This Is How Expensive School Life Is In Germany

Actually, every child in Germany has the right to education, regardless of parental wealth and cultural environment. In practice, however, education is expensive and there is still a direct correlation between parental finances and the degree attained. The high costs are distributed among various factors. According to a recent study, twelve years of schooling cost an average of 20,695.83 euros in Germany.

The Biggest Cost Factors

Many of the expenses for school don’t seem like much to parents at first, but in total, small things add up to big costs – this is now also confirmed by a current study of the price comparison idealo. Working materials are to be had partially for lower one euro, but during the entire school time result from it bills of nearly 800 euro. In addition, there are cost factors that immediately present many households with financial problems. The most expensive of these is after-school care. This is intended to strengthen children in their academic and social development. In fact, many couples simply cannot afford to do without an earner in the family to take care of the children. However, afternoon care and related services are not exactly inexpensive. This is mainly due to the cost of staff and meals for the children. After-school costs are also the reason why the first six years of school are the most expensive. The second high-cost factor is public transportation. Children have to get to school. In many federal states, parents pay a fixed amount for this, regardless of whether their children actually use this service. Even though these tickets are often a little cheaper than comparable fares, they add up to almost 4,000 euros over the course of the school years.

Differences From State To State

In the Federal Republic of Germany, education is a matter for the states, resulting in major differences in the organization and financing of schools. In reality, the total costs for twelve school years vary between almost 15,000 euros and just over 27,000 euros. So in the most expensive state, Lower Saxony, school life is almost twice as expensive as in the least expensive, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There are several reasons for this: For example, in some federal states there is freedom of teaching materials, including those where school is cheapest. This means that all textbooks are provided here. In Saarland, on the other hand, families have to budget over 1,500 euros for books. After-school care costs also differ particularly widely, in part because the arrangements for care also vary greatly. The financing of school lunches, for example, is covered to a greater or lesser extent depending on the federal state. Local public transportation fares are also a factor, costing six times as much in some states as in the least expensive, Brandenburg. In general, these costs are not only dependent on the federal state, but can also vary greatly within it, because public transportation is regulated and financed differently in each city.

Saving Without Jeopardizing Education

Many parents are reluctant to cut back on their children’s education for fear that it will ruin opportunities for them. But that doesn’t have to be the case, and with many cost-cutting measures, children’s school life is not affected in any way. This starts with work materials. It pays to compare prices and, if necessary, buy a little more when there are offers. At the beginning of a new school year, prices are usually high, even though they are often declared as bargains. In the federal states without a teaching materials exemption, savings can also be made on textbooks. In many educational institutions, it is possible to borrow them for a small amount. In addition, there are exchanges where used textbooks can be bought and sold.