Anyone have kids participate in this program? I know we have to provide transportation and they provide a stipend for living expenses. D is concerned that the stipend might not be enough to cover her living expenses, maybe lodging but not food. The stipend is 650 euros a month and the program also provides insurance and rail pass.
Any estimate on what our out of pocket expenses will be for this program? What’s the best way to get her money while in Germany? I was thinking that she could just use our credit card, will that work? She’ll be in Bermen and used to living frugally.
How old is she, what will she be doing, what kind of accommodation is she expecting and will she be offered any help with finding it? Bremen is a fairly low COL area, and 650 EUR a month, if health care and local transport are covered, should be fine. (I understand that by transport must be provided you mean travel to and from Europe, but even a travel card for Bremen public transit for a student dare holder should be affordable). 670 EUR would be the full stipend granted to students according to federal legislation, even in high COL areas like Munich.
Thanks @Tigerle She’s 19, she’ll be working with a PHD candidate assisting with research (measuring sea ice by satellite I think?) I certainly could be mistaken 650 vs. 670 EUR it was a very quick conversation. By transportation I did mean to and from Germany. I really don’t know what kind of accommodation will be available. Do you know if there might university dorms available? I poked around Air bnb and found some rooms that looked responsible but when I poked further, they weren’t available for the summer.
I hope to find out more from her when she gets home for Spring Break this week. This really wasn’t on my radar and I just want to make sure she has realistic budget. It’s very helpful to know that Bermen is fairly low COL!
It is easy to access ATM’s just about anywhere in Europe. My DD did a lot of traveling abroad in high school as well as college. I set up a joint checking account with her at my main bank (Bank of America) – it was a separate account from mine, but the accounts were linked so that I could see her account balance and easily transfer money in or out. So when she was abroad (she spent a semester in Russia, among other travels) - I could make sure to keep the ATM account funded, but at the same time kept the balance low enough that we didn’t have to worry about possible theft or compromise of the account. So that took care of all cash & exchange needs.
We actually still have that account, even though my D. is in her late 20’s, married, and also has a separate checking account. D. has never wanted to close it. Obviously I no longer fund it, but it is still there as an easy way to transfer money.
As a college student DD also had a credit card that she used on her travels, so of course that can be used as well. But check your credit card’s policies on foreign transaction fees – some, but not all, cards will ding you an extra charge for all foreign transactions. It might also make sense to get a separate card for her travels, with a lower credit limit, in case the card is compromised in any way.
Is she a German speaker? When I was living in Germany I used WGGesucht to find a room, and it looks like they have a section for Bremen (http://www.wg-gesucht.de/wg-zimmer-in-Bremen.17.0.1.0.html). It might be a bit more difficult (but not impossible of course) to find a room if she doesn’t speak German.
Food is super super cheap in Germany as well (MUCH cheaper than the US), so I wouldn’t worry about that cost too much… Essentials (including groceries, toiletries, etc.) will probably come in under 100 a month if she’s frugal.
I did not mean to imply you had made a mistake about the amount of the stipend, just that 670 EUR a month is what the government has determined is sufficient for a student to live on, and they do, so your daughter will be fine. Travel for visits/sightseeing of course would expensive, but if she gets a free railcard transport would be covered, and she could try to find out whether other kids from her school happen to be in Germany/Europe that summer so they can kip on one another’s floors. Youth hostels are another alternative. http://www.jugendherberge.de/en
Due to the academic calendar being quite different (it’s not spring and fall but winter and summer semesters, so as a rule Oct -Feb and April to July) and German students living in dorms/ flats year round rather than just during the academic terms, university accomodation will be hard to find, but she may be able to sublet from someone who is away for the whole summer semester. The link pp has posted wg-gesucht (find a flat share) might help. Again, Bremen is very low COL.
Considering she will be doing oceanic research - will she be based at the Alfred Wegener Institute? If so, check out whether she shouldn’t actually find something in Bremerhaven (the port city) where the institute is based - the state is called Bremen, but it’s actually made up of two different cities, 45 minutes apart, so something you need to be aware of. Bremerhaven is very depressed for. German standards - not unsafe by US standards, but not like the touristy bits of Germany one may expect, having seen Munich or Heidelberg, for instance. The AWI has a stellar reputation though, so congrats!
Re money transfer issues: credit card use and cash withdrawals tend to be expensive, and she WILL need cash in Germany. Once you have sorted where she will be based, I’d google convenient bank branches in the vicinity, find a company that is based in both the US and Germany and lets you do free or cheap withdrawals in Germany and set up a checking account for her. I recall that Citibank used to work for that but it might not anymore.
Update - I think she has found a very reasonable accommodation, renting a furnished room from two other students attending the same university. Crossing fingers it all works out! She had a Skype interview with future roommates and it seemed to go well, just waiting on final say from the landlord.
Can’t believe she’ll be in Germany in less than three weeks!