THE PROS AND CONS OF STUDYING IN GERMANY

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With almost 200 countries worldwide, picking a suitable destination for your tertiary education can be quite a hard decision to make. However, today, we’ll be going over what it takes to study in Germany.
We’ll dive into some of the factors to consider when considering studying in Germany and present you with some reasons why Germany may or may not be an option for you.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY IN GERMANY?

High-Quality Education

With well-established institutions that date back as far as the fourteenth century, Germany has managed to create a well-respected community of universities that work and strive to bring the best education to prospective candidates worldwide. 

With over 40 internationally recognized universities and more than 17,000 study programmes nationwide, Germany has more than enough options for a high school graduate looking for a potential university match. 

Germany serves high-quality education with a prestigious degree that guarantees you a job, in a world where employment opportunities are continuously depleting. 

Affordable Education

Many countries in the world have respectable universities and greatness to offer, but the difference between them and Germany is that acquiring that education does not create a financial strain on the students. 

As a nation, Germany is strong enough to support its universities through state finance. You do not need to pay high amounts of tuition fees to get access to high-quality education. 

The idea of affordable yet high-quality degrees presents an opportunity to bridge the wealthy and the less wealthy together, giving them a better shot at knowledge and educational growth.

Rich Culture and Lifestyle

As a first-world country with old roots and a great economy, Germany is a great place to be for a university student looking for more than just school and books. Germany has an incredibly rich history, culture, and lifestyle.

 With incredible architecture and classic art and music, Germany stands to give students an enriching experience that will broaden their minds and challenge their perspective – creating the bright, young leaders that are desperately needed to direct today’s world.

Great Location

Positioned fairly close to the center of Europe, Germany seems the perfect place for a student to live, considering how easy it becomes for one to travel to other countries for leisure trips places far and wide. 

Whether by train, plane, or sea, travelling around the continent becomes conveniently cheaper due to Germany’s central location, and with abundant job opportunities for students, studying in Germany also becomes another opportunity to explore the world and what it has to offer.

THE CONS OF STUDYING IN GERMANY

Language Barrier

Although Germany offers some world-renowned education, the degree comes at a cost. The majority of the available bachelor’s degrees are studied in the German language, and specific fluency levels are required to be accepted, at your own cost. 

There are six language levels to conquer, but at least three are required for most universities to successfully admit you, so German language lessons are much needed. 

Here at Kampus Konnekt, we can provide German lessons to help you solve this problem. German is not only needed to study, but it’s also useful in daily life, especially for ease of communication.

Working Limits

As a student in Germany, you can get a job, but your working hours are very limited. An international student is only allowed 120 full working days, with a maximum limit of how much money they can earn before they are required to pay tax and change their insurance costs. This results in higher costs and bills that may prove harder to keep up with.

The opportunity to study tertiary education is valuable, and its requirement in the modern world has grown considerably fast over the last century. 

Kampus Konnekt is here to help you realize your dreams, by connecting you to quality education and helping you conquer any obstacles along the way.

THE LIFE OF AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IN GERMANY

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As a foreigner in a country you’ve never been to before, you might probably find it difficult to feel at home or to get used to the environment or even how things are done.

As an international student living and studying in Germany or planning to, there are quite some interesting facts you should take note of. Germany has a lot to offer aside from the success of the German educational system.

The Grace of Learning a New Language

I know quite a lot of us find learning a new language fun and interesting. Even if you don’t fall into this category, as an international student in Germany, there is a chance that you’d be tempted to learn the German language for better communication with people. The German language happens to be the most spoken language in the world and the most spoken native language in the European continent. With this, there is an open door of job opportunities waiting for you in German companies globally.

Work Opportunities Available on a Platter of Gold.

In Germany, international students are allowed to work part-time unlike in some other countries where there are restrictions but only for up to 20 hours a week or 120 days full days a year. This could help your employment experience and also help pay bills, reducing the burden on your finances.

You must also keep in mind that, international students aren’t allowed to be self-employed or to freelance and if you want to work past the limited hours, you are to take permission from the local employment agency and the foreigner’s registration office.

Here are some of the part-time roles you can lay your hands on in Germany, as an international student:

  •  A Tutor
  • A German Language translator
  • A Waiter
  • A Babysitter
  • A Writer
  • A Bartender
  • A Cashier
  • A Courier
  • A Library Supervisor at your academic institute
  • A Filling document officer
  • A Media Personae

 Read More on How to Fund Your Studies in Germany

A Chance for Exploration

If you love to travel around Europe and vlog, seeing new places and trying new things, I guess it’s a plus for you as an international student in Germany. There are lots of beautiful places to visit and new food to try, new culture and customs to learn and new friends to make. This gives room for socialization and cultural awareness.

A Low or No Tuition Fee

For public universities in Germany, the cost of studying is low or free. This makes it easy for international students to live and learn comfortably. 

The Standard of Living

The standard of living in Germany as an international student is quite low. The expenses of rent and other finances are affordable. With this, there will be enough to save and probably invest. Read here for more tips on how to live in Germany.

8 fun facts about German

8 Fun Facts About The German Language

by with No Comment Culture

The German Language can seem odd compared to other languages. We admit it; the words seem pretty long and some letters definitely have a weird pronunciation. Despite that, there are a lot of facts that people don’t know about German. You may have heard about the longest word in German, but do you know those 8 fun facts about German? Let’s see!

1) Germans count backwards

Yes, you read the sentence correctly. While in English we say twenty-one, Germans would say “ein­und­zwanzig”, or one-and-twenty. Well, if you are learning German, we surely hope you don’t have to go through number dictations: it would be a nightmare. What is the first digit? You will never know. German numbers are even more full of suspense than Bollywood movies and their special effects.

2) German mixes well with other languages

You may have heard about Spanglish. It is famous for being a way to speak that Spanish speakers use in the US. Basically, they mix Spanish and English together. Sometimes, they would use an English word in a Spanish sentence or make English words sound Spanish. Germans literally do the same thing. They would use a bunch of English words as if they did not exist in German. Come on, German has a word for everything! They even have a word for the situation when your parents are not home, so you have your house to yourself! Sturmfrei!

But, besides English, German also mixes with Turkish. As we know, the Turkish population is really important in Germany. In 2020, studies have shown they were approximately 7 million. Eventually, they mixed both languages and now it is part of their culture. The children of Turkish immigrants mostly use this language.

3) German has 3 genders

In the German language, there are 3 genders: feminine, masculine, and neutral. What is most surprising for English speakers is that objects have genders. That’s right: a table is not a neutral word but a masculine one. For those who are not used to this system, unlike Spanish and French speakers, it is difficult to find it logical. So, when learning German, you absolutely have to learn the vocabulary and the associated pronouns. Otherwise, people might struggle to understand you, as it could mean a totally different thing. Always ask yourself: is it der, die or das?

4) There are two ways to say “you”

Once again, just like French and Spanish, the German language has two ways to address someone. You can use the formal “you”, which is “sie” or the informal one “du”. When you are addressing multiple people, you still use “sie” but the informal way would be “ihr”. You really have to be careful with that. It is really important in German to address strangers using “sie”. And if you don’t do that with police officers, you could even get arrested. But, don’t worry, it is much easier as a foreigner since people would understand that you are not being impolite.

5) German has a unique letter

It is called the sharp “s”, or “eszett”. It looks like a “b”, and you write it “ß” and pronounce it as an “s”. We know it seems difficult. Sometimes, people don’t use it and they write “ss” instead. But be careful with that, as it could change the entire meaning.

6) German has the same structure as English

We know what you’re thinking: “Finally, something easy about German!”. That is true for English speakers. The structure goes subject, verb, and then object. There are actually various languages that share this structure: French, Mandarin, or Spanish even if they omit the subject most of the time.

7) German is spoken outside of Europe

If you know about Germany’s history, it’s not a big surprise for you. For example, German is one of the official languages in Namibia. Even if they rarely use it around their family. But in Texas and Canada, there are populations that are attached to their German heritage. Well, it is mostly because their ancestors came to North America to live their religion freely. There are also German communities in South America. It is common to find Mennonites and German-Swiss there. You can even find a town named “Nuevo Berlín” in Uruguay.

8) Long words are easy to understand

This is something people struggle with. That is true, German is famous for its long words and sentences. But the fact is that German functions like many other languages: it adds one word to another to create a new one. The only difference is that there is no space between those words. Okay, it might be difficult to read, but it is still logical. For example, we have administration fees in English, and “verwaltungsgebühren” in German. “Verwaltung” meaning administration, and “gebühren” means taxes.

See, German is not a boring language at all! In fact, all languages are interesting and worth learning. We hope you like our 8 fun facts about the German language. Please feel free to book German classes with us, or comment to share your favourite fun fact!