LIVING AND WORKING IN GERMANY

You will have the opportunity to submit a tax adjustment application to the tax office at your place of residence at the end of every calendar year, which may entitle you to a refund of part of the tax you have paid. [...] In this case you would be obliged to keep the access to the house clear in snowy weather or to sweep the staircase when it’s your turn to do so. [...] And should you need to leave your flat unoccupied for a longer period of time, you could either ask your neighbours to empty your mailbox from time to time during your absence, or make an application to the post office to keep your mail for you to collect upon your return. [...] You should also buy your tickets before the start of the journey, which you can do via the Internet (www.bahn.de), using an App, at the ticket machines in the train station or at the ticket offices. [...] After that there are three different types of school to choose between: the Hauptschule up to the 9th or 10th grade (which ends with Hauptschulabschluss or school leaving certificate), the Realschule up to the 10th grade (which ends with the Mittlere Reife, which is roughly comparable with the British GCSE) and the Gymnasium up to the 12th or 13th grade.