Every tenth student in Hamburg is a foreigner
Language of the big city
Planning her move from Ukraine to Germany, Anna Iskova chose the city with particular care: "I wanted to live in a big city, understanding that here I would have more opportunities for work and leisure. Besides, I wanted the people around me to speak standard German – Hochdeutsch. Finally, Hamburg captivated me with its beauty; there is a lot of greenery, and at the same time the infrastructure is excellently developed."
Anna calls her path to the lecture hall of a German university traditional: it is taken by many foreign students without great financial means or a good knowledge of German. She moved to Hamburg under the au pair program – working as a nanny for a German family. After six months, she passed a language exam and was able to enroll in a master's program at the University of Hamburg.
To earn a living in the big city, Anna Iskova works at the university – as a project coordinator in the student organization Piasta. "I had another option – working as a secretary at a language school," she recalls. "But working at the university is much better: there's no need to commute, the working hours fit perfectly into my study schedule, and it's very prestigious."
Another decent option for a student side job is call centers of international companies, which often need employees with knowledge of Russian. Here you can earn about 10 euros per hour. However, the most profitable and popular among students traditionally remains a part-time job as a waiter, notes Anna Iskova.
Love it, but expensive
According to a study by the Hamburg Student Services Organization, on average renting accommodation in the city on the Elbe costs students 367 euros per month – 70 euros more than the national average. The cheapest option is, of course, to rent a room in a dormitory, but there aren't enough for everyone: the social fund has 23 dormitories, offering a total of just about four thousand rooms.
In addition, there are about a dozen independent dormitories in the city, but each one requires students to apply individually. "I started looking for a room almost six months before moving and sent an application to every independent dormitory," says Barbara Konturek from Austria. "Each one has a website detailing the conditions for admitting new residents. In the end, I received two offers and could choose. But many of my acquaintances who only looked through the Student Services Organization either never got a response or had to live far from the university."
"Far" by Hamburg standards means about an hour by public transport. Fares in the city are higher than in the capital, but for students, public transport is a free service. Incidentally, for three months after enrolling at a university, the student ID card also serves as a free pass to the best museums and theaters in the city, for example, the famous Hamburg Opera House.
"Students always have the opportunity to relax and have fun for free," says Anna Iskova. "Even at a prestigious, expensive festival you can get in without paying a cent if you volunteer there."
As befits a large port city, Hamburg lives a vibrant life Meet at the Beatles
Nightlife in Hamburg is a separate expense item, both in terms of money and energy. Reeperbahn, St. Pauli, Beatles Square – in Germany these names are familiar to almost everyone. With the onset of night, the streets of the St. Pauli district literally blossom with the lights of bars, clubs, and adult venues. It's no coincidence that the country's largest club festival, the Reeperbahn Festival, takes place here in September.
In most bars here you don't have to pay an entrance fee, and drink prices start at one euro, making St. Pauli a favorite spot for student parties. Moreover, it's a stone's throw from the famous Hamburg Fish Market. As early as 3 a.m. on Sundays, fish sandwiches are sold there for 2.5 euros, and after five, live music plays in the central market hall. If after a fun night you have 10 euros left in your pocket, you can take home a whole basket of fruit or a huge bag of pasta – enough for a frugal student for several months.
However, you don't have to go to the fish market just for food; you can simply watch the sunrise by the water – it's something of a tradition. The wide navigable Elbe, the Alster Lake, and numerous green-lined canals give Hamburg a special charm. Incidentally, some student dormitories located by the water have their own piers and provide free rental boats. Additionally, you can rent a boat at the university's water sports section for three euros per hour.