Interviews and Project Findings:
Jobs for Children and Pocket Money in Mülheim

"Because of the poverty of the people, the children got no pocket money, maybe sometimes some pennies, but not more. Today most teenagers go working after the school, but in those days they didn't. There was always much work at home where they had to help. Only in the autumn break, sometimes called "potato holidays", they had the opportunity to earn some Marks on the potato fields."


"The children did not get pocket money. They sometimes got money presents for their birthday."


"I never got pocket money; for the meals at home I had to hand in part of the money I earned."


"There was hardly any pocket money, only for special achievements but not regularly. When you got 50 Pfennigs, you went to the pictures or saved the money."


"There was no pocket money. However, at 14 you started your apprenticeship. In the first year you got 50 Pfennigs per month, 2.50 Marks in the second year and 3.50 in the third year."