Education
Scenario in Germany
Germany has much to offer as a place
to study - courses geared to
international needs, internationally
recognized qualifications such as
Bachelor and Master, a credit system
which allows the accumulation and
transfer of study and exam modules.
German institutions of higher
education are characterized by the
quality and diversity of courses on
offer. They combine established
university traditions with modern
facilities, research and teaching.
German universities are open to anyone
who fulfills the prerequisites -
academic freedom is one of the basic
principles of the German university
system. That's also one of the reasons
German universities don't charge
tuition. You'll only have to pay for
your education at a few private
schools
Work
Scenario in Germany
Foreign nationals from states outside
the European Economic Area (EEA) may
as a rule only work in Germany if they
have a work permit. Such foreign
nationals who wish to enter Germany in
order to commence work may, because of
the 1973 ban on recruitment and
current high unemployment levels, only
be issued with work permits in
exceptional cases.
The exceptions relate in the main to
employment in the course of vocational
training or in the framework of
cooperation between firms, or to jobs
for which international exchange is
common practice. Further information
on the exceptions can be obtained from
your local German mission.
Before applying for a visa one should
obtain and enclose an assurance from
the employment authorities that a work
permit will be issued. To this end you
should contact the Employment Office (Arbeitsamt)
for the district in which your future
employer has his place of business.
Employment for
Students
Foreign students can work in Germany
even without a work permit (Arbeitserlaubnis).
There are some restrictions for non-EU
residents, though. Students are
allowed to work 90 days a year without
a work permit. In some German states,
students are only allowed to work
during the semester breaks. The
Foreigners Affairs Office (Ausländeramt)
of the individual universities can
issue a permit to work an extra ten
hours a week, if permission to do so
is granted by the local Employment
Office (Arbeitsamt). Students who are
residents of a European Union member
state and German students are usually
allowed to work an unlimited number of
hours.Waiting tables, delivering
pizzas or cleaning houses won't
finance a degree. The average student
wage in Germany is about DM 15 an
hour. However, the number of classes
most students have to attend doesn't
leave time for a full-time job.
Students who are able to offer
specialized services - computer
programming, for instance, or who have
Internet skills, will have a much
easier time finding a job in Germany.
