31

I don't like my job and think about reducing to 50%.

Where I work (Germany), several colleagues do that, but most of them are married women where the husband is the main breadwinner working 100%. I live alone and have to finance myself independently.

I now earn 4,000 euros brutto, 2,900 netto and can save some for retirement. If I work 50%, I'll earn half that.

I did an apprenticeship as a nurse and while the money is ok, the job is not. People say with a nursing apprenticeship you won't be poor, but what they don't tell you is how taxing it is and how you have to be a sociopath not to be criticized by management.

Looking for some opinions out of Germany.

all 6 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] _edge@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 days ago

I could live on 50% my salary now -- after building my retirement funds. I'm probably a lot older than you are. I'm not married. In Germany if this matters.

Progressive taxation and health insurance costs help a lot. You'll earn half the brutto, but the interesting question is the netto. You can run your numbers here: https://www.brutto-netto-rechner.info/teilzeit.php (in German)

1400 net can be a perfectly liveable depending on location / housing cost, but you need to think about retirement savings!

[-] schneewiese@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago

you need to think about retirement savings!

do you have a number in mind?

[-] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Could you take a 50% contract, and claim 50% social benefits? These last 50 won't be much but will help.

That's kinda what I do here in France, but I only get short contracts, then unemployment, then work etc to about 35~55% a year.

Another thing that helps is not going 50, but like 80 - it helps a ton to have 2 afternoons a week, I have many friends who did / do that.

My mother was a nurse, I feel you. Took early retirement as soon as she could.

[-] discocactus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Go half time and go back to school. Give yourself another option.

[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

Could you go 50% and then use the free time to create some sort of side business?

this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026
31 points (97.0% liked)

Asklemmy

52192 readers
787 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy ๐Ÿ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS