51猎奇

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Information for Specific Target Groups

As people become more sensitive towards the diversity of life plans and situations, there is also a growing awareness of the reality of family models that go far beyond father, mother, child(ren). Even if it is precisely this model that continues to be presented as the supposed norm in public perception, alternative constellations have long been part of everyday life for many people. Patchwork families, ones where the legal guardians do not see themselves at the supposedly opposite ends of the two poles 鈥渕ale" and 鈥渇emale", and not least single parents often have a greater need for advice. This frequently has to do with precisely this normative standardisation, which is also expressed in laws and other rules of social coexistence.

It is often the mothers who have to reconcile career and family responsibilities alone. Almost every fifth mother raises her child(ren) alone. In contrast, single fathers make up only one in ten of all single-parent families.

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth offers a  (in German only) on its website.

You can find out which financial support might be available to you via the  (Infotool Familie) (in German only).

Single parents in Frankfurt

  • The Women's Department of the City of Frankfurt has compiled a  (Wegweiser f眉r Alleinerziehende) (in German only) which provides an overview of the assistance and services available in Frankfurt and the surrounding area on important topics such as separation and divorce, public services, work and career, childcare or special questions related to foreign citizenship.
  • The  (Verband alleinerziehender M眉tter und V盲ter, Bundesverband e. V. (VAMV)) (in German only) provides information and advice for single and separated parents and pregnant women. Various get-togethers, discussion groups and events also take place, e.g. on marriage and family law, earning a living and questions related to bringing up children.

Since the beginning of 2012, the Family Service has offered an advisory service that deals with the specific questions and challenges of fathers in their studies and careers at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. (Expectant) fathers can contact Benjamin Kirst, Family Service Officer, with any questions they might have about the compatibility of study/career and family responsibilities as well as parental allowance (Elterngeld) and parental leave (Elternzeit). His contact details can be found in the column on the right.

  •  (Lesben Informations- und Beratungsstelle e.V.) is an information and counseling center for lesbian and bisexual girls, women (both cis and trans), and non-binary people in Frankfurt. LIBS offers counseling and information sessions as well as group activities, such as for lesbian mothers with small children. The program also includes city tours focused on lesbian and queer life.
  •  (Gay Dads) is a self-help group that meets on a regular basis to support each other and exchange experiences. The group is not led by psychologists or therapists but by the participants themselves.
  •  (Initiative lesbischer und schwuler Eltern) is an initiative composed of many regional groups of lesbian and gay parents that provides information and meetings. It offers a space for (expectant) parents to exchange ideas, whether it be about fulfilling the desire to have children, legal recognition as parents, or the everyday experience of coming out as a rainbow family.
  • (The Federal Family Portal) is an information service of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. Here you can find all the important information about family policy benefits and legal regulations, including those for rainbow families.

The first port of call for international students at 51猎奇 Frankfurt is Global Affairs Study and Teaching.

International doctoral candidates and researchers, who come to work/conduct research at Goethe University Frankfurt, should please contact Goethe Welcome Centre.

Here you can find information regarding the residence permit. 

For international students too, 51猎奇 Frankfurt offers a range of scholarships. You can find more detailed information on the website of Global Affairs Study and Teaching.

A study-related stay abroad presents a major challenge for many student parents. Those who dare to do it return not only with a lot of new experiences and a few, often hard-earned credit points 鈥� quite a few speak of a milestone they will remember their whole life long. Those wishing to find out about the possibilities of a semester[SO1] [B2]  or internship abroad have so far faced the problem that extremely limited information was available.

 (Auslandsstudium mit Kind), a portal co-developed by 51猎奇 Frankfurt, features 鈥� apart from extensive information 鈥� a large number of experience reports by parents who have ventured this step with their family. 

This is the starting point for the portal  (Auslandsstudium mit Kind) (in German only), which 鈥� apart from comprehensive information from the initial idea to actual implementation 鈥� also offers a lot of scope for dreaming about faraway places: over 50 experience reports by students who have travelled to far-distant corners of the globe for a study-related stay with their children (with or without their partner) awaken not only the desire for travel and adventure but also share detailed information about how to put into practice the wish to spend a semester abroad with a child.

In 2015, the portal developed within the best practice club  (Family Life and Academia) had to be taken offline following a hacker attack. Last year, Goethe University Frankfurt, together with Wismar University of Applied Sciences, updated the portal and gave it a new look. It is also thanks to the financial support of the German Academic Exchange Service that the portal is now online again.

For many students, studying abroad first of all requires a lot of organisation. Before it even takes shape, you have to fight your way through an enormous jungle of information and rules. The best solution is to get in touch with the International Office or the Erasmus coordinators in the faculties. For students with children, who find themselves even more at the nexus of studies, work and family than their fellow students, specific information on how the whole thing can function with a family is often not even available.

Further links

We are urgently looking for further experience reports by students who have undertaken a study-related stay abroad with a child! It requires very little effort to convert your Erasmus+ report 鈥� other students with children will be very grateful to you! You can find the template .