Arrival | icx-knowledge-base

Arrival and First Steps

YAY - THEY'RE HERE!

The arrival of the intern is an exciting time for everybody involved, however, it also encompasses the most work of the whole reception process. German bureaucracy can be confusing, so it is important to keep the work flow clearly and organizedly in mind.This page can help you as a Buddy or Reception Officer to keep afloat.

The Pick Up

Organize the pick up timely. Exchange your mobile-phone numbers in case of delay.

The EP should send you the arrival date and time at least a week before the intern arrives. Either you do this via e-mail or some LC tells the EPs to fill out the Arrival Note.

Announce the arrival of your EP in your LC (LCM, E-Mail, Slack, FB). It would be very nice if a lot of people from your LC pick up our EP. Most EPs expect only one person. So give him a warm welcome in Germany. Don’t forget a camera for a photo. You can give it to your MKT-Team for FB promotion and it’s a nice souvenir for your EP.

You can give the EP a Welcome-Package. (Maps from your city, Map of your subway routes) When you buy these things you can account this via E-Stips. If you want to buy him some extras like German beer and German sweets you have to pay for your own.

First Steps

After the arrival you should escort the EP to his flat where he/she can get settled. Depending on their arrival your EP might want to rest. But most of the EPs are too excited.

Afterwards you can show him the region: e.g. the next supermarket, the next train station or city etc..

First Fridge Filling

We can pay for the interns' first fridge filling. The first fridge filling has to take place within the first 3 days after arrival. In case the itnern stays in a hostel or the like for the first weeks, you can hand in their first real fridge filling receipt later but have to give a good reason. If the EP arrives on the weekend you can get the first things before your EP arrives, but the P-Bogen has to cover the date of purchase. You are not allowed to buy hygiene or luxury products or alcohol. You can book these costs for this purchase via the E-Stips described in "Financial Support", the maximum amount is 25€.

Example

1x rice/roodles
1 glas omato sauce/ Pesto
1 frozen pizza (in case there is an oven at the flat!)
1x Bread
1x Spread (cheese, marmelade, ...)
1x Butter
4 Eggs
1l Milk
Tea/Coffee
some fruits
1x Cookies/ Chocolate (No Lindt or the like)

Registration Office

The first authority you should visit is the registration-office (Einwohnermeldeamt). You usually wait there for an hour or so after pulling a ticket. For a registration your EP needs his Visa, passport and rent contract. Please ask the officials for issuing you a Steueridentifikationsnummer. They will send a request to the taxation office. The Steueridentifikationsnummer will be sent to his postbox via mail within 2-3 weeks and the intern has to inform the employer about the number (sometimes they are even able to give you the number right away, so don't forget to ask them).

Bank account and Sim-card

Most of the LCs already have a bank they work with.

If not it is highly recommendable to get an account at http://www.comdirect.de/

This is an internet direct bank from Commerzbank. The intern will be able to make transaction on the internet as well as in a Commerzbank branch. He will get 50 Euro bonus with opening the account and can pick up cash for free at Deutsche Bank, Postbank and Commerzbank and there are no charges or fees (as of 24.05.2015).

The intern has to open the account on the internet (please help him or her) here and identify himself at the post office with his passport after registering on the internet.

After one to two weeks our EP will get the bank card. Also show the intern how to pick up money with his cash card and help him with the documents etc.

A sim-card should be pre-paid (as a mobile plan is often 2 years long). The best mobile plans are from ALDI or Lidl (here). It is easy to get at the cash desk there.

If you want to have T-mobile, go to the mobile provider Congstar, it is the best and cheapest T-moblie operator that offers plans and subscriptions that you can cancel every month, check it out here.

Tax Office / Finance Center

The company needs an income tax number of the EP called the Steueridentifikationsnummer. If your EP is registered in the registration office you will get the Steueridentifikationsnummer in two weeks via mail as explained above. If your EP doesn’t get the Steueridentifikationsnummer within three months you should call 01805-43783837 and provide your name, address, place and date of birth to get more information about it.

Here you can find out how many taxes your EP has to pay.

First day at work and work life in Germany

You should escort your EP to his first day at work. Call the employer the week before and ask when the EP should arrive on the first day and which documents to bring. If you do not know how to get to the office, map it out before so you won't be late. Tell your EP which documents he has to bring to the company.

You should definitely brief him or her on some German customs at work (soft skills) that are indespensable for integrating in the company. It might sound easy to you but it is not self-explainatory for the intern:

Talk to everybody and introduce yourself.
On your first day, shake hands and look people in the eyes when you do so.
Smile
Be there 5 minutes before work starts, otherwise you are too late.
Go 5 minutes after work ends.
When you have nothing to do, ask if there is anything to do.
Never fall asleep, even if there is nothing to do!
Tell your boss about your successes, but don't be cocky.
Be polite at all times.

The first day of work is also the perfect opportunity to have a partner management meeting, so be sure that a member from the IGT Team and Reception are there. This meeting should also recheck on the Job Description with the Praktikumsplan as well as set goals for the internship between the company and the intern.

Don't forget to change the Opportunity on EXPA to REALIZE!

Immigration Office

You have to visit the Immigration Office only when your EP hasn’t got a permit of residence or a Visa for the whole duration of the internship (often embassies only give out VISAs for about 3 months). Interns from the EU-28 don’t need a permit of residence/VISA.

Please ask your EP before his arrival whether he has an "Arbeitsvisum" for the whole duration of the internship. In case that he doesn’t, make an appointment for the immigration office as soon as possible. He or she will also get an invitation and a letter where everything is stated. Please make these appointment timely (best after the arrival of the EP). A permit of residence/VISA takes a while.

Call the Immigration Office and ask for their prices (they vary between 30 - 150 €). You have to bring all the necessary documents with you. Otherwise you have to go there again and waste a lot of time.

The necessary documents for getting the permit of residence are:

passport
biometric photo
insurance statement (DAAD statement or statement of the other insurance)
registration statement or rent contract
ZAV
working contract
student enrollment or graduate certificate

Integration

In the first days the EPs might feel alone in a foreign country with a foreign culture. It would be nice if you spend some time with your EP. Invite him to your LCM and show him the region.

Help to integrate the EP as best as possible. Find out what the EPs hobbies are and see if you can arrange something. Our job is NOT done after the EP started working. We are still in charge of giving the EPs a life-changing experience. Integrate the EP in your LC, your city and your life. Who knows - the EP might be your new best friend.

Also you can organize a City Tour, Pub-Crawl or similar events in order for the intern to be integrated into AIESEC and other interns. Remember to talk to VP Fin about reimbursements for this events. Make sure the EP attends an IPS!!!