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Roland Preuss, Berlin
There are jobs you didn’t even know existed before. For example, vacuuming vermin from carpets for three days. Or scrub the tank of oil trucks – from the inside. These were jobs that his acquaintances who received Hartz IV were assigned by the job center, says Udo Schäfer. “You really can’t expect people to do that, it also intimidates other recipients of help,” says Schäfer, who himself received Hartz IV in Stuttgart for years. Until recently, however, the basic rule applied: Hartz IV recipients who were able to work had to accept such jobs, otherwise the authorities could cut their money.