# Can I live in Germany with a part-time job?



## Treaclegreen (8 mo ago)

I would like to move to Germany from the UK however, due to disability I am only able to have a part-time job. My dad has been living there since before Brexit so I would be able to live with him. Would it be possible to stay there with only a part-time job and would it be possible to claim any benefits from the UK or Germany?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

How old are you?

It is much too late to move to Germany as a British citizen under the WA. Your only option as a British citizen would be the regular options for third country nationals. If you are over 18, you cannot apply as a dependent of your father.

As a third country national (TCN) you need a work permit. Do you have any formal qualifications that are needed in Germany? How well do you speak German? 

As a TCN applying as an employee, you need to be able to support yourself in order to qualify for a work permit and can't expect German taxpayers to support you. I'm not sure whether or not you'd be eligible for any exportable welfare benefits from the UK.


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## Treaclegreen (8 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> How old are you?
> 
> It is much too late to move to Germany as a British citizen under the WA. Your only option as a British citizen would be the regular options for third country nationals. If you are over 18, you cannot apply as a dependent of your father.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your reply.

I am over 18, have a Master's degree and I am in the process of learning German and hope to get that to a good standard. I would be able to earn enough to support myself due to having somewhere to live and would contribute rent to that but I don't think this will legally count as supporting myself. I may be able to obtain benefits from the UK would this be accepted as supporting myself?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Treaclegreen said:


> I would be able to earn enough to support myself due to having somewhere to live and would contribute rent to that but I don't think this will legally count as supporting myself. I may be able to obtain benefits from the UK would this be accepted as supporting myself?


It really depends on multiple factors. Most importantly the position, how much you'd be earning, and your rental costs.

Not all sectors have part-time positions and some sectors have part-time positions with required overtime (mainly an issue in the healthcare sector).

What did you study?


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## Treaclegreen (8 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> It really depends on multiple factors. Most importantly the position, how much you'd be earning, and your rental costs.
> 
> Not all sectors have part-time positions and some sectors have part-time positions with required overtime (mainly an issue in the healthcare sector).
> 
> What did you study?


I see it seems like something I'd be able to investigate though and not an impossibility.

I studied chemical engineering and I am only just in my first job out of uni. My experience is in biotechnology and I'd be open to working in a lab or something like that or something I could do from home. I may be able to do more work if it was from home or does't not affect my disability but I'm flexible and happy to do anything that I can that is sustainable for me.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Treaclegreen said:


> I would like to move to Germany from the UK however, due to disability I am only able to have a part-time job. My dad has been living there since before Brexit so I would be able to live with him. Would it be possible to stay there with only a part-time job and would it be possible to claim any benefits from the UK or Germany?


How part-time is part-time?

For exmple, I officially work part-time but at 35 hours a week, it feels very much like full time (39.5 hours a week in my case).


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## Treaclegreen (8 mo ago)

ALKB said:


> How part-time is part-time?
> 
> For exmple, I officially work part-time but at 35 hours a week, it feels very much like full time (39.5 hours a week in my case).


I could do 24 hours, more probably with some home working. I know that will be dependent on the job but not sure how that works legally.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Treaclegreen said:


> I studied chemical engineering and I am only just in my first job out of uni. My experience is in biotechnology and I'd be open to working in a lab or something like that or something I could do from home. I may be able to do more work if it was from home or does't not affect my disability but I'm flexible and happy to do anything that I can that is sustainable for me.


With a skilled job in your field, you should be able to earn enough for a regular work permit as long as you'll be working at least 20 hours/week. I'm not sure whether you'd be able to obtain a work permit for less than 20 hours.

Aim for at least 2 years of post degree experience before planning to move. You might want to also start looking up companies that advertise as having a good work/life balance (they are usually more open to part-time employees).


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Patricia Lopez said:


> International students, on the other hand, frequently find themselves in need of extra income, which they can obtain through part-time jobs, which are plentiful in Germany. As of 1 January 2021, an international student will need approximately 861 EUR per month to cover their living expenses, which equates to approximately 10,332 EUR per year.


1. It is not always easy (or even possible) for international students to find part-time jobs in certain areas.

2. The figures you quoted only applied to foreigners who were applying for study permits, they do not have anything to do with the requirements for foreigners applying for work permits.

3. The figures are outdated. As of next semester (WS 2022/23) foreign students will be required to demonstrate that they have 931€/month (11,172€/year).


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

It occurred to me that the OP might manage this plan better by enrolling in university while doing the bare minimum to maintain student status, then take advantage of the allowance to work 20 hours per week.

I'll be walking my own child through this process very soon, and will report back. They plan to spend the rest of this year in Berlin doing research for their undergraduate thesis project (so enrolled in one course at their home university in Canada) and also taking a short summer course at one of the universities here. The hope is that they can obtain a student's residence permit with an allowance to work. I'm cautiously optimistic based on the correspondence I had with someone at LEA (the Amt formerly known as the Ausländerbehörde).


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Harry Moles said:


> It occurred to me that the OP might manage this plan better by enrolling in university while doing the bare minimum to maintain student status, then take advantage of the allowance to work 20 hours per week.


Is advising the OP to try to scam the system the best advice you have? 

A study permit for someone in the OP's position who already has a master's degree makes absolutely no sense. There are no special rules for a regular work permit for foreigners who drop out of a German university.


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

I'm not sure I'd categorize this plan as a scam - "doing the bare minimum to maintain that status" implies following the rules. I believe it's quite easy to keep student status; there's a long tradition of foreigners enrolling in German universities for this reason. (Many years ago my spouse came on a paid post-doc after finishing a PhD and as part of the program was enrolled in an undergraduate degree so that they had status with the university and a cheap transit pass, but they were never required to take classes.)


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