Make IT in Germany
Shape the future of tech and build your ICT career in Germany. Learn more about the German IT sector, why the country is the right choice, and what steps to take to start your professional journey.
Ask Me Anything - Career and family in Germany
Hello, I am Marina. I am 42 years old and I come from Russia. I have been living in Germany for 20 years now and I have settled in really well. I have a family with two daughters, aged 16 and three.
Where do you currently work, and what do you do there?
The company I currently work for is called Just One Germany GmbH. I work in the IT department, where I am responsible for application support and project management.
How have you managed to balance work and family life over the past years?
It is sometimes a bit of a logistical puzzle that we have to solve as a family every single day, but we do manage it. We decided to use a childminder. That is actually a concept I only know from Germany: trained childminders look after small groups of five to six children every day. The whole thing is also overseen by the city, which means you have to apply to the city for a childminder place, and places are then allocated and approved accordingly. We did this with our youngest daughter, and we were very happy with it.
What do you think of medical care in Germany during pregnancy and childbirth?
I went through both my pregnancies here, and I gave birth here too. The first time, I obviously had less experience. For example, I did not know that you are entitled to a midwife, but that you have to get in touch with one in good time. I did not do that, and only found out shortly before the birth, so I then had to look for a midwife at short notice. Even so, it all worked out really well. Back then, I also stayed in hospital for five days, simply because I was not feeling entirely confident. That went smoothly too. The second time round, I naturally felt more confident, and I was back home just a few hours after the birth, but I still received excellent medical care afterwards. And throughout both pregnancies, I always felt really well looked after.
How long did you take off work?
After my second child, I took the statutory eight weeks of maternity protection period. After that, there is an arrangement called parental leave, and I stayed at home with my child for a further ten months before returning to work.
How do parental leave and parental allowance work in Germany?
When my youngest daughter was ten months old, I started working again, part time, while still on parental leave. On top of that, there is what is known as parental allowance, which gives a young family with a small child a certain level of financial security. This means that once I had applied for parental allowance with the city, I normally received around 65 per cent of my usual salary each month from the city, for a period of twelve months. That gave me the confidence that I could support myself and my family. You can also spread this parental allowance out over a longer period, which is called Elterngeld Plus. And you can share it with your partner or with the child's father, splitting it fifty-fifty. We did it so that I received ten months of parental allowance and he received two months, and in return, he stayed at home full time with our child for those two months. That is how he made it possible for me to return to work completely.
How happy are you with childcare provision (Kita) in Germany?
I am very happy with it. There are different approaches, of course, and you can also choose a private nursery. However, we deliberately chose a council-run nursery, the same one our older daughter used to attend. What really matters is simply how lovingly the children are looked after. And when a child happily goes there every morning and comes home full of new impressions, that really speaks for itself.
Would you like to stay in Germany permanently with your family?
My answer is yes, because for me, Germany is also a country where my children are growing up, where their future lies, and I would really like to help shape that future. So, a clear yes.
Meet Marina, a Russian IT project manager balancing work and life in Germany
Russian IT project manager Marina has been in Germany for more than 20 years and is now an expert on managing her professional life while maintaining a healthy balance with her family. Learn more about life in Germany beyond the job, health and child care, and long-term residence.
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