Another pension question - The Pension Problem - for everybody: - English Teachers in Germany - Message Board - Yuku

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Another pension question

Author	Comment
Les	Another pension question	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1 (Thu, May 1, 2008 15:38) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None The full horrors of the pension scam are just dawning on me, as I wait for a letter from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung after teaching Business English here for several years in ignorant bliss. Does anybody have information on what may happen if I simply pack up and run? I mean, how far will the authorities go after somebody who has left the country? Also, is there any point in appealing a decision, and is it possible to delay the process while arranging a dignified retreat? And what can they do if you simply don't have the money to pay? Any advice gratefully accepted!
john		#1	[-]
Posts: 1068 (Fri, May 2, 2008 16:14) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi Les If you pack your bags and flee the country, the DRV will still demand back payments from you if they know where you are. You can, of course, appeal against the decision and this usually holds everything up for several months while it goes to court. If you don't have the money to pay the contributions they want, you can argue that you are a Härtefall - in other words, you wouldn't have enough money to live on. If that is the case, the DRV might even decide to drop the back payment demand, but are more likely to ask you to pay the sum they want from you back in installments. Best to talk to an lawyer who is specialised in social insurance law about that option. If that is a possibility, they would be in a much better position to argue the toss with the DRV there than you would be if you tried to argue that on your own. The Härtefall option is definitely worth looking into. I'm afraid I'm not 100% sure what the definition of a Härtefall is, but if you are left with less money after paying your rent than someone on Hartz IV, I expect the DRV would have to drop the back payment demand. Anyway Les, good luck!
Les		#2	[-]
Posts: 2 (Fri, May 2, 2008 17:49) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi John, Thanks for the info, it's given me something to work on and I feel a bit more relaxed about things. Yes, Härtefall looks promising and could create a bit of breathing space to plan an alternative future. Another option may be to argue that much of my time spent with companies was actually used for translating their emails etc. rather than teaching them, although entangling the one from the other may be difficult. You are right, though, I need to see a specialist advisor. Having said that, I think my days here are numbered. If I add Rentenversicherung to Krankenkasse, there's actually not much left to live on.
john		#3	[-]
Posts: 1069 (Sun, May 4, 2008 19:29) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi Les The translating option is also worth looking into. Might be difficult to separate that work from teaching if you billed for teaching, but if you can show that 50% of your classroom time was actually spent translating emails, rather than teaching, the DRV will have to take that into account re. their backpayment demand. If your students are prepared to back that up, you should be able to reduce the backpayment demand considerably. Pension contributions and health insurance can easily account for 35% of a freelance teacher's 'expenses' here.
Les		#4	[-]
Posts: 3 (Wed, May 7, 2008 17:46) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi John, I reckon that this year, the combined totals of Rentenversicherung and Krankenkasse (if I paid them) would be more than 50% of my income, which makes working here a nonsense. That raises another complex question - do you know if it's now obligatory for self-employed language trainers to take out Krankenkasse? I've declined this because of the high cost of it here and the availability of free treatment in the UK, should I need it. I think that challenging the pension law here on the grounds of offering as much translation help as teaching is an option which will hopefully delay the whole business while I work out an alternative future. The more I hear about the dealings of the DRV, the more unfair it appears. I recently spoke to a UK citizen working here full-time who expects an army pension when he is 60 - he has now been told to supply details of it to the DRV so that they can incorporate it into the German system, and he may get some of it back when he is 67! I think the word is verrückt!
john		#5	[-]
Posts: 1070 (Thu, May 8, 2008 13:02) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi Les You are supposed to have health insurance cover - and the local authorities may refuse to issue you with the necessary permits if you don't have any. To be honest though, I would take out health insurance cover because if you do need treatment here... ouch! Not having any health insurance can be very expensive - especially if it involves an operation or a stay in hospital. German schemes are pretty expensive, so it is probably worth your while looking into an expat scheme. If you want to keep the costs down, you can opt for emergency cover and agree to pay a deductible or excess. The chap I would contact about expat health insurance is: Mike Woodiwiss Spectrum International Auf dem Kirchkamp 8 41844 Wegberg Germany Tel: 02432-80-365 Fax: 02432-80-266 Skype: spectrumint1 e-mail: spectrumint@aol.com internet: www.spectruminternational.eu Last Edited By: john Thu, May 8, 2008 21:34. Edited 5 times.

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