Education
Each Land is responsible for its own education system, so there are local specificities, particularly when it comes to curricula. But overall, the school curriculum is the same throughout the country: young children aged 3 to 6 attend Kindergarten, then Grundschule, or elementary school, until the age of 10. Then, depending on their academic level and career plans, they choose one of four secondary schools. The Hauptschule prepares students for a 5-year vocational apprenticeship, with no academic prerequisites. The Realschule offers 6 years of more in-depth vocational training. The Gymnasium is the equivalent of both the collège and the lycée in France, as this generalized course extends over 8 or 9 years and prepares students for theAbitur, the equivalent of the baccalauréat. Finally, the Gesamtschule, the rarest of the four establishments, offers a more universal and less specialized training, mixing the other three, so as to avoid too early an orientation. Students then move on to universities, CAP-type sandwich courses or vocational high schools. Vocational training courses are far more successful than in France. That's why proportionally fewer Germans have anAbitur or university degree than the French. In fact, Germany has more Fachhochschulen(specialized higher education establishments offering a technical education) than universities.
Kindergarten is optional, but most parents choose to send their children there. School attendance is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and home schooling is prohibited. Public schooling is free, and is the option chosen by the vast majority of Germans. The German school system has a number of other specific features, not least the fact that grades are awarded from 1 to 6, with 1 being the best grade. Another well-known feature is that, during primary and secondary school, classes are held only in the mornings. They generally end in the early afternoon, so that pupils have time to devote to extra-curricular activities such as sports, music or art... Schools often offer Arbeitsgemeinschaften, workshops or activities during this time, which are always optional. Indeed, the German education system is based on the concept of Bildung, i.e. training, in the sense of giving shape to something. The aim is not exclusively to provide students with knowledge, but above all to enable them to develop as individuals, while learning to socialize with their peers and teachers. This almost philosophical concept of self-development is central to education across the Rhine, and is certainly its most distinctive feature.
Jobs
The unemployment rate in Germany has varied greatly over the past 50 years. After rising to 11% in 2005, it has steadily declined, stabilizing at around 3% since 2017. In fact, the coronavirus pandemic had little impact on the unemployment rate, thanks in particular to the introduction of short-time working, which made it possible to avoid numerous redundancies, thanks to the money injected by the State. Unemployment, however, is unevenly distributed between East and West, with the latter, with its powerful industry and solid economy, having lower rates than the former GDR states. Unemployment is above all structural: certain sectors, particularly industrial or manual sectors requiring a high level of technical skills, have difficulty recruiting qualified personnel. In fact, in 2024, 80% of German companies said they were looking for skilled workers, and 40% of these said the shortage was affecting their operations. While high levels of immigration are currently helping to fill many positions, the alarming ageing of the population is threatening the job market, as the working population is set to decline sharply in the near future. The most dynamic market is the service sector, which employs three-quarters of the German workforce. Manufacturing accounts for 24% of jobs, and agriculture for just 1%.
However, despite a fairly low unemployment rate, inequalities are apparent within the country, with an explosion in the number of low-wage earners in the early 2000s. Among these, mini-jobs are a particular feature of the German labor market. This name, which has become part of everyday vocabulary, refers to short-term, part-time jobs. To be considered as such, a mini-job must not pay more than €538 gross per month in 2024, and must not exceed 70 days per year. Although they do not require any social security contributions, mini-jobs do not give access to social benefits either. As a result, they are often precarious: employees have no health insurance, unemployment benefits or pension... Yet around 7 million Germans hold such jobs, and a third of them hold several jobs at the same time.
These inequalities led to the introduction of a minimum wage for the first time in 2015. Until then, only certain professional sectors benefited from a minimum wage that had been negotiated by their unions. Initially set at €8.50 gross per hour, the SMIC has been set at €12.82 for 2025, partly as a result of inflation.
Finally, Germany has the oldest pension system in Europe. In 2012, the statutory retirement age was raised from 65 to 67, which should be effective in 2031. You will then need to have contributed for 45 years to obtain a full pension. The replacement rate, i.e. the ratio between the retirement pension received and the average wage, barely exceeds 50%. This means that, on average, Germans receive barely half of what they earned during their working lives, compared with three-quarters in France. This is one of the reasons why so many seniors are still working: one million German retirees are still working, and the number is rising all the time. In fact, 20% of people aged 65 to 69 are still employed.
Health
Health insurance first appeared in Germany in the 19th century. At the height of the industrial revolution, it was designed to protect workers. Since its reform in 1988, it has been based on a duality of public and private schemes. Almost 90% of Germans are affiliated to the public scheme. It is financed at source, and shared equally with the employer. Public health insurance provides services similar to those offered in France: care, medication, payment for sick leave, etc
The German healthcare system is therefore very similar to the French system, and faces many of the same difficulties, including a substantial deficit. In 1992, the Seehofer reform introduced competition between health insurance funds, which are now managed as private companies. Despite this, the deficit remained high, so much so that since 2004, patients have had to contribute to a lesser extent to the costs. In the event of hospitalization or rehabilitation treatment, they must cover €10 per day, up to a limit of 28 days per year. Similarly, they must pay 10% of the cost of prescription drugs, up to a maximum of €10. In the case of general medical consultations, the €10 limit applies not on a daily basis, but on a quarterly basis.
Housing
Germany is facing a major housing crisis based on a simple equation: there are far more applicants than available housing. By 2024, there will be an estimated shortfall of 480,000 homes to meet demand, a figure that could rise to 830,000 by 2027. However, this crisis is mainly affecting the western states, which are the most economically dynamic and therefore also the most densely populated.
The causes: rising interest rates, inflation in building materials, and labor shortages. As a result, real estate projects, despite strong demand, are simply no longer profitable for investors, and many construction companies are going out of business. The sector is also one of the most heavily taxed in the country, with taxes accounting for 37% of the total cost of a construction project, compared with only 19% in France and 7% in Austria. So, despite generous injections of money from the government, notably by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who made it a pillar of his election campaign, rents continue to climb, rising by 5.6% in 2022 and 4.8% in 2023, with regional disparities, such as in Berlin, which has seen an increase of almost 14% in 2023.
The Scholz government has also invested heavily in environmentally-friendly housing. Germans are keen on these eco-neighborhoods, which are designed to be energy-efficient, partially self-sufficient and built from sustainable materials. This type of project has been flourishing all over the country since the 1980s. The Vauban district in Freiburg im Breisgau (Baden-Württemberg) is one of the best-known examples, and has become a European model. Green houses equipped with photovoltaic panels, untreated wood facades, natural insulation... Today, the district is home to over 5,000 people.
Leisure
Whether traditional or more alternative, German parties are renowned the world over. Berlin has been the techno capital of the world since the 1990s. In 2024, Berlin's techno culture was even inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. The city is home to the famous Berghain, a veritable temple of electronic music, reputed to have the best sound system in the world. The club has become a myth in the nightlife world, deliberately maintaining mystery by rigorously selecting customers at the entrance, carried out by a physiognomist who has become a media celebrity, and by forbidding any photos or videos in its den.
But there's more to German parties than Berlin's sultry clubs, and the most famous of them all is Bavarian.Oktoberfest, or Oktoberfest, has been held every year between September and October since 1810. Born out of the celebration of the wedding of Ludwig I of Bavaria, it now attracts mainly folklore and beer lovers. Indeed, beer, the malty beverage, is the star of the festival, so much so that it can only be ordered in one-liter mugs! With over 6 million visitors a year, Munich'sOktoberfest is the world's biggest. Germany has many other major celebrations, such as the Cologne Carnival, considered by the city's inhabitants to be the most important festival after Christmas, the Rheinkirmes in Düsseldorf, one of Germany's biggest fairs, or simply St. Nicholas' Day, celebrated throughout the country on December 5.
Of course, there's much more to German leisure than celebrations, and sport also plays an important role in popular culture. According to a survey by the Techniker Krankenkasse health insurance company, just over half of all Germans take part in some form of regular physical activity. Soccer is by far their favorite sport. German soccer clubs have a total of over 7 million members. The country ranks particularly highly in international championships, with Bayern Munich winning the Champions League 6 times. Germany is also the country with the second most World Cup wins, with a total of 4. Other sports such as ice hockey, basketball, handball and motor racing are also particularly popular across the Rhine.
