Short-Term Support for Parents in the Finishing or Qualification Phases of their (Doctoral) Degree Program
This measure, developed in cooperation with the Office of Family Services, offers parents in the finishing phase of their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral studies financial support for a limited period of time. The aim of this grant is to support parents in caring for their children and managing everyday chores so that they can dedicate more time to successfully obtaining their degree.
Funding Type and Scope
A maximum of EUR 400.00 per month can be disbursed from this fund for a maximum period of six months. Funds are earmarked for additional childcare (flexible childcare, also during regular working hours; au-pair help or babysitting) or household personnel (domestic help). Funding can be granted once per household.
There is no legal entitlement to this type of funding. At the end of the
funding period, you will be required to submit a report on use of funds.
Funds for this type of financial support are limited.
Conditions and Application
The livelihood of the applicants and their children must be secured. Regular childcare should be provided. As a rule, children should not be above the age of twelve. The application form with the attachments can be submitted via e-mail to sekretariat@zgb.uni-bonn.de.
Your application should contain the following documents:
- an outline of your individual need for funding, including information on the status of your studies/thesis and further academic career planning
- information on the intended use of funds
- CV (table format)
- birth certificate(s) of your child(ren)
- proof of income for all members of the household
- valid certificate of enrollment and transcript of records (BA/MA students) or letter of endorsement from your doctoral advisor
FAQ: Application and Proof of Use
You can apply for a maximum of EUR 400.00 per month for a maximum period of six months. As funds are earmarked for childcare purposes, we advise you to carefully consider whether you will be using the maximum amount of funding. You will need to plausibly justify the requested amount upon application. At the end of your funding period, you will be required to submit proof of use for all disbursed funds (see final report). This is why you can also apply for smaller amounts of funding and/or shorter periods of funding.
Funding is earmarked exclusively for additional childcare (e.g. au-pair help, babysitting, etc.) or domestic help (e.g. in short-term mini-job employment). Funding is to allow parents with childcare responsibilities to dedicate time to their studies/thesis (BA, MA, doctorate). Funding can be applied for once per household only, even if both parents are eligible for funding.
Examples:
- Information on minor employment at Minijob-Zentrale:
http://minijob-zentrale.de/ - Job board for domestic help by Minijob-Zentrale:
https://www.haushaltsjob-boerse.de/DE/Home/home_node.html - The Office of Family Services at the University of Bonn maintains a small pool of student babysitters with extensive experience in childcare who can be individually booked by members of the University. The Office for Family Services only provides the babysitters’ contact information and is not liable for their independent services. Please make sure to contact the Office for Family Services two weeks before you actually need a babysitter.
Funding must not be used for general living expenses but is exclusively earmarked for childcare or domestic help. This is why the family’s livelihood must be secured. The application must, however, show that without the requested funds, additional childcare or domestic help would not be or hardly be affordable. Families whose total income is lower will be given preferential consideration.
Among others, we recognize salary statements, child/parental benefits notices, alimony payments, BaFöG, scholarships as well as proof of other income that contributes to securing the livelihood of all persons living in the household.
As funding is aimed at supporting parents in completing their doctorate, the letter of endorsement should include a brief outline of the current state of the doctorate as well as a confirmation that the doctoral student has reached the finishing phase of the doctoral thesis. Finishing phase means the time of finalizing the doctoral thesis for submission and/or preparing for the doctoral defense.
For short-term support in 2023, applications are due by [DATE] Your application will be processed within 4–6 weeks, so that the respective payment start date can be [DATE] or [DATE] at the earliest.
You will be required to submit a written final report within four weeks of the final disbursement of funds. Please submit your report and relevant documents via post to the Gender Equality Office at the University of Bonn, Regina-Pacis-Weg 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany, to the attention of Dr. Martina Pottek, or via email to sekretariat@zgb.uni-bonn.de.
The report must clearly outline the use of provided funds as well as their benefit to advancing the thesis. During which time and at which intervals did additional childcare take place? For how many hours a week was domestic help employed? What is the current state of the finishing phase?
Among others, employment contracts (for mini jobs) or other payment documents (e.g. bank transfers or payment receipts) for childcare or domestic help can serve as proof of use.
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