PhD Handbook

30 companies sometimes offer special arrangements for cheap calls to a certain country. Note: Germans say their name (full name or surname) when answering the phone! Television and “Gebühreneinzugszentrale” (GEZ) In Germany, the state charges a compulsory flat rate for liste- ning to the radio and watching TV. Every household that has receiving devices like TV sets, radios, computers or phones with internet access has to register. Each home, no matter how many people live there, has to pay 17.98/month (as per June 2014). Visit GEZ online for more information (http:// www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/). Mail (“Post”) Be aware: receiving goods from abroad costs you taxes when the value is ~€45. The post is allowed to open the parcels to check the value and the parcel can easily end up in some departments for some weeks before you finally receive it. 5.13 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Here you find a list of official holidays in Germany: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Germany The table below shows all of the official public holidays for all states. You will see that some are valid for the whole country while others only concern certain federal states. Public holidays for all states Holiday Date New Year’s Day (“Neujahrstag”) 1st January Good Friday (“Karfreitag”) Variable (March/April) Easter Monday (“Ostermontag”) Variable (March/April) Labour Day (“Tag der Arbeit”) 1st May Ascension Day (“Christi Himmelfahrt”) Variable (Thursday in May) Pentecost (“Pfingstmontag”) Variable (May) Day of German Reunification (“Tag der Deutschen Einheit”) 3rd October Christmas Day (“Weihnachtstag”) 25th December Boxing Day (“Zweiter Weihnachtstfeiertag”) 26th December 5.14 ELECTRICAL CONNECTION First, the standard household electrical outlet in Germany is 220-240 volts, (i.e. twice the standard household voltage in North America). A normal 110/120 V electrical appliance designed for use in the US, Canada or Mexico will probably be HELMHOLTZ JUNIORS l 5 FURTHER INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL PHD STUDENTS - SETTLING INTO YOUR LIFE IN GERMANY

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