Schools in Germany
-
centennial95
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:55 am
Schools in Germany
Is there anyone on here that is working at an international school in Germany? There is always a lot of information on Asian schools, but info or personal experience accounts for European schools are far and few between.
I work at a school in Germany. Not a big one, but a school. I would call my school untiered. We've only been open since August 2010 and I think we've got a great thing going on. We'll never be a big powerhouse though and pay and benefits reflect that. Still you can have a very comfortable living in Germany for not a lot of cash.
After taxes, which are huge I make a little over 2,000 Euro a month.
My expenses:
370, warm for 65 square meter flat
65, electricity
45, train pass
35, internet
30, mobile- unlimited data and texting, 1 hour of call time.
200, food, I'm a vegetarian so I rarely spend this much. This is my eating out budget too, which I do 1 or 2x a week.
200, Stuff- I'm not a huge fan of buying stuff!
It probably helps that I'm a miser, but I usually save 1000+ Euro a month and have as much fun as I possibly could have. Even one of my German friends calls Germany a good value for money. The quality of life here is really good.
I thinks some people get scared off by the cost of living in Europe, but the salaries actually are liveable. Even the low ones.
After taxes, which are huge I make a little over 2,000 Euro a month.
My expenses:
370, warm for 65 square meter flat
65, electricity
45, train pass
35, internet
30, mobile- unlimited data and texting, 1 hour of call time.
200, food, I'm a vegetarian so I rarely spend this much. This is my eating out budget too, which I do 1 or 2x a week.
200, Stuff- I'm not a huge fan of buying stuff!
It probably helps that I'm a miser, but I usually save 1000+ Euro a month and have as much fun as I possibly could have. Even one of my German friends calls Germany a good value for money. The quality of life here is really good.
I thinks some people get scared off by the cost of living in Europe, but the salaries actually are liveable. Even the low ones.
WOW
That really is a an amazing budget you live on, I dont think I could do that, especially with finding a flat for that kind of money. I think youve done an exceptional job and budgeting, but wouldnt say its representative of many european teachers.
I got really lucky with the flat. It's in a great area and included a kitchen (btw, many apartments you have to install a kitchen, which can be a huge investment or as little as 300 Euro). The reason my flat is so cheap is because it's a daylight basement apartment and most German's love their natural lighting. I could care less, I get enough light for me and it's dark at 4 p.m. 50% of the year.
My initial flat I had here was fully furnished and 500 Euro a month. I'd say for a single teacher even in a big city like Berlin or Dusseldorf you could find something similar. A friend of mine just got a flat right next to Dusseldorf HBF for $420 warm, 46 square meters. BTW, warm means heating/water included. Berlin (and all of the former East Germany) is known for having a really low cost of living.
About schools in Germany:
Well lets be honest unless you are at one of the big trust schools Bonn, Dusseldorf, JFK, etc. you are likely working for a for-profit organization and I suppose it depends on you personally if this is acceptable to you. Most of your students will be German speakers. Perhaps many of your students did not "fit" into the German school system so they are looking for at escape. If you have a special needs background it will be helpful, or a lot of patience at a minimum.
Private schools are a really new concept in Germany and many of them are popping up as "International Schools" choose wisely and do your research.
I think one of the most difficult things to deal with is how different International Schools work from the German system. In every school I had worked in previously I was paid significantly more than teachers in the local system. In Germany, my friend who is a primary teacher not only makes more money then me, but also gets home at 1 p.m. most days! I work 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m., we do have shorter days on Wednesdays for meetings and I can get personal things done during this time too if needed.
All in all I am very happy with my move and plan on staying here for a while. I literally took a 50% cut in take home pay, but I really disliked my former placement (Singapore) so I find it's been worth it. Also, after 7 years in Asia I really enjoy the anonymity of Germany. It took me a while to realize--hey I look like everyone else here! There is an expectation that you learn German here though and occasionally you will be treated poorly if you do not speak German. I just ignore it, though I am trying to learn. Really anyone under 40 speaks some ok English so you can get help when necessary, they just might not be so kind about it.
My initial flat I had here was fully furnished and 500 Euro a month. I'd say for a single teacher even in a big city like Berlin or Dusseldorf you could find something similar. A friend of mine just got a flat right next to Dusseldorf HBF for $420 warm, 46 square meters. BTW, warm means heating/water included. Berlin (and all of the former East Germany) is known for having a really low cost of living.
About schools in Germany:
Well lets be honest unless you are at one of the big trust schools Bonn, Dusseldorf, JFK, etc. you are likely working for a for-profit organization and I suppose it depends on you personally if this is acceptable to you. Most of your students will be German speakers. Perhaps many of your students did not "fit" into the German school system so they are looking for at escape. If you have a special needs background it will be helpful, or a lot of patience at a minimum.
Private schools are a really new concept in Germany and many of them are popping up as "International Schools" choose wisely and do your research.
I think one of the most difficult things to deal with is how different International Schools work from the German system. In every school I had worked in previously I was paid significantly more than teachers in the local system. In Germany, my friend who is a primary teacher not only makes more money then me, but also gets home at 1 p.m. most days! I work 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m., we do have shorter days on Wednesdays for meetings and I can get personal things done during this time too if needed.
All in all I am very happy with my move and plan on staying here for a while. I literally took a 50% cut in take home pay, but I really disliked my former placement (Singapore) so I find it's been worth it. Also, after 7 years in Asia I really enjoy the anonymity of Germany. It took me a while to realize--hey I look like everyone else here! There is an expectation that you learn German here though and occasionally you will be treated poorly if you do not speak German. I just ignore it, though I am trying to learn. Really anyone under 40 speaks some ok English so you can get help when necessary, they just might not be so kind about it.
Frugal
You must be the guru of frugality. I have friends (good friends) in Frankfurt who are barely getting by (though they have kids) living pay check to pay check. Then again they dont live in basement flat... I have another friend who left here at the end of last year (Im in Denmark) for IS Hamburg and he pays around 900€ for his flat.
I know what you mean though, when i was in Rome, one of our teachers found this one tiny room underground apartment, for 600€, and I was paying closer to 1400€ but then again i liked my Juliet balcony on the third floor.
Im pretty conservative in my cost of living estimates, I've always found people spend more then they budget when they are new IS teachers. Then i meet people like you and have to say to myself "OK its POSSIBLE" but id hate not having a view and my windows, or my morning tea and pastry at the cafe, or any one of the 100 other complete money wasters in my life.
I know what you mean though, when i was in Rome, one of our teachers found this one tiny room underground apartment, for 600€, and I was paying closer to 1400€ but then again i liked my Juliet balcony on the third floor.
Im pretty conservative in my cost of living estimates, I've always found people spend more then they budget when they are new IS teachers. Then i meet people like you and have to say to myself "OK its POSSIBLE" but id hate not having a view and my windows, or my morning tea and pastry at the cafe, or any one of the 100 other complete money wasters in my life.
Ha, my depression era Grandparents would be proud :D
I know for a fact it helps that I am NOT in a big city. I am in a good sized town in North Rhine Westphalia an area that values frugality more than I do. Not like those fancypants in Frankfurt or Hamburg, or g-d forbid Munich! Seriously, I live in the most unpretentious part of Germany and so there is no competition to keep up.
I do splurge in small ways, I have the most sublime cafe about a 3 minute walk from my apartment 3.50 for a soya milch cappuccino and another euro for biscotti! The area I live in is actually known throughout the area for being "cool" so like I said, REALLY lucked out on finding this place. I visited my local bakery this morning, nutella croissant and coffee, 2.50 Euro. I do have a big picture window in every room, it's just my picture is probably very different from everyone else- there is a small garden outside my front window so I'm off of the street (and it's not a busy street) by about 3.5 meters. The view from my bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and office is the back garden. The apartment is sorta L shaped if you can imagine, with the long side on the back garden. I do have to air it daily in the summer to keep it from getting damp, but it's still not as damp or mildewy as my brand new apartment in s'pore was.
I've been overseas for nearly 9 years now and have always saved a good portion of my income, even when I was only making 250,000 yen a month in Tokyo teaching English. I've also enjoyed my life, gone to restaurants and cafe's, traveled and bought new things-- I just think a lot before I purchase something and it's nearly always on sale. I worried before I moved here that the salary wasn't going to be enough, but I've found it to be more then plentiful. I do feel for people with kids, it's just plain difficult to find apartments large enough for families with children--most Germans move to houses and the suburbs when they have children, something an int'l teacher on a short term contract probably wouldn't consider.
I know for a fact it helps that I am NOT in a big city. I am in a good sized town in North Rhine Westphalia an area that values frugality more than I do. Not like those fancypants in Frankfurt or Hamburg, or g-d forbid Munich! Seriously, I live in the most unpretentious part of Germany and so there is no competition to keep up.
I do splurge in small ways, I have the most sublime cafe about a 3 minute walk from my apartment 3.50 for a soya milch cappuccino and another euro for biscotti! The area I live in is actually known throughout the area for being "cool" so like I said, REALLY lucked out on finding this place. I visited my local bakery this morning, nutella croissant and coffee, 2.50 Euro. I do have a big picture window in every room, it's just my picture is probably very different from everyone else- there is a small garden outside my front window so I'm off of the street (and it's not a busy street) by about 3.5 meters. The view from my bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and office is the back garden. The apartment is sorta L shaped if you can imagine, with the long side on the back garden. I do have to air it daily in the summer to keep it from getting damp, but it's still not as damp or mildewy as my brand new apartment in s'pore was.
I've been overseas for nearly 9 years now and have always saved a good portion of my income, even when I was only making 250,000 yen a month in Tokyo teaching English. I've also enjoyed my life, gone to restaurants and cafe's, traveled and bought new things-- I just think a lot before I purchase something and it's nearly always on sale. I worried before I moved here that the salary wasn't going to be enough, but I've found it to be more then plentiful. I do feel for people with kids, it's just plain difficult to find apartments large enough for families with children--most Germans move to houses and the suburbs when they have children, something an int'l teacher on a short term contract probably wouldn't consider.
-
centennial95
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:55 am
-
alecsmario
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:28 am
German Quality
My wife works at an international school in western Germany. She makes about 50,000 euro/year and this is her first year at this school. They take out for insurance and other mandatory taxes and she brings home appx 2500 euro/month. I think she can get part of that tax back when we leave. My job takes are of our rent so we are lucky.
Negatives? The sun doesn't shine much especially this year and there are a kabillion rules to follow. Eating out is expensive but bier and wine are super cheap in the stores!
We consider the quality of life here to be VERY HIGH given that we like 'clean' and like to bike, hike and ski.
Negatives? The sun doesn't shine much especially this year and there are a kabillion rules to follow. Eating out is expensive but bier and wine are super cheap in the stores!
We consider the quality of life here to be VERY HIGH given that we like 'clean' and like to bike, hike and ski.