Work remotely in Europe... where? (German, climate, friendly, expensive)

[JD47john]

Originally Posted by marione

I have a passport and I'm still a citizen of a European country.

Just out of interest, what country is it.

[elnina]

^^^

Originally Posted by marione

I was born and raised in a European country. I won't mention which one because I don't want to influence your recommendations.

[irman]

Comments inserted

Originally Posted by marione

I'm considering northern Germany a bit more than southern Germany as I know the German they speak down there could be quite difficult to understand, even for natives, let alone for me. I believe the German spoken in Berlin or Frankfurt would be easier to understand and with less dialect influence.

The *best* (or most proper) German spoken, in Germany is theoretically around The Hannover area (if you are speaking of *Hoch Deutsch*)
I would not fret about NOT understanding anybody in the south of Germany.
You get used to it really fast !!! And as soon as people there notice you are not *Ur-Boarisch* (Deep Down Bavarian), they switch to some more decent German ...

You only need to *learn* two expressions in Bavarian (Boarisch).
Gruess Gott, and Wiederschauen. That suffices.

You mentioned you lived near Munich. Are you still in Germany? Are you German to begin with?

Mother is from German descend, Father from Scottish descend. I had a Dutch Passport (31 flavour ???). Due to the areas where I was born and the different areas I grew up in, I am a polyglot, and thus was able to get jobs in Europe as an American. We were in Southern Germany- 81-89, and in Switzerland- 91-93.
Since I am also a *brownface*, the local Newspaper where we lived in Germany mentioned that *Der Lizenz BraunBayer geht nach Hause* (The licensed brown Bavarian goes home), when we left in 89. The town gave us a really nice Going Home Party and lots of memoir gifts, which we still cherish and show off in our *totally German furnished* home in the USA.
Now when you mention, you might not understand the locals, you should stay away from those Swiss people who speak like they have a potato in their throat and it got stuck there, hence the joke that Swiss is a sound that happens when you have a Throat Illness ... (aka Hals Krankheit).

When you *compare* Bavaria, with other areas in Europe, you are trying to compare New England with the Southern Utah Area. Both have their beauty, but in totally different ways. Each area in Europe has its own beauty, not comparable to anywhere else.
I wish, I could find the picture post card we found in Germany which actually had the farm we lived on, on it !! We could thus *claim* that we lived in Picture Postcard Country ...
Yes, we lived on a working farm ! Many farms in Bavaria, use a few rooms as a summer vacation rental. I offered the farm owner to pay him more than he would earn from *just summer rentals*, and he agreed.

[Baldrick]

Amsterdam.

Holland has many English speakers and a fair few German speakers too. Rental on property is good in the outskirts of the city and Schiphol is easy to get to from almost anywhere near the city due to excellent rail and road links.

Top grade fibre-optic broadband is readily available throught the city.

As a major European City it's fits all your criteria, as to be honest most European citys will.

Hope this has been of help.

[marione]

wow. I wasn't expecting so many replies and suggestions. Thank you all very much!!

I haven't thought about Amsterdam much but it sure is a fun place, not too expensive, walkable and with good infrastructure. What scares me is their language, although as mentioned a lot of people there speak English. A lot of overcast days though...

Ok in case anyone was wondering... I'm from Italy but have lived in a few places across Europe and the US.

[wordlife]

If your thinking of medium sized German cities I would suggest, Leipzig, Wuppteral, Dresden, Erfurt and as mentioned Hanover. I feel that if your learning German your accent is the most important things, I learned in the area suggested and its true, locals will help you out to a T with pronunciation.

I wouldn't be so scared of Dutch, sometimes when you can't understand it..it sounds comical but with a good teacher you'll be just fine.

[Brontosaurus]

Check out the tax laws in each country of interest. eg if you live in the UK, your income will be subject to UK taxation. It doesn't matter what currency you are paid in or where it comes from or where your bank is or what citizenship you have. If the you live in the UK then HMRC wants its cut. (HMRC = Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by marione

Hi all. My situation is a bit complex but I'll try to make it short: I work for an American IT company based in California. My job is in sales and I deal only with European customers. Communications with Europe, considering the 9-hour time difference, are difficult, and that's why my company might ship me there by the end of the year.

All the work will be done through email/phone, so my location wouldn't really matter, as long as I'm in Europe. My boss could push for England and Germany, simply because they're our largest markets and because I speak their languages (well I'm not fluent in German but I'm currently studying it and my boss knows about it).

This prompts me to the question: where to live? I'll list a few requirements, in order of importance:

• excellent broadband and phone service

• reasonable cost of living (my salary is pretty decent but it won't go as far when converted to Euros or other currencies)

• relatively sunny climate (I don't mind cold temperatures or snow every now and then, as long as it's not cloudy/rainy everyday, and that's why I would take England, Ireland, and northern Europe out of the question)

• medium to big city

• close to a medium/big airport as I may have to travel and visit customers every now and then

Which place do you recommend? This might start as temporary (6 months there, 6 months in California) and then become permanent if successful.

Most likely I will have the last word on where to go. All my work will be done remotely and in English so I'm sure my boss won't care much where I am.

I was born and raised in a European country. I won't mention which one because I don't want to influence your recommendations. Of course I wouldn't mind going back there but I'd rather live in a new place for now.
I'm a 26-year old white male, single, straight. Night-life and ease of finding new friends will definitely be two aspects to consider.

Thanks a lot for your help and advices.

Bournemouth, UK, Mannheim, Germany, or Graz, Austria.
And if you miss California, come to Portugal, which is like a small version of California in many respects. Most if not all cities have fiber optics and 4G, i.e. 100mbps or more, by now. And people love to speak English, unlike in Germany. Lots of American series and movies on TV, without dubbing, unlike in Germany.
English is not your mother tongue, is it? Your last word makes me doubt that

[Rob702]

If you're thinking Germany, I'd also suggest the Duesseldorf/Cologne area. It is generally one of the mildest areas in Germany and the Duesseldorf Airport is fairly big which might be important to visit clients in Europe, or your company back in the States.

[tomahawk19]

some German city should work.

I say Berlin or Hamburg.

AVOID Brussels...