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Student protests prod officials toward education reforms

The massive student protests across Germany this week appear to have prodded officials to undertake educational reforms, including changes to bachelor's programmes and financial aid.

Published: 18 November 2009 13:12 CET

Student protests prod officials toward education reforms

Photo: DPA

Lower Saxony’s Science Minister Lutz Stratmann told Oldenburg’s daily Nordwest Zeitung that the state would tweak the new degree system implemented as part of the European Bologna reforms.

“We need to bring back more mobility and there has to be less emphasis on testing,” Stratmann said, adding that more courses should be offered in an eight-semester bachelor’s degree format.

On Tuesday, more than 85,000 students took to the streets in a collective call for improvements to Germany’s education system. Munich, Berlin, Freiburg and Cologne saw the most number of students with smaller university communities staging protests in lecture halls across the country. The demonstrations are expected to continue into December.

The students are angry about changes that are part of the Bologna process, meant to bring standardised bachelor’s and master’s programmes to European universities. They are also opposed to the introduction of modest tuition fees and what many consider the chronic underfunding of education in Germany.

Protesting students also complain some institutions have failed to adapt programmes to the shortened period of time required to complete a degree. Others say that there are not enough entrance spots available to those wishing to attend university in Germany.

German Education Minister Annette Schavan (CDU) has admitted there are problems with the new system and said that adding to the resources for students via the German financial aid system known as BaföG was a top priority for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new coalition government.

“Increasing the BaföG is the right way to go and I plan on putting it in front of the states and the federal cabinet,” Schavan told the daily Berliner Zeitung on Wednesday.

Only two weeks ago, Schavan dismissed the idea of increasing student financial aid in the foreseeable future.

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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