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MY GERMAN CAREER

JOBS

‘The predictability here can be comforting’

In this week's My German Career, US pastor Jeff Ingram, 54, talks about life in the church and the advantages as well as the downside of Germany's desire for order.

Published: 24 February 2014 09:00 CET
'The predictability here can be comforting'
Jeff with his wife Anne. Photo: Submitted

Where are you located and what do you do?

I live in Dresden with my wife, Anne. I am a church planting pastor with the German Association of Evangelical Free Churches (FeG). We have been invited by the FeG in Dresden to help them start daughter churches in the greater Dresden area.

What brought you to Germany and how long have you been here?

We moved to Kaiserslautern in 1999 in order to help some friends start the FeG there. In 2003 we took a team from Kaiserslautern and started the FeG Ramstein, about 20km. After a 15-month assignment in the USA, we moved to Dresden in December 2013.

How did you land your job and do you have tips for anyone seeking similar work?

After serving for three-and-a-half years as an assistant pastor in a big church in Pennsylvania, we applied to work overseas with TEAM, or The Evangelical Alliance Mission. We were accepted and we began to seek funding for our work in Europe. We are financed exclusively through donations from interested friends and churches, primarily in the USA.

Anyone interested in doing the work we do must have a close relationship with and abiding trust in God, a clear sense of purpose, good communication skills, a willingness to endure hardship as well as a deep love and compassion for people.

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Is it important for you to be able to speak German in your position?

Absolutely. I do a lot of public speaking in German so I have to speak German well. Consequently, I have worked very hard at it. If I could not speak German well, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to gain a hearing for our message of reconciliation.

What are the best and worst parts about working in Germany?

I appreciate the emphasis on order. Most things in Germany don’t just work – they work well. One can usually count on things functioning as they are supposed to. Most processes are well thought out and logical. There is a predictability here that can be comforting. There are not a lot of surprises once one gets accustomed to how things run here.

The flip side of the coin might be the worst part about working in Germany. The emphasis on order and predictability tends to stifle creativity and spontaneity. When we were preparing to hand the leadership of our church in Ramstein over to a young German pastor, our leaders told me: “We’ve really appreciated your willingness to try all sorts of crazy things. With you, we experienced the freedom to fail. We Germans have a difficult time trying new things because, for us, failure is not an option.”

Do you plan on staying?

Yes! Our work cannot be accomplished in a few short years. It takes time to build trust and, considering the spiritual nature of our work, trust is essential. We’re figuring we may finish out our career here in the Dresden area. 

SEE ALSO: 21 phrases to help you out in a German office

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Five things to know about salaries in Germany

Finding a job is typically a top priority when planning a move to Germany. The country boasts the third largest economy in the world and a continuing need for skilled professionals. 

Published: 2 May 2024 12:26 CEST
Five things to know about salaries in Germany

If you are moving to Germany, you might soon start looking for a job in the country. However, like many other aspects of living abroad, there are several cultural differences and specificities when it comes to job hunting in Germany – especially when it comes to salaries.

Here are five things to know about salaries in Germany.

There is a minimum wage in Germany

Germany’s minimum wage of €12.41 per hour, pre-tax came into effect at the start of this year. This amounts to a monthly salary of €2,054 which ranks ninth in the world. The minimum wage will rise again in 2025 to €12.82 per hour before tax deductions.

There have been calls recently to hike the salary up higher to €14 per hour.

READ ALSO: Millions of workers in Germany ‘earning less than €14 per hour’

Find out salary expectations

Germany does not require companies to list salary ranges for listed positions. But that may be changing soon. The EU parliament passed a wage transparency law to require companies to publish annual reports detailing wage and wage discrepancy information. The rules, which are set to go into effect in 2027, are intended to help close the gender pay gap. 

In the meantime, employees can utilise online resources to find industry averages and expectations for different roles:

  • Gehalt.de offers users access to salary information on more than 800 professions
  • Online platform, Kununu provides compensation information and employer reviews to users in the DACH region  
  • Berlin residents can utilise REDSOFA’s salary survey for an overview of salary averages in the country’s capital city

As of April 2023 the average gross monthly salary was €4,323 according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.

Two-thirds of full time workers make less than this average monthly salary and one-third of workers earn more than this average monthly salary.

While wages after deductions may be less than similar roles in other countries, it is also important to take into consideration what other benefits come with a salary. Paid holiday leave, pension contributions, long notice periods and annual bonuses can help make up some of that difference. 

READ ALSO: How much do employees in Germany typically earn?

Check your payment schedule

Internationals can usually expect their salary once a month when working in Germany. Many German companies choose to pay employees either on the 1st or 15th of the month. It is also important to note that most employees can expect to receive their first pay check within 30 or 45 days of starting. 

For positions that offer yearly bonuses, these payments are included in a 13th pay check which are subject to income tax.  

A person works on a laptop.

A person works on a laptop. Image by Bartek Zakrzewski from Pixabay

How many hours do you work?

When looking for a job, don’t forget to check how many hours you can expect. Job descriptions will include expectations for time commitments. 

Mini-jobs, as expected from the name, are limited in hours and pay. Employees can expect up to €538 per month. Mini-jobs do not provide social security because they do not require social security contributions. Employees are also not automatically covered by health and nursing care insurance. 

Teilzeit, or part time jobs, are defined as any job where working hours are less than a full time position.

A common misconception is that part-time work requires working 20 hours or less a week. But an employee working five days a week for 30 hours, at a position that is typically 40 hours when full time can also be defined as a part time worker. 

READ ALSO: The rules in Germany around ‘mini’ and ‘midi jobs’

In fact, Germany has a term for workers who work between 28 and 36 hours a week. Vollzeitnahe Teilzeit, or nearly full time part time workers, can be a popular choice for some people, including parents. These positions can give employees more flexibility to balance work and family responsibilities. It is important to note that these workers are paid according to their time worked, so it will still amount to less than full time.

Depending on the work schedule, part time employees can earn the same amount of vacation as their full-time counterparts. That’s because holiday leave is calculated based on days worked, not hours. If a part time worker comes in five days a week, they will be eligible for at least 20 days of holiday. If that same part time worker comes in three days a week, they will be legally entitled to twelve days of vacation, even if they worked the same hours as the other employee. 

In most companies, weekly working hours between 35 and 40 hours are considered full-time employment or Vollzeitbeschäftigung. 

Watch out for the gross v. net difference

Before you sign the dotted line, it will be important to check how much of your gross salary you’ll be able to keep come pay day. Companies that include salary expectations in descriptions include gross salary (Bruttoeinkommen) – not the net income after taxes and deductions (Nettoeinkommen). The amount deducted will depend on how much you earn, the tax class you’re in and on other factors such as how much you’re paying for healthcare but it is usually around 40 percent. 

Salaried employees can find information on the deductions on their pay slip. Some to expect to see include:

  • Taxes are deducted directly from the gross pay. The amount is based on the tax bracket your salary falls within 
  • A percentage of your gross salary is also deducted for your pension / retirement contributions
  • Church taxes between eight and nine percent of your salary will also be due if you are affiliated with a religion
  • Unemployment insurance amounts to a 2.5 percent deduction from your gross salary. It is important to note that the insurance covers a salary up to €90,600 
  • Health insurance contribution rates are typically split between employers and employees. The rate depends on the provider. In 2024, the TK contribution rate to health insurance is 15.8 percent of the gross income

READ ALSO: What you need to know about your payslip in Germany 

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