Living in Luxembourg

Hello everybody,

I have been living in Luxembourg for two years and I strongly recommend to everybody:  AVOID LUXEMBOURG IF YOU CAN!!!

This country has absolutely nothing to offer. Only a depression for you (and for your family).
The weather is probably the worst in Europe. It rains, and rains, and rains all the year round. You live in constant darkness. Streets are empty. People stay indoors. Socializing is very limited. In general, luxembourgish society is closed and does not allow foreigners to integrate. Half of the people working in Luxembourg are either foreigners or french/belgian/german commuters. So, as a foreigner, you are no one special.
You are treated as a second-grade citizen. Luxembourgish are interested only in your money. It will be you who will rent their overpriced properties, which are far from being of good quality or in a nice location. You will not be able to buy the apartment yourself - the prices are so prohibitive, that even couples with good income can not afford to buy an average flat/house.

The Luxembourg city is an extremely expensive village. And it is sad. Sad buildings, sad people and sad life. Depression, darkness and artificial culture characterize this place.
There are no mountains here or close to here. There is no sea. There is just one sad lake and a dirty river.

According to the statistics, Luxembourg is supposed to be the richest country in the world. But it is far from being so. The high GDP per capita is caused by the fact that half of the work force commutes from abroad or does not have permanent residence here. Locals however think that because of this misleading economic indicator, they can ask horrendous prices for any service they provide. Rents are equal to Paris, New York or London. One luxembourgish pensioner showed me a studio of 35 m2 which he wanted to rent for 1000 EUR. I started to laugh about the price. The studio was 10 km from the centre. I asked him why is the price so high? His response was: "Look at Paris and London!" Luxembourg is not Paris or London!! Luxembourg is more similar to Minsk than to any other EU capital. Guys, there are cows, sheep and goats in the city centre, in the same area where the price of an apartment per m2 exceeds 6000 EUR. This is not normal!

Luxembourgish government protects interests of its citizens by blocking the area of land available for construction. It attracts the banking and investment fund industry by advantageous conditions. The banks save on taxes but their lux employees have to pay the price. The population density is lower than in neighboring Belgium or Germany, but the prices are two to four times higher. Many locals own big ugly houses which they divided into several flats. These flats are then rented expensively and with very unfavorable conditions. Consumer protection is also very poor here - as a tenant you have basically no rights - the reason is simple - most of the tenants are foreigners.

Expensive living, intensified by the provincial atmosphere, extremely bad weather, uninteresting landscape, and depressed people makes you think only about one thing: ESCAPE.

I recommend to all Banks, Investment Funds and International Institutions to avoid setting up a business here if they consider the satisfaction of their staff important. I also recommend to all the people who were offered a job here to avoid this trap.

Each of us has just one life, so why to waste it in Luxembourg.

Foxo.

Ok - we get it - you hate Luxembourg - is there anyone to get a more unbiased opinion from?

We are looking for real information. Is it a better place if you have more money? Is the food good? Will my kids be safe? How long does it take to drive to Paris? Amsterdam? Is there a good cable TV system? Are the police corrupt? I expect high rents (I paid $8,000 in Bermuda...) but what can I get for my money? Easy to fly to other places? Tight expat community? Any drug problems? Pets? Car ownership?

Anyone out there????

We've been living in Lux for 6 months now (We're from the U.S)So far I've found it a very pleasant and easy place to live.  It is an international city where you hear a huge number of languages spoken. 

It is clean and beautiful.  Lux City is a working city, people commute from Germany, France and Belgium to work, so it's not exactly known for it's night life.  But we have 2 small young kids so that is fine with us. There are lots of great parks.  There are 2 international schools and one European school.  It is very safe. 

Everyone, including our Luxembourgish neighbors, has been very friendly.  As English speakers (we're learning French) there is definitely a language barrier that prevents us from really knowing the people and the culture.  That is the unfortunate part.  However, Lux is full of expats and foreigners so we've met many other English speaking people which has been nice.

Yes, it is expensive.  We've found the rents here a bit lower than Seattle but the cable, internet, car fees, etc. are all higher. 

There aren't any animals in the city center

Hello,

Impressions of a place depends always of your precedent experiences. I lived in Rome for 3 years and London for 2 years. I'm in Luxembourg since only one month, but I really enjoy the calm and proximity of everything. Is it more expensive than London? I don't think so. Rome? You probably know better in Luxembourg what you are paying for.

I have a baby too and things were quite difficult in London. Travelling on Tube with a pram, good luck! So, I was living my district only. I was in a great city without enjoying it. It was also quite difficult to met people there as well, 12 millions londoners running as crazy. City not safe at all.

I won't speak about Rome, I just can't imagine myself there with a baby. Of course it's one of the most beautiful city on earth... for holidays!

I need to integrate Luxembourg, make new contacts, find a job, it won't be easy but it's like a new challenge. We can say that we are not bored by routine.

Thanks for the news. We (my wife and I) are still going back and forth about the idea. Like anywhere else, it is what you make of it. I did 8 years in Istanbul so it is difficult to scare me. I see homes to rent online that look great from here! The international school looks like it would be better then the schools here in Georgia, at least on the web site. (I doubt it has lice issues and meth problems from illegal immigrants like we deal with now on a daily basis - and I am talking about an elementary school) The cost is what it is.

Hopefully we will find the opportunity attractive enough to make a move. I would love to drive the kids to Paris for a weekend or something like that. If any of you know a good web site for house hunting by all means please send it along.

Thanks for the help!

www.athome.lu
This is the site we used from London to find a house here. You will probably need 2 days to come and visit some of them. The best thing is to call some agencies and try to book some visit with them. Most of them speak english. We have looked for flat very close to the city center. Nice districts are Limpertsberg, Belair, Kirchberg(like a small Canary Wharf close to international school), Beggen. I'm here since just one month, so maybe someone else has other suggestions.

Good luck

I am a 30-something American professor and I will be in Luxembourg on a Fulbright Fellowship in the spring of 2010. I need to find a place to live from FEb. 1 through end of May 2010. I have been told by people at the university of Luxembourg that it will be virtually impossible to find anything for that length of time.

I am hoping that someone on this forum has information on finding a furnished place to live for 4 months. I can be contacted at [email protected]

Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Ph.D.

Hi,
I don't know nothing about renting a room or a flat for short period, but I found this list of place to rent on this very useful site.
http://www.station.lu/adList.cfm

good luck

The accomodation is expensive - I chose to live in FRance and commute - but other than that Luxy is clean, safe, relaxed, cultured, friendly, good health care, good education, excellent publc transport, multi-cultural .... apart from the accommodation there are only advantages of being here

MTL-YUL wrote:

Hi,
I don't know nothing about renting a room or a flat for short period, but I found this list of place to rent on this very useful site.
http://www.station.lu/adList.cfm

good luck

Yes, most flat rentals work on a 3 year basis, however I believe there is a clause that allows you to close the contract early if you leave the country.

You might want to try serviced appartments - there are a few around the city.

Alternatively, you might find a flat share arrangement which is a bit more flexible.

http://www.luxbazar.lu/Immobilier/Colocation.htm has quite a few entries - use google to help you with the translations.

Good luck.

Yes, Luxembourg is maybe better than Vladivostok. There are many people who like Luxembourg, because nobody bothers you with anything. It is an ideal place to isolate yourself.
It is a very good place to live in, because after you move out, you just feel so much better. It is a golden cage. It is like a chinese hummer or indian jaguar, do not buy it if you do not have to.

Well I just got here, and I agree with most of what was posted in this thread. Lux is a bit of a dump, hard to meet people, and in fairness the locals take the willy out of foreigners.

Everything is overpriced, but once you get your bearings around town, there a lot of things to enjoy. The hardest part is probably meeting people and finding a job.

I would definitely recommend coming here for a few months, or years but definitely not forever. There are many advantages but they quickly fade out...

For accommodation, check out athome,lu, it seems to be the main database for short and long term real-estate.

Cheers and talk to you soon, Naz

Nazofdublin, hang in there - it's get's better!

There are plenty of 'expats' who have been here for decades, made good friends (local and otherwise). The real advantages actually come with time.

If you have some transport - try shopping outside of the city -this is what the locals do.

I guess you have found all the 'english speaking' bars, groups, clubs, 'english shop' etc.

If you are looking for something specific which you have not yet found - send me a message and I will try and help

i want job iam working now admin clerk in singapore  i want work in luxumbourg please help me.

We might be moving to Luxembourg and have had a look at websites offering accommodation etc and are already thinking that living in France might be a good option of us. Please tell me how far you are commuting, by car or train, and how easy is it? Do you often have problems with snow or traffic? Also, I would love to know what the housing situation is like in France. We would like to rent a family house (4 beds) for a while and then buy. Do you have any idea about good agents/website which cover French accommodation within easy access to Luxembourg and do you know anything about rents or availability. Many thanks.

LittleMe wrote:

The accomodation is expensive - I chose to live in FRance and commute - but other than that Luxy is clean, safe, relaxed, cultured, friendly, good health care, good education, excellent publc transport, multi-cultural .... apart from the accommodation there are only advantages of being here

I have read all of the above posts.  Over and over again.  Looking for something new.  So here is my situation.  I live in Texas, and like some of the others in the thread, I think that culturaly, environmentaly and socially it makes a lot of sense for me and my wife to relocate with our two children to Lux.  My company has an open position reserved for me in May 2011 (Finance related).  I almost certain to be moving there.  It seems that the only draw back will be some weather issues (#of sunny days) and the cost of a flat in the city.  However, it seems if I live in the city I will no longer need two cars, my commute costs may actually go down, my spouse will most likely not have to work anymore and my children will be away from some of the social issues that are encountered in the US.  Any thoughts from some experienced expats?  Did I mention that my children would get to learn some new languages - What a great benefit (I plan to use the local public school system).

To ashtolux,
Weather is a bit hard in there compared to south Europe... but not as worse as I can hear from some of my friends in US and Canada during winters !
It can be really hot in the summer (+35 to 40C) sometimes with long heat waves like a few years ago and really cold in the winter (-10 to -20C), sometimes like this last winter with quite lot of snow or some really icy days... but in the end, it's just like anywhere, weather is always a constraint in a way.

Then... I think you're right on most of what you consider about transports in the city, your spouse not obliged to work and about children.
For my own, I live in there since a bit more than 6 years now, coming from France. And I've no regret at all ! My daughter was born in there, and already speaks fluently 3 languages at 5y.o. She's really well trained about sociability at school and they are really aware of the language & cultural integration for all children in public system school.

I hear a lot of expats in there criticizing the academic system... even not considering results and possibilities it offers, just comparing to what they would have had at theirs... Would answer that's quite easy to criticize, let's propose something better before telling against what is in place ;o)

For my own, would say it's a really great place to grow up a family. There are plenty of activities to do with children around, lot of traditional festivals that are kept from ages to be celebrated and there is a lot of cultural topics to learn in there.
Would recommend a visit on this website about what to do around with children : petitweb.lu

Hi everyone -
I will be moving to Lux in 4 months! I am originally Indian, but have lived in the US for nearly 15 years, now live in London.
I agree with MTL-YUL. A city is what you make of it. I love London, but the busy pace gets to me sometimes. I've visited Lux multiple times (my fiance lives there) and we made a conscious decision to move there, after looking at the standard of living. Yeah, language can be a barrier, but that is in every country, english speaking or not. Its within accents and imitations and the use of the language as well.
Imagine, all of us on this forum, could probably meet up for a cuppa and viola! you've made friends!
If anyone would like to get to know each other, or just chat, I can emailed at [email protected]

Foxo, at least the Finnish society is not so bad! I've been invited to a good party there once! In any case, it's better than the Dutch society; all the flash of a bingo night in a retirement home.

Honestly, I think for expats with children it's rather easy to meet new people, there's plenty organized! Meeting people in their 20s.. Less easy!

Otherwise, Luxembourg is safe, green, good education and health care. But, it's true, it resembles one big ghost town sometimes..

Hi Silvia_NL

You say plenty organized ? What are you thinking about. We're new in Luxembourg and don't know much things yet.

Hello everyone, I've read through all of the posts, and as opinions generally come, they are mixed. I'm originally from Texas, now living in Munich, and have a possible job opportunity in Lux...however, I'm a single female and am very social. It sounds like Luxumbourgh is a better place for families rather than single people in their early 30's. 

Would you agree? Thanks in advance for your input!

Hi my name is Sam and i am a real Luxembourger (sounds funny when you read it out in English) I am kind of a curious person so i googled for a Forum in English about Luxembourg and landed here and then i have read all your posts.

I totally agree with the statement that it is difficult to meet people here and that's not only a problem for foreigners. People in Luxembourg tend to build close groups and tend also to not step out of them. The result of that behavior is that the mass of foreigners here often stay in their groups to. You have entire districts with pure Portuguese, Italian or French community's. That goes so far that in big cities like Esch-sur-Alzette some people don't even speak french or german. Only portuguese. That's maybe not different then in cities like L.A. when i think about it.

However. If you are looking for the English community in Luxembourg you have the small supermarket "Little Britain" in Capellen. (Highway exit Capellen. Straight trough the round-about and then you see it on the left) They sell imported Stuff from England and they have a pinboard with activities for the english community and i know that there are some Internet Sites for english speaking people here to.

Living in Luxembourg is expensive. The city center is close to Berlin , Paris and London with its rents . My brother is a high qualified programmer and his wife works at the airport (high qualified to) . They chose to build a house in France because Lux. costs to much. If you don't earn A LOT you have to count in 1-2 hours of train or car.

Language. In the low minimum wage area you have to speak french. Lets say at Mc Donalds and at the Super Market. When you find one who speaks english you are lucky. If they speak luxembourgish you can post it on Facebook.

When you raise children in Luxembourg don't ignore luxemburgish in their education. It may not be necessary but even the attempt to speak luxemburgish will change how you are treated by luxemburgish people.

This may sound xenophobic but we Luxemburgers enjoy to speak our own language sometimes. We have LOTS of people living here which say that our language is the language of the "peasant's" and call us "peasant-burgers" (Letzebauer).


Weather. I am laughing right now but i have to agree to the most negative posts here. I have been in London for a some time and over a month in Scotland. Always better weather then at home . OK. Its normally not bad enough that you don't have to go to work but its always bad enough to get on your nerves ^^

Safety. My opinion is that this is the safest place on earth because no one cares for shit happening outside of their group but if you fuck it up inside your group you are fucked.

3 People where found dead here a week ago. Big news (usually people die because of car crashes and over aging). Then they found out that all of them where in the drug scene. No one cared anymore.

I somehow feel that i did leave a dark image of Luxembourg here but it was honest and i am to tired to continue.

@louiseetstephane: How old are your children? What languages do they speak?

Hello everyone,

I am a Canadian looking to move to Luxembourg to work. I have been to Luxembourg several times and really love it. The only thing holding me back from moving is that I only speak English (currently learning French) which is limiting my opportunities for work.

I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could send me information on firms or specific job opportunities that only require English as a language. Also if anyone knows of and could send me a link to any websites with job postings for expats and/or native English speakers in Luxembourg I would be very grateful for that information. 

I have a bachelor's degree in Finance and Marketing, experience in the banking industry as well as technical sales experience in oil and gas. I would be very happy to send more information and my resume to anyone that thinks they could help.

Thank you very much in advance!
Adam

Hello AdamKlassen and welcome to Expat.com!
You should check out the Jobs section in Luxemburg Classifieds or even post an ad yourself.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Arlette

We could perhaps organize smth btw all the ones living in there to meet up as most of us are complaining about meeting new people :p

Hey,

I have just recently moved to Luxembourg with my boyfriend and we would like to meet some new people and make some new friends! it seems a little difficult to meet new people as our french isnt great but we are very sociable and would appreciate any advice!!

Annmarie

Hey,

We have been talking about organizing some meeting for people who just moved in to luxembourg so maybe let's do it.
I've been here for a week so am starting to get bored

it would be nice to organise a meeting of some kind for all the new expats!

hello everyone

i've been living in luxembourg for 5 years now. when i read the first comment, i had to laugh because at some point almost all of it is true: overpriced services, unreasonably high real estate prices, closed local community, a somewhat provincial feeling even in the capital, reserved mentality of locals, too much conservatism in many areas, etc.

but the author forgot to mention positive sides first of all, it's a high life standard, high security level, peaceful and safe environment, beautiful capital (i consider it one of the most beautiful towns i've been to), idyllic rural landscapes, nice and neatly looking nature... ok, there is no sea and there are no high mountains, but luxembourg still offers a lot for people who love tracking and walking, for instance, and there are really beautiful places here.

it's definitely not a country of extreme fun. but for that you can always go to one of the big cities in the vicinity. actually the country is so small that everything is in the vicinity. you can easily go to brussels or amsterdam if you want some fun.

as to the weather... it depends on what you compare to. i come from estonia, and believe me, the climate is much worse there in luxembourg you at least see a bit of clear sky once in a while, and winters are mild

...and the people. it also depends on what you're used to. if someone is used to mediterranean mentality, then locals would seem too reserved, i guess.

but when i first came here, i was amazed by the fact that unknown people smile at you and say hello in the street. in estonia this would be unthinkable. in general people are very friendly and polite, they will always help you if you have a problem.

and i don't really see any problem in socializing and finding friends here. if you find it difficult to socialize with the locals, you will easily find tons of lonely people of all the possible nationalities who are eager to communicate and make friends. luxembourg is just such a country where a lot of young people come to work, and almost all of them are in the same situation as regards socializing.

for those who are looking for accommodation in luxembourg, i can also recommend this website: immotop.lu

Mino86 wrote:

Hi my name is Sam and i am a real Luxembourger (sounds funny when you read it out in English) I am kind of a curious person so i googled for a Forum in English about Luxembourg and landed here and then i have read all your posts.

I totally agree with the statement that it is difficult to meet people here and that's not only a problem for foreigners. People in Luxembourg tend to build close groups and tend also to not step out of them. The result of that behavior is that the mass of foreigners here often stay in their groups to. You have entire districts with pure Portuguese, Italian or French community's. That goes so far that in big cities like Esch-sur-Alzette some people don't even speak french or german. Only portuguese. That's maybe not different then in cities like L.A. when i think about it.

However. If you are looking for the English community in Luxembourg you have the small supermarket "Little Britain" in Capellen. (Highway exit Capellen. Straight trough the round-about and then you see it on the left) They sell imported Stuff from England and they have a pinboard with activities for the english community and i know that there are some Internet Sites for english speaking people here to.

Living in Luxembourg is expensive. The city center is close to Berlin , Paris and London with its rents . My brother is a high qualified programmer and his wife works at the airport (high qualified to) . They chose to build a house in France because Lux. costs to much. If you don't earn A LOT you have to count in 1-2 hours of train or car.

Language. In the low minimum wage area you have to speak french. Lets say at Mc Donalds and at the Super Market. When you find one who speaks english you are lucky. If they speak luxembourgish you can post it on Facebook.

When you raise children in Luxembourg don't ignore luxemburgish in their education. It may not be necessary but even the attempt to speak luxemburgish will change how you are treated by luxemburgish people.

This may sound xenophobic but we Luxemburgers enjoy to speak our own language sometimes. We have LOTS of people living here which say that our language is the language of the "peasant's" and call us "peasant-burgers" (Letzebauer).


Weather. I am laughing right now but i have to agree to the most negative posts here. I have been in London for a some time and over a month in Scotland. Always better weather then at home . OK. Its normally not bad enough that you don't have to go to work but its always bad enough to get on your nerves ^^

Safety. My opinion is that this is the safest place on earth because no one cares for shit happening outside of their group but if you fuck it up inside your group you are fucked.

3 People where found dead here a week ago. Big news (usually people die because of car crashes and over aging). Then they found out that all of them where in the drug scene. No one cared anymore.

I somehow feel that i did leave a dark image of Luxembourg here but it was honest and i am to tired to continue.

Hi Sam,

Sorry, but Berlin is much more affordable compared to Paris and London

That's why it's my second choice after Luxembourg...

Hi everybody,
We are a married couple 35 and 42 coming from Malta and willing to move for a period of time to Lux.Since we are both in the Catering/Hospitality Industry we are a bit worried about finding jobs in our fields.We are and used to be in hotel's F&B management possitions (meaning a la carte restaurants,conferences,coffee shops, cocktail bars and daily duty management) for long time working with big names as Corinthia Group or Hilton.
I would like to take the opportunity of finding this website to ask you, the ones whom had the courage to move to Lux already if there are any ways to find work fast with our qualifications.I know the language is a barrier but we started learning french too besides english,italian,spanish,maltese that we already know.
We would really appreciate any advices or help since we are 2000 km away and have nobody to ask about.

Thank you so much for the time taken to read and hopefully reply to this post.

Hi or mojen

I moved to Luxembour aronud month ago.

I must say the weather is the worst thing for me here, i am used to sun...so it is quite depresive...but i suppose i will get used to it.

I am expecting baby that is the main reason why we moved from Slovenia, here we have a lot of benefits for children and family, also the minimim salary is at least 2x like in Slovenia. Only 1 thing is expencive an that is appartment, and it is not so easy to get it...you have to have a contrat with 3 months salary and we still dont have it. But we have lucy, we live with my ount for now, till we fint the flat and the job. My husband speaks italian and english and it is hard to get job, really we must learn french as soon as possible.

For now we are not so positive about staying here, it depends on salary that my husaband will get...we will see,

regards to all...

Hi Entfant!

Why don't you take advantage of the sections Jobs in Luxembourg and Housing in Luxembourg and post your ads? It could help

Francesca

I think some people are exagerating in here ^^

luxembourg expensive in the middle of the city of course it is but go out of the city a few kilometers and the prices are nearly halved ... i pay 950euro the month all inclusive for an 135m² appartment ... and take 10 minutes on train to reach the city center ... but of course there are always idiots that ask over expensive prices like everywhere

luxembourg is extremely safe it was chosen as the worlds safest city 2011

hard to make friends ? yes it is if you dont try to blend in if you don't make an effort to integrate yourself it will probably be hard to find friends (Locals)

the streets empty at night in the city center ? of course they are most bars and pubs etc are outside of the city center rives de claussen as an example

filthy? lol first time i hear that i never saw such a clean country you could nearly eat from the ground here just compare london paris and luxembourg and you will see how clean it is here ...

Bad weather yup the weather is bad in winter ... wow what a surprise and is hot in summer wow but its not different from belgium germany and france our direct neighboors ...

sad landscapes ? luxembourg is very colorful just need to go around a bit and not stay at the same place all the time ... (Mullerthal petite suisse etc)

Hiking is popular here and lots lots of hiking and cicling trails

Im aware that it might get boring and hard to meet people or make friends and its hard to get to know a country by yourself but its the same as everywhere when you move to a foreign country you have to integrate yourself at least a little bit if you wanted to live the same life you lived in your country you wouldnt have travelled or switched place, with a bit of effort and if your openminded and put away that shyness you will have no trouble meeting and knowing people, try thinking out of the box and explore a little bit the really good places arent always open to the eyes if youre adventurous enough to switch country you should be adventurous enough to just explore a bit

Ps. Sorry for my bad english

Pss. forgot to mention it rent might be expensive but fuel and cigarettes are less expensive than most of the european countries france belgium germany etc etc and food is less expensive than a lot of other european countries :)so in the end it balances itself there are a lot of advantages if you look past the bad stuff


>>http://luxembourg.angloinfo.com/informa … tdoors.asp<<

Info on outdoors cicling hiking climbing watersports etc

I know it's a few years too late (I've only just seen this blog), but if you want my advice, DON'T DO IT!! I mean, don't come to Luxembourg. I've been here for nearly 14 years now, thinking I would get used to it eventually, but I never did, unfortunately.

Well, it might be OK for people with children, who probably have less difficulty meeting other people and making friends, but having no children, I have found it VERY difficult to meet and get to know people and have been very unhappy living here.

I have to admit, I did agree with your (negative) assessment of the country - you hit the nail on the head with your comments. At first, i.e. the first couple of years, I quite liked it, as it is always a novelty going to live in a new country, and you tend to see only the positive things (please note, you people who have been living here for only 6 months). However, after so many years here I have definitely drawn my conclusions. And they are not good.

Despite being a friendly, polite person, I have not yet got to know any Luxembourgers socially (I did attempt to learn the language for a while, but then discovered it was a waste of time). I find they do not want to get to know foreigners living in their midst, and tend to use their language - Luxembourgish - as a barrier to integration. But although I do not know any of them socially, when you live in a country you inevitably have contact with people in shops, offices, next-door neighbours, local government, etc.

Well, I can honestly say that in 14 years I have not yet met one single Luxembourger who I could define as a 'nice' person. They often appear to be hostile to foreigners (despite the fact - or is it because of the fact? - I speak good French), they have no idea of what good customer service is, have no qualms about doing the dirty on you (long story - too long to tell here), are extremely rigid and inflexible (well, at least they are with foreigners - how THEY themselves behave is another matter) and always try to hide anything negative that happens in their country, instead of facing it head on and tackling it. You will not find a real free press here. Anything negative gets swept under the carpet and you will never read about social problems, citizens' problems, bad treatment of foreigners, racism, drug addiction, corruption, etc. No, they just pretend these things don't exist (but they DO, oh yes....).

A few specific examples of their unpleasant behaviour: they get very angry with you if your hedge is a mere half a centimetre higher than the 2 metres prescribed by law, but have no problem building extensions in front of your window, removing your daylight and view (with the approval of their old mate, the village mayor).

When driving, they absolutely HATE people overtaking them on the roads, even when it is legal to do so, and get very angry if you attempt to do so (What?? I AM the King of the Road, not You!), but have no problem cycling along side by side, blocking the road when you are driving behind them at 20 km/h and trying to get somewhere. (But YOU are not allowed to get angry - that is their prerogative).

Once, I (with a friend) was following a cycle path which happened to cross a main road on a pedestrian crossing. I just stayed on my bike thinking it would be faster and less disruptive than getting off. Well, an elderly Luxembourger arriving in a Mercedes, from at least 150 m. away starting yelling and screaming at us, red in the face with rage, that we should get off our bikes to cross the road!! As if we had done him any harm?? What difference did it make to him whether we pushed our bikes or sat on them?

Oh, there are SO many examples like this, I could go on for ever.
Just today, a maniac on a bike put his hand out to turn left (we were in a car behind him, having just turned a corner, so were driving very slowly), so we let him turn, no problem, and he must have been agitated by the fact there was a car behind him (on a main road!), so after he had turned we carried on driving (at normal speed) and he started ranting and raving as if we'd done something wrong! What? I've no idea! Were we supposed to stop for 20 seconds in the middle of the road to give him time to turn, park his bike and find his house keys? No idea!
Honestly, it has got to the point where going out of the house has become so stressful that I just stay at home as much as possible to keep my blood pressure down.

Many Luxembourgers I have (not) had the pleasure to meet have been intolerant, rigid, nasty and angry, and have a shaky grasp of morals. But, of course, that is only my personal opinion, born of personal experience.

So, in a nutshell, if you value your mental health and want to be happy, DON'T COME HERE!!

Miruna wrote:

Hi everybody,
We are .. from Malta ... we are a bit worried about finding jobs in our fields.
...
I would like to take the opportunity of finding this website to ask you, the ones whom had the courage to move to Lux already if there are any ways to find work fast with our qualifications.
...
We would really appreciate any advices or help since we are 2000 km away and have nobody to ask about.

Hi Miruna,

Did you move to Luxembourg? did it work for you? Hopefully this is not too late for answering your question:

If you're not already hired in Luxembourg, stay in Malta and for no reason let recruiters deceive you.

I resigned from a lovely, well-paying I.T. job in the USA (this proves my courage to move here, right?) and arrived here almost two months ago. While I was in the USA, I got interviews and encouraging responses from recruiters. Once I arrived here, few of them became distant and the rest just didn't respond.

For the most part, recruitment agencies have rendered job websites a mess. While in the USA, I saw jobs in Luxembourg (for which I'm qualified) advertised by multiple agencies time and time again. I thought "Awesome! They just can't find skilled candidates". The truth: those jobs advertisements are fake.

Agencies might interview you by phone or in person, but it becomes obvious that there's not a job position in their mind. They are more worried about whether other agencies are interviewing you, which is their way of spying their competitors.

I've even come across "recruitment agencies" from [some-country-far-away] for positions in Luxembourg. What does guy from a [some-country-far-away] call-center (aka recruiter) have to do with a job in Luxembourg? Only one answer comes to my mind: Take a cut of your invoice/compensation.

I also have some rant about housing and rents (another area infested by parasitic agencies), but I'd rather not deviate from your inquiry.

Good luck.

Hello Everybody
I'm a telecommunication engineer and now thinking about moving to Luxembourg. My current job supposes quite long business trips but I would love to spend more time with my wife and kid. Currently I have a opportunity to get a permanent position in Luxembourg. In many posts was mentioned that everything goes well if you earn enough. Unfortunately I never lived for a long time in Western Europe, and I don't have any idea about the cost of life in there, except prices for rent thanks to this forum . Could somebody advise me what is the Minimum NET salary required to offer decent life for a young family. Sorry for my weird question, but this information is crucial for me to take the final decision.

Thank You