language problems in Germany

mihir_s · 2011-02-19T09:56:29+01:00

Discuss language challenges in Germany, especially in small towns, and explore part-time job options for students without German skills.

mihir_s Member

Member since 04 February 2011

mihir_sMember19 February 2011 07:56:29

Can any one guide me how about language problems in Germany? i mean in cities there might be many people speaking English but how about small towns?
and how about part time jobs for students who dont speak german? what kinda of jobs are available and what are the national minimum wages for germany at present?

Lostintranslation08 New member

Member since 13 March 2010

Lostintranslation08New member22 February 2011 08:12:12

There is no minimum wage persay, when people make under the hartz 4 limit they can be entitled to a social top up, but that is only available to people who have met certain requirements.

There are what is referred to as a mini job with a income cap at 400, due to being so low wage it is exempt from social contributions and tax, however, no health insurance is paid so it is not provided through the work. This job also does not meet the requirements for a standard work visa.

As to finding work with limited German, it depends on where you are and who you know. If you do find anything it is likely to be low wage manual labor, and even then sometimes even those jobs are hard to come by unless you know someone who will get you in. You need to have enough command of german to understand work orders and complete the job.

As to english speakers it varies greatly, many people learned english in the school but not everyone is comfortable speaking it. Personally I do not find english speakers often I function day to day in German, and have done so in every city I lived from tiny village to small cities.