The voluntary social year (SOCIAL SERVICE YEAR IN GERMANY) is a full-time job. This job is a practical auxiliary activity in facilities for community service. These facilities are legally called places of assignment. Places of assignment can be for example nursery homes, facilities for handicapped persons, rescue services, hospitals, cultural and sports facilities.

During their engagement, the young people get to know the everyday life of the places of assignment and thereby the work with and for humans. The volunteers receive practical guidance in form of introduction, instructions and supervision by a qualified employee.

The place of assignment is usually assigned to a supporting institution, which is a central body. The supporting institution is responsible for the proper performance of the SOCIAL SERVICE YEAR IN GERMANY. It supports the practical instructors of the place of assignment with the volunteers ‘educational supervision, e.g. by organizing so-called instructor days or conducting consultant conversations with the places of assignment.

Supporting institution and place of assignment as well as place of assignment and volunteer form a triangular relationship based on agreements.

• with ill people,
• with elderly people, – with children and juveniles,
• with disabled people,
• in the cultural sector,
• in the sports sector as well as
• abroad.

1. Home for the elderly and nursery home,
2. Hospital,
3. Facility for handicapped persons (e.g. workshops for handicapped),
4. Out-patient social and nursery service,
5. Cultural heritage preservation office or club,
6. Sports club, sports association,
7. Nursery or day-care center
8. Medical and rescue service,
9. Church,
10. Historical site,
11. Museum,
12. Cultural club,
13. Archive,
14. Youth club,
15. Special school,
16. All-day school,
17. Youth fire brigade

Volunteers, who serve a SOCIAL SERVICE YEAR IN GERMANY are compulsorily insured with the statutory social insurance. Especially important is the health insurance. Yet, a volunteer is also member of the pension insurance and the unemployment insurance.

This also applies to other voluntary services, named in § 32 section 4 number 2-character d EStG (Income Tax Act). If it is regarded as occupation according to the application of the Book of the Social Security Code, the members are insured in the different branches of social insurance; that is in pension insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance. The term occupation in § 7 section 1 of the Fourth Book of the Social Security Code (SGB IV) is interpreted widely by case law and thereby includes not only traditional employment relationships, but also voluntary services.

The statutory accidence insurance insures the participants of a SOCIAL SERVICE YEAR IN GERMANY or other voluntary services either as occupants or – in case of no occupation relationship – according to explicit legal regulations (§ 2 section 1 number 1, section 1a, section 3 number 2b and c Seventh Book of the Social Security Code (SGB VII)). The usually paid „pocket money “as well as free accommodation and meals are considered as wage for the social insurance.