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LIVING IN GERMANY

TELL US: Is having a foreign name a disadvantage in Germany?

Is it harder for people to find a job or get an apartment in Germany simply because they don't have a German name? We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences for a future article.

Published: 22 July 2024 14:50 CEST
A job interview in Germany
A woman attends a job interview in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-tmn | Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert

In recent viral posts on online forums, some foreigners have claimed that having foreign name has held them back from getting invitations to job interviews or apartment viewings in Germany. 

For a future article, we’d love to know if you feel that having a foreign name has held you back in any way while living in the Bundesrepublik. 

Perhaps you’ve received more invitations to apartment viewings since taking on your German spouse’s surname, or you feel you’ve been treated differently when sending a job application with a foreign name.

Please let us know your thoughts by filling in the survey below.

If the survey doesn’t load, please click here.

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INSIDE GERMANY

Inside Germany: Inflation falls, Edeka’s far-right stand and school traditions

From inflation dropping to under two percent to supermarket Edeka's advert against the AfD ahead of elections and the 'sugar bag' loved by German schoolchildren, here's what we're talking about this week.

Published: 31 August 2024 10:16 CEST
Inside Germany: Inflation falls, Edeka's far-right stand and school traditions

Relief as consumer prices fall to lowest level since 2021

Whether it’s the spiralling cost of energy, olive oil or even Döner kebabs, no one could have failed to notice the hike in everyday costs in Germany in recent years. 

The situation has been improving somewhat recently – but there was major news this week that will have many people jumping for joy.

The annual inflation rate fell to 1.9 percent in August, according to initial figures – down from 2.3 percent in July. 

Amazingly, the last time German inflation was below two percent was in March 2021.

The drop is being attributed to a 5.1 percent decline in energy prices. 

In other good monetary news, real wages increased for the fifth quarter in a row.

It’s no wonder German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was keen to highlight these developments on social media. 

His coalition government has been taking a beating in polls recently and he won’t be looking forward to the elections in Thuringia and Saxony on Sunday where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make huge gains. 

“People have more money in their wallets again. Inflation is falling, real wages are rising for the fifth quarter in a row,” he tweeted. 

Falling consumer prices are a relief but you might be wondering just how food prices got so expensive (we’re especially looking at you, olive oil). 

The cost of groceries in Germany has risen by 33 percent since 2021, while the overall inflation rate since then is about 20 percent.

Germany’s Consumer Advice Centre wants to see companies be more transparent, and says food prices need to be monitored closely.

I’m sure we’d all like to see fairer prices during the weekly grocery shop. 

Edeka takes a stand against the far-right 

Speaking of those elections (and supermarkets), it isn’t often that big businesses take a political stance. But German supermarket Edeka has campaigned against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in an advert.

The supermarket chain’s latest ad, which ran in two German newspapers, features a variety of colourful fruit and veg – but highlights that blue, which is the AfD’s colour, “is not an option”. It says that “in Germany, ‘the blues’ are already the biggest threat to a diverse society”.

Back to school 

The new term is starting in Germany with many children already back in the classroom. It’s a wonderful time to learn about some of Germany’s cutest traditions. 

For example: the Schultüte (school bag).

On enrolment day, known as Einschulung, parents stuff these bags shaped like cones with huge amounts of sweets and other treats to celebrate the start of school. It is sometimes known as a Zuckertüte (sugar bag).

A pupil with a 'Schultüte' in Bavaria.

A pupil with a ‘Schultüte’ in Bavaria. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

This tradition is said to date back to the early 1800s in Saxony and Thuringia. Starting in the larger cities, it quickly spread, becoming an integral part of school enrolment across Germany.

To many Germans, these cones are a significant symbol of starting school and entering a new phase of life.

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