Antwort
As citizen of the EU the freedom of establishment applies for you. That means that you do not require a visa or residence permit to set up a business in Germany.
To establish a language school, in particular, there is no special professional qualification required. Still you have to consider that you can either work as a freelancer (Freiberufler) or set up a business as a self-employed entrepreneur (Gewerbe). You don’t get a choice in this matter - it depends on your profession. Being self-employed or a freelancer makes a difference with regard to certain formalities and also has an impact in your company’s legal structure (www.make-it-in-germany.com).
Teaching a language is generally based on a teaching activity and thus on a freelance profession. However, this is different if your activity is limited to the management of the language school and the teaching activity is carried out exclusively by employees. In this case, a commercial activity must be assumed, so that you will be working as a self-employed entrepreneur (Gewerbe). This would also apply in the case of a franchise (www.make-it-in-germany.com). Therefore, before starting your business we would highly recommend you to consult a lawyer or tax advisor.
Besides, there are many public information centres which will advise you as you set up your own business. On the Startup Portal, under “advice and information”, you will find the contact information of regional and national information centres for entrepreneurs with a migrant background (www.existenzgruender.de). A general contact list is available on the Startup Portal (www.existenzgruender.de). Furthermore the website of Gründerland Bayern (also available in English) provides detailed information on setting up a business in Baveria (www.gruenderland.bayern). Step by step information regarding setting up a business in Germany is available on the website "Make it in Germany":
www.make-it-in-germany.com
Keep in mind, as you are operating in Germany, a good knowledge of German never hurts. Even as you prepare your business, you will find that many official documents are available in German only. If your German isn’t good enough yet, you should make sure to take a language course before you set up your business. Some advanced courses have a special focus on the business world (www.make-it-in-germany.com).
Source: Justina Alichniewicz
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
November 2016
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