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How much will health insurance cost me per month as an American student in Germany? And what does it offer/provide? I'm sure you German goons reading this thread have heard all of the yelling and screaming over health insurance here in the US. I have health insurance here, but I'm on my parents plan and I don't really know anything about it since I've never gotten sick or been in an accident and had to use it.
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Apr 5, 2010 04:16
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Insurance companies offer special tariffs for students. I pay 66 EUR per month, to give you an idea. Offers the basics that public insurance companies have to offer, so basically everything with moderate co-payments (e.g. 10 EUR for first visit to a doctor per quarter, max 5 EUR co-pay per prescription drug... more for dental work and glasses). I don't really know all the details because who cares? You're sick you go to the doctor's and usually it will cost you less than 20 EUR. Don't know how it works for a foreigner, though. Have a look if your parents' plan covers your studies abroad, that's the first step, I'd say!
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Apr 5, 2010 16:42
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It seems like I'll be paying €65/month for health insurance, and I think I'm required to get German health insurance even if I am on my parent's plan if I am to stay in Germany for longer than 6 months. I wear contacts so I'm trying to decide if I'd want to get a new batch of contacts before I left the States, or if it'd be cheaper to get them in Germany. Either way, I'd need a new checkup to get a prescription. Does anyone know how much it would cost for me to see an eye doctor and to buy contact lenses in Germany? Glasses wise, I don't really care. Those are just a convenience thing for me cause I hardly ever wear them anyway except when I go on flights or long car rides. So I don't care if I pay a couple ten dollars for something ugly as sin. Ziir fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Apr 5, 2010 |
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Apr 5, 2010 23:39
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Ziir posted:I wear contacts so I'm trying to decide if I'd want to get a new batch of contacts before I left the States, or if it'd be cheaper to get them in Germany. Either way, I'd need a new checkup to get a prescription. Does anyone know how much it would cost for me to see an eye doctor and to buy contact lenses in Germany? Can't help you out with the prices, though. Maybe do a google search for "kontaktlinsen preis" or something like that.
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Apr 6, 2010 07:57
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I just realized that my German teacher here in the States wears contacts/glasses and he's from Germany so I'll ask him after class next week how much he pays for eye checkups and contacts. Does anyone know what the best way for me to transfer money from an American bank account into a German bank account is? With minimal fee rapeage? I'm a student so I'd qualify for any student bank accounts I think. The only thing I absolutely need is that the account itself is free, ATM, and online banking would be a plus (but not required).
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Apr 10, 2010 08:04
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Ziir posted:Does anyone know what the best way for me to transfer money from an American bank account into a German bank account is? With minimal fee rapeage? I'm a student so I'd qualify for any student bank accounts I think. The only thing I absolutely need is that the account itself is free, ATM, and online banking would be a plus (but not required). Get a Bank of America account. They are part of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_ATM_Alliance Which includes Deutsche Bank. You can use your BoA card at any Deutsche Bank ATM for free. It's surprising how many people don't even know that. Kids that I studied abroad with had like $150 dollars in fees over the course of a year.
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Apr 10, 2010 22:31
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Liface posted:Get a Bank of America account. They are part of this: Is it completely free? My current bank lets me use my ATM/check card at any ATM with a PLUS logo but if I remember right I still had to pay €5 per transaction because I was using someone else's ATM, so I just ended up pulling the maximum €300 or day that I could to limit the fees. Edit: Plus I was more looking to open a German bank account and transfer my funds over (and change into EUR) since I'll be living in Germany for at least two years. I figure with the way the exchange rate between EUR and USD is going, my money would be worth more when I converted it back to USD years on down the road.
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Apr 10, 2010 23:22
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What are the differences between studying (engineering) at a university and studying at a technical institute? I'm interested in differences in the actual course plus how it is seen by employers after graduation.
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Apr 11, 2010 01:19
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What do you mean with technical institute? Fachhochschule?
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Apr 11, 2010 16:25
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I'm not that poster but from what I understand, there are "universities" (University of X), "technical universities" (TUM), and "universities of applied sciences" or Fachhochschulen.
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Apr 11, 2010 17:52
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Ziir posted:I'm not that poster but from what I understand, there are "universities" (University of X), "technical universities" (TUM), and "universities of applied sciences" or Fachhochschulen. Yeah, unis focus a bit more on research and theory in the teaching, while FHs take an approach more focused on applying skills. They have stricter curriculums and exam plans (even though this has become more common in Unis, too, with the introduction of the master and bachelor programs for engineering). Usually, the FH programs are also shorter (e.g. 4 vs 5 years). All of the top engineering schools are universities, so if you are looking for top research you wont find that at FHs normally. If you want to go into industry later, the difference is not so big, I would say. If you apply for a job at a german company, a university degree might get preferred to FH degree somewhat (even make a difference in terms of pay), but that distinction will probably disappear later in your career. Outside of Germany I don't think anyone will notice the difference. 
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Apr 11, 2010 20:07
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How a degree from an FH or university (technical universities are basically the same as "normal" ones) will affect your employment really depends on what you're aiming to work as, and I've heard that some areas of industry favor FH graduates because they usually have better hands-on experience. Also, iirc FH professors usually are required to have worked in the industry for 5 years and are encouraged to keep in touch with it. But yes, having studied at both school types - FH research usually isn't on par with university. I remember someone to put it this way: "FHs teach you how things work and universities why they do." Oh and I think most FHs also dropped the 4 year program in favor of 3-3.5yr Bachelor programs (I think the 3.5yr ones all include a mandatory "internship semester" which is a good early exposure to the working world), which technically allows you to enter a Master degree at a university in most cases. I always get kind of confused since there's also "Technische Hochschulen" (THs) that I don't know where to fit, but the RWTH Aachen seems to be one of the top schools too! 
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Apr 11, 2010 23:38
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Ziir posted:Is it completely free? My current bank lets me use my ATM/check card at any ATM with a PLUS logo but if I remember right I still had to pay €5 per transaction because I was using someone else's ATM, so I just ended up pulling the maximum €300 or day that I could to limit the fees. Completely free. I used it for a year and didn't pay a single fee. If you want to open up a German bank account the best way to do it is use your card, pull out 500€ in cash, then deposit the cash to the account to start it. Wire transfers are going to cost money so just do everything through the Bank of America card. Germany is a cash based economy. It is always good to carry lots of cash because people do not use cards that much.
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Apr 12, 2010 03:45
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plasmoduck posted:Oh and I think most FHs also dropped the 4 year program in favor of 3-3.5yr Bachelor programs (I think the 3.5yr ones all include a mandatory "internship semester" which is a good early exposure to the working world), which technically allows you to enter a Master degree at a university in most cases. I've noticed when searching different programs that some are three years and some are four years and it doesn't seem to depend on what kind of institution it is. They have three year degrees at universities, technical universities, and Fachhochshulen.
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Apr 12, 2010 04:46
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plasmoduck posted:I always get kind of confused since there's also "Technische Hochschulen" (THs) that I don't know where to fit, but the RWTH Aachen seems to be one of the top schools too! I'd also like to know where THs fit in, especially with RWTH Aachen since I'm going there, if anyone knows .Liface posted:Completely free. I used it for a year and didn't pay a single fee. If you want to open up a German bank account the best way to do it is use your card, pull out 500€ in cash, then deposit the cash to the account to start it. Wire transfers are going to cost money so just do everything through the Bank of America card. I'll have to do more research and market analysis to see if my idea would be profitable/better in the long run (convert all USD into EUR, hope the EUR->USD rate goes up in the 2+ years I'm in Germany, convert back to USD for profit when I move back) due to the fees and stuff I'll have to pay. But this sounds like a solid idea too if I'm not charged any fees at all. The €5 per use fees I paid as a tourist were no big deal, but I'd imagine they would add if really quick if I actually lived there. Fasheem posted:I've noticed when searching different programs that some are three years and some are four years and it doesn't seem to depend on what kind of institution it is. They have three year degrees at universities, technical universities, and Fachhochshulen. My adviser (German PhD) told me that the only reason they went from the Diplom system to the Bachelors/Masters system was to integrate with the Bologna process. Apparently companies in Germany still view their Diplom as the better degree, but more and more schools are going the Bachelors + Masters route now so it's more common place. Edit: How much does it cost for a Bahncard 25 or 50? Bahn.de simply says that a discount is available for students under the age of 27, but doesn't list prices for it. It does say a regular BahnCard 25 is €57 (I assume per year) though. Which seems like a pretty good deal. I just priced a ICE train from Köln to Berlin and it came up to be over €200 round trip without a card. I always thought train travel in Europe was suppose to be cheap :/. Ziir fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Apr 12, 2010 |
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Apr 12, 2010 08:29
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Ziir posted:Edit: How much does it cost for a Bahncard 25 or 50? Bahn.de simply says that a discount is available for students under the age of 27, but doesn't list prices for it. It does say a regular BahnCard 25 is €57 (I assume per year) though. Which seems like a pretty good deal. I just priced a ICE train from Köln to Berlin and it came up to be over €200 round trip without a card. I always thought train travel in Europe was suppose to be cheap :/. Train travel is generally very expensive in Germany, but there are many discounts available.
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Apr 12, 2010 18:32
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Ziir posted:I'd also like to know where THs fit in, especially with RWTH Aachen since I'm going there, if anyone knows It is just another name for university, like TU. Aachen even is one of the "excellence" unis. I would advise against betting all your savings on Euro. You can't really predict where prices will be going, so it really is betting. If you have tons of money lying around, I would rather invest in other stuff.
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Apr 12, 2010 18:58
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schoenfelder posted:Take the normal prices for BahnCard (they are per year), slash them in half, voilà: price for students (BahnCard 50 is something like 116 EUR for students) BahnCard 50 is an incredible deal. I think mine paid for itself within the first two months. However if you really want to travel cheap, http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.com is your friend. If you do get a BahnCard, make sure to send a cancellation letter at the end of the year, or two years, or whatever. They don't really make it clear that it's a recurring charge: http://bahnblog.agentur-65.com/2007/05/05/bahncard-kuendigen-leicht-gemacht-update/ Liface fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Apr 12, 2010 |
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Apr 12, 2010 19:30
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Liface posted:BahnCard 50 is an incredible deal. I think mine paid for itself within the first two months. quote:If you do get a BahnCard, make sure to send a cancellation letter at the end of the year, or two years, or whatever. They don't really make it clear that it's a recurring charge:
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Apr 12, 2010 19:41
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Is this in Germany or anywhere near it?
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Apr 12, 2010 20:38
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That's Edinburgh, if I'm not mistaken. Awesome photo, though.
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Apr 12, 2010 23:01
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You will have a hard time without a german bank account. Many things, like rent and utility bills, are paid via bank transfer. I would recommend opening a checking account at your local "Sparkasse" branch. They have by far the most ATMs in the country and you can use them for free. All checking accounts come with an ATM card and online banking is also pretty much standard, although you might have to explicitely ask for activation at your branch office. Fees are nonexistant to very low. If you are a student, there is a good chance that you won't have to pay any fees.
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Apr 13, 2010 14:34
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schoenfelder posted:Definitely, I've had the 50 for, I don't know, 5 years now. Sweet deal because I don't have to plan ahead to get a good discount for a specific train but can just arrive at the station and buy a ticket for the next possible connection. Foreigners still have to give a six week Kündigungsfrist, or so I was told (and just did). I had the Probe-BahnCard 25 for my last four months in Germany, don't know why I didn't get one when I just first got here, as even the BahnCard 25 has saved me tonnes of money in the last few months. And re: banking, I have a Sparkasse account but when I need more money from my Canadian account I just go to a PostBank ATM.
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Apr 14, 2010 20:03
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Liface posted:Get a Bank of America account. They are part of this: Are there any other banks that have some kind of alliance with a German bank that lets me use ATMs over there for free? Specifically some kind of online bank with a higher interest rate?
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Apr 22, 2010 20:24
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Ziir posted:Are there any other banks that have some kind of alliance with a German bank that lets me use ATMs over there for free? Specifically some kind of online bank with a higher interest rate? Not that I know of. Why are you worried about interest rate on your checking? Just open up a high-interest savings account that you can manage online. I use SmartyPig because they have the best rates. Then get a throwaway Bank of America account that you keep about $1000 in. Link the two accounts and you can transfer back and forth. German Sparkasse accounts generally have really low interest rates. I would just use the BoA trick to transfer the money for free and invest it back in the US. As far as I can tell there's basically no personal investing culture in Germany, which is kind of sad.
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Apr 23, 2010 20:20
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I am a 22 year old student currently attending a community college and plan on getting my associates degree here. Currently, I'm taking the 3rd(and final) quarter of German offered at my school, and would like to know about getting my bachelor's degree in Germany and possibly living/working there afterward. *My major will be computer science/electrical engineering(haven't decided)* Some things I would like to know - Will my credits from my cc transfer over there? - Language: 3 quarters at a CC is not gonna be enough, so will I be able to take German courses and get my BS at the same place? - How much will it cost? - Will I be able to find a job easily with my (initially) poor german skills? (to support myself while going to school) - Jobs in Germany after I graduate: I heard there was a 1 year period that you have to look for a job in Germany. Is this true? - Whats a good university I should look in to? - I've heard that a budget of around $1000 a month is to be expected. Is this about right for everything included (tuition/books/WG/food/transportation/fun)? And will I be able to support myself with a part-time job very well? Any more information, or input is welcome, thanks! -my thread got gassed, so I'll try it out here!- Trowadeath fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Apr 24, 2010 |
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Apr 24, 2010 07:02
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Liface posted:Not that I know of. I'm just going to do this. Does it cost anything to transfer money between your BoA and online savings account? I think I'll still open a Sparkasse account with €500 or something though because I'm probably going to be playing poker while I'm out there. Trowadeath posted:-my thread got gassed, so I'll try it out here!- Is that what happened? Was wondering why I couldn't find it on the first two pages. Edit: With SmartyPig, it says there needs to be a monthly contribution of $10 unless my savings goal has been met. So can I dump say $9500 into an account and set up a savings goal of $10,000 within 1 month, and next month dump another $500 to meet it and then stop paying the monthly contributions and instead just rack up interest? Ziir fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Apr 24, 2010 |
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Apr 24, 2010 07:22
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Ziir posted:Is that what happened? Was wondering why I couldn't find it on the first two pages. Yeah, probably because it should have been in this sub-forum? I wasn't quite sure since it is kind of a multi topic post. Oh well. Right now I'm looking at Uni Magdeburg which scored pretty high on the che rankings, and seems to have a good international program. Anybody have any input on this place? As for funding from DAAD, will I be able to apply for scholarships for any university I choose to go to? Or do I have to go to the very specific "international programs" they have listed?
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Apr 24, 2010 09:44
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Trowadeath posted:Yeah, probably because it should have been in this sub-forum? I wasn't quite sure since it is kind of a multi topic post. Oh well. I can vouch for Magdeburg, a close friend of mine studies CS there and likes it quite a lot. Also, I think you could survive on less than 1000$, especially since the rents in Magdeburg tend to be relatively low. Furthermore, Sachsen-Anhalt does not charge study fees and the semester-fee seems to be rather low at ~60€ Perestroika fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Apr 24, 2010 |
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Apr 24, 2010 10:11
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My 2 cents on some of your questions:Trowadeath posted:Some things I would like to know quote:- Language: 3 quarters at a CC is not gonna be enough, so will I be able to take German courses and get my BS at the same place? quote:- How much will it cost? quote:- Will I be able to find a job easily with my (initially) poor german skills? (to support myself while going to school) quote:- I've heard that a budget of around $1000 a month is to be expected. Is this about right for everything included (tuition/books/WG/food/transportation/fun)? And will I be able to support myself with a part-time job very well?
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Apr 24, 2010 10:40
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schoenfelder posted:Most likely not. Let's put it this way: The typical student jobs are waitress/bartender. You speak English and define your German as poor. 90% of the people applying for the same job are native German speakers and will have at least a decent grasp of English. Your mileage might vary in a big city like Berlin where there are English speaking expat communities and many tourists. But in Magdeburg? Most likely not, no. The more serious problem here is that the student visa has extreme limits on the amount of work you are allowed to do. You can learn to speak German, but you can't change the visa rules. I'm planning on having a lot of money saved up when I come over.
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Apr 24, 2010 10:49
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Magdeburg resident here, and I'll second the vouch. The university's good, so's the city. Lots of international students here.
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Apr 24, 2010 10:50
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Trowadeath posted:- Language: 3 quarters at a CC is not gonna be enough, so will I be able to take German courses and get my BS at the same place? Check and see where you think you might match up on this chart http://www.uq.edu.au/uqabroad/forms/language-grid.pdf My university's exchange department has this to say about it quote:In order to have sufficient language skills to study in a foreign language, you need to have achieved a minimum level of B2 on this chart. Even with the level of B2 you are strongly recommended to take an intensive language course for 2-4 weeks before beginning your studies in a foreign language. If you're still not quite up to a B2 level you might want to see if you can get some private tuition to boost your language skills so you're not struggling if you decide to go over there.
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Apr 24, 2010 10:54
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Fasheem posted:The more serious problem here is that the student visa has extreme limits on the amount of work you are allowed to do. You can learn to speak German, but you can't change the visa rules.
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Apr 24, 2010 10:55
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schoenfelder posted:That's of course true and I didn't even think about it. You must be German.  One thing I'm looking into now is study on a work visa, not so much for the degree itself, but for the year of "high school" (Studienkolleg) I will most likely have to deal with to even apply to study at a German university. This thread is probably not the best place to find info on that. Haha.
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Apr 24, 2010 11:54
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I've always wanted to go to Magdeburg, but never got a chance. I'll be moving back to Germany in September, so I still got a chance 
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Apr 24, 2010 12:35
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Fasheem posted:You must be German.
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Apr 24, 2010 12:47
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You're allowed to work officially 19 hours a week as a foreign student. You also don't need a visa, by the way, if you're American. You can just fly over and once you get to the place you're going to live, register with the Einwohnermeldeamt.
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Apr 24, 2010 18:12
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An American would also have to register at an Ausländeramt, wouldn't they?
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Apr 24, 2010 19:09
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Ziir posted:You're allowed to work officially 19 hours a week as a foreign student. You also don't need a visa, by the way, if you're American. You can just fly over and once you get to the place you're going to live, register with the Einwohnermeldeamt. That is way way more than the sources I've found online say you can work. Do you have a source? It is incredibly hard to find information about this, and there's a lot of conflicting information. (Probably because different parts of Germany have different rules, and they've been changing a lot in the last couple years.) But, the sites I've seen ALL say you can work 90 days a year only during vacation as a (foreign) student, or sometimes ten hours a week during school time with special permission. http://www.study-in-germany.de/english/1.120.322.html http://www.studienkredit.de/studium-finanzieren/student-loans/ (EU students can work 20 hours)
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Apr 24, 2010 22:40
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