Parental leave in Germany is amazing. Here I will tell you more about it and everything you can do during that period.
First of all, as soon as you get pregnant and if you are feeling unwell about anything: work, stress, fatigue…go to your gynecologist and ask for a sick note. That way, if the pain persists, you can request one until birth. In any case, you will get 6 weeks off before birth.
That is if you are employed, and it is better to get pregnant after working 1 year in Germany and to still have a contract when the time comes.
If you are unemployed, you start getting the motherhood benefits 6 weeks after birth.The amount you earn is based on how much you earned the last year. There is a minimum amount of 300 euros and a maximum of 1800 euros.
Baby is there, and the 6 weeks are gone. Now have to decide who from the father or the mother will take the rest of the leave. The mother can either choose to take only for 12 months, or shared with the father and then you can get 14 months together. In that case, the amount you would earn in 14 months will be divided. In total, 14 months or 24, you will earn the same.
Here is an example of how you can share your parental leave:
Baby was born on January 1st:
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
| mama | mama | mama | mama | mama | mama | mama | Mama and papa | papa | papa | papa | papa |
| January | February |
| papa | / |
In this case, the mother took 8 months, and the father took 6 months, which makes a total of 14 months.
It is also possible to work during the parental leave, you can choose for example to work part time instead of full time and to extend your leave.
The calculation can get complicated. Don’t hesitate to ask for help in a family organization. In Dresden, you can ask for advice at Kaleb or Awo.
After that period you can get unpaid leave until your child turns 8 years old, for a total of 3 years. This won’t create you any trouble for work.
During your maternity leave there are plenty of activities you can do with your baby:
- Family breakfast
- Parents meet up
- Yoga with baby
- After birth sport (Rückbildung)
- Swimming classes
- Breastfeeding support group
- Motherhood support group
Talk to AOK about what you can benefits when being a new mum. They have a lot to offer, for which they can cover or refund.
When you get back to work, you are allowed to get some nursing break to pump. In Sachsen, most of the women take part time jobs so they can take care of their small children / home.
Day care mostly starts at 1 years old, it is called KITA. Some of them starts at 2 years old. There are mostly opened from 7 to 5. Some of them can open even earlier or later. If you are looking for earlier care, then look into Tagesmutti/Tagespapa. Talk to Malwina Pieschen (in Dresden) about it, they can provide you a list of Tagesmutti/papa. Those have less opening hours than KITA’s. Hours from 8 am to 3 pm are common.
Those hours are another reason to have one parent working part time.
Germany is great for parental leave. The country really gives you the time to decide for yourself. You don’t have the pressure to go back to work and stop breastfeeding; no pressure to stay at home alone, your man can also stay with you; no pressure about figuring out breastfeeding : you can go to support groups and Diakonnissenkrankenhaus Dresden is great to help you with in a more professional approach. No matter what you choose it has to be your decision.
More information about maternity leave here https://www.simplegermany.com
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