Moving to Germany?

Assuming you are a US citizen, will Linsels make it possible for you to obtain a work permit visa. Generally this type of visa is very difficult to obtain.

As Frank said, you need a work visa. If Linsels does not help you obtain one, you may not be able to take the job. Everything else is secondary to that. Check the website of the German Embassy to the U.S. for work visa criteria.

Assuming they will take care of your work visa, the question of moving there is either simple or horrible.

Simple works best when you are young and haven't accumulated massive stuff. Get rid of everything or put the smallest possible amount of your stuff in storage, pack some clothes and go. Find a small furnished apartment, preferably in a walkable neighborhood where you can use public transportation to get to work, and move in to get started.

Horrible is trying to keep all your stuff with you. The cost and difficulty get worse the more you have. Even transporting a car to Europe is a pain. I'd only do any of this if the company is paying to relocate you. I've relocated to Asia and back. Even with it paid for, the car took a month to ship and the furniture was mostly destroyed when it arrived, which means you have to file a bunch of claims against the shipper - too much hassle.

It will be different. It will be different in ways you won't guess ahead of time, which will catch you out.

LINSEIS Messgeräte GmbH
Vielitzer Str. 43
D-95100 Selb

This is a small town (population ~15000) in rural Bavaria, not a big city.
If you have been offered a job, I would guess the company know how to get you a work permit, and either you speak German or will be working in English.

• 1 - Finding accommodation. This will require German. Expect this to be a rented apartment, even in a small town. In order to rent you may need to show your work permit.
• 2 - Transport. Either you need to be on a bus route, or you need to buy a car before you start work.
• 3 - Bank account
• 4 - Language. This is a small town, not a tourist area. You will need German. People may speak basic English, but not enough to do what you want (see 1, 2 and 3).
• 5 - Driving Licence. If you have a non-EU licence, it will be only valid for a certain time, after which you may need to take a driving test.
• 6 - Utilities (Gas, Electricity, phone, etc.) all need to be organised, and they may work different ways to what you are used to.
• 7 - Shopping. Things will be different. You will need German to understand, and you will need to know German products and foodstuffs.
• 8 - Tax. Filling out your first German tax form will be "interesting".
• 9 - Holidays. This will be good. Weekends in nearby cities, German countryside. Italy for a week in the Summer. Enjoy.

Hi,

It all depends on you yourself, ie attitude, grit, determination, how American you are, your emotional life, and these subjective factors, including your ability to absorb culture shock, your tolerance for coping, or not. It is good that you will not be in a tourist area. If you believe the job is amazing, a perfect fit , as "they " say, "wie angegossen," then take it. If you know the language, even better. If not, get cracking at it, over learn using all methods that work for you, ie, get to the point where it is almost second nature.

I have known foreigners and Americans (Chinese, French, ) who have lived/still live in Germany with jobs, married to German or Austrian nationals and have bilingual, bi-cultural families. For some it was no problem in adjusting, (das Einleben), getting use to the life style / way of life, for others they did not like it.

I am reading this thread with great interest, as my son-in-law is now working in Amsterdam while my daughter sells their condo and packs before moving over there to be with him. She is definitely following the advice to get rid of as much as possible, including both cars.

Neither of them speaks Dutch, though I know my daughter is working on it. However, his job was specifically for an English speaker, and he seems to have been able to rent an apartment without any dutch. Perhaps that's the difference between a large touristy city and a smaller town.

Good luck with this exciting new phase of your life!

If you are successful with gaining a work visa and move to Germany, here are a few things to consider.

In the USA most people live in the suburbs and have far larger homes or apartments than in Germany. Germany's population is concentrated and most of its people live in town houses or apartments.

Also, homes usually have few bathrooms than the USA. Most only have one bathroom, or perhaps a second half bath.

utilities are expensive.

In Germany, you contact a realtor, they are called immobelien(sp?) Just to find an apartment to rent is expensive. http://stationedingermany.com/living-in-germany/stationed-in-germany-renting-a-house/
Once you have seen what your rate will be you can start looking. There are a few choices but the military will want you to use the Automated Housing Referral Network . There you can register and browse approved homes for rent through the military rental system. This is not to say you can’t look elsewhere. Immobilienscout24.de is a large and well known property site in Germany. There are always tons of rentals for you to browse. The one downfall of such a site is that most properties are represented by realtors. In Germany, realtors tend to make as much if not more off of rentals. Realtors or “Maklers” often charge 2.38 months rent for their services. That means if you RENT a house for 1500 EUR you will pay the realtor around 3500 EUR just for getting you in that house. For some it seems like this system is a little unfair given the amount of work the realtor does for a rental. Especially when you consider most of the homes you rent will be free again in three years after you leave.

Gas is very expensive in Germany, many people drive diesel cars that get great mileage. You may not wish to buy a car, but public transportation is usually excellent.

Germany are very friendly once you become friends. Love Germans, but in public, driving they are aggressive. Still, if you follow the rules, you will be fine. You may have to go to school to get a license.

I was with the US Army, so I didn't have to do that.

You may get more detailed info from this expat site, toytowngermany.com.

Interesting town smack on the Czech border(Cheap beer!) There is a train station outside of town at Marktleuthen. The area is in Oberfranken and is hilly and forested, really quite scenic (and rural). Closest town of note is Bayreuth (Culture!)

In Germany, you contact a realtor, they are called immobelien(sp?) [Immobilienmakler]

That's true for maior cities but not promising in a rural setting like Selb. I'd assume that the employer will help you to find accomodation for a period o transition. In the meantime I'd advertise in the local paper, the Frankenpost in Hof (your employer will certainly help you with that) and, most important of all, come in contact with future co-workers, who can use their social networks to help you in finding a flat. The best people in that respect are those secretaries the old-established families of who are deeply rooted in the local networks and traditions. I've found an appartment that way twice.

BTW, in contrast to maior cities English is not widespread there. You would have to learn both German and to understand the local dialect to avoid being an outsider.

There is a train station outside of town at Marktleuthen. The area is in Oberfranken and is hilly and forested, really quite scenic (and rural). Closest town of note is Bayreuth (Culture!)

Selbs has a train station of it's own. Best connections are to Hof, which offers some cultural attractions (opera, orchestra, theater).

Closest town of note is Bayreuth (Culture!)

No, Cheb/Eger. ;-)
Historically Cheb is one of Czechias most interesting towns, with a preserved old town and a Imperial castle.
Touristically this area is quite interesting, with many (famous) spa towns on both sides of the border. It also was the centre of a once famous musical instrument-making industry. And it's also quite a good base for day trips to Northern Franconia, Thuringia and Western Saxony, although Selb itself is a bit in the middle of nowhere.

As Eger it was the historically the first town in the Sudentenland in an area called Egerland, if you're into the history. As Cheb it was the place where I went through passport /visa check in 1973.

ri-hannah, I hope you will come back and tell us what your thoughts are and if you are accepting this position and what the visa situation is.

The first thing is that you must apply for a signed work contract, and get a long-stay visa, which you do at the nearest Consulate. You will be asked to provide bank information, passports, and other information. You might have to go through an interview - possibly in German, possibly in English. Your company might pay for the visa, or not.

The next thing you will have to do is to transfer your American dollars into a German bank - if they will do business with you. Expect to take a hit from the exchange rate. You should get a credit or debit card automatically, if you do business with a German bank.

After that, you will be able to start your search for housing. Perhaps your company will help with that, perhaps you will be on your own. Expect agencies to require around 2 to 3 months' rent in advance, plus a commission. Some landlords may allow you to provide a separate account guaranteeing a year's rent, in the event you default.

Normally, cheques are not used, but all your bills will be directly wire transferred to the landlord, utilitity company and your tax returns, etc..

I have used GROSPIRON INTERNATIONAL for transporting furniture and household goods. Not terribly expensive, but it can take around 2 months for your stuff to arrive.

This is based on my experience in France, but is probably more accurate than not.

Also check the job application - some companies will only accept applications from candidates who ALREADY HAVE the required work permit.

My son relocated from Australia to Munich last year. As required, he had a job offer before applying for a working visa, which also gives you a residential permit and access to health care.

My son has reasonably good conversational German as he has spent several months for the past few years in Austria. He did find opening a bank account in German to be quite challenging and frustrating. Attending staff meetings conducted in German was also quite challenging initially.

Finding affordable accommodation in Munich was extremely difficult. ( This may not be the case in the town you are thinking of moving to). He needed the help of German friends to compose emails and check lease agreements. His first apartment rental ended with the landlord refusing to return his bond money (Kaution) and my son needed to seek help from an agency that specialises in helping non Germans with lease problems to resolve the issue. It can be difficult to know your rights when you don't understand all the nuances of how things work in your new place of residence.

He had a tax agent do his tax return and he was very happy with the results.

He has generally found the first year to be a steep learning curve. He continues to attend German language classes and has some friends who are native German speakers and some friends who are native English speakers. He says that the most difficult thing for him personally has been dealing with German bureaucracy.

He is moving to a new apartment soon and says he finally feels like he is starting to feel at home in Germany. Some of the best things about relocating are, according to him, new friends, a great beer culture and lots of festivals, and that it doesn't take nearly as long to get to other countries now as it does to get there from Australia!

"...dealing with German bureaucracy." How true. Very taxing and you don't win against Beamtentum

I would be cautious about reading ex-pat blogs, because a lot of them are not dated, and seriously in need of revision.
Also would avoid "pie-in-the-sky" bloggers - usually young women - who claim that everything will be wonderful.
Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't - mostly, it's in the middle range.

Wow, I didn't expect so many helpful answers! I do know basic German but I'm not sure if this will be enough to live there.

Anyway, I just want to thank all of you I'll make a pro/con list based on your lovely comments <33

All the love

Seriously, Toytown is the very best source for anyone wanting to live and work in Germany.
Can also recommend that you check out Internations. You need an invitation to join this expat website, so send me a message and I can invite you.

Have lived here 31 years and some of the things people mentioned have changed, like the costs for realtors, store closings, etc. Of course, small town life is not anything like big city life in Germany.

Please feel free to message me with any questions you might have.

I am focusing on once you get all your red tape and official job related requirements behind you, how to manage your life living over there as regards to socialization. "Basic German" I don't think will cut it, unless you intend to work/live among ex-pats or English speaking folks, which depends on the job and your immediate circle. I would concentrate heavily on getting down the language, just speaking it is not enough. Focus too on writing and the ability to read and translate. Basically, it all depends on the individual, some adjust with hardly any problems, ie, no big deal, especially emotionally and psychologically, . Others need a support group when new in the country.

A lot of opinions from people who haven't actually moved to Germany. ;)

There's a lot of technical things I can't comment on, since I'm here with the US Army and they take care of a lot of that stuff for us.

A lot of important things depend on how many expats the employer has, how used they are to working with Americans, etc. I have a lot of expat friends working for German companies and their experience is mixed to good. Some of them speak almost no German, it's not necessarily a work requirement at all, that just depends on the job and office culture.

I think speaking a bit of German is a huge plus for you, being immersed with greatly improve your skills very quickly if you already have a foundation in it. If you move here without any background in German it can be quite challenging. Living in a big city without speaking German is actually fine, but a small town will be more difficult. That said I think some of the language stuff is overstated. Young people are generally going to speak English decently. There will be English-speakers who will be generous with their time and try to assist you (Germans are great this way, really). As long as you make an effort and test to see what level you're at and enroll in a class ASAP I think you'd do well.

You don't say where you're moving FROM. Are you used to dark winters? That's probably the one deal breaker that doesn't keep me in Germany for life. Otherwise I love living here although it took me about a year to warm up to it. The first year was kind of rough. Being an expat is basically agreeing to look like an idiot, every day, for at least a few years. You won't probably ever feel like you "fit in" and it can be very isolating. However living abroad is an amazing experience that changes you in ways you can't imagine and there's also the benefits of being smack dab in the middle of Europe for travel. I don't regret moving to Germany but again, I have an easier time of it due to Uncle Sam, but most people I know who moved here for work are also happy they did so.

Just consider the small town thing - that might get annoying unless you prefer small towns.

The other posters already have provided lots of valuable feedback. I'm German and I used to live in Southern California for four years. In the US grocery stores are pretty much always open. in Bavaria they have to close by 8pm by law, also they must not me open on Sundays and any Christian holiday (Dec. 24th they close by 2pm the latest and won't open until Dec. 27th, provided that's not a Sunday for example).

Here is a third vote for using Toytown as a resource. Post your question in their forums and you will get a lot more helpful advice than on a travelers forum like this. Toytown is a great community of expats and chances are that someone there has had a similar recent experience to what you are wanting to do.

DJ

Just a couple "things I wish I had known" before I moved to Europe:

1) Make sure you understand all US tax obligations/implications of living abroad. Many people don't realize that if they are US citizens, they have to file US taxes even if they live and earn all their income abroad. In addition, you will have to declare bank accounts/assets/etc and think about how to best plan for savings/retirement/etc. This is less of a problem if you only plan to stay for a couple of years and/or are young with few strings attached (no property, no kids etc), but still make sure you are up on all the rules.

2) Speaking of how long you plan to stay, I can't tell you how many people I know (myself included) who moved abroad thinking it would only be for 2-3 years and then end up staying for much longer, if not permanently. Unless you have a time-limited work contract, think carefully about this. Do you have a reliable person at home (parent, sibling, etc) who can help you with small admin things like mail, storing your stuff or monitoring storage unit, etc? And unless the company is paying (there AND back), don't move all your stuff over. Bring a few important sentimental items and things that will make you feel at home, but my advice is to travel light and live rather simply for the first year or two - you will then have a better idea if this is a long-term move before you buy tons of furniture or rent a bigger/pricier apartment.

3) Be realistic about daily life. Yes, there are many positives to living abroad, but don't romanticize it. Especially if you'll be working, just remember that many days will be filled with mundane tasks and routines, especially once the novelty of the new place wears off. It can be really lonely and frustrating, especially when things don't go as planned. It can be hard work and you need to have a lot of resilience and independence, especially if you haven't done anything like this before. That being said, there are huge rewards too - what I always tell friends back home is that normal life is not all that different (commute, work, etc) but that the highs and lows are more extreme.

4) To boil it down - know what you're getting into. Think carefully about location, lifestyle, etc. as a potential resident, not a tourist. Depending on what you're used to and/or what you're looking to experience, the quaint, picturesque small town may feel like a prison after 6 months or the big city might be alienating and overwhelming. Ask yourself questions: What kind of apartment can you afford? What amenities are available in the town? What kind of hobbies do you have and will you be able to continue these? How long will it take to get to an airport/major train station so you can do all those weekend trips around Europe? How much will your employer help with relocation/language courses? It is easy to get caught up in the excitement, but you need to think about practical things too and make sure you're prepared with the right expectations.

Overall, I'd say that if you have the chance and ability to live abroad, definitely go for it! Whether it's for 1 year or 10, you will learn a lot, have life-changing experiences and get a lot of new perspectives on the world. Good luck!

Hi,

I would refer to #4 above pertaining to your level of "culture shock." How would you take that/deal with it, or cope with it? That all depends on the individual and his/her ability to absorb it. True, the place you choose to live plays a role in dealing with culture shock. Both friends of mine, ex-pats in Austria and Germany, either live in a village in Upper Austria or a town (Kleinstadt) in north Germany off the US tourist radar, if that should mean anything.

The friend living in the village was already fluent in German, made himself that way, most definitely by the time I met him 20 years ago in SF. The more you are adept at the language, the more you acquire linguistically, the less you need to depend on others unless it is specialised language. The bottom line is what do you want to make of your life in Germany on a daily basis outside of the job. Rely on an ex-pat support group, be independent, choose with some flexibility your circle of acquaintances, etc. The more prepared you are psychologically, emotionally, linguistically, etc, the easier the adjusting (sich einleben) will be.

I've talked with my friend living in the village at length, be it in English or in German, on being an ex-pat, ex-pat support group, daily life and his job, and the red tape well known in Austria, being a foreigner in the technical sense, etc ,etc,. In a village you could be the only foreigner or among the very few. How would you feel about that? Does it matter at all? As suggested above, be realistic. My friend was approached by a woman, part of an American ex-pat group in Vienna, he eventually turned the whole idea down, not interested enough.