I don’t like my job and think about reducing to 50%.
Where I work (Germany), several colleagues do that, but most of them are married women where the husband is the main breadwinner working 100%. I live alone and have to finance myself independently.
I now earn 4,000 euros brutto, 2,900 netto and can save some for retirement. If I work 50%, I’ll earn half that.
I did an apprenticeship as a nurse and while the money is ok, the job is not. People say with a nursing apprenticeship you won’t be poor, but what they don’t tell you is how taxing it is and how you have to be a sociopath not to be criticized by management.
Looking for some opinions out of Germany.
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I could live on 50% my salary now – after building my retirement funds. I’m probably a lot older than you are. I’m not married. In Germany if this matters.
Progressive taxation and health insurance costs help a lot. You’ll earn half the brutto, but the interesting question is the netto. You can run your numbers here: https://www.brutto-netto-rechner.info/teilzeit.php (in German)
1400 net can be a perfectly liveable depending on location / housing cost, but you need to think about retirement savings!
you need to think about retirement savings!
do you have a number in mind?
Could you take a 50% contract, and claim 50% social benefits? These last 50 won’t be much but will help.
That’s kinda what I do here in France, but I only get short contracts, then unemployment, then work etc to about 35~55% a year.
Another thing that helps is not going 50, but like 80 - it helps a ton to have 2 afternoons a week, I have many friends who did / do that.
My mother was a nurse, I feel you. Took early retirement as soon as she could.
Go half time and go back to school. Give yourself another option.
Could you go 50% and then use the free time to create some sort of side business?
