Is it worth it to move to Germany?

porcelainqueen wrote:

Is it worth it to move to Germany?

Yes, of course it is worth it.
But, as any place, Germany has up- and downsides. So it is your own personal decision, based on what you expect and which compromises you are willing make.
If you tell us more about these, we may be able to advice further - but without knowing you at all, the question id too broad to give any meaningful answer.

One of the biggest issues is language. One has no problem as a tourist to get by in English. For the long run, one can survive but not flourish socially and professionally without  fluency. To immigrate as a non-EU person, unless married to a local, one usually has to line up a job first and then get the work visa.  Only possible for skilled labor with education and usually experience - and for 95% of the jobs fluent German. English is a plus, in addition, not usually as an alternative except in some very niche fields. No employer will take the extra effort and cost to recruit someone for non-skilled labor.

If one learns good German beforehand then they have much more opportunities from the start. If they have no desire or ability to learn it at some point then they might as well stay home.

I agree with what Beppi and Tom have said.  I lived in Germany for 15 years and love the country; I just happened to prefer the Netherlands and living in a border town, I could enjoy the best of both countries.

beppi wrote:

porcelainqueen wrote:

Is it worth it to move to Germany?

Yes, of course it is worth it.
But, as any place, Germany has up- and downsides. So it is your own personal decision, based on what you expect and which compromises you are willing make.
If you tell us more about these, we may be able to advice further - but without knowing you at all, the question id too broad to give any meaningful answer.

I'd love to learn a new language and travel.  I live in a hot climate, which I'm tired of.  I'm looking for good health care and all that stuff.

porcelainqueen wrote:

I live in a hot climate, which I'm tired of.

Did you ever live through a German winter? It might make you reverse your opinion!
(I personally much prefer tropical humidity over our current, grey November cold.)

porcelainqueen wrote:

I'm looking for good health care and all that stuff.

In this respect, Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries are better (says my wife, who works in the field).

beppi wrote:

porcelainqueen wrote:

I live in a hot climate, which I'm tired of.

Did you ever live through a German winter? It might make you reverse your opinion!
(I personally much prefer tropical humidity over our current, grey November cold.)

porcelainqueen wrote:

I'm looking for good health care and all that stuff.

In this respect, Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries are better (says my wife, who works in the field).

I've yet to live through a European winter! Would you say Germany has good public transport?
I'm also considering the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries (especially Sweden) as well.

Germany has good public transport - in the cities. Smaller towns or the countryside still require a car.

beppi wrote:

Germany has good public transport - in the cities. Smaller towns or the countryside still require a car.

Good to know, I'm only looking at big cities.

Can anyone compare Germany (specifically Bavaria) with Austria? Which one would you chose? And which one offers more job opportunities for creatives/artsy people or those who would like to open a B&B? I'm talking about areas except Munich and Vienna though I can see moving to a Vienna satellite town but not a satellite town of Munich (more hills in Austria ).

I haven't been to Germany but I have friends who stay there. I think I can handle.

They told me so much about there and the weather. Its all good. Thought not compared to here.

bitex93 wrote:

Can anyone compare Germany (specifically Bavaria) with Austria? Which one would you chose? And which one offers more job opportunities for creatives/artsy people or those who would like to open a B&B? I'm talking about areas except Munich and Vienna though I can see moving to a Vienna satellite town but not a satellite town of Munich (more hills in Austria ).

I know quite a few people that have B & B's in Austria and because of COVID, they have been hit hard due to them not being able to open. We have had 4 lockdowns now in the last 2 years. There are talks of a 5 one if the number of cases goes up.

It's not something I would consider at the moment and I work in the hospitality industry,  I am glad that I did not open one a couple of years ago as I had planned to.

The same can be said for most creative/artsy people, too. Not the best of times for them in neither Austria or Bavaria!
And starting on your own here should only be considered with near-native language skills (which is needed to manoeuvre the plenty of buerocracy and build the network of connections necessary for success) - how is your German?