I know that Healthcare isn't "free" here And I assumed you guys would get that too but apparently NOT. I would however like to have the money automatically taken out of my paycheck(a percentage of what I make) and be covered for ALOT OF THINGS than pay a monthly bill and still have to pay a copay or extra expensive fees while visiting the doctor. I was in the hospital for 4 days and had surgery (while in Germany) I paid 40€ for the whole visit. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and preference. If you don't like mine you can very much so make your own video talking about why, how, what and everything else your heart desires. KZfaq is a free open platform. Have a blessed day 😘

Dear US: Sorry you can´t have Haley back, we will keep her, because we love her :).

At 16 you can buy beer and whine. You can drink it together with parents in public at age 14. I'm now almost 16 and I don't really see the appeal of alcohol since I've drunk it at parties or other special occasions. It's no big deal in Germany which means that you can actually enjoy it and teens don't find it as appealing. I don't get why you can literally own a gun before you can buy a god damn beer in the US.

I haven't been to Germany yet but I've lived in France for a little over a year and totally agree that the U.S. needs to give people more vacation time! We are so, so work-focused in the U.S. and it makes me sad that we don't seem to value that time off with family and friends as much. Hopefully that will change in the future. Thanks for sharing your insights, Haley! :)

Minimum of 24 free days in Germany... many employers offer more.

I am german and when I was a Child, I saw a man with a pistole in the bus. He was a policeman without uniform, but I thought, that he was a killer, and on the next stop I run oft of the bus, because I was so afraid. Surely, I was sensitive, but you see, how unusual a pistole is in Germany

Wow Hayley watching these videos I'm really happy living in Germany and I appreciate it more

The worst thing is the "A European/Asian/Australian/African guy had the idea, it won't work in the US and must be bad for us!"-attitude.

The Universities in Germany are actually pretty good...the reason why they are rated lower on the international index than most UK and US schools is because one criteria for the rating are achievements in research and development, and a lot of high level research in Germany doesn't happen at the universities (which focus on the teaching aspect) but on the various institutes (mainly the Frauenhofer and the Goethe institute). It is simply a different system, so it distorts the ranking. That matters little when it comes to the worth of the degree on the job market, though. German degrees are highly respected, no matter where you go.

America as No 1? I think of America as No 1 in the Western world in police brutality. Of course it's much worse in truly despotic countries and dictatorships, but for a country that considers itself free and democratic, the number of police shootings etc. is really shameful.

In Canada we just go to the doctor. There's no copay. Our collective taxes allow everyone to have healthcare.

Hayley, another lesson from my time in Sweden... A Swedish national explained that before their government became a democracy, days off and holidays were granted by the King. (by-the-way, they absolutely LOVE their last two Monarchs) My "teacher" told me a story from his grandfather during the Industrial Revolution. There was a period of famine in the homeland but the King at the time loved to party and to maintain his lavish lifestyle. He worked the entire country seven days a week and allowed time off when he rarely felt like it... After his time the population made certain that their children remembered what it was like.... When you are that far North, the best weather of the year is in JULY. You start out a career with around 20 + vacation days. In Norway, the country pretty much shuts down for that month. Most factories are closed and the young folk are encouraged to use the bulk of those days during that period... My general observation for both Sweden and Norway and I suspect the same is true in Germany is that: Their society/culture is so much older that they have a lot more experience with solving systemic problems. They make certain that their young are educated about their past and the mistakes/successes of their past. Here in the USA, the political leadership train has been off of the rails for a long time... We all feel it but the people who can bring about substantial change are not properly motivated to do so as they choose to not "SEE" that they will also be affected by the mistakes that our society is currently making. PRAY FOR US ALL and PRAY THAT THEIR EYES BE OPENED... Keep preaching in this way Hayley, some of us are listening... Hopefully there will be moves to ACTION before it's broken beyond recovery....

You are mentioning a lot of important things. In the US there seems not be the will to question the own country (because of patriotism?) which started creating stillstands in social topics long time ago.

I´m curious if the Universities in the US are really much better than in Germany or in Europe in generell. A friend of mine did his master degree in Harvard (yes that Harvard) and he came back and said the exams were actually easier than the ones at Cologne University. He had much more spare time and that even allowed him to travel while his semester was still going. (btw he finished as one of the top students in his class). Has anybody been in a similar situation ? I´m curious

I've 30 days off and I'm 20 and at in my apprenticeship. Thank u for open my eyes and show me how beautiful Germany is .

Just yesterday I paid my university fee for the next semester and I caught myself complaining that it cost more than the semester before that, but it was still 'only' 180 €.

When I went to University the semester fee (of 300+ in Hessia) paid only for my semester ticket for public transport and the "Studentenwerk". That was it. No books etc. But still... waaaay cheaper than the Us version. ;)

You should consider making a video collaboration with Dana Newman from the "WantedAdventure" channel who is also an American video blogging from Munich.

Wonderful message - thank you

This was your best videeo ever ! It shows you are a much deeper person , than you have shown so far ! More of that !

Just love listening to your voice, dont know why but it calms me down so much. Also I always love the videos when you just sit down and share your thoughts with us. Always sooo interesting! In 7 days I'm going to go to the UK for one year as an au pair and I'm so nervous. Really looking up to you!

I enjoyed this "serious" video talking about interesting and sensitive topics. I learned something new I didn't know (about vacation in the States). Thanks for this video and I hope you'll make similar ones in the future. I'd like to hear your thoughts on racism in USA vs Germany.

24 workdays based on a six day workweek is the minimum legal vacation days allowance. However most tarif agreements concluded between employer's organizations and labor unions grant 30 days of annual leave (based on a five day workweek), hence six weeks plus the legal holidays. Working persons which are handicapped (at least 50%) are granted an additional six days of leave per year.

Great video, Hayley! When I was staying in the USA for a while, my hosting lady had a HORRIBLE rash on her hand, and I exclaimed: "how long have you had this? " She told me for 4-5 weeks. "You need to see a doctor asap!!" She explained to me sadly, that it was poison ivy, she got it from weeding the garden...and that she didn't have a health insurance and couldn't afford seeing a doctor...! Culture shocks on both sides....

I enjoy your videos. I like yourself am from Florida. I’m glad that your outside of the US and are able to model for those who live here. Good stuff!

Hi Hayley, you have talked about a lot of true points and you were very nice how you talked about it. I´m German, but work for an American company and a lot of people of that company I handle with come from the USA. It seems normal to do conference calls for them starting at 5 AM and no one is complaining. They have very seldom holidays, but they are talking quite a lot about their sabbatical. Some people disappear very fast from one day to another or in a very short time, because the company has quit them. On the contrary I got an email that they have a team für the Corona virus and they will help you worldwide - I only don´t know how, because at the moment you only can go to a hospital and hope, when you are infected. This is very different and sometimes they try (and do) to adopt this in Germany. I´m a freelancer, so they can´t -> but tried. What I don´t understand is that the people in USA don´t miss the quality of live. They work so much for a salary. They take it extremly important because they fear to lose the job if they don´t function correctly. And there are so many people only living from paycheck to paycheck, even if they earn a lot of money. The society is total different and I doubt that things will change fast for the better. The people there simple don´t know and take it for normal, that they have to work so much. If you have a good job you can live well in America, but with enough money you even can live very well in third world countries, simple as it is. But if you are broke, have no job and can´t afford housing , healthcare etc. you are very fast in big troubles and a lot of people die way earlier as it should be. I saw a documentation about the US healthcare and there was a 50 year old poor guy walking to the doctor. The doctor said that they have to operate this, nothing big, but it costs 2.000 $ he don´t have. But it has to be done, otherwise it will turn bad and 6 - 12 months later there is no chance to heal this. This man didn´t have the money and was crying when he left the doctor, because he had no hope that he will get the money in this timeframe. When I saw this I was shocked, because everyone can go to the hospital in Germany, even when he has nothing and the people will help him. So in my opinion USA is not a nice country to their people, same as to many other countries in the world. The society is below the means USA has, but a lot of people don´t register it, because they don´t know that you can organize a society way better. A lot of people think USA is No. 1 in the world. But this is Utopia, I would say the average citizen in Monaco live twice as good as an average American. The politicians can be glad that a lot of American people never leave USA or go at the maximum to Mexiko, where the people are poorer. So they can´t estimate, how it could work better. I like your video and hope, a lot of people in your country will see it.

I can't imagine my parents or sibilings dying from not having health insurence. It's horrible!!! They don't need to die, but yet they are FORCED to die. That makes me so angry.

When it comes to gun control you should look to Australia. They had a gun problem and when they realized that they really had one, they fixed it.

I love the longer videos 👍

Thanks for the useful information Hayley. I am moving to Germany soon, i will be there in next month. I have been watching your videos recently. I like em. I would like to give one compliment, it may sound different, But you have shiny teeth. You always present your self very nice.

It's really hard to have these conversations with people in the US, especially the ones who've never been outside the country. They don't understand at all! Most Europeans will say taxes pay for university, which is true. Here in the US student tuition, donations, and some government funding (not much) pays for the university.

Another nice vid ;) Small addition: During "Elternzeit", or as you correctly translated it: parent time, you will receive Elterngeld (parent money). It's roughly 60% of your average monthly wage before maternity leave every month for up to 1 year. The time can be divided between mother and father too if they choose to.

Hayley I am from the US and totally agree on the points you made here. I love my country but there are so many things we could do better. Enhancing the quality of life for Americans would be a start. I have been to Germany several times and I always learn something new and innovative when I am there.Thank you for making this video.

I also want to mention that many Americans suffer from obesity and carry high debt. I think this is a symptom / result of a bad work life /balance. Just a thought.

Good point! Enjoy your life, life is good.

Please make that video ! Would be really interesting...

What the US could learn from Germany? Well, that' easy: how to behave like a civilised country!

Awesome awesome video. I love Germany

I think you certainly discussed the key topics. Of course, this is not only applicable to Germany, but to most of Europe. One more comment is that due to the vacation time, the travel industry is so big in Europe and employs so many people.

Hy Hayley! I am moving in October to Munich to live with my boyfriend :D and looking for videos on YT I discovered your channel! I love your videos and your personality, and now i am just very interested about everything to do with Germany , so it's perfect that I found you :) Greetings from Spain! :*

I'm a Student in Würzburg, and we don't get supplies or books. You have to buy your 300€ books your self, or go to the library to look at them. That's if they are not provided by the faculty, but most of the time you just get a list of recommended books, at least in Games Engineering and Computer Science. I pay 123,80€ for my Semester Ticket, that includes public transport and some cheaper prices in some shops and services. As well as Mensa and related University provided stuff. Cheers

Hello i am from 2019 and i wanna say something to the Healthcare: When you go to a Hospital in Germany they need to take care of your health even if your homeless and you don’t have the money they need to take care of you and the bill will get payed from the German State and they get the money from the the taxation’s so that means Germans care for each other

Thank you, Hayley. That must not have been easy to take off the "I'm from the #1 country in the world" glasses and acknowledge some of the short-comings of your country of birth. Kudos to you for being so open-minded about it. I want to focus on one problem I see in the USA: gun control. Gun control in the USA seems to be a very valid problem because the ownership of guns is cemented into your constitution. Any constitutional changes in any nation are very difficult to propagate, I understand that. Germany has always had a much stricter control of guns. The following is paraphrased from the gun control laws of Germany: To get a permit to OWN (not carry) a gun, the potential owner requires to: 1. be at least 18 years of age 2. be gun control law applicable 3. be personally legally allowed 4. have a knowledge of the matter (guns and gun saftey) 5. have a reason to own a gun. #1 is obvious and clear. #2 and #3 means the person has to fulfill the stipulations of the law, which requires to not be addicted to any drugs, alcohol, not be previously convicted of a crime, be legally able to enter binding contracts, be known to act responsibly with guns and ammo (a known pyromaniac would be disqualified), etc. #4 requires training in a gun club or a hunting school, plus an examination by a publicly controlled examiner. This is not done on a whim, and costs some money, as well as quite some theoretical knowledge as well. Application for this examination also takes some time, during which the state will check for your criminal record. Failing this examination is definitely possible, and failiing it will prevent you from getting a weapons ownership permit. #5 means you have to be either a legally accredited hunter; or you have to be a long standing member of a shooting club for competition gun shooting. Other exceptions are for certain jobs. As you can see, this strictly limits the entry level for OWNING a gun. If you are a member of a shooting club, and you do own guns, the guns and the ammo have to be stored in a safe with at least to separate locking compartments. One for the guns, another for the ammo, and guns are NOT allowed to be stored loaded. Period. No exception. Special examiners are allowed to control your gun safe AT ANY TIME, and are allowed to enter your home without pre-warning. It is NOT allowed to prevent them from examining your gun safe. You have to be present at the time of their control. Transporting guns to and from your shooting club requires a specially locked case, with again separate compartments for ammo and the gun. Still, the gun is not allowed to be transported loaded. Hunters are a bit of a special case; I won't go into that. CARRYING a LOADED gun is something completely different in Germany, and requires a much more strictly controlled permit. USING a gun in public is even more restricted. Using a gun in private requires an accredited shooting range with all the saftey features of a standard shooting range (specific laws apply). If you ever use a gun in public in uncontrolled circumstances, the law will drop on you like a tonne of bricks. Even cops are loath to use their guns, because they can expect an investigation into their gun use if there was no evidence that showed completely desperate circumstances. These are some severly limiting factors for everyone, including cops, for using guns in public. Therefore, nobody really expects anyone to draw or use a gun in public because if there is no absolutely pressing reason for that, and the person does NOT own a very special permit allowing use of a gun in public, that person will find themselves in a mountain full of trouble. Thus, there is a huge disincentive even for criminals to carry loaded guns. Simply, because being caught with a loaded gun instantly changes ANY crime you commit, even shoplifting or a speeding ticket, from a minor crime, to a possible armed assault WITH INTENT. Because you obviously went through all the hassle of obtaining an illegal gun. Or even worse, carrying a gun which you legally owned, and have it loaded in public. Which is much, much more severly punished in Germany. It simply makes life a lot easier, even for criminals, NOT to carry guns, rather than being caught with a loaded gun. True, the truely desperate criminals still will carry guns, but they will be truely rare, few and far inbetween the normal, average criminal. Also, we are still brought up to generally respect our police. While this has changed a bit over the last two decades or so, there is still a basic respect for police in Germany. Thus, cops don't have to be worried that anyone might draw a gun on them, making them much more relaxed, even when arresting known criminals. Criminals also tend to be much more docile when they know that they will probably not be charged with a serious crime if they are not carrying weapons. They also know that the cops are as loath to draw a gun on them if the situation does not warrant it. Which instantly de-escalates the situation for the criminals themselves. Warrants usually do not carry the monicker of 'armed and dangerous' because it is so rare. This also makes criminals fear a lot less for their own lives and health. Again, making them much more docile during arrests. Thus, police officers tend to be relaxed, relatively friendly, and genuinely concerned about keeping with the 'protect and serve' (even though that is not the motto of German police). The German version of that is :"Die Polizei, dein Freund und Helfer." / "The police, your friend and helper." Agreed, police brutatlity is not a NON-issue in Germany, but much less of a concern than in the USA.

A great and very interesting video! :)

Last video: "I'm going to have an operation" This video: "My life is pretty boring right now"

Here in Switzerland we have 4 weeks vacation by law. But i never had less than 5

In the US you live to work. in Europe you work to live

i love how you are saying, that Germany is so small. I mean it is obviously way smaller then the USA but it is still the biggest country in Europe. It just sounds so funny to me as a German.

We love vacation. Life is short so enjoy. My colleagues all work overtime even without pay. I have no idea for that. I accomplish my stuff in my regular time. And i leave in time. That's what i get paid for. Agree to all your points. So far what i have experienced till now in US.

that s your best video so far! greetings!

Sometimes I forget how lucky and privileged I am to have been born and raised in germany. I feel so safe and insured without even noticing. I am not afraid to get sick, cause I know it won't ruin me financially. I am not afraid to start a family, because I know: germany's got me. I have never EVER been afraid to leave my house, worrying that I might get shot (honestly I don't want to know that it feels like), to be honest I didn't even think about it before watching this video. And probably the biggest reason I feel insured and safe is that, even if i might lose my job, I am still not ruined. Germany will help me out, giving me money to live, paying my rent, paying my healthcare and if I have children paying me extra money just so I can feed them. Thanks for reminding me, that the standards I am used to, are by far not the average

Very insightful! And I wish it wasn't true. Thank you.

When I studied I paid 390 a month without supplies. The Studiengebühren do not include your supplies, books etc, only the tuition and a train ticket.

I think our problem in America is more that we measure success by how much you are able to do it by yourself. Like we believe people should be able to pull themselves out of poverty. You should be able to afford healthcare, education, a car, all the good things by working the hardest you can. If you can't, then it's oh well, you should have invested more into your education and then you could have worked yourself out of poverty. Or let the Republicans tell it and you were just "born wrong". I think it's just different cultures but often times, I think American culture is unrealistic in that, we are still humans who need help sometimes and SHOULD be helped when needed. We do have social programs for the poor, but in America, we throw money at problems instead of using money to FIX problems. So while someone could get $200 in food stamps a month for say 18 years, nothing is really done to put them in a better situation to better their quality of life. It's still kind of do it yourself mentality. Then sometimes American culture is more, "I'll help you as long as you pay me back when you succeed." That's why you see people taking out loans and selling their houses for cancer treatments or to afford school. In America, it's seen as an investment. We'll help you now, but you'll pay us back later.....

I agree so much with this about healthcare. I'm from England but live in the states and never go to the doctor as I can't afford it. Health is important and I've definitely since leaving U.K. 15 years ago never go to the doctors 🙁

To the murder issue: Our southern neighbors are two of the richest, nicest, safest countries in the world, Switzerland and Austria. You're southern neighbor is a country with an open drug war with more deaths than Afghanistan in the last 10 years. And much of that violence kinda swaps over.

This was a good Video. Great, reflective and fair contribution to the issues you brought up. Ever thought about journalistic writing?

Haha I love how you mixed up prescription and recipe, it shows how much are into the German language :)

4 weeks minimum in Germany by law , most got 6 weeks vacation. And holidays also. And vacation is a family thing. Holidays also. I paid ten years on my debts (public credit without interests to pay) from studying as you need more than books when studying.

Not "all over the place" at all. Well done!

Sex education was missed. I feel like there is a pregnant girl in every high school in the USA. In Germany that is a total exception. American students have to be teached birth control... And I do not mean abstinence till mariage. No offence, but for most people it just does not work. I am really happy being a 16 year old girl in Germany who has a boyfriend, while my parents and the ones of my boyfriend are totally okay with us having sex. 😜

US: Shooting someone is normal. But what about nipples? Germany: People have nipples. So what?

Hey Hayley, I feel like this is my favorite video so far. I like the critical view on the US. Not because I do not like the US - I love the States, but taking a step back and look where you come from plus have a critical view on it is a good learning and growing experience! I'm looking foreward to your video on what Germany could learn from the States. Thank you so much for being funny and sharing your yiew on things!

AMEN!!! My sister.👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

11:10 actually 60% of last Net income i think. Average salary here in germany is about 3800€ whats around 2800€ net so as a mother in this case you get paid around 1700€ without taxes.

fun fact: it is allowed to drink a beer in germany while you are driving the car. the law just say, that you cannot drive when crossing legal alcohol limit (0,5 promille)

When your mind has arrived here, then you must be finally germanized. There are still people who would like to travel like Wolfgang von Goethe on his trip to Italy, very slow, very slow, so that the soul isn`t separated from the body, so that both arrive at the same time. You seem to be very united now, and thats a great pleasure to watch. Welcome in Germany Hayley.

I really need to figure out a way to move to Germany. I've always wanted to and these videos have solidified that for me.

For the parent time you get about 60% of your wage or if you have not worked before its 300€ minimum.

I have friends with babyes and they stay at home 3 years for a kid and get payed like 450€ a month or even more depends on so many things...

Hi Haley, just want to let you know that there is maternity leave in California ( I received it when I lived there) It's different from state to state. We are such a very big country to try to make it work so effortlessly as Germany. Also, it may look like Germany has "free" medical and college but it does come from taxes which are quite high. I just don't want people to think that they get these things for free. (Lived there for a summer) I do have to say that the German government doesn't seem to misappropriate the tax funds for such needless funding as the US does. On the topic of College, in the US, the tuition is expensive due to our government getting into the student loan business. When the colleges realized that the government was giving out loans, the colleges realized that they could capitalize on this by upping the tuition because of these loans. Shame on the college administrators, it makes me sick!! It was never like this when I went to college. Americans should protest colleges and not attend them until they lower the tuition, maybe trade schools instead. Remember college doesn't = a guarantee job people. It's sad to think that an American student will come out with such a tremendous debt. As far as guns, we have a problem with helping the mentally ill , crime and drugs all pulling the trigger. A gun sitting on a table doesn't kill anyone, it's the person who uses it that takes a life. If guns were illegal in the US that would not stop killings with guns. They would just be obtained by the same people that I mentioned earlier via the "black market", sad to say. I have to say that I do love Germany. I stayed in the Bavarian region, which I feel is so beautiful and very clean. I have to give props to their recycling and their energy conservation and they know how to party and celebrate life. The German people have a lot of pride in their appearance (no walking to the store in their PJs and slippers) and with their work ethic. By the way, what enticed you to move to Germany? Keep up the interesting videos!

nice conclusion in the final seconds...

Those 300€ per semester don't cover supplies and books here where I live (Hamburg)

Girl I am moving to Germany JUST because of the issues you mentioned and more. I am actually making a video just like this, so it's funny that I found your channel just now! :) you should NOT have to choose between buying groceries and affording your medication. My friend is Diabetic, every month she has to pay $600 for her insulin. We are still young and don't have super good paying jobs. If her parents didn't support her she would be out of luck. It is a money making business, plain and simple. ALSO can we please talk about police brutality??? smh.

The job is not safe, its just safe in the time you are home with your child, but they can fire you, when you start working again ^^ Some Uni's are not for free, you have to pay each semester.

hi there, i would like to add something to hayley's video. Healthcare in Germany isn't free. When you have a income over 450€ you are "sozialversicherungspflichtig". This means that you have to pay a fixed percentage of this income into socialinsurance. This money is used to fund the healhcare, support of the unemployed, the pensions etc. The percentage depends on your income. If you are unemployen AND a german citizen, or an EU-citizen who lived in Germany for a certain amount of time, you get "sozialhilfe", which means you get a certain amount of money and healthinsurance (included in the "sozialhilfe"). Just in this case healthcare in Germany is free.

Thank you for talking about these topics! I feel like that's so rare in youtube, especially if you look to the ones with the higher amount of followers :p I think this is the biggest problem. I mean, no country is perfect, but as you said, the United states are looked up to as something like the powerhouse, or the top example of a 1st world country. while they still have these faults which affect so many people (and is done better by other countries). :/ Looking forward to see the (if you want to do it) "what germany could learn from the US"-video 😁 (sorry for my messy english)

I am not quite sure but I think you are paying monthly for health insurance in Germany, at least I do^^ University is “nearly“ free and I could not feel more blessed about it! I am paying 130€ as Semestergebühr and also the price for my public transport is included. When I talked to someone from the US(we were reaaally drunk), I literally cried because I felt so blessef lol

I live in the US & I totally agree with everything you said.

As far as i know: 2 years of parenttime, expandeble to 3 years. if you get another child within the time, you can expand it even more, but with a little less money. For the first 2 Years you get about 60% of your salary (contractwise).

Hallo Haley, das ist ein sehr interessantes Video und wird in den Kommentaren heiß diskutiert! :) Leider kommen die USA nicht so gut dabei weg. Mach dir nichts draus. Ich mag deine Videos sehr. Man kann dich sehr gut verstehen. And you are a very likable person! Don't stop blogging! Give you a thump up!

Haley plz put a Filter or some on your mic. There is always a noise besides your voice

I think the german Healthcaresystem is one of the best in the world.

Im not 100% sure but if you go in this "maternity" year afaik a single mom you get 60% of you previous wages ( and of course health care - it's a standard in Germany ) of the hubby is working it will be complicated out calculated ( denglish here ). Your job has to be reserved until your comeback after a year of break by law ( except you work in a tiny tiny company, but even there it's not worth to train someone new for that job if it needs a qualification in first place and would skip your experience on that job )

Health insurance is not free. I know people in the USA (and even some in Germany) are under the impression that the gesetzliche Krankenkasse is free. Fact is that you have to pay 14% minimum for basic health insurance, as well as a percentage that the insurance itself charges, which in my case is 1.7% plus nursing care insurance which is also part of the package that you are forced by law to pay in, and that is now as of 2017 2.8%, plus 0.25% if you are childless(!) If you are an employee, you are lucky in that the employer has to pay 50% of the health insurance (but not 50% of the nursing care insurance) while the part that you have to pay is taken right out of your pay check, so lots of people don't really notice it. However, if you are an entrepreneur, have a business, are an employer, an artist or are self-sufficient, you need to pay the whole 18.9% of your GROSS income, including interest, dividends and other forms of capital gains. If you are running a small business and pay a high lease every month for your store, you won't earn a fortune unless your business is going extremely well. Almost 19 % of your income before taxes and income-related expenses is a huge chunk of your hard-earned money. Health insurance fees have nothing to do with taxes--something that a lot of people also get wrong. I am not criticizing German health care, but what I am upset about is that there is a minimum fee on the lower income spectrum while there is a maximum fee on the higher income spectrum. If you are earning less than 991,67 Euros a month, say 750,00 gross, you still pay about 19 percent of 991,67 Euros of a fictional income. If you are running a business, the minimum fictional income is set much higher. However, the maximum fee is 4350,00 Euros a month, even if the insured person's income far exceeds this limit. How is that social and fair?

Here in Denmark, everybody gets 5 weeks vacation. No matter where you start. + free healthcare...

awesome video, hope you make what germany could learn from the US too

Great informative video which sums it up very well! The only thing I didn't get was the part about the moral family background of children. I just really didn't understand. What contributions of women did you mean and how do they affect what in your opinion? Haha

How long to do you have to live in Germany before being able to qualify for the insurance, university, etc? Do you need to have been born there?

Nice conclusion: Life is to short, so you shouldn't have to worry but you should have more time to enjoy it. :)

Regarding the parental leave: The mother (to be) is not allowed to work 6 weeks before / 8 weeks (12 if twins) after giving birth. The parental leave is up to 3 years for one OR both parents.... but you only get financial support for 14 month - if at least 2 month of the leave are taken by the parent that did not take the other 12 month. You can double the time of financial support if you take only 50% of the money (it sums up at the end). The money is not paid by your employer but through the social insurance system. You get (about) 60% of your average net income, min. 300 EUR max 1800 EUR. After the leave you are entitled to go back to your old job or an adequate job.

Also I agree with the alcohol in the U.K. You can drink at 16. And also maternity leave.... omg I need to move out of the states. Yes missing out on life is a huge factor.

when i subscribed to your channel-all i can say is you shoot from the hip and you are Spot-On !----what you say on these topics---100% true true true !----For me i worked 29 yrs for a family company-got a Lay-Off November 2008-after my personal holidays-for 18 months-then company went out of business-now i work 3 part-time jobs to exist.i can take time off for personal holidays unpaid-but no pay.next time i take holidays in Europe(Germany/Sweden)---i will have to leave the jobs-in order to travel-and then look for new work-all over again.Healthcare-my Father had an Emergency visit to hospital-waited almost 9 hours to see a doctor-and its not free at all.Education-forgetaboutit!-Beer-laws-thats true.Maternity Leave in the U.S.A.? Are you kidding !!!!---Gun control-in the last week 2 students at Florida H.S.committed suicide(Marjorie Stoneman Douglas) New Zealand Incident 2-Mosques-result-Assault Weapon and Ammunition Ban-effective immediately.In the U.S.-no anti-gun action taken-Las Vegas-no action taken-Sandy Hook-no action taken-Pulse Nightclub -no action taken-btw-ARD Network Germany-Felix von der Laden-Reporter-did a background report on this tragedy-i watched the report on-line.

The amount of money you get on parental leave is dependant on your average salary (net income) of the last 12 months. Minimum is 300€ maximum is 1800€.

Yes, yes, yes, you're so dann right!!!

Hey y'all.

It struck me when you talk about health. To make it general. A government had a responsabillity towards the wellbeing of its people. Ik noticed that in the US the focus is on safety. And that goes sometimes in extreme measures and spending. But health? It is everyone for themselves. A shift in focus could do, in my humble opinion, much better for the people. But to be frank. As a dutchman In see sometimes in dutch politics also a a shift towards safety instead of other measurement that could do better for the wellbeing.

While university does not cost a lot in germany, the time you spend with it costs. So its not really free in germany to study, you still have to invest a lot of money, about 700€ per month over 3 years (36 months). That adds up to about 25k€. And this is just a bachelor degree, which has quite low value in germany as the system is not that old yet. We used to have other exams that compare to a master and so about everybody expects you to have a masters degree (though it gets better). That said if your parents are not earning enough money to finance your studies, you can get a financial aid from the government. Its called Bafög and works about this way: you get about 675? ish € per month and have to fullfill some requirements in your studies (gain credit points, as proof you actually do something) and if you succeed, you have 10 years to get a decent job and a family going until you have to start to pay back. You just have to pay back a part of it though, 60 - 70% iirc, Im not sure as I dont receive Bafög. So the values might be off but this is more about the system anyways. While this is nice, there are some issues with it though. The demand of credit points is quite high, manageable but high and the money is not enough to pay a flat or a shared place in most cities here. So working while studying under pressure can get really hard. But at least, you earn better after studying in germany. ;) The amount of money granted should get increased to solve this issue for most students though. And there is also the dual studying system, that is more complicated though. In short you get your bachelors degree while being in an apprenticeship. After 3-4 years you have both degrees and get paid the whole time, most times enough to afford to live where the company is located. These opportunities are very contested though, as its quite new and not a lot of companies offered this for a long time. The number is increasing rapidly though, which is awesome. So you can get your degree in germany even if you have no money and your family dont have money, as long as you work hard.

some people in the US still want to prohibite alcohol. the question here is: how does this increase their salary in any way? because otherwise they wouldn't try to prohibite it

you really deserve more likes. and views.😁