BAföG

September 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment

BAföG stands for Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz.  The main aim of BAföG is to allow everyone in Germany the opportunity to study without having to work at the same time in order to survive financially.

It is as such a form of student loan and receiving it depends on the income available in the family (eg. parents or spouse).

Students are usually expected to repay 50% of the loan – which is currently interest free.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Filed Under: Abbreviations, German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: , ,

GDS

September 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

GDS stands for Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom, set at C2+ on the European Scale of language learning.

Students taking the GDS exam should be over 18 and have 1000-1500 hours of tuition behind them.  They will typically have a knowledge of specific vocabulary for particular topics, eg. technical or medical.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Filed Under: German Words Explained, Learning German, Podcasts Tagged With: , ,

AOK

September 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The AOK is a group of health insurance insurance agencies which together form one of the largest health insurers in Germany.  AOK stands for Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse.

Each Bundesland has its own AOK, and for visitors to Germany this is the first port of call if they need to visit a doctor in order to get their EU health insurance card (previously E111) validated.

There are other health insurance agencies, such a the TKK (Techniker Krankenkasse), many of which are targeted at specific career groups.

Next year the Gesundsheitsfond takes hold, meaning that everyone should pay the same for their health insurance, and the choice of agency will be made based on the cover offered and not solely on the cost.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Filed Under: Abbreviations, German Words Explained, Insurance, Podcasts Tagged With: , , , ,

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