It was intended to assist with payments such as health insurance and pension contributions during the start-up phase of the new business.

Over the years the process of applying became more complicated, making it more difficult and less attractive.

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The office is not only responsible for child protection and assisting parents that are unable to cope with their children, but also to arrange courses and activities for children.

They are also a point of contact for clubs and societies, eg. to apply for financial support to fund training courses or building repairs.  The rules for this vary from state to state.

Volunteers those clubs and societies can prove that they have a certain number of hours of training can go to the Jugendamt to apply for a JugendleiterInnen-Card, which gives them free or discounted entry to places such as swimming pools and museums.

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In 2005 Angela Merkel was elected the first German Bundeskanzlerin – the word is constructed by taking the word for Chancellor, Bundeskanzler, and adding the -in to make a female form out of it.

Although Frau Merkel is addressed as “Frau Bundeskanzlerlin”, other forms of the word have not been changed.  For example, she works in the Bundeskanzleramt.

When talking about her as one of the many elected leaders of Germany, she is referred to as the 8th Bundeskanzler, ie. in the masculine form.

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Hartz IV is the name given to the financial support for the long-term unemployed.  The term derives from the name of the person who led the commission to reform, amongst other things, unemployment benefits.

The length of time that someone is unemployed before they stop receiving normal unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) and receive Hartz IV instead depends on a number of factors such as their age and the length of time that they have paid unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung).

The amount of support that someone receives depends on factors such as the size of the flat that is considered to be large enough for them, any savings they may have, how many people are dependent on their income, etc.

For example, the allowance for food is set at 4EUR per person per day, which led to the publication of a so-called “Hartz IV menu” earlier this year.

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If not, ask at the town hall where you are registering. Most people will not know their Gemeindeschlüssel and you are highly unlikely to need it at any other time!

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This is the test that cars have to go through every two years to make sure that they are roadworthy, once they are at least three years old. It is commonly called the “TÜV”.
At the same time, an emissions test (“ASU”) is carried out.

If the tests are successful, coloured discs are stick on the number plates of the car to show the date of the next tests.

Most areas of Germany have their own testing stations, and most car dealers and repair centres also offer this service.

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This is the office that you go to in order to register a car.

The exact procedure can vary from area to area, but in general you will need your ID card or passport and proof of address, the car documents which come in two parts and proof of insurance.

If you are registering the car in the same area as the old owner, then you will normally keep the same number plates, otherwise you will have to dismount them from the car and have new ones made with the new number.

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This is the office that you have to report to when you come to Germany in order to register your address and apply for your residence permit.

It is usually located in the town hall, or Rathaus, but may also be in a Bürgeramt.

You should take your passport with you. When you apply for your permit(s) you will need to take other paperwork with you, such as a rental contract for your flat or your employment contract.

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You may also like to listen to this edition of The Monday Podcast for more information on moving to Germany.