Arbeiten in Deutschland: Lehrer - Learn German Fast Podcast

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of the podcast. I am actually not with my husband Tobias today. I have another guest, my colleague Daria. Hello. Thank you so much for being here and for being willing to share your experiences with us. You're very welcome. Thank you very much for the invitation. Daria, could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you do here, and what you might have done before? Yes, very gladly. So, I'm Daria, and I've been working for Learn German Fast for two years now. and for a year now also for Learn German Fast. I started out as an author and still am, but I'm now also a project manager. That means I work behind the scenes and create courses together with our team, with Natalia. But I am originally a German teacher, just like Natalia is. We had a cool idea to share experiences of people working in Germany with you. And Daria worked as a teacher and is now working as a project manager. And yes, perhaps some of you might also one day want to work as a teacher in Germany and can then benefit from our experiences. Yes, that would make us very happy. We will transcribe our entire conversation for you as a PDF file. Then you can also learn even more vocabulary, new words, and phrases. And of course, there is an exercise for the new vocabulary. You are also welcome to download the entire script. You can find the link below the video in the info box and in the current offer. And we start directly with the first question. What did you study? I studied Bachelor's degrees in Germanistics and History, and then attended the university in Mainz I completed my master's degree in German as a foreign language. Just like me. Exactly. We actually completed exactly the same course of study, just a few years apart. When did you receive your degree? I graduated in 2016. Exactly, and then three years later, in 2019. Then we just barely missed each other. Yes. Very cool. Also German as a foreign language. How can one imagine that? Also, if you study this, what can you do after obtaining this degree? Yes, one learns German as a foreign language in order to become a German teacher. to become a foreigner or to teach German abroad. And did you have the feeling that the female lecturers had already encouraged us to do so? To go abroad and teach there? Or wasn't it the case that they pushed themselves to do something specific? Yes, but already. That is indeed an interesting point. Because I chose this course of study, I wanted to go abroad. And I think some had that in mind too, but not nearly as many as I thought. Many also wanted to stay in Germany and teach in Germany. But our female instructors, who were all women, had already encouraged us to go abroad. There are indeed numerous partner universities and partner schools abroad. where we could do internships. Also, there was a database from which my classmate and I actually selected one. and then completed an internship in Colombia. Really? I didn't know that. How long? Three months, and that was a great time. That was really great. I have learned a great deal and have also seen much of the world. That was really special. Yeah, really cool. I was in Estonia at the time and also did an internship there, three months at the university. And that was really great time. And you also had the feeling that the female lecturers there had supported you as well. Yes, and I actually still had the feeling that they wanted us to leave. Also complete. I applied, and back then, yes, I still had my permanent residence in Ukraine. and then applied for the master's program. In any case, I had just finished my bachelor's degree in Ukraine. And Frau Willkopp then said, oh, that's great, so a lot of experience will gather here. how to teach modern German, no longer using this grammar-translation method. And then they can return to Ukraine and pass it on further there. And that was not my plan at all. That was Frau Dr. Willkopp's plan—to have all of us go back. Of course I didn't want to go back, and I didn't go back either. And then I also became self-employed. But what was interesting to me was something I hadn't realized at all beforehand, before I applied. that one cannot get a permanent job afterwards. That was such a surprise for me. And I believe it is truly relevant for all of you as well, when working as a teacher for foreigners in Germany, Then one really finds it very difficult to get a permanent job. Also, in 99 percent of cases, one is self-employed. How was it with you after university? I was also aware that as a teacher, that is, as a German as a foreign language teacher, one says, for example, German as a foreign language teacher, more independently employed. For me, that was initially the plan—I'm going abroad. I'll take a look then, see what's available—maybe a university or something like that. And then, as I've just said, I completed my master's degree in 2016. And I don't know whether the viewers will remember it But that was a time when a very large number of people came to Germany. Primarily from Syria, from Afghanistan. There were many people, including young people, in Germany who needed support. Linguistic support was needed. And that was such a special time, precisely because of that. And I worked as a research assistant at the university for my professor back then, Frau Greim. And she had many contacts and said, Daria, someone is looking for a German language teacher for foreign learners at a vocational school. Just imagine that for a moment. And then I did that. And so I was very lucky and managed to secure a position at a school right away. But were you also employed during the school holidays? Or didn't you have a job during the school holidays? Actually, I was lucky for the first time. Actually, I think I received a two-year or three-year contract. But it was the case that it was time-limited. And in Germany, as you know, the so-called regular teachers at schools are usually civil servants. and thus have an indefinite contract. Also very much security. And in my case, that was not the case, because I had not studied teaching, and therefore received a different contract. And that is also a very good point. Teachers may, in theory, also not be granted civil servant status, right? That's because there are such positions available. And there is only a specific number of positions available. You can then apply for these positions if you have studied to become a teacher. And if one obtains such a position, one can also be appointed as a civil servant. There are, however, also teachers who have studied to become teachers and, shall we say, are merely employed in the public sector. That was the reason you didn't go abroad? Yes, that's just how it happened, somehow. I had planned to go abroad. I had already considered going to France or to Spain. I once studied there for half a year as well. Yes, then, as mentioned, this opportunity arose to teach at the school. And at that moment, I thought, oh my, there are so many people who need support right now. And then I said, I'll just try this out. Because it was also such an important job and gave me, as one might say, a sense of purpose. Maybe sense or something like that? Exactly, that was a very meaningful task. And that's why I said I'd give it a try. Then I introduced myself; that was back at the vocational school in Bingen. And yes, they wanted me too, and that's where I started. Were there moments when you were truly frustrated and thought to yourself, what am I doing here? Yes, frustration somehow always comes with it too. But this rarely had anything to do with my female and male students, but rather more with the surrounding circumstances. One must be aware of that. When working at a school, one is somehow also working at an authority. And these are very often still very rigid processes, procedures, and requirements. And then, when you end up there as a young teacher, someone who hadn't even expected to land at the school in the first place, When one arrives there and has so many ideas and wants to do so many things, one quickly realizes that one runs up against limits. Also that one runs into the limits of the system. I always thought these integration classes were very flexible and that one has quite a lot of freedom there. Yes, so in terms of content, and above all, I'll say the methodology. And I could also tell myself which textbook I was using and how I approached it, methodologically and didactically. And in terms of content, I had very many freedoms. That's true. How long did you work at the school, and what happened afterward? Where did you go next? After completing my studies, I worked at the school for four years. However, I already worked for one year at the Realschule Plus during my studies. Even in such an international class. So five years at schools. And then I really wanted to go back to my hometown, Cologne. And so, with great reluctance, I decided to resign from my job and then looked for a new position in Cologne. In Cologne, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, it wasn't so easy to teach at a school if you hadn't studied education. That's why I've somewhat strayed from my path as a teacher and subsequently worked in job coaching and social work. But even so, continue targeting the audience, meaning above all people who were not born in Germany and for whom German is not their native language. Were you permanently employed then? Yes, and that's precisely why I made that decision. Of course, I could have taught German as a foreign language at institutes in Cologne as well. But I have been looking for a permanent job. Yes, then we are slowly getting to the most interesting topic. Specifically, the advantages and disadvantages of working as a DAF teacher, that is, DAF-DATS, German as a Foreign Language, German as a Second Language. We have already briefly touched on the fact that one is usually not hired as an employee. This means one is a self-employed freelancer. In your experience, have you ever worked fully freelance as a classical DAF teacher for a few years or even a few months? I have primarily worked full-time as a teacher, but I did so online, and I have taught for various institutions or private language schools. I once conducted a small-scale coaching session with small groups, where I taught German as well as vocational language courses. And these are German courses mostly at the B1 level, which then prepare participants for everyday professional life in Germany. As for the advantages, one can definitely say that working independently as a DAF/DATS teacher offers very great freedom. Being self-employed means, in a way, that you're your own boss. That means you can choose for whom you work and how many hours you work. Of course, if the job market allows, I can naturally choose whether I'd rather teach beginners or advanced levels. And in that sense, it offers many freedoms. But independence in this area is now not how one usually imagines it—completely self-reliant and independent. After all, one usually still works for a school. And that school still issues guidelines. That means you have this course, and the course takes place at specific times. Some people have their own materials that should be used, while others naturally do not. And that means, yes, you do have certain freedoms, but you're not as free as you would be, say, if you were a self-employed programmer taking on projects on your own. Financially, this job is well paid, or you're already smiling a little, because when you hear it like that, teachers sometimes earn up to 40 euros per hour or per lesson. It also sounds like a lot at first. Yes, especially when teaching integration courses or vocational language courses, it's important to note that in Germany, specific qualifications are required for this purpose. Also, I attended an online training course, for example, for the vocational language course. I learned a lot of very good things there. That was great. I needed that in order to be able to teach vocational language courses. If you have such a certificate, you can already earn a good hourly wage, which means around 40 euros. But one naturally has to think about that, as it is gross, not net. And because one is self-employed, a great deal flows out from there. You are fully responsible yourself for your health insurance and social insurance. One also pays the taxes entirely oneself at the end of the year. And yes, of course, this naturally comes at a cost, and one must always factor that in. Forty euros always sounds good, but quite a bit of it still gets deducted. I believe the biggest mistake that many teachers make at the beginning is the pension insurance. because normally as a self-employed person one is not required to pay into the pension insurance or, rather, can be exempted from it. but not as a self-employed teacher or educator. And many young teachers, who don't know this, then don't pay it. And yes, then at some point a large lump-sum payment arrives, and it can be up to 10,000— in my case, it was 10,000 euros. Oh, did that happen to you? Yes, unfortunately this happened to me, and then I had to pay an additional 10,000 euros. It was so terrible, that feeling of opening the letter. I didn't even know what she wanted from me. There was a tax audit at a language school, which is naturally related to pension insurance. Then the language school reported me to the pension insurance agency, stating that I was teaching for them. There, then the pension insurance said, okay, Mrs. Rittmeier, you haven't paid contributions for the last three or four years. That was truly terrible, but now, if I have the chance, I direct the attention of young teachers toward it. Because it's so important to clarify the situation from the very beginning. One doesn't forget health insurance; it's something one needs anyway. Well, that was my horror story with the pension insurance. Exactly, so I think that's actually the biggest drawback—that you might end up having to cover all the costs yourself. I was so lucky to land this permanent position right after graduation. I've already done that during my studies, and one must also say that, It's not just the financial aspect that's a bit burdensome there, There is also a great deal of bureaucratic effort involved. And when you have to file your tax return for the first time in your life and you have to do them if you are self-employed. And that is also a bit, shall we say, more demanding than working as an employee. And yes, it was a lot of work, it was a lot of money, and then I said, it was so pleasant to be employed. I'll first just find my position as an employee. Yes, luckily I found that too. But then came the time when I also gladly wanted to be a bit more flexible again, especially wanted to be more locally flexible as well. And that is, of course, not the case when one is permanently employed. Yes, so that's when you started with me. Exactly, so I then found Longevity Fast and am very happy. Yes, it was really interesting because we still have this WhatsApp group with many teachers from our program, from many different academic years. And I posted that job advertisement and meant that I was looking for support, and then Daga got in touch. That came at the perfect time back then. In fact, I just said at that moment that I'm looking for something where I can also work from home. And yes, then it came just in time. Perfect. I have another interesting question here. Looking back today, would you do something differently, or would you follow the same path as you did? Yes, I always find this such an interesting, yet also difficult question. Because in retrospect, one then knows quite a few pieces of information that one didn't have beforehand. But because I'm now so happy with where I am, I'd say I'd do it all over again in the same way. But for the people who are seeing this now and perhaps are wondering whether it's for me or not, There, I would also take another clear look at the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment. It's about what I want, where I'd like to be in five years, whether I need that sense of security, financial security, also that I somehow know, even in five years I'll still have a job, or that is important to me that I, I am perhaps still young, still unattached, I would like to travel a bit more I would also like to get to know people from all over the world, and against this backdrop, I would then make these decisions. I did that back then, but I also always let myself drift a little and just watched, A door might open somewhere, and then I would seize the opportunity. But what's important, I would say, in this question is: what do I need, what do I want, where do I want to go, and are these the conditions that will get me there? Yes, that's something I underestimated. I didn't know it would be so difficult then. to find a job where I can advance my career, because that's something I've always wanted to do. And then, after finishing my studies, I had a reality shock, because I realized: why isn't anyone hiring me? I then taught, and I really had wonderful classes, and I still keep in touch with many of my students. But after about three years, I realized I couldn't do that for the next 40 years. One must also keep in mind that one then practices a profession until retirement. In theory, one rarely switches industries completely. One stays within the same sector. Perhaps we could slightly change direction. But one remains in the industry, and in the industry where I was, freelance work was done. And that means first of all, no security. I don't have that now either, but also no career, no more money. Also clear, you always earn a bit more inflation compensation and so on, but it's not significantly more. That means I also weighed it a bit for myself and thought I needed something else. And in fact, I've been doing London German Fast all along. Well, that was always my side hobby, but at some point I reached a stage where I thought, I believe this has more potential. And then I can have my career. And then you have discovered independence in the original sense for yourself. Exactly. That's something completely different now. You're truly and genuinely your own boss and have your own business. This is entirely different from being self-employed as a German language teacher. And I believe that is also a very important point you've raised, namely as a teacher. And that, I would say, now almost applies to teachers in schools as well. Yes, there are few opportunities for development. Of course, you always have different students, and the curriculum also changes from time to time, getting updated. Of course, one doesn't really have the opportunities anymore to further develop oneself exceptionally well and find an entirely different role for oneself once again. And that's also important, that you're aware of it, okay, is this a job that I could actually envision myself doing until retirement? Yes, yes, I couldn't do that. Could you do it? No, I think I'm already very happy that I'm learning so many new things with Learn German and can continue to develop myself. It eventually gets boring. And then, at some point, you go through the same topic for the tenth time, or the hundredth time, reviewing the same grammar points, vocabulary exercises again. Of course, the students change, but the topics remain the same. And I also think the hardest part might be that the vacation won't be paid. That means whenever you're away, you spend the money on vacation and lose money because you're not working. And of course, sick days as well. So if you're ill, you need to prepare yourself properly. If, for some reason—well, I don't know—someone falls and can't teach, or is ill for a long time, one also has to consider how to manage the financial aspect then. I would say this job has many disadvantages. We have just explained them to you, along with some advantages. It's already important to clearly see everything before your eyes right now and decide: do I want this, or don't I? And I believe we are the best example of how, even if one chooses to do something, one can still do something else. Yes, absolutely. Also, I do think it was a great program. I thought that was great back then. It prepared one very well for the profession. And if one is a person who also enjoys developing oneself continuously and staying on top of things, Then it's still a job that allows you to do other things as well. Yes, I actually did consider, or I was still thinking at the time whether I should study marketing. And I was about 23 when I started with the master. And back then, almost ten years ago, I said to Tobias, my husband meant you could still study marketing. Now with a bachelor's degree. And that was a complete no-go for me. I mean, I'm 23. Already that old. Yes, I'm not starting with marketing now. And I didn't do that, I continued studying what I had studied during my bachelor's degree. And life sometimes plays tricks, because now I'm actually doing a lot of marketing. Exactly, so now I'm doing a lot of everything—marketing, sales, strategy. I am also very creative and can express myself well in front of the camera. Here, for example, I have a great community. Now I'm going to do a little bit of everything. But back then, that was already very interesting. At 23, life is over. Yes, I must already be an adult. The buzzword is always lifelong learning. And I believe that has completely changed over the past few decades. One must continue learning throughout one's life. And I think that might also be, so if I may offer a tip here, I would say, If you play around with that, you might have to learn something all over again, maybe even study something else. I would always be behind it and would try it out. In my opinion, time spent learning something is never wasted, especially in the end. Absolutely, that was also a nice saying. More wasted time. The knowledge you have acquired virtually increases your value on the labor market. Knowledge never hurts. Daria, thank you so much for being there. Yes, very gladly. I believe we've shared many insights. And hopefully, you've also learned a lot. New vocabulary, new expressions, and also a bit of our experience of what it's like to work as a teacher. I hope so too. Thank you. And then stay on it, stay diligent. Don't forget to like this video. Subscribe to Learn German Fast. And we'll see each other next week in a new video. Bye.