# Is it possible to do this if I moved to Germany?



## Mathias (Jan 15, 2013)

Greetings

I have lived in Ecuador my entire life, so I speak Spanish and English but I have a German passport though
My grandparents were form Germany and my mom was born there but left the country with my grandparents when she was young and moved to Ecuador, so I have two nationalities, Ecuadorian and German but I only have the German passport

What I´m planning to do is this and I wonder if I can, because according to some people it is possible but other people say I can´t, so I´m confused:

- Move to Dresden, since I´ve heard that it is one of the less expensive cities

- Study German while studying Business via distant mode in an Ecuadorian university
*I would like to know, how many years does it take to pass all the language levels to Master it?* 
*Do the levels take years or months?*
*I´ve heard that the government would give me enough financial aid per month until I master the language and then get a job* *is it true, if so how much money would I get?*

- Once I master the German language, I´m planning to apply to an Ausbildung, with knowledge of the language, knowledge of business theory and field experience, since I worked in Ecuador many years in a courtains company in the management area, how easy would it be to get an Ausbildung in the management area in a company?
*I´ve also heard that if I don´t get enough payment during the Ausbildung ( some companies only pay €300 or even less) I could get financial aid form the goverment to cover the minimum needed per month to live, is it true*?

- Once I manage to get the Ausbildung degree, I´m sure I will get my university degree from Ecuador too, so I would like to get a Master degree in Germany in Business, I´m pretty sure that I would have to revalidate my Ecuadorian university degree in a German university, so I don´t mind to study a bit more to then start my Master degree classes

- Then I think I could get a better job and with my taxes help others in my same situation, so I would be somekind of investment to Germany, right?

I will never surrender, no matter how hard things are, I will do my best, count on that, but knowing that the government will be there to aid me during this process is vital, so once I get a job I will repay with my taxes to help others

So is it possible to accomplish that? 

Thanks in advance for the info.


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## MrTweek (Jan 9, 2013)

> I would like to know, how many years does it take to pass all the language levels to Master it?


If you study hard, you can do it in a year. At least well enough to get around.



> I´ve heard that the government would give me enough financial aid per month until I master the language and then get a job is it true, if so how much money would I get?


This is probably referring to unemployment money 2, also known as Hartz 4. I think they pay for your rent and you get about 380 EUR on top of that. It's enough to survive, but not enough to live a good life.
Also, this is subject to many requirements. You will have to call into the agency every 2 weeks or so and show what you did to find a job, etc.



> I´ve also heard that if I don´t get enough payment during the Ausbildung ( some companies only pay €300 or even less) I could get financial aid form the goverment to cover the minimum needed per month to live, is it true?


Probably, yes. It's called BAföG, google that.
How old are you, by the way?



> how easy would it be to get an Ausbildung in the management area in a company?


Should not be too hard, but the language is kind of important. It will be hard to find a place where you can English or Spanish. Not impossible though.



> - Once I manage to get the Ausbildung degree, I´m sure I will get my university degree from Ecuador too, so I would like to get a Master degree in Germany in Business, I´m pretty sure that I would have to revalidate my Ecuadorian university degree in a German university, so I don´t mind to study a bit more to then start my Master degree classes


That would probably work. You should make sure that an Ecuadorean Bachelor is generally recognized by German universities though.


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## MrTweek (Jan 9, 2013)

Actually, an Ausbildung is usually less "worth" than a Bachelor. If you finished you Bachelor degree in Ecuador, you might consider going for the Masters in Germany straight away. Might also reduce your language problems, as you can find a Masters course in English (or half German/half English) and learn German in your spare time.
Language learning is way more efficient once you are there, because you can practice every day, everywhere.


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## ines2013 (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi Mathias,
I've read throught all your other posts. Maybe I can help a bit with all this german Ausbildungs-stuff. As others have already stated: an Ausbildung is the 'lowest' degree considering the requirements to enter into one. The German School System is devided into basically three school types: Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium. 
Graduating from Hauptschule or Realschule offers students to do an 'Ausbildung' once they finished their schooling in these schooltypes. For different 'Ausbildungen' they require either Hauptschul-graduation or Reealschule - e.g. becoming a a baker only requires a 'Hauptschule-graduation' which is received after 9 years of schooling. For 'Ausbildung' such as 'Bankkaufrau' (qualified banker) one requires at least a Realschul-graduation (10 years of schooling). 
Only the graduation from Gymnasium (12 to 13 years of schooling) allows you to directly study any subjects offered at a university (such as Engineering, Economic sciences). If you wish to study at university with a Hauptschul- or Realschulgraduation you'll have to do additional schooling in some further schooltypes (Fachoberschulen and the like).
While during an 'Ausbildung' the company is mostly training you on a job they pay you a small amount called an 'Ausbildungsvergütung' - usually an Ausbildung takes 3 years to be finished, it can be shortened though if you have a higher graduation than required (e.g. for a trained retails sales person if you graduated from Gymnasium the Ausbildungs-duration may be reduced to 2 years). 
Because the money you receive during your Ausbildung is usually not very high, you can ask for social support - esp. if you are not living with your parents but in an own appartment. However the amount you'll receive will not push you much above the ALGII (minimal social security, possibly they will only pay the rent if you' earn more than 350 Euros of 'Ausbildungsvergütung' - if you earn more than around 800 they may pay nothing as you are expected to be able to live of this).
Usually jobs that require only an 'Ausbildung' pay less than univerity-degree jobs, even though a bachelor now takes just as long to be finished (3 years). It very much depends on what your 'Ausbildung' or your degree were in - so e.g. you might earn more with an IT-Ausbildung at the beginning than with a degree in art-history or the like from university. However, the more you wish to progress salary wise the more likely they will require a university degree.
From what I've gathered in your posts you have received 12 years of schooling an are now studying at a university in Ecuador? This would allow you to consider any sort of education offered in Germany. For university education the government aids students with paying Bafög, however I gathered you are older than 30 now and with that age you can only ask for 'elternunabhängiges Bafög' (Bafög that is not taking into account your parents income, which would be done with the usual Bafög). Bafög is not payed is your are studying at a non-german university as far as I know and certainly not for distance learning university courses. While studying at a public german university is usually tuition free (apart from some MBAs) you'll still have to cover your costs of living + the students association and public transport fee (here in Munich this is 111 Euros per Semester from the coming semester onwards). 
The one thing you need to check out is whether your degree from Ecuador is recognized in Germany. From the ANABIN databank I only figured that having finished your studies in Ecuador allows you to study in Germany (for a Bachelor!!!). Check with DAAD on this or write an email to the Anabin support team. 
My advice to you on how to proceed further are the following:
Get in touch with the job center and have them help you sort through your options. 
Basically if you came to Germany and applied for social security they would have the responsibility to help you get a job - this would not be easy without some knowledge of German. So my guess would also be that they pay for you to do a german course while receiving Social Security and trying to get you into a job. If you described yourself as currently being a student in ecuador, even with distance learning - you'll likely receive no funds from the government as you'd not be seen as being available as an employee to the companies.
The good thing is - you are German and thus not restricted to any max working hours/year as other international students are. You could study and do a students job at the same time (in Munich a student job pays approx. 10-13 Euros/hour, IT and Engineering Students often earn >15 Euros per hour - that's not easy but you'll likely earn more than with social security or an Ausbildung. You can live very cheap as a student in a students home - and have the support and exchange with other international students.
So the big thing is really only the german language course that would get you a job or the admission to university. Maybe you can start studying German online - use 'Deutsche Welle' offers, check your library for German courses or search for language tandems (Spanish-German). 
For everything else - write an email to the Dresden Job center - maybe they can help you on how to proceed once you've arrived in Germany. Also contact DAAD or people from ANABIN, hopefully they can direct you to the right resources concerning your university degree options and pre-requirements for entry. 

Best of luck
Ines


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