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Hi all,
I've been thinking about moving to Germany since I was a kid. My grandpa moved to America from there to join the U.S Army back in WW2 and used to tell me stories. I am currently serving in the military (uscg) as an Information Systems technician (IT). I have no college, but have many qualifications and certs. I do plan on pursuing a degree within that realm, either here or in eu. I am married, but have no children and don`t plan on having any soon. I love my job, and I am proud to be an American, but I want to move to Germany to get in touch with my roots I guess. I know it`s difficult, but I am in no rush. My next enlistment is up in 2 years and I have no problem staying in. I want to be totally, at least mostly, prepared. I want to live somewhat comfortably..at least have a motorcycle to cruise around on/hit the tracks(love racing). I also would consider serving in some sort of German military if they have some sort of program for that (I know Australia does). In short, I`m looking for advice from people`s personal experience...
How hard is it to get a good job? How about manual labor? I`ll try anything, construction farming whatever.
Is dual citizenship available?
I like the conviniences of a city, but a rural lifestyle (grew up in Wyoming). I don't mind a 30 min commute, but hate 30 min in traffic. Any nice areas I should research?
How`s rent/cost of living compared to average income?
Is the government reasonable?
Universal healthcare?
Up front cost of move?
How difficult is it to find a home? Should I buy, rent, build?
That definitely doesn't cover everything, so give me anything you have, I am just trying to brainstorm...thanks guys.
Anyway - moving to Germany isn't as hard as some may suggest - if you're looking to go to college, you should go to college and study in Gerkany (but apply for residence and a study permit) - work while doing so, if you're going to college for something that takes around 10 years, you may be able to apply for citizenship with Germany and remain there.
This is probably the most possible option - I don't suggest just going there and finding a job, then staying there with a work permit and residence because an employer is less likely to take you because of the hassle of dealing with a work permit and residence.
I don't know much about German immigration laws, only the basics - so it may be easier in the first place.
If you speak the language and have IT certs and skills you can find a job ( I work as an IT tech here not getting rich by any means but I do ok).
Getting the Visa is the hard bit.
I moved here to be with my german girlfriend who I met in England on a tourist visa and got sponsored by a employer who was a friend of my girlfriends family.
Is dual citizenship available? A bit complicated but no real need to get Grman Citizenship.
I like the conviniences of a city, but a rural lifestyle (grew up in Wyoming). I don't mind a 30 min commute, but hate 30 min in traffic. Any nice areas I should research? You could find what you are looking most any region However the more jobs = more traffic
How`s rent/cost of living compared to average income?
Coming from San Diego it seems reasonable YMMV. Areas with more work oppertunitys will be more expensive. I pay 700 a month for a two bedroom apartment in a house with three apartments. It cost about me 1800 to move in. Rent x 2 plus real estate agent fee and a few other things. plus often the appartment is empty you may need to buy a kitchen and put up wallpaper/ paint. You can get used stuff cheap though. You can find a 1 room apartment for like 300 to 400 a month total.
Is the government reasonable? Sure it is different than in the US but very reasonable
Universal healthcare? Need to get your Visa then you pick a insurer which gets payed by your employer- if you lose your job the goverment takes over. However you need to be working here legaly first.
Up front cost of move? For me 0, The owner of the sailboat I was racing at the time wanted to do the european championships he paid my ticket and I put my stuff in the container with the boat. If you come on a tourist visa and have no connections you a fair bit of cash.
How difficult is it to find a home? Should I buy, rent, build? Rent of course you don´t even know if you will stay.
Have you ever been here, take a few weeks leave and come over at least more than once if you can. Moving to another country is a fantastic experiance but not always what you think and certainly not easy.
You think you’re so damn cool, huh? Just hanging out, chillin’, above all those vowels. You’re all, “Ooh, look at me, I’m a chic umlaut. I make girls’ names look modish, like Zoë and Chloë, and I rock with strung out ’80s metal bands!”
Well, guess what? You’re only an umlaut if you’re modifying the pronunciation of a singular vowel, like in “Führer” or “über.” If you’re stressing the second of two consecutive vowels or one that would usually be silent according to common English usage, you’re just a plain old boring dieresis. How ‘bout that, you naïve jackass? God, you’re such a poseur, umlaut. You’re nothing but two measly dots. You’re a Eurotrash colon lying down. Nobody thinks you’re cool.
Hehe Actually, the umlauts make sense, they indicate grammar stuff as well, for instance the plural of many nouns, the comparative of adjectives, or the subjunctive of verbs. It is a very bad habit to leave them away. I guess foreigners don't really understand the purpose of umlauts, thus they think an ü is the same as a u, but it is not. That only makes them look stupid and uneducated. Nor is the keyboard an excuse. I type three different languages on my keyboard, I have all the special characters of German and Portuguese in my head as they are not printed on the keys. Windows allows you to set almost any language.
As to the op, I guess it would make sense to first decide where to go. Once you know that, you can start looking for companies or universities/FHs. There is an interesting type of school called Berufsakademie in some German states, especially in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The good thing about Berufsakademien is that while you study at them, you also work for a company sponsoring you, i.e. you earn a salary and have very good chances of getting a permanent job once those 3 years are over and you have your BS degree. DHBW: English
How good is your German? I think that is one of the most crucial points if you want to successfully live in Germany. There aren't many jobs out there for people who speak English only. Since you work for the army there may be a chance to work for an American base in Germany. Also, how familiar are you with the German culture? You may be in for quite a surprise sometimes and you should be open to the fact that some things are handled very differently there. Your cost of living is probably going to be much higher than what you're used to from Wyoming. Unless you move to very remote places where you are not going to find a job.
Degrees and certificates are very important, you need one for almost every kind of job except for cr*ppy minimum-wage kind of jobs.
Dual citizenship is a possibility, but nothing to look into in the short run.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FightForFreedom
Anyway - moving to Germany isn't as hard as some may suggest - if you're looking to go to college, you should go to college and study in Gerkany (but apply for residence and a study permit) - work while doing so, if you're going to college for something that takes around 10 years, you may be able to apply for citizenship with Germany and remain there.
This is probably the most possible option - I don't suggest just going there and finding a job, then staying there with a work permit and residence because an employer is less likely to take you because of the hassle of dealing with a work permit and residence.
I don't know much about German immigration laws, only the basics - so it may be easier in the first place.
Weren't you the one wanting to move to the Uk or Denmark? Maybe it's better for you to stay in your area of expertise.
Thanks for the replies guys, I've got quite a while before my tour is up and I have been doing some research. What do you all think about my wife and I both studying abroad? I'm almost certain the U.S. will pay for my college after I get out (they will for going to college here, why not overseas?) I do however, need to look into this.
I was poking around on the German Embassy's webpage found here: German Missions in the United States - Home
Here I found another link regarding the tuition of universities in different states, since the uplift of the ban on tuitions in 2005:http://www.internationale-studierend.../tuition_fees/.
It sounds like you could go to college there as an international student for very cheap.. Thoughts? Also, I plan on learning German (I have 2 more years on my boat...and there's plenty of time to study when you're in the middle of the ocean!) I would be VERY interested in studying over there and getting a degree (yes, I can study in the U.S, but I've been here all my life). I haven't completed any college yet and have been dying to, this seems like a great opportunity for both myself and my wife. I wonder how common it is for a married couple to drop everything and attend college together though, hah.
Anyway: for others curious about germany I found a very good read on the differences of American and German culture. To the people that have experienced both feel free to give it a read and point out anything you feel isn't accuate, although it seems very well written and unbiased. Some parts are quite comical as well It is rather long but has links so you can jump to different chapters, I highly recommend reading the entire article though! Comparison USA-Germany
Thanks again guys!
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Actually, the umlauts make sense, they indicate grammar stuff as well, for instance the plural of many nouns, the comparative of adjectives, or the subjunctive of verbs. It is a very bad habit to leave them away. I guess foreigners don't really understand the purpose of umlauts, thus they think an ü is the same as a u, but it is not. That only makes them look stupid and uneducated. Nor is the keyboard an excuse. I type three different languages on my keyboard, I have all the special characters of German and Portuguese in my head as they are not printed on the keys. Windows allows you to set almost any language.
