Who's in Germany or planning to come over?

eurotrotter · 01-11-2009 10:20am #1

Hey gang

just thought I'd throw this thread up to see where everyone is in Germany.

I'll get the ball rolling.

eurotrotter: Dusseldorf, Germany

1huge1 · 01-11-2009 4:00pm

Sorry not in Germany but I have family outside Dusseldorf, cool place.

I'm in Graz, Austria myself.

Warum bist du in Deutschland? arbeit oder?

eurotrotter · 01-11-2009 6:33pm

1huge1 wrote: »

Sorry not in Germany but I have family outside Dusseldorf, cool place.

I'm in Graz, Austria myself.

Warum bist du in Deutschland? arbeit oder?

moved over in June, for the summer, ended up staying here since, no reason to go back since there's no work.

picking up the language and working away

u have family here, they living here fulltime ya?

hope your enjoying austria

uiscebeatha · 04-11-2009 12:10am

I'm in Cologne. I lived here for four months in 2006 before moving home. Spent last year in Koblenz and now I'm back in Cologne.

WIZE · 04-11-2009 12:17am

I lived in Dortmund hence the username

prinz · 04-11-2009 4:19pm

Going through Dusseldorf this weekend on way to the mighty metropolis beautiful city of Wuppertal.

1huge1 · 09-11-2009 1:11am

Wow your all in NRW, how random.

judas101 · 12-11-2009 12:19am

Lived in Heidelberg for a year but came back to study.

Would move back in a second

Amtmann · 18-11-2009 1:41am

I'm moving to Nuremberg in January.

T-Square · 18-11-2009 8:04pm

Cool!

What's in Nuremberg for you? job/relationship/family?

Amtmann · 18-11-2009 11:42pm

I'll be based in the university for a few months and will be doing some research in some of the nearby towns and cities... What about you?

Auslander · 23-11-2009 3:40am

Auslander:- Based in Tirol Austria

julieschmulie · 08-12-2009 11:40pm

Hey All!
I have been in Mainz in Rheinland-Pfalz since the middle of September and loving it! I am working at a Realschule as an English Language Assistant and its going great! Te people here are so friendly and also lots of parties on around the Uni campus! If anyone is around don't be afraid to say hello!

Ciao,
Jules

Amtmann · 10-12-2009 8:00pm

Any advice with regard to renting an apartment or flat (i.e. moving in with others)? What do people pay on average per month, do most places have broadband and are they fully furnished? Also, how easy is it to open up things like bank accounts and such?

peasant · 11-12-2009 12:02pm

Furet wrote: »

Any advice with regard to renting an apartment or flat (i.e. moving in with others)? What do people pay on average per month, do most places have broadband and are they fully furnished? Also, how easy is it to open up things like bank accounts and such?

Fully furnished appartments are the exception rather than the rule, so is house sharing.

Most rental properties are bare (you might get a kitchen, if you're lucky), also you might have to rent rather longer term than would suit you.

Get in touch with the Universitiy and find out if they can point you in the direction of some cheap student accomodation ...then use that as a springboard once you know the lay of the land.

prinz · 11-12-2009 12:07pm

1huge1 wrote: »

Wow your all in NRW, how random.

That's because NRW is the place to be!

Heading over next week to get married to my German fraulein jiuchiu.

Dont be at yourself · 11-12-2009 12:11pm

Living and working Frankfurt for almost a year now. I love it!

KTRIC · 11-12-2009 12:14pm

Living and working in Munich for just over 2 years and moving back to Dubland next week.

Came for work and the girlfriend, have neither now so going home.

Terrontress · 13-12-2009 6:36pm

julieschmulie wrote: »

Hey All!
I have been in Mainz in Rheinland-Pfalz since the middle of September and loving it! I am working at a Realschule as an English Language Assistant and its going great! Te people here are so friendly and also lots of parties on around the Uni campus! If anyone is around don't be afraid to say hello!

Ciao,
Jules

Hi Julie. I was in Mainz for a year and loved it. I used to work in the pub that is now Scrooges but was Paddy Go Easy when I was there. I studied at the Fachhochschule II up in Gonsenheim and lived in Studentenwohnheim Harteberg, looking over the railway tracks at the FH.

I used to go out late night drinking to Caveau off Schillerplatz, Kulturzentrum down by the Rhein, Florian which is opposite the other Irish Pub.

I was last back in 2003 for Fasching. Stayed in the Ibis down by the Südbahnhof. An easy trot along Augustinerstr. to the fun at Höfchen.

Tell me a bit of what is going on in Mainz.

Sigma Force · 16-12-2009 12:05am

Hi Julie, do you need any particular qualifications to work as an english language assistant ie do you need fluent German or enough to get by?

Hope hope hope to go over at Easter, was hoping to get over for the Xmas markets but sadly no :-(

Would be heading to Dortmund..well just outside it near Mengede, dying to go over and visit again and stock up on German goodies.

TheCandystripes · 16-12-2009 12:10am

no offence but germany sucks.

hamsterboy · 16-12-2009 12:13am

Hi All
My GF is starting a Ph.D in Kiel in January.
Just wondering if anyone had used homecompany.de to find accommodation?
Its asking about a German giro account.......... wtf????
Any help would be great, a bit freaked out about finding a place for her to stay ATM.
Cheers

HB

Terrontress · 16-12-2009 9:34am

TheCandystripes wrote: »

no offence but germany sucks.

None taken. If you elaborate, I'll tell you why you're wrong.

KTRIC · 16-12-2009 9:53am

Terrontress wrote: »

None taken. If you elaborate, I'll tell you why you're wrong.

Spoken like a true German :rolleyes:

Dont be at yourself · 16-12-2009 11:40am

Hamsterboy, try http://www.immoscout24.de/ if you're looking for places to rent. It's one of the bigger sites, as far as I know.

Amtmann · 16-12-2009 8:11pm

TheCandystripes wrote: »

no offence but germany sucks.

I've infracted you for that. Any more baiting and I'll ban you.

T-Square · 16-12-2009 9:53pm

Furet wrote: »

I've infracted you for that. Any more baiting and I'll ban you.

Hi Furet,

I know I should open a new post, but I need anybody subbed, to reply.

I need to get the URL of a German, ideally Berlin drinks retailer, that will accept Visa or Laser from their site, or over the phone, urgently!!

Any help really appreciated everybody!
T-Square

T-Square · 16-12-2009 9:54pm

KTRIC wrote: »

Living and working in Munich for just over 2 years and moving back to Dubland next week.

Came for work and the girlfriend, have neither now so going home.

Hey man, sorry to hear that.

Was it a German girl you were with?
Did you like Munich? are you in IT?

Amtmann · 20-12-2009 7:49pm

Has anyone lived in Erlangen before? I'm in the process of seeking accommodation over there. Seems to be ranging from very cheap to very expensive with little middle ground once all the nasty Nebenkosten are factored in.

KTRIC · 20-12-2009 8:11pm

T-Square wrote: »

Hey man, sorry to hear that.

Was it a German girl you were with?
Did you like Munich? are you in IT?

Yep, ex was German.

I didn't like Munich, although Germany is nice in general. No problems getting a job in IT in Munich. But it depends on your experience.

hinault · 20-12-2009 8:21pm

Travelling to Munich in Germany for Christmas and New Year.
Really looking forward to it.

I've been to Munich several times : great city, great people.

Vero · 04-01-2010 1:11pm

@furet
erlangen is full of students, as the main part of the university is based there. because of that it's pretty expensive. if you're attending the FAU, check out if your classes take place in nuremberg or in erlangen, because commuting is pretty annyoing.

bowsie casey · 06-01-2010 8:54pm

I will be moving to the Koeln / Bonn area in 6 weeks with work. Lived for 4 yrs near Bremen some yrs back, so not a huge change for me.

Can anybody recommend good areas to live in Koeln? looking for house and access to English speaking school etc

hamsterboy · 07-01-2010 11:02am

Hi All
My GF is moving to Kiel in February for a Ph.D.

Just wondering. Is there any internet providers or phone companies providing a "Pay as you go" 3G modem in Germany. I'd be surprised if there wasnt but I just wanted to make sure.
Would be nice to be able to Skype her as much as possible.

Regards

HB

Dont be at yourself · 07-01-2010 2:31pm

hamsterboy, I think most phone companies offers a 3G PAYG broadband solution. T-Mobile have the fastest network and it covers all the big cities, but it's worth trying before you buy, if possible!

It might be worth getting DSL in instead though. I use Alice DSL. You don't need to pay line rental or have an active telephone line - though a line itself must be in your apartment.

A great thing about Germany is that if, for example, you are returning home, you may escape from things like phone/internet contracts without penalty.

hamsterboy · 07-01-2010 2:33pm

Cheers,
Will be looking into those.

HB

Alessandra · 24-01-2010 11:03pm

Ich bin in Muenchen:)

Tall Saint · 25-01-2010 3:56pm

Hi,
I'm planning to move over to Germany in May/June. My girlfriend is German and studying in Freiburg so that's where I'm headed. I've been there already and really enjoyed myself there so I'm looking forward to it.

The thing is, I've only started learning German in the past few months so I'm really only at a beginner level. Any advice on German courses while I'm there? I've obviously checked out the Goethe Institute, at the moment I'm doing online stuff with dw-world.de and using the Langenscheidt books at home. I enjoy learning it (thank god!) and I'm hoping to teach English while I'm over there.

Also, any advice on opening bank accounts there etc would be appreciated. I'm lucky in that my girlfriend can pretty much help me with most of this stuff, but I'd also like to know what are some of the most important things to do when I first get there. Registering there to pay taxes while I'm working etc. i really have no clue how to go about the latter kind of business.

Any help/advice appreciated. Sorry for the long post!

jb-ski · 25-01-2010 6:43pm

Tall Saint wrote: »

Hi,
I I've obviously checked out the Goethe Institute,

Hi, Tall Saint, sign up with Goethe now if you can for a few weeks. it'll give you a good headstart for when you get to Freiburg.

I wouldn't get too stressed out about bank stuff, registering etc for the moment,
you can enjoy:eek: all that stuff when you get there.

Not sure how easy it is to get job teaching English without Acels, Tefl etc.

Best of luck
jb

Tall Saint · 25-01-2010 7:39pm

Hi JB, thanks for that. I'd love to sign up to the Goethe but im in Cork and it would be a bit expensive for me to do it in Dublin before I go. I just had to pay for my TEFL course too and want to go over with as much as money as possible obviously in the event I dont get work in the first few weeks. My girlfriend's team-mate (she plays soccer) is an American student over there who does teaching part-time, and from what I've heard there are a few places in and around Freiburg looking for teachers, I'm only hoping I can get enough hours to get by on at the start.
I'm really excited about it but my biggest barrier at the moment is the language I guess.I looked into doing the Goethe course in Freiburg, think its around 900 euro or so, well worth it no doubt, but being currently out of work is really limiting my options

i thought about their distance learning course, im not sure how much that is though, and i would much rather be in a class room.I will probably look into one-to-one lessons when I'm there.
(jesus another extremely long post,sorry!)

Micamaca · 26-01-2010 12:47am

Try the local Volkshochschule in Freiburg. Much cheaper than Goethe and the standard can be quite good, sometimes excellent.

here's the link. Unfortunately, it is all in German but you www.leo.org to get you through!

http://www.vhs-freiburg.de/index.php?id=33

But they will speak English with you there when you sign up for the course. Good luck, am very partial to Freiburg myself.

Tall Saint · 26-01-2010 12:04pm

That's great, thanks a lot for that Micamaca, much appreciated.

opinion guy · 26-01-2010 12:09pm

Am I allowed promote another forum ? (Don't smack me if not pls!!!)

Really useful website/forum/resource for any foreigner living in or thinking of living in Germany:

www.toytowngermany.com

Amtmann · 26-01-2010 3:21pm

opinion guy wrote: »

Am I allowed promote another forum ? (Don't smack me if not pls!!!)
www.toytowngermany.com

No probs

I am making the big move to Erlangen on Monday. I've never moved abroad before and I'm just a little apprehensive. I'm leaving the Freundin behind unfortunately. Anyone have any experience on German trains? Should I get a first or second class ticket for my journey from Munich to Erlangen?

peasant · 26-01-2010 10:58pm

2nd class is perfectly adequate

T-Square · 26-01-2010 11:56pm

I just did my A1.2 in the Goethe last night, did the orals tonight.
It is about 440 euro, but it is nearly six months long and well worth the money.

Micamaca · 27-01-2010 8:38am

Furet wrote: »

No probs

Anyone have any experience on German trains? Should I get a first or second class ticket for my journey from Munich to Erlangen?

Make sure you turn up for your train good and early. Those Germans like to turn up about 20 mins early to start getting seats, so if you want a window seat by yourself, then show up at least 10 minutes early. Also just watch out for any names displayed above the seat...that means the seat is reserved.

Oh and try a sandwich from Vincenz Murrs in the main train station....they are fantastic, simple tasty food and cheap too!

About doing German courses, the Goethe is good but expensive. I'm just pointing out there may be another option available in Germany, which will cost a lot less. The Volkshochschule awards certificates too. Some of the courses will probably start at 120 euro and last a few months, but you might have three classes a week. It is much cheaper. But sometimes you might have teachers who are great and sometimes less great. But you can try a class and change in the first week or two if it doesn't suit you.

Tall Saint · 27-01-2010 2:11pm

on the topic of learning German, does anyone know any good verb books I could pick up to assist my learning? I remember in school I had a French one with a load of verbs,their meanings and all the tenses. Sorry if this is off-topic for the thread,i'll re-post as a new thread if needed.

wireless101 · 18-03-2010 2:52am

Tall Saint wrote: »

on the topic of learning German, does anyone know any good verb books I could pick up to assist my learning? I remember in school I had a French one with a load of verbs,their meanings and all the tenses. Sorry if this is off-topic for the thread,i'll re-post as a new thread if needed.

Ubung macht den Meister is pretty good for grammar.

clarkholm · 26-03-2010 2:53am

Hey Furret, how is Erlangen going? I spent a year there, its a great town.

Amtmann · 26-03-2010 2:36pm

I was a bit iffy about it at the start, mostly because of accommodation issues, not Erlangen itself. The weather has been beautiful this past week (the long, cold winter ended very suddenly last week) and I appreciate now how friendly a place Erlangen is in terms of cyclepaths and walkways etc. Going for a cycle to Nuremberg pretty soon actually! Whereabouts did you live?

Who's in Germany or planning to come over?

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