 | Nikita Haupt Aug 30 | Planning to become a mother soon? But you are not in Germany? Then come to Germany and avail the benefits I am going to tell you now. Just kidding. Naaah, a lil bit serious, I am, though.
Well, my personal favorite thing of becoming a mother is, becoming a mother. There are moments when I criticize myself terribly of not giving enough time to my children, but this is something I believe I will have forever. Apart of that, some of the many things I am grateful and happy about, while being a mom, in Germany are as follows: - Maternity Leave (Mutterschutz): German law provides for a mandatory period of maternity leave which is usually six weeks before the expected date of childbirth and eight weeks after.
> The day I got to know about this scheme, I couldn't have been more happier. Knowing that 6 weeks before the expected delivery date of my child and 8 weeks post-delivery of my child, I will be getting a full-off of my work (along with the money benefit, wait for a sec to know more about it). No office, no employer, no one can deny you this! - Maternity Allowance (Mutterschaftsgeld): During maternity leave, mothers receive a maternity allowance to help offset the loss of income.
> This is exactly where the money part comes. During Maternity (mutterschutz), I get full salary. It is something that not only help you relax at home while enjoying your time shortly before your child comes to this world but a sense of relief for the finances. A full time off with full salary paid? Wao. Damn, what can be more relieving than this? Especially for mothers who are tight on a budget? - Parental Leave (Elternzeit): Either parent can take parental leave, which is unpaid, for up to three years. This can be split between both parents and can be taken until the child turns eight.
> My husband and I took a crazy benefit from this scheme as I got both our children while doing ,y Ph.D., so I resumed my research work a couple of months after our children were born and my husband became a full-time stay-at-home father to take care of it. I was another thing that made me relaxed and helped me focus on my research, because I left my children with their father. Moreover, my husband enjoyed his time at home taking care of them and spending the best days of his life. - Parental Allowance (Elterngeld): Parents can claim parental allowance, which replaces a portion of the income lost due to staying at home to care for the child. This is available for the first 14 months of a child's life.
> This is another financial benefit you have in Germany. Parenting is tough and having a limited finance/budget can make it even tougher. I believe, the Germans know this and have come up with a scheme of paying a total of 65% of your salary while you are staying at home parent taking care of your child(ren). Again, it is for both the parents, ie. both parents get a collective time period of 14 months that can be distributed however they want between them. For example, mother stays at home for 8months and then the father takes the next 6 months. - Child Allowance (Kindergeld): A monthly payment is made for each child, usually until the child turns 18, to help parents with the costs of raising a child.
> Let me tell you, something is better than nothing. A lot of people believe this allowance is not too much and does not really help the family of the child(ren) enough. I believe that even having the opportunity of a child's allowance, no matter what price, is a big thing. Again, especially for parents (or families) who are on a tight budget and have to pay for diapers, baby food, milk, given you can have second hand clothes, but not the food, on their child. By the way, for each new child, you get paid a slightly higher allowance. So, if you get,let's say ~205€ for your first child, you will get a bit more, ~215€ for your second one. For exact details, you have to inform yourself!   
|
No comments:
Post a Comment