Research Stay

Working in Germany

Do you need a visa?

Germany is considered part of the Schengen area, which includes most of mainland Europe. Canadian citizens can stay in and travel between Schengen territories for up to 90 days without a visa. The 90-day count is cumulative and includes all visits within a 180-day period. Longer stays require a visa.

Canadian citizens between 18-35 with a valid passport may apply for a Youth Mobility Visa. For Canadian trainees who are not travelling with a dependent, this is probably the best option. The application and forms are here: http://www.canada.diplo.de/yma. It is quite the application so give yourself plenty of time to get everything assembled and submitted.

While the visa approval process takes only a few weeks, the consulate books application appointments several months in advance. As soon as you have your travel dates, look into booking an appointment! You can mail your application in as well, although if there are any errors it will be sent back to you. There is a visa application fee of ~90$. This can be reimbursed so keep the receipt.

Health insurance

Visas require you have valid health insurance for the duration of your stay. Even for short trips, it's worth getting some kind of travel insurance. Check with your student association/student union to see if they offer packages. Monthly health insurance can also be purchased online from Mawista (link). Make sure to keep receipts as insurance is considered part of your travel expenses, and is covered by IRTG.

Getting there

The most direct route to Giessen and Marburg is by taking a flight to Frankfurt International Airport. At the airport you can buy a train ticket directly to your destination city at one of the DB (DeustcheBahn) kiosks, which is valid for the whole trip. You will need to take a local train (S8 or S9) to Frankfurt Main HBF (Frankfurt Central Station), then go upstairs and switch to a regional train towards Kassel. Giessen is a few stops before Marburg. Depending on the transfer, the entire trip is around an hour or so.

Getting around

Once in either city, it is fairly easy to get around by foot or bicycle. You can also take the regional trains around to neighbouring cities or between Giessen and Marburg.

The train fares are set up so that a group of up to 5 people can share a ticket and get a discounted rate. This is great for taking trips with colleagues and friends on the weekend! You may also be approached by people at train stations offering/asking to share a ticket with you to a specific destination. This is legal and often works fine, but be aware some of these individuals may collect your share of the money and disappear. If you feel comfortable to try ticket sharing, make sure to stay with the ticket holder (or better yet, ask to hold the ticket). The train officers check for tickets pretty regularly.

There are lots of great cities around Giessen/Marburg that are worth visiting as day trips. Recommended places include Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, Bad Homberg and Kassel. Talk to your local colleagues for more ideas!

Accommodations

The University of Giessen has a guesthouse a short walk from campus. Rooms are fully furnished and have kitchens and bathrooms. Linens and towels are provided. There are two buildings and each has a dining room on the main floor. You will need to coordinate with your overseas PI to book a room in the guesthouse (the sooner the better, they fill up fast). You can also find accommodation in the city itself.

In Marburg, PhD-level trainees will need to find their own accommodation. There is a guesthouse but it is reserved for post-doctoral fellows only. If you're a postdoc looking to stay in Marburg, ask your PI about the guesthouse.

The IRTG program will pay for your round-trip flight and accommodations in Germany (up to a certain amount). Talk with your PI or Sukhjit for more details.

Student Services

Both Marburg and Giessen have a "Mensa" or cafeteria with warm meals on campus. You pay for food using a cash card, which you can reload at the Mensa. Food for students is subsidized by the government and can sometimes be cheaper than getting groceries (sorry postdocs, you have to pay a higher price). Ask a German colleague to help you get a Mensa card, as the cafeteria staff may not speak English. Make sure you have a valid student ID with you. There may be a card deposit fee.

Visiting PhD students have the option of enrolling as students at the university. The cost is roughly ~280 euro/semester and gets you free transit on the regional trains and access to campus services like the library (you do not need to be enrolled to use the Mensa). It's up to you if you decide this is worth it. You do not need to enrol as a student to work at the university.

Learning German

At least one university (Giessen) has evening courses on speaking and reading German. The schedule varies by semester. Ask around about taking a class-- a lot of the local researchers are not German speakers and may have details or experience taking these classes.

Administrative contact in Germany

Giessen

Sandra Dorsch (Sandra.Dorsch (at) psychol.uni-giessen.de)

Anouk Vingerling (Anouk.Vingerling (at) psychol.uni-giessen.de)

Marburg

Sigrid Thomas (thomas (at) staff.uni-marburg.de)