Rising cost of living puts pressure on parents’ back-to-school finances in Germany

Lela Griessbach is an academic in Berlin, juggling taking care of her two children and preparing her university lectures.

Every year, she and her husband get a list from the school of what supplies are needed before their children head back to the classroom.

It could cost up to €300 for one child.

“The first time I saw the list, I was shocked because there are a lot of things (you need to buy),” Griessbach told Euronews.

“On the one hand, it’s okay. That’s a very good approach, and you know what your child needs, but it’s very expensive.”

Germans increasingly choosing private schools

Families with children in schools are facing rising costs in Germany.

The national statistics office said that school supplies like pens and books rose between 5 and 13% in July last year compared to the year before.

Parents in need of financial support can get €195 for school supplies per child, but the Berlin Child Protection Association says that’s not enough.

Backpacks alone could cost up to €150, especially the ones specifically designed to protect a child’s shoulders and back.

Costs also differ from one state to another. School lunches in Berlin are free for grades one to six. In Hamburg, they cost a maximum of €4.35.

Students can get a free education in Germany, even when they go to university.

However, some parents are increasingly choosing to pay to send their children to private schools. One expert says this could be due to rising immigration to Germany.

“When you ask them what is better at private schools, they say the educational program or the curriculum or something,” said Marcel Helbig, a professor and department manager for Structures and Systems at Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories.

“But in most cases (of private schools) in Germany, the share of migrants, the share of poorer children is even lower, and that might be one thing that has an impact,” he told Euronews.

Inflation has gone to its lowest level in Germany in more than three years, but Griessbach, a working mom, is still feeling financial pressure.

She says parents get more support in her native Georgia, where relatives have a greater role in helping take care of the children.

“I have the impression that the costs are getting higher because everything is getting pricier. So, I think it’s automatically more expensive every year,” Griessbach said.

In addition to all the costs, she also has to pay for a babysitter after hours while she works.

However, she has found a supportive network in her new country with a nationwide NGO called “Working Moms”. In Berlin, the group meets monthly to provide guidance on balancing being a mother with having a career.

To find out more, watch the Euronews story in the player above.