Lots of freelancers find themselves in a tough financial situation. Ever since the pandemic started, many of us have been left entirely without work. There are financial instruments like Kurzarbeitergeld for employees, but freelancers have often been left with no choice but to get their basic needs covered by the Jobcenter.
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Apartment search packages at Red Tape Translation
Welcome to Berlin! Now that you’re here, you’ll need a place to hang your hat. It’s easier said than done. It’s made confusing by the rental cap law in Berlin that might or might not be annulled retroactively.
If you’re not sure where to start, help is at hand. Red Tape Translation has just started offering an Apartment Search service to help you get your hands on a rental contract.
We’re offering three different packages starting from just 225€. We can:
- search for apartments based on your criteria
- communicate with letting agents
- set up apartment viewings (also known as “castings” but not as exotic as they sound)
- come with you to the viewings to interpret
- help you put together an application
- take you through the small print of the rental contract
- accompany you to the apartment handover
- help you organise utilities
To book, have a look at the PDF below, choose a package and follow the link to pay. We’ll take care of the rest!
Happy hunting!
German Bureaucracy: Changes to Expect in 2021
The year 2020 kept us on our toes, so we can only hope that 2021 is not quite so unpredictable. While we anticipate life beyond our firework-free Silvester evening, let’s outline the bureaucratic changes likely to affect expats living in Germany in 2021.
A New Project for Brits in Germany: Converting your UK Driving Licence
The Brexit transition period ends on 31st December 2020. If you’ve decided to stay in Germany, now is a really good time to think about converting your UK driver’s license to a German one, but you’d really need to get into gear to manage it by the New Year!
Novemberhilfe, Dezemberhilfe, Neustarthilfe, Soforthilfe … please explain?
Lockdown ruining your revenue? Homeschooling your kids instead of earning? Enter a confusing array of government grants designed to compensate you. There are so many of them, it’s hard to keep track. Here’s what we know so far.
IBB to check whether you really needed Soforthilfe II in Spring
The Investitionsbank Berlin will be asking all freelancers and small businesses who received Soforthilfe in the Spring whether they needed it or not. If they didn’t really need it or didn’t need all of it, they should pay some or all of it back.
All I Want for Brexit is an Aufenthaltsdokument-GB
In 2020, time stands still in so many ways, and yet some wheels keep on turning. Like that big ol’ steamboat chugging past on its way to Brexit, terminus. The 31st December 2020 will not only mark the end of a very turbulent year but also the end of an era, quite literally. So, what will 2021 look like for UK citizens living in Berlin? … Read More
Novemberhilfe grants for freelancers – what we know so far
Feeling the financial squeeze of Lockdown Light? Enter “November-Hilfe”, a flat-fee designed to compensate you for the revenue you lost this month. It’s not to be confused with Soforthilfe or Überbrückungshilfe. Red Tape Translation will take you through what it is, whether you’re eligible and how to apply.… Read More
ALGI vs. ALGII vs. Job Center vs. Job agency vs. dole vs. welfare
When you lose your job, you visit the Job Center, right? Seems logical. Except that when you get there, you’ll often get told to visit the job agency instead (Agentur für Arbeit). And when you get THERE, they tell you to visit the job agency on the other side of town! What the bloody hell is going on here? … Read More
ALGII and Einstiegsgeld – a government grant to start your business
ALGII recipients, you can get extra financial support from the JobCenter to start a business or take up a part-time job. That’s on top of the payments you’re already getting. The programme is called “Einstiegsgeld”.… Read More
The Künstlersozialkasse wants to check my income from the last 4 years
Ahhh, is that autumn in the air? Must be time for the Künstlersozialkasse’s random income audit! Every year in September, a handful of Künstlersozialkasse members get sent a special yellow letter. … Read More
Can I really register my address in Berlin by post now?
Word on the street is that the Bürgerämter are suddenly accepting postal registrations of address (Anmeldungen). Whoa! This is a big step forward, right? Well, sort of. If you’re new in Berlin, it won’t apply to you. Here’s why.