Considering a civil service job in Sembach Germany (employment, school)

[texpen]

I am considering a job in Sembach as a civil service employee. Does anyone have any information they can supply me in regards to living there, housing, atmosphere, costs, is it hard financially with the euro, spouse employment, and most importantly, is it worth it to leave America and go there for a few years? Thanks very much for whatever information you can provide me!

[Threestep]

Well ... does your wife speak German, does your employer consider the 1/3 currency eschange, can you afford to "disappear" from the US employment world for a while, do you have school age kids, what do expect from your stay over there?

[texpen]

Thanks for the reply. My spouse (husband) does not speak German, neither of us do. I would be working for the military. I have been stationed in England but as a military spouse and now would be a civil service sponsor on my own orders so the benefits are different and I can't seem to get a good answer or straight information on what it is really like as a civil service employee there. I do not have school-age children and what I expect is to enjoy my time traveling and enjoying the different cultures but don't want to go somewhere where the cost of living, even with whatever allowances we are given, break us financially and also wanted to consider some feedback from others who have actually been there and can tell me about the environment.

[Xpat]

By all means do it! Its a very nice area with reasonable rates for housing - be it in Kaiserslautern or in a nearby village. You'll be 5 hours from Paris, a little over 5 hours from the Alps, and surrounded by interesting historic and cultural attractions. The people of Rheinland-Pfalz are very nice and you'll feel quite welcome. As for spouse employment, the greater Kasierslautern area has quite a few civilian jobs available at the Army and Air Force installations in the area - more available jobs for spouses than anywhere in Europe.

[LordBalfor]

WHOA!

Talk about a "Blast from the Past". I lived in first Borrstadt then Sembach AFB as a kid (a longggggg time ago). I enjoyed both very very much.

Thanks for bringing a little smile to my face.

Ken

[recycled]

LordBalfor, I would guess that when hundreds of thousands of US military veterans hear the name Kaiserslautern it brings back some good memories of days past in and around "K Town". I went there many times while stationed in Germany in the 1970s and liked it a lot. Hey, maybe I should look into a gov't job on one of the Army or AF bases near Kaiserslautern after I retire from my engineering job in a few years!

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by recycled

LordBalfor, I would guess that when hundreds of thousands of US military veterans hear the name Kaiserslautern it brings back some good memories of days past in and around "K Town". I went there many times while stationed in Germany in the 1970s and liked it a lot. Hey, maybe I should look into a gov't job on one of the Army or AF bases near Kaiserslautern after I retire from my engineering job in a few years!

Yeah, there's even a website out there called Sembachbrats. I was thrilled when I found that site about a year ago:

Sembach Brats

Some great photos and everything.
I've also looked at the location with Google Earth. The base still looks largely the same.

Ken

[jchristenson1]

To start with I hope you take the job. If you don't let me know and I'll take it. I was stationed at Rhine Main AFB for 6 yr's, and loved Germany. I have been TDY to Sembach AFB about 9 times and it's a great place to work and live. Like most German military towns. a lot of the people speak english. like I said if you don't want it I'll take it. [email="mach610@mtaonlinew.net"]