Monday, 13 October 2003

Waiting

Michi and I spent most of the morning waiting at the employment office to let the state know that we’re currently unemployed. We knew that we wouldn’t get any money from them. In order to get benefits you have to have had a real job for at least a year. The student jobs we have had until recently do not qualify as “real jobs”. But we had read something about them at least paying your health insurance for you. We found out however that they only pay your health insurance if you are eligible for benefits. In fact, most of their great services only apply to you if you are eligible.

So basically if you are a university graduate the only way to get money from this country is to apply for welfare. But I will only go there if I absolutely have to since I’m too scared that they’ll decide that someone on welfare doesn’t need video consoles or computers or games and take them away.

It was interesting to sit in the waiting room watching the other people in there. You could immediately tell the experienced people from the first-timers. The experienced all brought something to read or otherwise entertain themselves while waiting. One guy, who looked like a professional advantage-taker of the German social system, even brought a rad new iBook (if he can afford that why does he need more money from the state?).

It was an interesting experience but I hope I’ll find a job soon and will never have to go there again. Especially since everything I accomplished by going there was to add another person to the already bad unemployment statistics…

  Posted by Edda at 17:38 CET