Getting off to a good start in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region
A new start is exciting – even more so in a foreign country. Anyone moving to Germany will be amazed by more than just motorways without speed limits or our love of bread.
The European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg will also have some surprises in store for you, in everyday life, work, and leisure. Look forward to what we have to offer – we look forward to meeting you! And we want you to feel at home with us right from the start, so the following pages provide some important information and addresses for a successful start in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region.
What happens with your qualifications?
For your job search, it can be an advantage to have your university degree or professional qualification officially recognised in Germany since an exact description of your qualifications in the form of an official document makes it far easier for your potential employer to assess your skills. For most professions, the recognition of qualifications gained abroad is voluntary. However, for 60 professions it is compulsory.
The regulated professions are occupations requiring the verification and certification of certain professional capabilities. For example, if you want to work as a doctor, engineer, health worker or master of a trade, you must get your professional qualification officially recognised.
Language courses
If you and your family learn German, you will enjoy life in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region much more from the outset since there is so much to discover here. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, just go ahead and talk. We don't all speak "standard" German, but we understand it.
The so-called integration courses are specifically aimed at people who have moved here from another country. Since they are intensive courses, they give you and your family the chance to gain a good grasp of the language fast. The integration courses also cover other general information and useful details about everyday life in Germany, as well as German culture, history and politics. The courses usually consist of six hundred hours spent learning the language and a sixty-hour orientation course. Both finish with a free exam. After passing these exams, EU Blue Card holders can then get a permanent residence permit after only twenty-two months.
Your contribution to a modern society
Each month, your employer transfers between 14% and 45% percent of your salary – depending on the amount you earn – to the local tax office on your behalf, meaning that initially, you do not have to worry about your income tax payments and annual tax return.
Your monthly payslip will tell you exactly how much of your salary has been deducted to pay your social security insurance contributions and income tax payments. Once a year, all employees must file an income tax return with the "Finanzamt", their local tax office. If you need a helping hand with that, you're in the right place in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region, which is a magnet for tax experts and business consultants.
Everything is provided for here
An extensive safety net ensures that you can feel completely secure. Once you are employed by a company, you become part of the German social security and healthcare insurance system.
You can choose among dozens of statutory and private health insurance providers. Tell your employer which insurance company you have decided on as the health insurance fees are split between you and your employer. Your employer will also deduct part of your salary to pay your long-term care and unemployment insurance and your contributions to the statutory state pension scheme.
Then you are always on the safe side in every situation in life.
