Job Discussion Forums

[longtimeteach]

EnglishBiz posted this on another jobs in Germany forum on www.tefl-germany.de. I thought it would be interesting for this forum too.

For all the prospective EFL teachers who'd like to come to Germany, here are some figures for you to consider. At the end, I detail some other considerations which you MUST factor in. The figures below are for a single person (which I am).

The transport cost is figured on a monthly transport ticket which enables you to travel far and wide, which you'll need to do. If you own a car, likely your expenses will be higher for insurance and maintenance. The health insurance is for private insurance because you'll likely not qualify for the state insurance, which is about the same cost now anyway. The tax percentages are an estimate taken from the Finanzamt website for 2004. The pension deduction is a straight percentage.

40 contact hrs/week @ 20 Euro/hour:

Gross Mo Pay: 3464.00
Federal Tax: 1559.00-
Pension: 672.00-
Health Ins: 450.00-
Transport: 200.00-
Net: 583.00 +

From the 583.00 Euro left after mandatory deductions, you will pay for rent, food, gas/elec, phone, laundry, mobile, internet, etc.

30 contact hrs/week @20 Euro/hour:

Gross Mo Pay: 2598.00
Federal Tax: 780.00-
Pension: 504.00-
Health Ins: 450.00-
Transport: 150.00-
Net: 714.00 +

From the 714.00 Euro left after mandatory deductions, you will pay for rent, food, gas/elec, phone, laundry, mobile, internet, etc.

Some other things to consider:

1. you will be very unlikely to get as many as 30 hrs a week - figure on 10 and hope for 20 hours.
2. you must factor in travel time and class prep time as unpaid time - which can be a considerable amount of hours!
3. 20 Euro per hour is the high average in NRW, where I work. Many companies (i.e. inlingua) pay as little as 10 Euro per hour and some others pay around 15-17 Euro per hour. In cases where you have established good contacts you 'could' make up to around 28 Euro per hour.
4. you get no paid 'sick days' or holidays
5. classes cancel often and then you don't get paid
6. you are paid once per month here in Germany so make that pay stretch
7. the slow months for work are during the summers and in December and January. In those months don't count on getting anything and then, if you get something, it won't look so bad. Classes generally run from middle September to end of November and then again from middle January to end of May, though some of your classes will probably continue through the summer but with many cancellations.
8. Clothing is expensive here so bring everything you need from home - especially some good shoes for a lot of walking and a sturdy and comfortable bag for lugging around a ton of books and photocopies!
9. Rents have been going up in my area and the average appears to be around 300-400 Euro per month, not including nebenkosten or utilities.

You do the math. It looks ghastly, doesn't it? It is, I assure you.

[The Overcoat]

many thanks for that. It ties in nicely with a couple of recent threads and provides the answers to the following questions: Are these jobs viable? Who would take on such a job? Possible answers to the second question could be: a mug, someone who doesn't eat much, someone who can sponge off a native and use their wages as "pocket money".

[dermott]

Sorry longtimeteach - those figures are completely wrong! Are you seriously suggesting that from � 3464 your are left with � 583!!! That would mean that you'd have to earn about � 7000 per month to get by!

Do the figures take into account tax deductible expenses?

While Germany may be going through a recession I get the feeling that this discussion board has gone over the top in the gloom and doom stakes!

Of course there are cowboy schools paying crap rates - believe me Spain, Potugal, Italy are full of them too.

Wherever you go - with the possible exception of the Middle East (forget about motivated students and teacher satisfaction there!) we all know that you don't get rich in TEFL - simple laws of supply and demand - maybe we should all retrain to become corporate lawyers !

One last thing going rates for freelancers are at least � 20 for 45min working for half decent schools - more for private work.

[longtimeteach]

Those figures are accurate to within about 50 Euro. I know because I live and work here and that's the situation.

If you don't believe ME and EnglishBiz then wander around to a few of the other tefl in Germany boards and read for yourself. In fact, read the subsequent postings on that other board, after the one EnglishBiz posted!

The tax rate in Germany for earning around 45,000 per year is 45%! The pension deduction is 20%! Health insurance is what it is. These figures don't even take into account that about 10-20% of gross income is gone for direct teaching expenses.

If you've filed your taxes in Germany, dermot, you'll know that the Finanzamt determines what you're allowed to deduct as a 'business expense' and it's damned little for teachers, I can tell you! Teachers are freelance, not something with a good reputation in Germany. Deductible expenses are for BUSINESS OWNERS and not struggling teachers. We get a few but not much and not enough to offset the incredibly high tax and pension rates.

People who say they're doing well in Germany are not paying tax, pension and health insurance! They're working outside the system and when the Finanzamt and the BfA catch up with them - and they will - they will get a whopping bill for all back taxes and pension fees, due and payable NOW. If they don't pay it, the bank account is frozen until they are paid. Then, the teacher has no way of getting their pay from teaching even out of the bank.

Freelance rates CAN go up to around 28 Euro per hour or more but with the recession, the newbies are competing with established teachers who speak fluent German who get those better paying jobs!

I'm sick to death of people posting things about 'good paying jobs' and 'no expenses' when they uninformed.

This economy is in severe and probably prolonged recession and the company jobs that are higher paying are gone. There are still a few but experienced teachers who have families in Germany already have those.

[Albulbul]

Good to see some harsh reality here.

The flat-earthers have to be shown that the Earth is a Sphere !

[longtimeteach]

Since dermot so optimistically misread the post from EnglishBiz, I thought I'd highlight some things he omitted to address.

Firstly, and most important, new teachers (or any teachers, for that matter) are UNLIKELY, VERY UNLIKELY to get 40 hours per week. Even if they could, the schedule would be punishing!

If you don't have a car you'll need to factor in a LOT of time spent waiting for buses and trains, long travel times, factoring in canceled trains and rushing to another platform to find an alternative (it DOES help to read and speak German!) or listen for the announcements for a different train, if you can understand German. This transport option can chew up many hours in each day. If you have a car, it's easier but you still have to drive to each of your companies and this takes time and you need to factor in traffic jams. Add THAT to your hopeful estimate of 40 teaching hours!

On top of travel, if you're any kind of teacher at all, you'll spend time searching for topical news articles, designing or searching for new exercises, grading written work, quizzes and tests. This can chew up so many hours, you wouldn't believe! Then, you've got to have access to a nearby photocopying place so you can run over there and wait while you copy off sets of things for each and every class! It costs money to make those copies too.

A more reasonable estimate of how many hours its advisable to work would be between 20-30 BUT you are UNLIKELY to get that many hours! And it surely won't be teaching all in one place or even all in one town!

This is HARD work and it doesn't pay worth a damn! The ones who are left here after the great German government crackdown on teacher pension contributions a few years ago, are the ones who have family or relationships here and can't go.

If you're here and over 40 years old, forget about getting a 'regular job' because you're too old - there's a tremendous age bias here. Teaching English is often the only option for someone who isn't German.

A few people have been and are fortunate enough to make ends meet but they are definitely the exception. Anyone who wants to come here and teach needs to know this. Poverty is the rule.

[The Overcoat]

[quote="dermott"]
While Germany may be going through a recession I get the feeling that this discussion board has gone over the top in the gloom and doom stakes!
/quote]

I feel this discussion board is painting a true picture of the current situation in Germany.

[Hod]

40 contact hrs/week @ 20 Euro/hour:

Gross Mo Pay: 3464.00
Federal Tax: 1559.00-
Pension: 672.00-
Health Ins: 450.00-
Transport: 200.00-
Net: 583.00 +
--------------------------
We're doomed. How about this:

Hod's pay circa 2003 in a secret German city:

Freelance gross Mo Pay: 3464.00
Beer: 800
Sausages: 600
Tax: 0
Health: 0
Transport: 35 Euro Monatskarte (sp?)

What's tax?

[The Overcoat]

what happens if hod has an accident?

[Hod]

Unlikely, I rarely leave my bedsit.

Anyway, EU citizens get free emergency healthcare. I read it.

[The Overcoat]

you are indeed a shining example to us all, hod. Clearly a man of integrity and a consumate professional.

[Hod]

No one's ever said that before. Thanks.

[The Overcoat]

that doesn't surprise me.

[longtimeteach]

Your posts always managed to give a great laugh. Thanks!

EU citizens do not get free health care in Germany - I should know, I am an EU citizen.

If you didn't pay tax or pension, you're lucky you got out with your passport and bank account intact.

But, don't come back - THEY will find you and take your money or your time and you'll be vacationing in and making us all laugh from the Knast.

[Hod]

What d'you mean? I'm on my second tour of duty in Germany and haven't paid one penny (or whatever they're called) in tax on either occasion.

I confess to the occasional feelings of remorse. After all, I'm not contributing to the welfare of the 4 million Arbeitsamt customers nor to the development of the up and coming DDR, which I've heard is very nice by the way. On the other hand, those honest freelancers all paying about 80% of their wages towards such needy causes more then compensate for my own huge bank balance.