Saarbruecken

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Revision as of 17:33, 8 February 2006

This page is part of a broader series of information pages aimed at helping the Pakistani/Muslim community in Germany. Here you will find Saarbruecken-specific information only, for general information on living in Germany in general, see Living in Germany.

English Speaking Doctors in Saarbruecken

Since 2005, on the first visit in the quarter, the patient must pay additional 10 euros as Praxisgebuehr. Each calendar year is divided into four quarters (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec). Subsequent visits in the same quarter are not charged Praxisgebuehr.

List of doctors is given below (please add if you know of any other). If you find it difficult to edit the table, simply type it in plain text below the table and someone else will incorporate it into the table later.

Doctor	Contact	Requires Appointment?	Timings
Dr. Shad Nair (General Physician / Gynaecologist)	Bahnhofstrasse 101	No	As of Feb 2006: Mo: 9.00-12.00 & 14.00-17.00 Di: 9.00-12.00 & 14.00-17.00 Mi: 9.00-12.00 & 14.00-17.00 Do: 9.00-12.00 Fr: 9.00-12.00
Dr. Oran (Eye Doctor)	Bahnhofstrasse 101	No	Info missing
Dr. Stefan Shormann (Dentist)	Bahnhofstrasse Website: http://www.dr-shormann.de E-mail: info AT dr-shormann.de	Yes	Info missing
Dr. Kurt Wiedemann (General Physician)	Dudoplatz 1, 66125 Sbr. Dudweiler Phone: 06897 765727	Yes	Info missing
Dr. Thomas Dapper (Lung Specialist)	Bahnhofstrasse 101 Phone: 0681 37 13 73	Yes	As of Feb 2006: Mo: 8.30-11.30 & 14.30-16.30 Di: 16.00-18.00 Mi: 8.30-11.30 Mo: 8.30-11.30 & 14.30-16.30 Fr: 8.30-11.30
Dr. med. Peter Kurz Fr. Dr. med. Astrid Göllen (General Physician)	Bahnhofstrasse 101 66111 Saarbrücken Tel: 0681-32202 Fax: 0681-375454	No (but highly recommended)	Info missing
Dr. med. Margrit Hertenstein Dr. med. Ulrike Loskamp (General Physician)	Bahnhofstrasse 97 66111 Saarbrücken Tel: 0681-31666 Fax: 0681-374419	Yes	Info missing

Barbers in Saarbruecken

The cheapest known barber costs €10 per hair-cut (edit this as more information is collected).

Herren Salloon
- Location: near Johanneskirche/Haus der Zukunft
- Directions: (someone should be kind enough to add this soooner or later)
- Price: €10 (trockenhaarschnit, i.e. without wetting hair), €14 normally

Haar Studio
- Location: near Dudweiler Deutsche Post
- Directions: 50 feet from the Turkish Shop in Dudweiler; on left side of the crossing
- Price: €10,50 (triming only; €15,- for additional)

Food Related Information

Doeners

Cheapest known doener in Saarbruecken: €1.8 klein (haenchen) and €2.5 gross (haenchen).

Oasis Kebap (Bahnohofstrasse, opp. SaarGallerie)

Categories: chicken (haenchen) and beef&turkey (kalb und puten)

Chicken klein: €1.8

Chicken gross: €2.5

Kalb klein: €2.0

Kalb gross: €2.8

Sitting area: yes

Home delivery: no

Opening hours: mostly till midnight, sometimes till 1 am

Burgers

McDonalds (Bahnhof & near Karstadt in Bahnhofstrasse)

Economical options:

cheese burger: €1.00 (warning: contains beef)

chicken burger: €1.00 (warning: contains chicken)

Opening hours: mostly till 3 am, sometimes round the clock

Mosques or Praying Areas

Pakistani Mosque (officially Pakistani-German friendship venture)

Address: Pakistanischer Deutscher Kulturverein

Parallel Str. 42,

Saarbrucken, Saarland 66113, GERMANY

Phone:+49 681 7540602

Closest Bus stop: Hoch Strasse (Bus Route Numbers 10, 17, 38)

Also hosts Eid prayers, although gets crowded.

Arabic Mosque

Address: Islamische Gemeinde Saarland e. V.

Im Malhofen 2-4,

Saarbrucken, Saarland 66115, GERMANY

Phone:+49 681 7616885

Accessibility via bus: Bus Route Numbers 38, 39 (closest stop), Linie 10, 17 (requires a bit of walking)

Originally a sports building, converted to a spacious mosque.

University Campus Mosque/Praying Room

Location: on campus, Saarland University

Address: Building A5 04, Room# 03 (This address is according to the new addressing scheme of the university.A5 represents the region, 04 is the building number and 03 is the room number.All this info written together is represented somewhat like this: A5 04 03). See Saarbrücken Campus Plan for details.

Saarland University

UNIVERSITÄT DES SAARLANDES
(logo goes here)
Daten
Founded	1948
Location	Saarbrücken
Students	15,500 ( Foreign students: 17%)
Employees	2000 - Professors: 290 - Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeitende: 800
Website	http://www.uni-saarland.de/

<googlemap lat="51.254417" lon="10.040348" zoom="13" controls="small" width="300" height="200"> 49.254417,7.040348, Saarland University </googlemap>

There are currently 28 Pakistani students (bachelors, masters and Phd) and 1 post-doc researcher at Saarland University (Jan 2006 estimate).

Existing students and/or alumni should enter their tasuraat here.

Weblinks

Website of the Computer Science Department (English version)
Google maps' satellite view of Saarland University.
Campus map of Saarland University (clickable, interactive)

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money per month is required for living and education there?

To ensure you do not die, you need 300 Euros per month, which includes all bills, charges, university semester registration etc.

For a conservative, yet comfortable lifestyle, one should be able to manage reasonably with around 400 euros a month. For such a case it is assumed that you will look for (and get) a cheap apartment, will own a mobile phone but will not spend excessively on chatting with friends, will not have internet at home (but use the university facilities on-campus), will eat out only occasionally (restricting yourself to cheap doeners mostly, see below under food) and will cook at home frequently. Monthly estimates from a Saarbruecker's experience, as of Feb 2006, are given below:

Apartment rent: €175 to 225 (including utility charges)
Semester fee (monthly avg.): € 25 (as of Feb 2006, expected to change from Winter 2007, see below)
Health insurance: €57 (mandatory)
Mobile phone bill: €10 (including line rent and monthly charges)
Living expenses: €100

Of the above categories, amounts other than the apartment rent and living expenses are nearly impossible to reduce. It is possible to find even cheaper apartments, but don't count on it, at least for the first few months when you haven't extensively looked around. Living expenses have the greatest flexibility, but further reduction comes at the cost of austerity.

As of Winter 2005/6, the semester fee is slightly under €130 per semester (six months), the figure above is the conservative monthly estimate. This is expected to rise to €500 per semester soon, in which case add another €60 per month (roughly) to your expenses.

To reduce the cost of living, insist on getting a placed reserved in the University's Studenten Wohnheims (Student hostels), before you come here. They are very cheap (about 115€ per month) and very small (approx. 9 sq. meter). It is very unlikely though that you will get a place there as there is a very long waiting list and the ladies responsible for allotting rooms do not follow any rules.

Can I completely afford my living and studies there by doing some job?

Living yes. But with the semester fee of 500 Euros that will be required from Winter Semester 2007, things might change. But not drastically.

What kind of jobs can students take up while studying?

A student visa in Germany allows the holder to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week. It is often valid only for on-campus jobs, but that is not always the case (check the fine print on your visa). Also, frequently employers will also have their own financial or administrative constraints preventing them from hiring you at more than 16 hours per week.

Such part-time jobs mainly fall into two categories: HiWi, which is the Pakistani equivalent of a TA or student programmer, or odd jobs such as working at a restaurant or a factory. Be sure to check your visa to see the legality of off-campus or non-academic jobs.

HiWis

Hiwis are easy to come by, especially if you are fluent in Java, C++ or Flash. Most hiwi openings are looking for student programmers to work on small parts of university projects. To have a better idea, check the webpage for hiwi-openings (run through a translator). Most hiwis, however, are found through noticeboards, posters and word of mouth, and not through the website which is often incomplete and obsolete.

Pros: You get to work at the university, making it convenient to split your time between official work and your university coursework while being provided with a place to sit, often with a designated PC, with internet connectivity. A hiwi contract usually spans between 6 and 20 hours per week, but the timings are flexible and you don't have to be "seen working". For a student, often work that begins as a hiwi leads to added learning about the particular group's activities (e.g. you might be working at the Computer Graphics chair), and may lead to his/her pursuing a Bachelor or a Master thesis with the group. Working closely with professors also gives you one more person you can ask for a recommendation letter. Additionally, many people consider it more "respectable" as compared to working in restaurants; the amount earned can often be comparable in both cases.

Cons: Some people feel more comfortable with restaurant jobs since they don't carry their work home with them. On the other hand, this is mostly the result of misuse of time that the hiwi-doer should have spent working.

Non-university jobs

Working in restaurants or other places is completely different. Someone who has experienced it should add his/her opinion here:

Before Pros and Cons, I would say that working in a restaurant is illegal. I am quite sure that the student visa/residence permit hints towards this.I don't know if one is allowed to work in Mensa (kind of University Cafe/Mess/Restaurant). If somebody knows for sure about these things, then please rectify it.

Pros: Does not require programming skills. In case of a restaurant, you may even get a portion of free food.

Cons: Work experience has little academic or resume-value. Have to follow the employer's timings, often on the weekends.

Can a student start a job starting from the first month of studies?

It is possible, the only parameters involved are: how quickly you are able to find an offer that matches your skills, and how soon you upgrade from your provisional visa to a regular visa. It is advisable to first be in Saarbruecken before applying or sending out emails, since the prospective employers often ask you to simply come and talk to them (sometimes quiz you on your programming skills). The best way to seek such opportunities is to ask the students who are already there.

As of 2005, fresh students are given only a provisional visa (with a maximum 3 month stay) that needs to be extended/upgraded to a full fledge student visa before you can take up any kind of official work. Such an upgradation is dependent on a few things, such as opening a bank account in Germany and depositing those 7000 euros, acquiring the signed contract for your apartment, officially enrolling in the semester at the university, getting the residence permit etc. All these things can take time, largely depending on how quick you are (not sure if the residence permit comes first or the visa extension).

How many hours/week on job are required to arrange money for living and education?

8-10 hours per week is very manageable is often sufficient to cater to the bulk of your expenses (without 'ayashee'), the leftover expenses depend on your spending habits. It is also advisable to first get a feel of the university workload during the first few months before plunging into heavy duty part-time jobs. The course-failure rate at Saarland University (especially among Pakistanis) is alarmingly high; the more semesters you spend making up for failed courses, the more months you will be paying for living expenses as well!

What is the pay scale (Euro per hour) of the jobs that student do to afford their living and studies?

For jobs in the university, it ranges from 8 to 10 Euros per hour. Off-campus jobs pay more.

'What are legal and illegal issues related to jobs that students do, do legal issues seriously matter there?

For off-campus jobs, you need a statement from your advisor/professor/whatever that your work is related to your studies. So selling flowers and all such off-campus jobs are illegal. There is however, a provision that allows us to work during the summer holidays without any permission.

Is there any semester fee in Saarland?

As of Winter 2005, the semester fee is slightly under EUR 130 (for six month). However, starting from Winter Semester 2007, students will be required to pay 500 Euros per semester. (is this confirmed? add url or source of information here)

What are job opportunities in Germany after Masters from Saarland?

According to my limited exposure to this arena, there are job oppurtunities, provided you develop good German language skills. There are many jobs which don't even stipulate the condition of having good german language skills but in practice, it turns out that it matters a lot.

Are there special offers from Government of Germany to support international students after completing there studies, like VISA extension to find job, work permits etc. etc.?

Yes you can extend your visa for one year after graduation to search for a job. BUT you cannot work during that time. Regarding work permits, people have gradually started taking up jobs here, so we are also new to these issues. Hopefully, some information will be added as we know more. Currently, atleast two graduates have a work permit.

Are Ph.D’s funded there. How much funding per month and how?

Yes they can get around 1000 Euros (I think) per month. (phd students, please write from your experience here)

Do you know if admission can be deferred to winter semester?

The application requirements state: "All certificates must be accompanied by an explanation of the grading system...". What they are asking for?

Transcripts issued by most Pakistani universities contain an explanation of the grading system on the back-side, for example in a GPA system, 4.0 corresponds to the letter grade 'A', 3.7 to 'A-' and so on. According to the German system, a 4.0 means 'D', so the explanation is very important.

Whenever in doubt, it's always best to confirm through official channels with the student coordinator Susanne Schneider (s.schneider AT cs.uni-sb.de, click to email).

What does "officially authenticated" mean? Does a simple attestation from my university suffice?

Full version of the question: What does "officially authenticated" mean? Does a simple attestation from my university suffice or do I have to go to Board of Intermediate & Secondry Education (BISE) to attest my Matric & F.Sc. documents and go to my university to attest my degree?

If your degree is from a 'recognised' university, then an attested copy of the degree from the university should work. If your degree awarding institute is not even recognised by the HEC, then you might need to contact the BISE as well as your institute.

Confirm all sensitive official matters with the university.

Anything else I should know?

Try learning as much German as you can. It is not required for the CS Masters program but it helps alot when you go outside to buy food or whatever. See the page on German language for more information.

Bring your favourite/most important books along. Buying books can be very expensive here.

If you have a lot of luggage (usual for first-time arrivers), have some of it shipped as "unaccompanied luggage". If you have already made the booking, check with your airlines or travel agent for details. Also remember, you'll be carrying all your luggage from train to train yourself! Try getting in touch with some of the existing students (see list of students) for advice on which items to bring along and which ones to buy from here after your arrival.

If you are joining the CS program, you may or may not need a computer at home. Many CS students here have laptops (bought from ebay), but bringing along desktop components (processor chip, ram etc.) from Pakistan and buying a casing, monitor and keyboard from here may significantly reduce the cost.

If you plan to communicate with your family using voice chat later, and your folks happen to be computer illiterate, set up the computer, software, mic, instructions internet connection etc. before your departure. Voice chat on the internet is free, calling from phone costs money.

Bring along a pouch of medicines (for common problems like headache, indigestion etc.). Also include any cooking masalas or typical Pakistani things that you will not find here.

Hair-cuts are expensive compred to Pakistan (around €10), get one freshly done before leaving.

General Issues

Non-city-specific topics, which are relevant to people living in Germany in general are discussed under Germany. Some of the topics discussed in the main article include:

Travel-related information (finding cheap tickets)
Economical means for calling Pakistan (calling cards, telephone codes etc.)
Visa related FAQ
Online communities and mailing-lists
Miscellaneous information, such as contact info for the consulate general of Pakistan

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+<br>'''Fr. Dr. med. Astrid Göllen'''
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 <small>(General Physician)</small>
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 <br>Fax: 0681-375454
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+<!--- Doctor's Name ---> | bgcolor="#888888" | <font color="#FFFFFF">
+'''Dr. med. Margrit Hertenstein'''
+<br>'''Dr. med. Ulrike Loskamp'''
+<!--- Type of doctor ---><br>
+<small>(General Physician)</small>
+<!--- Location & Contact---> | |
+Bahnhofstrasse 97
+<br>66111 Saarbrücken
+<br>Tel: 0681-31666
+<br>Fax: 0681-374419
+<!--- Requires appointment? ---> | align="center" |
+Yes
+<!--- Timings --->|  |
+<small>
+Info missing
+</small> <!--- Careful not to delete this /small tag --->
 <!--- End of Table --->