The Gift of Yoga

Yoga is a beautiful gift for Christmas and for life

photo by Fern

Christmas time is here and you already know the drill. It s supposed to be fun, it s supposed to be a moment to rest, for reminiscing, of gratitude and happy times together with loved ones. You re supposed to be generous and show your love with gifts. Some people even manage to make it so. But for most, this period of gift shopping in Berlin ends up being such a stressful marathon of accumulating more stuff than needed, of frantically getting everything ready for Christmas day… and at the end of it all …one ends up needing a vacation from the vacation!

For those of you following this tradition: December is stressful. Yoga classes will help you get through this month, and who knows?… maybe even enjoy it. Our yoga school in Berlin Kreuzberg will only close between the 23rd to the 28th of December. Make sure to give yourself the gift of yoga during this cold dark month. Gentle movement, gentle breathing, deep relaxation are the yoga benefits that will make all the difference.

And if you are in need of a present, you can always purchase a 5er card online or at the English Yoga Berlin studio for your loved ones this Christmas. You wouldn’t be giving them yet another material present to cramp up their home… but five yoga classes full of tools for a healthier life, for staying in the present moment, for meditation, and for deep relaxation!

LEARNING IN ENGLISH IN BERLIN

..A view of Kreuzberg

Perhaps you’re a native German Speaker wanting to improve your English, or maybe you’re a foreigner whose German is not yet up-to-scratch; either way Berlin offers many options to learn something new or simply to explore an interest with English-speaking classes.

First there are all those CraigsList postings for guitar, singing and art lessons. AngloInfo Berlin also presents a good source for all sorts of courses for technical, artistic and higher education. And ToyTownthat most important resource for English-Speakers in Germany, gives you the possibility to post asking about specific courses you cannot seem to find in English.

Here’s but a small selection of some of the most interesting places in the Hauptstadt where courses are being taught in English:

DRAMA

If you prefer being on the stage rather than in front of it, check out Inka-Charlotte Palm’s drama courses in English. A trained drama educator, actress and singer, Inka-Charlotte has been running these courses since 2009, which have given rise to the International People’s Theatre Berlin Project, a weekly theatre training that culminates in a performance. She is also a director and drama educator at the English Theatre Berlin.

GLASS BLOWING

Berlin Glass is a dynamic and friendly studio offering English classes in glassblowing, painting on glass, and soon, glass fusing and casting. Classes are suitable for beginners and more experienced blowers. They also offer studio space rental for artists and hot glass professionals. The studio team is composed of graduate-level international artists who are excited to share their knowledge and skills. artconnectberlin has a wonderful post about this initiative with excellent photos.

SEWING

Each month Linkle Nähinstitut offers a varied program of courses and workshops, many in English and even some in Spanish. There are courses for complete beginners and for very experience sewers. Here you can learn how to sew almost anything. They also offer intensive customized courses and access to their studio space for those who want to work on their own. Read some independent comments about classes at the Nähinstitut in Maria Joao’s blog.

FILMMAKING

Met Film School is one of Britain’s main provider of practical filmmaking courses. Given their success in London, and the preeminence of Berlin at the heart of independent filmaking, they have opened a Berlin campus at the BUFA Studio in Kreuzkoelln. Classes are primarily in English, but since last August they have been offering some short courses in German. Like in their London campus, the Met in Berlin prides itself in offering “an intensive practical filmmaking experience taught by industry professionals in an active film studio”. Expat Blog has an interesting discussion comparing the Met Film School with its rival London Film School.

SWING DANCING

Swing Patrol Berlin offers English courses and workshops in Lindy Hop. They also organize social dances and events all around Berlin. Check their schedule for more details.

FOR THE SMALL ONES

Berlin Kids is a International english-speaking playgroup in Schöneberg. They organise a regular playgroup for kids up to 5 years of age. They also host classes and workshops for children and their parents at Farida’s comfortable and child-friendly cafe/activity centre, Kids Corner Berlin.

The Center is Berlin’s English performing arts school. Since opening its doors in 2005, it has steadily grown to offer a truly diverse range of activities for people of all ages, imparted by professionals in the fields of dance, drama, music and other performing arts. Their concept is to keep it small, cozy and intimate, bringing a personal touch to all their classes. See their web site or checkout some photos and a little more information at Working Berlin Mum.

Top 10 Tips for Freelancers in Berlin (Part Two)

Last week we presented you with the first part of this blog.  Here is the eagerly-awaited conclusion with the rest of the top tips for low-income freelancers in Berlin.

3) If you are a broke-ass freelancer and you’re registered with a German Health Insurance (a gesetzliche Krankenkasse) company, you may be eligible for a reduced rate.  As a freelancer, they’ll usually assume that you make lots of money, so they’ll give you some heart-attack-inducing monthly rate (usually around 300euro). Don’t cave and pay it! Rather, tell them that you’re broke and they’ll send you a form about your income (Einkommensermittelung), from which they will calculate a monthly rate (a legally-defined percentage of your income). They have to charge you a minimum of (for 2014) 158e per month; it starts to rise when your take-home income goes above 927euro per month. Sometimes health insurance companies only offer these reductions for freelancing that is part-time (which they define as less than 19,5 hours per week, on average, and is considered nebenberuflich).

4) You’re not obliged to pay into the German pension scheme, unless you’re a teacher, midwife, crafts person, journalist, care worker or artist. The pension scheme is 19% of your monthly income, before tax. There was a proposed law last year to force all freelancers to pay in; it got struck down.  If you have the money to pay in, it’s a great idea; it also is very important if you are trying to qualify for residency or citizenship here. You can see a more detailed list of which people are obliged to here.

5) You have to have more than one client. A lot of German businesses tell their employees to become freelance, so that they can employ them without paying benefits for them. It is a really dirty tactic and very widely practiced. Unfortunately, it is the freelancing employee who is penalized for this so-called Scheinselbständigkeit (apparent freelancing). If, during a calendar year, you make more than 83% from one client, you are considered to be scheinselbständig–and therefore are required to pay into the public pension scheme, which is gonna cost you a whack of cash. (They can make it retroactive for up to four years, too!)

6) If you’re here on a visa, make sure your paperwork shows you doing work that your visa allows. Not all freelance jobs are created equal–if your visa is for freelance teaching, you can’t just toss carpentry into the mix (well, not with a receipt, anyhow). Here is a blog on the issue , and another one.

7) You don’t pay tax on the first 8,130e you make (if you’re unmarried). If you’re married, your income is taken together and your partnership gets a tax-free amount of 16,260e. As a single person, it works out to about 670e per month of profit, before you have to start paying income tax. Your insurance is tax-deductible, and so are your pension payments. You can learn more here.

8) As a freelancer, it makes sense to learn about what you can claim as business expenses. For example, if you have office space at home, you can claim a part of your rent as a business expense–but make sure you get your landlord’s permission first, because it could be grounds for eviction otherwise!  You can also make deductions for travel costs, further education, meals with clients–hell, even your bike. Learn about the tax regulations –it pays off!

9) Accountants are really expensive. The cheaper alternative is to join a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein–an association for helping people with their taxes. They’re non-profit associations, and the membership fee is usually pretty low.

10) When everything seems too much and you feel at the end of your rope, take a break, come to one of our classes for a yoga session where you can regroup, relax and take stock before going back into the thick of it.

Top 10 Tips for Freelancers in Berlin (Part One)

What do English teachers, massage therapists, graphic designers, yoga instructors, translators and in-home care workers have in common? In Germany, these professions (and dozens more) are increasingly done by selbständig (freelance) workers. This is a relatively new phenomenon, and there are a lot of complicated aspects of doing freelance work.

We teach English and Spanish yoga classes in Kreuzberg, and many of our students are expats in Berlin; many of them are freelancers, and everyone in our collective has extensive experience freelancing; so, we put two and two together and decided to develop this blog as a free resource, in English, to help people navigate the (often confusing) terrain of Selbständigkeit in Deutschland!  Many freelancers in Berlin are precarious workers, so this blog is dedicated to their needs.

Recent studies have shown that there are over 1.1 million freelance workers in Germany who make less than the state’s proposed minimum wage (i.e., less than 8.50e per hour). This situation dates back to Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010 economic reform.  Since Agenda 2010, economic inequality has risen in Germany and working conditions have plummeted. It’s a criminal situation–but it’s totally legal! So we would like to share with you about what we have learned, to help make it a bit easier…

Disclaimer: we’re yoga teachers, not accountants or lawyers; if you need more detailed information, please visit free legal counseling services or join a union like the FAU or Ver.di and get their help!

Tips for low-earning freelancers…

1) If you’re an EU citizen, you’re entitled to income support from the Jobcentre. The Jobcentres have recently been sending letters to non-German Europeans and telling them that they have no right to Hartz IV benefits (which comprise of money, health insurance and your rent every month). This is illegal–as both the European Court in Brussels and the German Bundessozialgericht have recently confirmed. Hartz IV is a lot of bureaucracy, work and stress, but, if you’re up against the wall, it can help you a lot. We recommend a visit to the following independent and free sources of information:

2) Whether you’re an EU citizen or not, if you are legally living in Berlin, you’re entitled to the Housing Benefit (Wohngeld). As a freelancer, it’s tricky because you need to give them a prognosis of your earnings in order for them to calculate your need. You also need to be officially registered where you live, and have a rent contract. The following counseling services can help you with the forms:

 

These links and resources should get you started.  Don’t miss the second part of this informative blog, coming out next week with the rest of these great tips.