Gentry 1

Sara Gentry
Mrs. Packey
Hybrid CTE
17 March 2016
Health Science in Germany
In Germany, a lot of things are the same as us & a lot of things are different. For example,
Germany celebrates Christmas, New Years Day & Easter, but dont usually celebrate Halloween
or Valentines Day. Also, almost everything is closed on Sundays besides bakeries & in America,
pretty much everything is open. This essay will primarily be about Germany & its differences
with the U.S.
First things first, Germans use euros instead of dollars so if we traveled there, we would
have to get our money exchanged before entering or we couldnt buy anything. In Germany, they
celebrate some holidays close to their hearts. First is Epiphany, which was the arrival of the three
wise men on the last 12 days of Christmas. This holidays is celebrated January 6th. Second is
Swiss National Day on August 1st which kind of has similar traits to 4th of July for Americans
because they celebrate by lighting off fireworks. Third is German Unity Day which is just a
holiday commemorating Germanys official unification & it is celebrated on October 3rd. Lastly,
December 6th, which is known as St. Nicholas Day, where St. Nick brings children small gifts
before actual Christmas.
In Germany, there are regulations on how much people can work & when they work.
Workers can not exceed 48 hours per week if that is their average work week. Also, mostly

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everything but bakerys are closed on Sundays & everything is closed on any National holiday.
Stores can pretty much be opened up to whenever the store owner or manager would like to close
them, but it if suggested to close at 22 oclock. At the workplace, there are much more men than
women. Although in Germany 60% of women work outside their homes, only about 30% hold
any professional position. It is also well known that German women earn 21.6% less than men
who are holding the same position.
Next, some expectations in the workplace. First is always use formal greeting titles &
polite address when speaking to anybody. Dress code for men is dark suit with white or light blue
dress shirt with a tasteful tie. For women, its a pant suit of a blazer/skirt combination in black or
navy preferably. Tight or revealing clothes for women is very frowned upon. Both genders
should avoid obnoxious jewelry, as well as visible tattoos or piercings. Always make sure your
shoes are very nice and well polished. It is pretty uncommon for gift giving in the workplace.
Most companies want to focus more on business & less of pleasure. If someone is to give a gift,
it should be something small but of quality.
Moving on to cultural influences on business. A big difference in American & German
schools is life after high school. In Germany, college if free & there are other types of schools to
go to after high school. Also, there are 3 different high schools to go to throughout your school
career. In Germany just like America, there are a handful of ways to say hi & bye. There are
informal ways, to say with friends & family, & formal ways, to say to a teacher or a boss.
Germans like to sit farther away from other nationalitys because they feel as if their personal
space bubble is being invaded. They are also very low physical contact, they wont necessarily
hug or kiss one another as much as an American would. A big nonverbal gesture in the
workplace is raising eyebrows during a professional meeting. The person raising the eyebrows is

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more than likely contemplating something clever you said or thinking about your good idea.
When someone uses their thumb & index finger to sambal okay, it is also considered very
rude. Germans also give very firm handshakes & look into the others eyes when leaving or
meeting. Next is moving on to the government, which is a democracy. Germanys regulations for
trading can be hard to hurdle at times. Their tight safety standards complicate any travel to the
U.S market.
In conclusion, Germany is a lot like America in many ways. We have our differences, like
any country would, but its nothing drastic & wouldnt be extremely hard to find a job in health
sciences. But, men would be more likely to find a job before women since they do have a higher
professional position rate.

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Work Cited
The German Way and More. 17 March 2016. WordPress. Web.
German Women Earn 21.6 Percent Less than Men. 5 March 2015. 17 march 2016. Web.
German Business Culture. InterNations. 17 March 2016. Web.
Business etiquette. Passport To Trade. 17 March 2016. Web.
Nonverbal Issues. 6 May 2003. 17 March 2016. Web.
Overseas Business Risk- Germany. Open Government License. 17 March 2016. Web.