Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Kurz Arbeit

So many of you know that we are having issues with Gardner's work. He has a job but currently does not have a project that he is assigned to. It has been this way for over a month now.

Three things have happened that we know of:

1. People go to work and do odd jobs for others. (gardner has been doing this).

2. people have been laid off

3. People have been put on what is called Kurz Arbeit.

It is where you do not come into work. You are guaranteed your job and are being paid 80% of your net income. And then when they need people, they call you and you start work back up. It is a government program and the government pays 60% of the net income and the company is adding in 20%.

We have been worried about the Kurz Arbeit because it isn't enough money for our family monthly. But Gardner just received an email a few minutes ago and he will be put on Kurz Arbeit starting Monday.

In one way, it is a nice thing. Gardner will be home everyday. He doesn't go to work at all. It is almost like being unemployed, only with income at the same time. Plus we have the company car and they pay for our gas. So it is a big help.

The down side: Gardner will be home everyday. I don't mean that badly, although it probably sounds that way. It is just that Life will be different for everyone involved....schedules totally different than what we are used to. When it is just me and the kids, I do things a certain way. And when Gardner is home with us, things get done a different way. Both are good. But right now, morning and daytime don't have Gardner in the mix.

The biggest negative is the money that we are used to having is not coming in every month.

Anyway, things are happening here. Let the fun begin!

5 comments:

heather in europe said...

Maybe this is a gift in disguise, to release your creativity in Germany. The gift of time is a splendid thing. As a starter there are always adverts on kalaydo.de, etc. for native English speaking teachers as a side job, as well as so many options for clever, hard-working, talented people like yourselves...good luck in making it happen. :-)

Kimberly said...

I glad to hear it wasn't option 2 for your sake. I know what you mean about the schedule thing, things are just different. I always get less done on the weekends when my hubby is home.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I know a lot of people who would love to be put on Kurz Arbeit. But probably just for a few weeks at a time. At least it's still 80% of the salary. My brother's taking every other week off, and only getting about 1/2 the pay.

Alice said...

I understand the hubbie at home scenario. I do things a certain way when he is not home and things get done another way when he is home. But I seem to get more done when he is home, sometimes, because I can sit down and do this or that if there is something else I should be doing instead. Hang in there! We do have some great planning time! Sometimes :)

Jul said...

It's amazing how much an at-home husband can mess up my productivity. Best of luck to you through this challenging time!

March 2007