How to deal with stress when moving to Germany

Stress: papers and more papers. People tell you one thing and then another; You get sent to one agency to another.

Ideally here are the steps if you will take German:
1. Your a visitor for 6 weeks (even if your a Citizen or not)
2. Find a flat, Register it at the BuegerBuero, make sure the landlord fills out their part
3. Open a German Bank account
4. Register for TK Insurance
5. Jobcenter (have fun)
6. German Course

Tension doesn't really get relieved unless tasks are taken off list (at least for me).

I will say this: Welcome Center Stuttgart is very useful and VHS does have someone on staff that does speak English. If your going to Jobcenter for help be prepared to wait and you have to have a translator or know the language.

Christian Agencies will tell you one thing and then another, ask them for documents that support what they say (they cannot give this), so, you can either take the risk of being sent all around Stuttgart or you can go online and do some research (if you can PM if you have particular questions, maybe i can answer).

I suggest to always carry all your documents with you. Also to carry a document with questions you would ask government agencies in German, so you can point to it.

Serina

What are the main factors that contribute to stress when moving to Germany (cultural adaptation, moving with family, administrative and bureaucratic issues, language differences, etc.)?

Definitely bureaucratic issues. I think everyone struggles with the bureaucracy to some extent, because there's just so much more of it here than a lot of people are used to. I suppose the culture can be tough for some, but i grew up in Canada, and it's not -that- different, so I don't really have a good perspective on this.

What activities would you recommend to help deal with this type of stress?

Make friends with locals who can help you navigate this stuff. It's so helpful to have a native-speaking friend who can help clarify something for you. I'm fluent in German, but even I still sometimes get my fiance to give a second opinion on things.

What are some techniques that have helped you deal with stress?

Take a deep breath, put it down, then pick it up again later and tackle it. If necessary, take to google and track down a professional in the area in question (I'd never think about attempting my taxes alone, for example...I have a tax advisor!)

Is there a way to avoid being stressed out or anxious when moving to Germany?

No, there are always going to be stresses involved with moving anywhere. And the bureaucracy is going to happen, and it WILL stress you out. Just accept it, plough through it, and move on.

The main factor that contributes to stress when moving to Germany is that... pretty much no matter where you come from, where your homeland is, there is more bureaucracy and paperwork here than there. In connection with that statement it is important to realize that no matter what degree you have in your home country or what certifications or qualifications you have from your home country... the German system does not care... because your degree is not from Germany, your licenses are not from Germany, your qualifications are not from Germany. You might be a better craftsman, nurse, midwife, technical advisor, health professional, communications professional, marketing guru, etc... but your degrees and certifications will not mean anything to the German system. You will have to have them translated and try to get them recognized by Germany if you want them to be valid, but that will not work like you expect it to because you will still have to go to school AGAIN for that degree or qualification and take tests to prove yourself. They will not just give you a chance to prove yourself in the actual position or career you had somewhere else... they want your PAPER... your LICENSE... your DEGREE. The system is so closed off in Germany that many people become so frustrated that they just move back to their own country because it is too stressful and time-consuming to start over in Germany.  Be prepared to make less money for years while you get started all over again in a new place. 

Ways of dealing with this stress? First of all DO NOT talk to Germans about this because they are programmed by their system and they believe in it. They might admit that there are some bureaucratic problems, but they will defend their system blindly because they have never done what you are doing. They have never picked up their entire life and moved somewhere else and started over... so... TALK TO OTHER FOREIGNERS about it... find foreigners from your country and talk about it with them so you can get through it together exchanging ideas and helping each other. Also, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! You have a lot of rights as a Visa holder, if you have one, so know what they are because a lot of these Bureaucratic systems can just trap you for years and not let you move forward. Germany used to be known for doing everything right and by the book, but that has changed in the last 15 years drastically. If you have money, get a lawyer to help you navigate the system in Germany because if you ask 20 different Germans, you will get 20 different answers. Even the Germans are very unfamiliar with these systems you are going through as a foreigner and why should they be familiar with them?`They are German! So they have never had to do what you have to do to live and work in Germany.  If you are determined to stay and live and work in Germany then stick to your plan and work it, work it, work it! Do not let them frustrate you because it can be overwhelming. There is a demand for good workers in Germany, especially in certain industries, but the German system makes it so difficult to move forward so the Germans are kinda shooting themselves in the foot.  Many of them realize this, but they do not have the power to change it. 

Ways to relieve the stress? Get out into nature and work out!!!!! Those two things can really help A LOT! Germany is a beautiful country with a lot of pristine nature areas and that in itself is very healing and calming. Hang out with friends... true friends...  get on a workout program... cardio, yoga, pilates, plyometrics, etc... change it up... trick your metabolism and STAY FOCUSED and LIVE CLEAN! Reward yourself for a good week´s worth of working the Bureaucratic system with dinner and drinks... but always in moderation. Be nice to the civil workers in their offices. If you are nasty to them, you are no different than thousands of other people, but if you remain calm and nice and just patiently go through their system, they will respond better. Be nice... always.  Realize that going through the system and becoming STABLE in Germany will take four times as long as you think! If you really want to do it, stay on the path and do not let anyone deter you from your Goal!

Is there a way to avoid stress when moving to Germany? NO! There is no way to avoid that stress. There are only ways to deal with the stress and stay focused, but absolutely NO WAY to avoid it completely.

Keep plugging away my friends and the very best of luck to you all!

When it comes to degrees, I think it depends on what you do. Of course highly specialised degrees in things like medicine and law are tough, but I've never had issues with my British business admin degree (I don't even have it translated or have any kind of official equivalency)....people know what it is and what that means here. I know a lot of programmers who also get work just fine with their computer science degrees from their home countries. If you're in an international field and come from another western country, your degree is probably acceptable as is. People know what these things are...they're Germans, not morons.

I agree about finding international friends. They can certainly lend a sympathetic ear, and may know how to navigate things that people born here have never had to do. But I don't think that not talking to Germans at all about this stuff is helpful, either. I found my German friends and in-laws extremely helpful for a lot of bureaucratic things. Granted, I'm a German citizen, so some things come easier to me anyway. But I didn't grow up here and I still had to do a lot of things from scratch. I think having people who know the language is an asset in itself. Even if you're fluent in German, Amtdeutsch is a different beast, and it helps to have a native speaker explain things to you.

To have a degree recognized, be prepared to have it translated into German and then be scrutinized. Of course it depends on what field you are in, but as a general rule, your foreign degree will be scrutinized by the system in Germany. Danie Marie might be an exception to the rule, of which there are a few, but be prepared to go through the bureaucracy.

By all means of course talk to Germans, but avoid the conversation about the processes for foreigners in Germany as Germans are not familiar with them and do not have the proper information to really help you with that specific area, unless they work in that field of course.

If you are a German citizen, like I said in my original post on this forum, you won´t understand the ins and outs of moving to Germany and starting all over... going through the system... your experience is completely different. That is what this particular thread is about... Administrative and Bureaucratic Issues and stress therefrom, moving from another country to Germany. 

One cannot compare being a German citizen to being a non-citizen and attempting to actually move to Germany. Perhaps that belongs in a different thread.

Anyway, be prepared for the most difficult bureaucratic issues if you move to Germany as a regular foreigner.

Good luck to you all!

I wasn't a German citizen when I moved here

What year was that?

2005.

Anyhow, it could also be a Berlin thing. I know a lot of Canadians, Brits, Aussies,  Americans, French and Spanish people living here and none of them had to get their degrees recognised. But Berlin is a lot less conservative than the rest of the country, and it is very international. In this case (as is often the case in other topics), I feel that we're almost talking about two completely different countries here

I happen to be a German citizen who has lived abroad for many years and returned with his (non-EU) wife.
Yes, the German buerocracy is onerous, inefficient, frustrating, ...
BUT: This was the case in ALL countries I lived in (with one sole exception: Singapore). Foreigners are just made to feel unwelcome wherever they go!
(In fact, the hoops we got to go through for my wife to settle here weren't the worst I've seen. And she also never had to translate or recognise her degree, but that might be due to working in a multi-national corporation.)

yes, maybe... the two different countries being Berlin and  Munich.