Study and research in Germany
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FAQ's Research
- What kinds of research opportunities exist in Germany?
- What kinds of funding can I get in Germany?
- Do I need to speak fluent German?
- Do I need a work permit?
- Is my spouse allowed to work in Germay?
- What kinds of social security insurance (e.g.health insurance) do I need?
- Do I have to pay taxes?
- What's the situation with kindergartens, nurseries and schools?
What kinds of research opportunities exist in Germany?
German research is extremely varied and offers researchers from all fields excellent opportunities and conditions. This research is done in various kinds of institutions in Germany. Traditionally, the universities form the backbone of the German research landscape. Top-flight research at universities stands out through the close collaboration between academics, scientists, and research institutions at home and abroad. Another pillar of German research involves the research and development departments maintained by companies as well as Germany's major research organisations. Essentially, the latter group is made up of:
- The Max Planck Society for the Promotion of the Sciences (www.mpg.de),
- The Hermann von Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (www.helmholtz.de),
- The Fraunhofer Society (www.fraunhofer.de), and
- The Leibniz Association (www.wgl.de).
In addition, research is also performed in the Collaborative Research Centres funded by the German Research Foundation (www.dfg.de), in several academies of science, plus a large number of federal and state institutions that engage in research and development activities.
The following websites offer information on and an overview of German research:
- www.researchingermany.de
- www.forschungsportal.net
- www.eracareers-germany.de
- www.study-in-germany.de
- www.daad.de/deutschland/forschung/forschungsorganisationen
What kinds of funding can I get in Germany?
There are numerous organisations in Germany that fund and promote research in the form of scholarships, fellowships and prizes. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Research Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service are among the largest and most important of these. But a large number of other organisations also exist that fund research projects of all kinds.
If you receive a research grant, you will be given intensive support, ranging from selecting the right location for your research via the choice of right research institute all the way through to questions of everyday life in Germany. This will let you concentrate fully on your research work.
Use the following websites to gain an overview of the opportunities that are open to you:
Do I need to speak fluent German?
You will be able to communicate in English at most of the research institutions. However, there are plenty of good reasons for beginning to learn German before you start your stay in Germany. After all, you will certainly want to make yourself understood in everyday life and in your leisure time. And you will want to make contacts with Germans. The first step is to attend a German language course together with any family members that accompany you while you are still in your home country.
To find out what other options there are for learning German, check the homepage of the Goethe Institute and the web-based service pages of the DAAD at: Learn German.
Do I need a work permit?
If you are a scholarship or fellowship holder or are working as a research assistant for a publicly-financed employer (e.g. a research institution based at a university), you do not generally need a work permit. However, please check with your scholarship provider or your employer as early as possible whether this exemption also applies to you.
If you are completing your research stay in Germany within the scope of an employment contract, you will need a work permit if you are not an EU or EEA citizen. You apply for your work permit together with your visa.
Further information all about questions of employment law is available on our homepage at: Research >> Academic Career >> Employment Provisions.
Is my spouse allowed to work in Germay?
Spouses of research grant holders who wish to take up gainful employment in Germany and who do not come from a member state of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) must indicate this intention before entering Germany and must apply for the appropriate residence permit. The procedure for issuing a work permit is time-consuming and not always successful. Since the employment market situation in Germany is quite tight, it can be very difficult to find a vacancy at all.
This is why we recommend that you already start thinking back home about how your spouse would like to make meaningful use of the time in Germany. There are a whole range of opportunities here, such as attending a university as an guest student or auditor.
What kinds of social security insurance (e.g.health insurance) do I need?
In Germany, you and any accompanying family members must definitely have health insurance cover, irrespective of whether you are a scholarship or fellowship holder or have an employment contract.
Please note that the insurance cover must be valid from the very first day in Germany. First of all, you should check very carefully whether your insurance back home gives you comprehensive insurance cover in Germany. If this is the case (generally, only when a Social Security Agreement has been concluded between Germany and the home country), you need to present written confirmation from your insurance carrier.
If you have to take out health insurance in Germany, the requirements for this differ. Whether you take out private or statutory (public) insurance depends on your income. If you receive a scholarship or fellowship, your only option is to take out private insurance. In the case of private health insurance companies, the length of your stay in Germany will also play a role. Special offers with low premiums are available for foreigners. The DAAD Group Insurance Scheme might also be of interest to you. For further information, check out our home page at: Services >> Insurance.
Whichever may apply to you, please do make sure that you seek the advice of your scholarship provider or employer and from the insurance companies before you travel to Germany.
You can find further information all about the topic of "Health Insurance and Health" on the Internet at: Germany >> Living in Germany >> Health and Insurance.
Besides health insurance, you may – depending on your status – have to pay some other social security contributions (www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de). If you have concluded an employment contract in Germany, you have to pay contributions towards pension, unemployment, nursing care and accident insurance. If, on the other hand, you have a research grant, you will be exempted from any social security contributions.
Social security contributions are deducted at source, i.e. directly from your gross salary. Your employer will sign you up by registering you with your chosen health insurance carrier, which will in turn advise all other social security agencies.
Do I have to pay taxes?
The question of whether you have to pay taxes (i.e. whether you are assessable) depends on the kind of contract that your host institution concludes with you. If you have a research grant awarded by a public institution, this will generally be tax-free up to a ceiling of 2,000.- euros per month. Please make sure that you contact your scholarship or fellowship provider as early as possible to find out whether this applies to you.If, however, you are carrying out your research stay with an employment contract (and will stay in Germany for longer than 6 months), you will have to pay taxes. However, special agreements have been concluded with some countries (which enable you, for example, to pay your taxes in your home country) or so-called Double Taxation Agreements (that govern in which country taxes are paid). In each case, please check whether these agreements apply to you and, if so, where it is better to pay the taxes.
The following websites offer information to help you gain a comprehensive overview:
What's the situation with kindergartens, nurseries and schools?
Germany has special childcare services for each age-group. These are run by public, church and private institutions. Some universities also maintain care services for the children of their staff and students. Children up to the age of three generally go to a crèche or nursery. Up to the age of six then (the start of compulsory schooling) children attend kindergartens. The childcare services may be provided on an hourly or full-day basis. However, the availability of these childcare services is not equally-well developed across the whole of the country. You will often have to reckon with long waiting lists. This is why you should register your child(ren) as soon as possible. Attendance of a kindergarten is voluntary and involves costs. These costs differ from one town or city to the next and are, in most cases, based on parental income. You should first contact your German university (Student Services or the Women's and Equal Opportunity Officer) to find out what childcare options are available at the university and in the town in general.
In Germany, all children aged from 6 to 16 years must attend school. This mostly begins with a four-year phase of primary or elementary schooling, after which it is possible to choose between three different types of secondary schools: the lower-secondary school (Hauptschule), the intermediate secondary or middle school (Realschule) or the upper secondary or grammar school (Gymnasium). The latter school-type leads to an Abitur school-leaving certificate (Allgemeine Hochschulreife) that is the general German qualification for admission to higher education. Schools generally only teach in the mornings in Germany. Attendance of public schools is free of charge. Only very few private schools or international schools exist which charge school fees that can be quite high.
You can find further information on the German school system by going to the German Education Server at: www.bildungsserver.de.
And, of course, you can also check the DAAD website for information at: Germany >> Life in Germany >> Studying with Children.
© 2008 Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst e.V. (DAAD), Kennedyallee 50, D-53175 Bonn
Source: http://www.daad.de/deutschland/forschung/faqs/04679.en.html
Date: 2008-10-07