: 4th
PAGES: 366
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: 230mm x155mm
COLOUR PHOTOS: 150+
