Living in Germany

The place to study is secured - now all that's missing is the right accommodation?!

Here you will find important information on finding accommodation:

https://www.hochschule-bochum.de/studium-lehre/im-studium/leben-wohnen-finanzieren/wohnen/

This website is only available in German. 

International students must register their place of residence at the citizens‘ office just like German citizens.

If you have found an apartment, a room in a dormitory or in a shared apartment in Germany, you must register at the Residents' Registration Office within two weeks. This also applies to any move.

You should always have a copy of the registration confirmation with you. It serves as proof of address and you need it, for example, when you open a bank account, but also for library cards.

For the registration you need a passport or an identity card and a confirmation of residence (you will receive this from your landlord). It is best to take the rental agreement with you to the Residents' Registration Office, as you will also need to provide information about the landlord.

Appointments for registration can be made online https://www.bochum.de/Online-Terminbuchung

A valid health insurance is obligatory for a stay in Germany.

As a student in Germany, you have the option of either having the health insurance of your country of origin approved in Germany or insuring yourself with a German health insurance company. There are two types of health insurance: statutory and private.

It is up to you to decide whether you want to take private or statutory health insurance. This depends on various factors, such as age or residence permit. It is also up to you which health insurance company you insure yourself with! Find out which conditions apply to statutory or private health insurance.

Whether your insurance from your home country is sufficient, what the differences are between private and public health insurance as well as an overview of the health insurance companies in Bochum is explained in more detail in the Moodle course "Welcome@HSBO".

Earning money while studying is part of everyday life for many students in Germany.

For international students in particular, a part-time job is important for earning a living. However, students who are not from EU or EEA countries can only work in Germany to a limited extent. Europeans - they are practically equal to German students, have free access to the labor market.

But: Those who work too much and outside their field of study prolong their studies. They should increasingly use the lecture-free time to work.

Finding work

In Germany, various agencies arrange part-time jobs for students. The regional offices of the Employment Agency usually have a job placement service for students. At large university locations, there are job agencies run by the Studentenwerk or by the students themselves.

Jobs are also often posted on "bulletin boards" at the university. There are also usually job boards on the websites of the universities and the student unions. BO has its own job board CATAPULT, where you can search for suitable jobs in the region. In addition, all regional or local newspapers also have advertising markets where vacancies are advertised.

The regional job board of the employment agency: https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/jobsuche/ 

On the website of the university: CATAPULT

Every person who is registered in an apartment in Germany receives mail every three months from the state broadcasting authority (Landesrundfunkanstalt). In this letter, you are asked to pay 17.50 Euros per month, regardless of whether or not you own and use a television or radio. Only those who receive BaFöG can be exempted.

Further information at www.rundfunkbeitrag.de

Open a bank account as soon as possible after your arrival. This will make it easier to arrange monthly payments such as rent and insurance.

There are usually account maintenance fees for a bank account. However, most banks and savings banks offer free checking accounts for students - inquire about a student account, e.g.: Sparkasse Bochum.

More information at https://www.study-in-germany.de/de/deutschland/ankunft/bankkonto/

For stays of up to six months, foreign driver's licenses remain valid in Germany. However, a German translation of the national driver's license or an international driver's license may be required.

After six months, non-European driver's licenses usually lose their validity and the German driver's license must be reissued.

The consumer advice center (Verbraucherzentrale) is an association that provides information and advice. The topics of the consultations include contracts (e.g. rental and purchase contracts), energy-saving tips, insurance, telephone/internet/mobile phone and information on healthy nutrition. Tips for first-year students can be found HERE.

An overview of the NRW Consumer Center as well as sample letters on the topic of contracts and insurance are stored in the moodle course "Welcome@HSBO".