“Gross” is not the same as “net”: What is deducted from the salary

The “gross” salary stated in the employment contract is not the money the employee finds in his or her account. Gross means the total before taxes and social security contributions are deducted. It is also stated in job advertisements. What arrives in the account is the “net” salary, i.e., the amount after all deductions. In Germany, income tax, church tax, and social contributions (health insurance, pension insurance, long-term care insurance, and unemployment insurance) are withheld from employees. Those who earn very well also have to pay a solidarity contribution. But what do these terms mean – and how are the… Read More

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The mother tongue determines how the brain ticks

By Oula Mahfouz and Michael Seifert Brain researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, have used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to compare how language processing works in the brains of Arabic and German native speakers. In the process, they came across quite surprising results: “Arabic speakers have a strong connection between the two hemispheres of the brain, whereas in German native speakers the connections within the left brain hemisphere are more strongly developed,” explains Alfred Anwander, the head of the study in an interview with tünews INTERNATIONAL. “Our study is… Read More

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Are children allowed to travel alone?

Children are allowed to travel alone in ermany, but there are some conditions and restrictions that may vary depending on the age of the child and the type of trip. For domestic travel in Germany, there are no specific laws or regulations that state whether or not a child may travel alone. In principle, children 6 years of age and older may travel alone by train. Most airlines, train companies and bus companies have their own regulations for children traveling alone—for example, a minimum age and special support services such as accompaniment and care during the trip. If a child… Read More

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Shipments from a non-EU country

As of July 1, 2021, the previous duty-free limit of 22 euros for goods orders from non-EU countries has been lifted. This means that consumers must now also pay import VAT for smaller orders of goods from non-EU countries, and customs duties if the value of the goods exceeds 150 euros. Depending on the goods, import turnover tax amounts to 7 or 19 percent of the value of the goods and is levied directly by the delivery service or customs. Customs charges may also apply, depending on the type of goods and whether they are subject to certain property rights.… Read More

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Which insurances are important

Two insurances are mandatory in Germany: health insurance and liability insurance for car owners. In addition, there are a large number of offers for other insurances. It is not easy to decide which risks should be insured. An overview is provided, for example, by the consumer advice center: https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/welche-versicherung-brauche-ich-12605 Stiftung Warentest also provides tips on how to find your way through the jungle of insurance offers: https://www.test.de/Versicherungen-Optimaler-Risikoschutz-1162242-0/ At the top of the list of important insurances are those that cover existential risks—i.e. those that can mean ruin for a family. Private liability insurance is at the top of the list.… Read More

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Tübingen replaces Theodor in the spelling tablet

By Oula Mahfouz and Ute Kaiser Munich, Aachen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Offenbach, Unna, Zwickau: This is how I have to spell my last name on the phone so that people can spell it correctly—M A H F O U Z. Until a year ago, it read like this: Martha, Anton, Heinrich, Friedrich, Otto, Ulrich, Zacharias. In May 2022, the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) abolished the old spelling table. City names replace given names in it. Since then, the T no longer stands for Theodor, but for Tübingen. The reason for the new version: The anti-Semitism commissioner of Baden-Württemberg had pointed… Read More

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Resignation: initially no unemployment benefit

Anyone who wants to quit their job themselves should contact the Employment Agency beforehand. Then the employee can discuss everything with the agency’s specialists and register as a jobseeker after giving notice. Employees who give notice themselves must expect consequences. They receive a blocking period and no unemployment benefits during this blocking period. The blocking period usually lasts twelve weeks if the employee resigns without important reasons. Important reasons can be mobbing at work or sexual harassment at work. However, this must be proven. During the lockout period, the employment agency pays the contributions to health and long-term care insurance.… Read More

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The short way to the birth certificate

Many Ukrainian women waiting for the birth of their child in Germany wonder how to obtain a birth certificate for their son or daughter. To do so, the child must first be registered at the registry office of the German place of birth. This does not imply German citizenship. A German birth certificate, certified with a so-called Apostille stamp, together with a translation into Ukrainian, is valid with all Ukrainian authorities. According to the current Ukrainian legislation, the registration of a newborn child at the place of birth or at the place of residence of the parents is done on… Read More

 5,493 total views,  2 views today

Islamic Studies: Many work at schools

Most graduates of Islamic theological studies at German universities work as teachers or in social work. This is the result of a study by the Academy for Islam in Science and Society (AIWG). It was conducted at Goethe University in Frankfurt in cooperation with the universities of Gießen and Mainz. “After graduation, about 44 percent of the graduates went into the educational field, about 26 percent into social work and about 15 percent into academia. Only about 13 percent are active in community work and about seven percent in pastoral care,” the Mediendienst Integration quotes the result of the study.… Read More

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What the health insurance pays at the dentist

When it comes to the dentist, the statutory health insurances for war refugees from Ukraine also cover a large part of the medical services. “As soon as a refugee from Ukraine is a member of a statutory health insurance fund, he or she is entitled to the same benefits as any other member of the statutory health insurance fund,” says the Baden-Württemberg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (KZVBW). The prerequisite is that the refugees have a fictitious certificate or a residence permit. Different regulations apply to asylum seekers. The statutory health insurance thus covers all necessary treatments for the… Read More

 1,501 total views,  4 views today

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