New members of the Germany forum, introduce yourselves here - 2020

Greetings everyone.
  I will be moving to Bavaria, Germany in the near future, and starting a job making costumes.  This was an unexpected offer, so I have not had time to learn very much of the language, or gather much information.  Any suggestion on how to begin and how to set up a house on the cheap, would be helpful. 
  As of yet, I have not found a place to live.  So assistance for something that is lightly furnished would be great.
  Is there anything from the states that I must bring with me?  I am having to pay for my own relocation, so I can only bring the necessities.
Thank you for the help, and directions!

There is a lot of information on other threads on this site but not necessarily directly to your question. If you have very specialized tools for your work then I would think you would want to bring them. But I imagine you use mostly sewing machines, something that can be found here as well of course. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything essential that cannot be bought locally.

One should know that the vast majority of people live in apartments not houses. Looking for a house to rent will likely cut down your options by 95% in an already very tight housing market in most cities. And a whole house of any size is going to be expensive. So don't get hung up on the idea of a house, try to find a nice apartment but be aware it is not easy, especially for a foreigner. Many landlords are not prejudice per se - they just want security about their tenants. And why should they take you instead of the nice German couple with professional stable jobs…

But once you find accommodation then one can get new furniture and household objects at IKEA for cheap. Or find used things on flea markets or advertised in newspapers or local online sites. Sometimes people are virtually, or even literally, giving away perfectly good things because they have replaced them, have no room to store the old stuff and just want to get rid of them.

Another tip is to see if you manage to get along with public transportation. Many people in the cities are better off without having a car. Single tickets for trains, buses etc. are not cheap but all municipalities will have things like year/month/weekly passes that make it much cheaper if used regularly.  And this then becomes a factor in housing location. What is the proximity to  transport. Sometimes the total distance of a commute is not as important than if one has to change lines and how far the stops are from your starting point and destination. One might just find a place to live that is a bit cheaper but way out of town and then one suddenly needs a car or has a very long and difficult commute to work and thus one might not save anything at all.

Anyway, Ansbach is a small but very pretty city. If you want to connect with other US expats, I think there is still an American Army base nearby because the occasions I've had to visit there I always noticed multiple American families on the street.. And if Ansbach feels too provincial at times, Nuremburg is a short train ride anyway.

Thank you for the suggestions.   I will keep them in mind as I begin this quickly approaching transition.

thanks for info

Does anyone have a tip on renting a furnished apartment?  I have inquired about two online, but have heard nothing in return.

SyRilla27 wrote:

Does anyone have a tip on renting a furnished apartment?  I have inquired about two online, but have heard nothing in return.

The rental market is very difficult in the more populat German cities. We have discussed this several times on the forum and you are welcome to read those posts.
In short:
- You need to be physically in Germany, able to view the apartment and meet the landlord in person. Contacting any before your arrival is a waste of time!
- Furnished places are rare, especially expensive and particularly sought after. If you intend to stay above six months, better rent empty and buy your own stuff. For shorter stays, cheap hotels or temporary rental agencies (which charge about the same as hotels, but sometimes offer more luxuries) are your best bet.
- The same hotels and temp agencies are also suitable for your initial time from arrival until you find a rental place and move in. This can be weeks if you are lucky, months if you are not.

Like Beppi mentioned, if you rent for more than 6 months then it is usually better to buy your own furniture. Functional cheap things are available at Ikea or used for cheap or even free. There are multiple threads on this site about this subject. But while furnished places were quite rare in the past they have apparently become much more common in recent years. But the reason is that the landlords can have much higher profit margins. This trend hasn't pushed the prices down as far as I know but say for someone coming for some months it might make finding a place easier in a tight housing market. And if it is for a rather short time rental it will still probably be cheaper than even the cheapest hotel and of course saves the trouble of shopping for furniture that one has to sell or give away when they leave.

Hi,

Do we have a WhatsApp group where we can discuss on Germany visa?

Thanks
Srikar

Hello srikarnikhi and welcome to expat.com.

If you have trouble with the German visa, why don't you have a look at our Visa in Germany article?

Also, you are most welcome to post post a new topic if you have any question regarding visas.

Regards.

Loïc

Hi.

I've been in Frankfurt for a year or so now, and been enjoying life in this city.

I'm originally from Pune, in India, so the contrast between Indian and German life is rather huge.

I work in IT, and so do a lot of work for German banks in Frankfurt of course!

Still searching for really authentic curry, so let me know if you find any great places!  Also, I am a regular  cricket player (wicket keeper and ok batsman) so let me know if you play or like to watch this beautiful game!

Hi, I'm Leonie. I have been living in Germany for 20 years. I'm originally from Russia.

Olá.  I'm a Portuguese now in Berlin.  Been in Bordeaux and London before making the switch to Germany.

Hi, I'm Astrid from Duisburg and I'm here because I am interested in languages and in meeting people from all over the globe.
I'd like to do my best to help you get settled in my country and city.
So if you are in Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Mülheim, Oberhausen and are looking for a language café, a sports club, a playgroup for children...whatever...just ask me and either I already know something or I can figure it out for you.

My name is Uche. I am Nigerian and my husband is German, we moved to Germany from Ireland last year. It's been very challenging for me to adapt or get a job because my German language skill is not so good (taking lessons though). I have a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Media Communications.

I'm not sure, but maybe those websites can be useful to find an English language job in Germany:

https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/https://www.toytowngermany.com/

From USA
Wish to enter Germany
early retiree

Thank you.  I will check them out.

Jay198 wrote:

From USA
Wish to enter Germany
early retiree

Good luck with that. Germany is not known for attracting retirees.  Most people look for warmer climates. And one can survive with English but few are happy if they don't speak the language. They are then dependent on others' good will to help them out and can feel socially isolated. I think one will have to prove that they have enough retirement income.

The other thing is that one has to get German health insurance when living here. Many Americans have no idea how it works and believe the hype that it is free. It is not. There is universal coverage which means everyone has to get coverage. And most people have a public option that determines cost as a percentage of income. And if one retires while in the public system, then they continue with it. But one cannot join it at retirement age. The only option as far as I know will be private insurance which then is very expensive at that age. There might be other options if one retired from the US military and their coverage will be honored in Germany but I don't know details about this. There have been many threads on this site about the subject of health insurance so I suggest you go through the site or start by looking at the Wiki page about German health coverage.

Hello,

I am currently leaving in the UK but I may go to Germany for some research projects (physics/ engineering). I do not know yet if I will be staying in Germany for a longer period of time or just for the research project.

A few questions I would have is:
1) How is payment (salaries) in research in  Germany for fields like physics / engineering?
2) I am aware this has been asked before but, for the purposes of my job, would I be ok without learning German (i.e. speaking only English)?
3) Are there other things/ aspects I should know regarding this?

1. Research positions in universities and reserach institutes are paid by the rigid (and not very high) salary schedule for public servants. For private companies it depends on many factors incl. your negotiation skills, but is usually higher.
2. Ask your employer- how can we know?
3. Your social life will of course be limited without speaking German - and there are lots of situations in daily life where it is useful, too.

These questions are all a bit like asking how long is a rope? General answers are virtually impossible and irrelevant. If one can do a project with English and no German or the level of pay depends completely on the project, what it is about, who is funding it etc. You need to search for fitting projects you think you have a chance for and see what they require/offer. And you know best which areas you are skilled in, so you need to look yourself. But like Beppi mentioned, a public or N academic facility funded project will likely offer less than a private company - and speaking at least minimal German to get along happily in social settings is strongly recommended even if not a work requirement.

Hello everyone,

I'm from germany and here to help you with some questions you might have.

Hello,

I am currently staying in Germany. I am on a job seeker visa and in Germany now. The recruitment process drastically slows down. I don't know what to do, my visa period is though limited.

This is not the right time to look for a job in Germany (or anywhere, for that matter). Things also won't improve even after the restrictions are lifted.
I think you should prepare to return home. Sorry!

Hi everyone,

I'm Anietie, a Nigerian, been in Germany for just a month now.

It's a nice place really

I think so. But I cannot go back as my country is under complete lockdown.
Let's hope for the best

I don't think going back is a good solution, you could instead adapt, for example; looking for remote jobs instead, since most companies are hiring for remote these days.

Hello!  I am new here.  My best friend is in Marl, Northrhine-Westfalia Germany.  We've been talking online since 2013 and since 2017 we've been discussing being together as a couple.  We're at a point where we're certain we want to get married!! 

But there are so many things we don't know, and that's why I'm here.  We've found it is easiest to marry in Denmark, but then can I still go back to Germany as a visitor until I can get residency (which I think I might have to do from the United States)? 
And we don't know for sure we'll live in Germany because we have a larger support system in my hometown and also it's cheaper here too. 
But it's easier to bring her over as my wife than fiancée, am I wrong? 

I don't know I've been googling but can't find best results for what I'm looking for.

Maybe you all will be able to help!!

Thank you!

Lemurflight: Welcome to the forum! You can find a lot of discussions and good advice about situations like yours here. If after reading it you still have a detailed question that has not been addressed before, please feel free to post it!

You are proposing 2 different scenarios. Living in the US or in Germany. To live in Germany you need to get a family reunion visa and then register upon arrival. You will then be given a 3 year limited residency, which should be followed up by an unlimited residency if you have followed all of the rules. But to live in either country, the spouse getting permission is not automatic. They can be denied if they have for example a serious criminal conviction or previous immigration violations. And to live in Germany with a German spouse you probably need to pass an A1 level German exam and show that together you have enough income and a large enough accommodation. But like Beppi mentioned, this subject has been covered extensively on this site or one can look at the German Immigration Authority website www.bamf.de/en For details about her immigrating to the US you need to ask on the appropriate forum rather than here.

Oh thanks!  I didn't mean to derail the discussion, just wanted to explain about my situation a bit!
I will definitely look around and ask more if I need to as would be appropriate!  Thank you!!

Hello,

New on the forum, got some great job advice already.

I am originally from Norway, but came here for an international degree, which was taught in english btw.

Just finished my master degree in embedded systems and moved in with my girlfriend in Berlin. I also have a bachelor degree in electrical engineerning.

I speak german quite poorly so I don't have the opportunity to apply for jobs in german, but I have a great setting for learning german since my girlfriend is fluent.

I am looking to get a job as an engineer, but that seems hard for a fresh graduate in Berlin without proper german.

Maybe it is better that I get a part time job first so that I can hone my german and work skills while still putting some food on the table.

Welcome to the site. I am one of the more active members here but have to say that I really don't know that area. I once spent a day in Bochum but it was over 30 years ago. The Ruhr area is generally known for being industrial rather than for having especially attractive cities. If you don't find specific advice here I would really Google all of these cities and, for example, see their officials sites to get an overview.

For getting a feeling of these places, nothing beats a visit and seeing it with your own eyes.
Do you have a chance to do that, before deciding where to stay?

Hello all,

I'm Maria, 34 years old from Bulgaria. My husband is starting a job in Germany and we will be moving to Bavaria, Nürnberg area in the next couple of months. We both have lived in Germany before. My German is ok, my husband only knows basics, but he's working for an international company where the primary language is English. We're actively looking for a property to rent.
I found some useful tips on this forum already. Hope you all stay safe!

Freundliche Grüße,
Maria

Hello All, I'm a software engineer from India with 9 years of experience. I'm planning to move to Germany with my wife and 2-year-old kid. We want to join our kid to the German medium school as its free of cost. We are also very much afraid that in case If we return back to India after 10-15 years, my kid will not be able to cope up with our Indian schools/universities as she learned all the concepts in the German language(not in English). Can anyone tell if you have faced any such experience like this?

Rcmohanraj: It is probable that, after such a long time in Germany (all its living memory!), a kid becomes more comfortable with being German than Indian.
You can probably preserve some "Indian-ness" by speaking your language at home and occasional exposure to Indian culture, mentality and languages, but it will be an uphill battle. The best you can achieve is raising a cosmopolitan child who knows both worlds and is able to, as grown-up, make an informed decision about where he/she wants to be.
I am speaking from experience, as my kids are half Chinese - and my wife is pretty disappointed that our kids, though they understand Chinese, always reply in German (even to my in-laws, who do not speak a word of it). Also, the kids in the (once weekly) Chinese school (most of them with two Chinese parents) exclusively use German among themselves, if not forced otherwise by the teachers.
That said, kids are far more flexible than adults and, at least at primary schoollevel, can get used to a new environment and pick up a new language very quickly. They usually lose only a year or less!

Thank you Beppi for the response. If I planned to join my kid in the English medium in Germany, it's very costly, so only decided to join her in the German medium. But in the event of returning back to India, I'm not sure how much she will suffer. Because I faced a lot of issues while going to Universities as English is not my first language. It was very difficult for me to understand the engineering concepts in English as I learned all the schooling in my native language.