In early March, the long-awaited spring arrived in Hamburg. Jascha Alexa Kolbe and Christian Löhrl were finishing loading their dark-blue van, parked on a low-traffic street in Eimsbüttel, the bohemian district of Germany’s northern port city. These forty-somethings had refitted the vehicle they bought two years ago to accommodate their child, who will be celebrating his first birthday during the trip.
With three hours to go until the big departure, the pressure was on. Kolbe and Löhrl had been busy since January, between subletting their apartment and preparing their itinerary from the North Sea to Sicily. When they return at the end of May, their baby will start nursery school. The mother will return to her job at the hospital, and the father to his job in the IT department of a company. “I’m afraid it’s a bit small and noisy,” said the mother, casting a worried glance inside the van. Asleep on their daddy’s chest, the child was about to experience the great adventure of the Elternzeitreise (literally “parental leave trip”).
Every year in Germany, thousands of parents take advantage of their parental leave (Elternzeit) to go on an adventure with their children. Just look at the number of blogs reporting on this experience, and especially at the number of short-term furnished rental offers on the popular Kleinanzeigen classifieds site. Very often, the introductory text begins as follows: “We’re off on an Elternzeitreise before returning to work and are looking to rent our cosy nest for one, two, three months…” The parents leave by minivan or plane, heading for southern Europe, Asia, or the country of one or another spouse’s family.
The art of juggling allocations
The three-year Elternzeit is set aside for employees, regardless of their type of contract. Both parents can continue to work part-time, taking the leave alternately or at the same time, between the child’s birth and their third birthday, in one or more installments. Part of the leave (up to a maximum of 24 months) can be taken between the child’s third and eighth birthdays. Unpaid, Elternzeit ensures that employees can return to work and protects them from dismissal.
To finance this, there is an income-tested parental allowance (Elterngeld), capped at €1,800 per month. It is paid between the child’s second and 12th birthdays – and up to the child’s 14th birthday if the parents share it. Thereafter, Elterngeld Plus may be paid the following year for an amount equivalent to half the parental allowance initially paid. In addition, Kindergeld (child benefit) is paid at a rate of €250 per month per child, regardless of income.
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