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Living and Working in Germany. EURES Germany Ina Rosenow. Index. Facts about Germany Labour Market Social Security Taxes Job Searching Strategies Applying for a position When you have found a position General Information. Facts about Germany. Surface Area : 357.000 km²
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Living and Working in Germany EURES Germany Ina Rosenow
Index • Facts about Germany • Labour Market • Social Security • Taxes • Job Searching Strategies • Applying for a position • When you have found a position • General Information
Facts about Germany Surface Area: 357.000 km² Population: 82.6 Million Capital: Berlin with 4.3 million inhabitants 16 Federal States (Bundesländer)
Labour Market Unemployment Rate 7,4 % West Germany: ~ 6 % East Germany: ~ 12 % about 3,1 Million unemployed persons Employed: 38,2 Million About 1.000.000 job vacancies The current number of unemployed persons is further decreasing.
Labour Market Where are the jobs? – For University Graduates: • Economic engineers • Electrical engineers • Mechanical engineers • Specialized Doctors • Chemists • Specialists in Marketing and Sales
Labour Market Where are the jobs? – Skilled Workers: • Technicians (Chemistry Mechanics, …) • Skilled Metal Workers • Nurses • Cooks • Sales-Employees
Labour Market The following jobs are hard to find – University Graduates: • Architects and Civil engineers • Masters of Arts and Social Sciences • Geographists and Geologists • Biologists • Journalists • Lawyers • Teachers • Assistant physicians
Labour Market The following jobs are hard to find – Skilled Workers: • Construction Workers • Skilled Workers in the Textile Industry • Agricultural Professions • Unskilled Workers
Social Security 5 branches of the Social Security System: • Health Insurance • Unemployment Insurance • Pension • Care Insurance • Accident Insurance • Please find detailed information in English and French as well on www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de
Social Security Social Insurance Rates: Employer – Employee = 50 : 50 • Health Insurance 15,5% (1st of January 2009) • Unemployment Insurance 2,8 % (1st of January 2009) • Pension 19,5 % • Care Insurance 1,7 % • Accident Insurance employer 100 %
Taxes P. A. Y. E. (Pay As You Earn) • Automatically deducted from employee’s salary: • Income tax 16 % - 45 % • Church tax 8 % - 10 % of income tax • Solidarity tax 5,5 % of income tax
Finding a Job in Germany Job Searching Methods: • Internet • Eures - network • Private agencies • Temporary employment agencies • Job fairs • Direct contact with employer • Newspapers • Yellow pages
Finding a Job in Germany Useful Internet Addresses • www.arbeitsagentur.de ( German employment service) • www.meinestadt.de (All about the German cities) • www.careergardens.de (Career fairs) • www.gelbeseiten.de (Yellow pages) • www.branchenbuch.de (Information about companies) • http://eures.europa.eu (EU-Commission/EURES) • www.ba-auslandsvermittlung.de
Applying for a Position What do German employers expect from you? • Very good German skills • Sometimes English skills • Professional experience in the relevant sector • Motivation • Assertiveness • Able to work in a team
Applying for a Position Basic-Rules: • Application materials should be short and precise • Documents should indicate a differentiated picture of the applicant • Letter of application should be unique to the employer and the position • No mistakes should appear in the application (grammer/spelling)
Applying for a Position In a DIN A 4 folder (usually plastic) you should send the following: • Cover letter (typed) • CV/Resume (tabular) • Passport-Photo! (nice and serious looking picture) • Copies of School, University diplomas and any professional training • Copies of testimonials and letters of references (Only mentioning names is not enough!)
Applying for a Position The CV/Resume should be written in the following order: • Name / Address / Date of birth / Marital status • Schooling • Training / University • Practical training • Work experience • Others (Ex. Military Service, voluntary work) • Languages • Other Skills (Ex. Computer, Hobbies) • Location, Date, Signature not more than 2 pages!
When you have found a position: When you have found a job ... ... the employee: • Receives an income tax card from the local authorities and gives it to the employer • Registers with a health insurance institution and informs the employer • Receives a social insurance number and card (through the employer) • Registers the new employee with the social insurance institutions (public or private). Health insurance, Pension insurance and unemployment insurance
General Information Money Matters • In addition to your travel costs you will need enough money to cover your housing, food and other expenses until you receive your first payment from your employer • Even if you find a job immediately, you can expect to wait up to a month for your first payment
General Information Do not forget… • Leaving your family & friends behind to find work in another country is a big step • Before deciding to move to another country, you could carefully consider all aspects of working in another country with your local EURES-Adviser http://eures.europa.eu EURES-Adviser-Search