Working/Living in Germany

The Corinthian · 19-11-2014 2:16pm

keithclancy wrote: »

Complaining about people being rude (Cultural difference, Germans/Dutch/Swiss/Belgian are all just more direct, on the flipside a German can end up going mental trying to work out what people actually mean when they visit Ireland, wtf does 6ish mean)

The Swiss actually rarely say what they mean - their culture is so passive aggressive, with everyone at most two or three generations away from some rural Poopsdorf, doing business over a few Stange, that they could easily be described as Irishmen with Aspergers syndrome.

munchkin_utd · 20-11-2014 12:20pm

The Corinthian wrote: »

The Swiss actually rarely say what they mean - their culture is so passive aggressive, with everyone at most two or three generations away from some rural Poopsdorf, doing business over a few Stange, that they could easily be described as Irishmen with Aspergers syndrome.

maybe this is what the swiss mean when they say they arent German and their "culture" is different (but they never actually say how the hell they are different, aside from their dialect)

The Corinthian · 20-11-2014 1:32pm

munchkin_utd wrote: »

maybe this is what the swiss mean when they say they arent German and their "culture" is different (but they never actually say how the hell they are different, aside from their dialect)

I assure you, once you have experience with both, they are very, very different.

aidanic · 08-01-2015 8:19am

Hi,

Not sure of the OP is still reading the thread:

Accomodation: http://www.immobilienscout24.de/ it's the German equivalent of MyHome.IE. "Mietwohnungen" is the term you're looking for.

Location: The big cities have strong English speaking communities. Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg can be expensive from a rental perspective.

The short-term let market is not as obvious as it is in Ireland. Our rental contract was 12 months minimum, and then open ended after that. Tenant rights are much stronger than in Ireland.

No messing - the Germans, as commented in this thread don't really go for much messing - 9am is 9am for a meeting. There are some big cultural differences here in Germany.

I find that the further north in the country you go the more relaxed people get. Hamburg is a bit of an exception.

In the south, my impression is that it's harder to make social contact with people, and your neighbours will share their opinions with you on your expected behaviour - noise, garden, recycling, visitors, parking...

Language - after a number of years in Germany, my German is still patchy. Mrs aidanic deals with much of the local paperwork. I can deal with most small matters easily, but it's clear from the second I open my mouth that I'm a native English speaker.

For some of our neighbours, they speak German and I speak mostly English, and some German when I can find the words. It's an entertaining mix.

I work in IT, and do 99% of my work in English - I'm lucky with that. Almost all customers are outside of Germany in various countries, hence it's all English.

I've done some CD based German courses, and more than a decade ago, I did a Goethe course (7 hours a week) in Dublin. It was intensive - like going back to school - but it has stood me in good stead.

For non German speakers, there are local courses, run by the equivalent of the VEC - volkshochschule VHS - http://www.vhs-hamburg.de/

http://www.vhs-hamburg.de/kurse/kurse/deutsch/deutsch-691

For non-EU citizens, you need to pass an exam for a minimum level of German - a "B1. For EU citizens this is not required.

I had an attempt at the local (our town) B1 course, but the class and teacher did not suit me.

Anyway, any further questions, I'll see what I can help with...

Aidan

TheBoss11 · 08-01-2015 12:20pm

aidanic wrote: »

Hi,

Not sure of the OP is still reading the thread:

Accomodation: http://www.immobilienscout24.de/ it's the German equivalent of MyHome.IE. "Mietwohnungen" is the term you're looking for.

Location: The big cities have strong English speaking communities. Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg can be expensive from a rental perspective.

The short-term let market is not as obvious as it is in Ireland. Our rental contract was 12 months minimum, and then open ended after that. Tenant rights are much stronger than in Ireland.

No messing - the Germans, as commented in this thread don't really go for much messing - 9am is 9am for a meeting. There are some big cultural differences here in Germany.

I find that the further north in the country you go the more relaxed people get. Hamburg is a bit of an exception.

In the south, my impression is that it's harder to make social contact with people, and your neighbours will share their opinions with you on your expected behaviour - noise, garden, recycling, visitors, parking...

Language - after a number of years in Germany, my German is still patchy. Mrs aidanic deals with much of the local paperwork. I can deal with most small matters easily, but it's clear from the second I open my mouth that I'm a native English speaker.

For some of our neighbours, they speak German and I speak mostly English, and some German when I can find the words. It's an entertaining mix.

I work in IT, and do 99% of my work in English - I'm lucky with that. Almost all customers are outside of Germany in various countries, hence it's all English.

I've done some CD based German courses, and more than a decade ago, I did a Goethe course (7 hours a week) in Dublin. It was intensive - like going back to school - but it has stood me in good stead.

For non German speakers, there are local courses, run by the equivalent of the VEC - volkshochschule VHS - http://www.vhs-hamburg.de/

http://www.vhs-hamburg.de/kurse/kurse/deutsch/deutsch-691

For non-EU citizens, you need to pass an exam for a minimum level of German - a "B1. For EU citizens this is not required.

I had an attempt at the local (our town) B1 course, but the class and teacher did not suit me.

Anyway, any further questions, I'll see what I can help with...

Aidan

Hi,

I've always loved Germany and considering moving over once I finish my degree. Is the cost of living expenses? Also is it hard to meet new friends? More than likely I'll be moving over by myself so ideally I'd like to meet new friends over there.

random_guy · 09-01-2015 12:12am

TheBoss11 wrote: »

Hi,

I've always loved Germany and considering moving over once I finish my degree. Is the cost of living expenses? Also is it hard to meet new friends? More than likely I'll be moving over by myself so ideally I'd like to meet new friends over there.

The cost of living is about the same as Ireland, it just depends on where you shop, what sort of apartment you're living in, where you live etc.

Meeting people is no easier or difficult than in any other country. It depends on how much effort you put in. Joining groups etc can help. http://www.meetup.com is pretty good for finding things to do and people to do them with.

jester77 · 09-01-2015 9:57am

TheBoss11 wrote: »

Hi,

I've always loved Germany and considering moving over once I finish my degree. Is the cost of living expenses? Also is it hard to meet new friends? More than likely I'll be moving over by myself so ideally I'd like to meet new friends over there.

Groceries would be slightly cheaper, going out for a night is a lot cheaper but accommodation (in the bigger cities is more expensive) and things like petrol, phone, electricity, gas, health insurance are a lot lot more expensive. Getting set up initially with accommodation can be very expensive, you'll find it hard to get something in the bigger cities and when you do it is usually through an agent. Standard practice is that he gets 2.5 time cold rent as his fee (but there are changes coming soon where the landlord will have to pay this instead), deposit is 3 months rent and you will pay 1 month up front, so you are looking at an initial outlay of about 6 months rent. Plus apartments are unfurnished here, a lot won't even have a kitchen so you would need furniture when moving in.

Meeting people is not much different to Ireland. You'll meet people through work, sports and hobbies. It is a bit different of a social life, going to pub on the weekend to just get pished is not really the done thing. Sports is one of the easier ways, once you know a few people and what sports teams are around then you can join up and start playing.

keithclancy · 09-01-2015 1:35pm

jester77 wrote: »

Groceries would be slightly cheaper, going out for a night is a lot cheaper but accommodation (in the bigger cities is more expensive) and things like petrol, phone, electricity, gas, health insurance are a lot lot more expensive. Getting set up initially with accommodation can be very expensive, you'll find it hard to get something in the bigger cities and when you do it is usually through an agent. Standard practice is that he gets 2.5 time cold rent as his fee (but there are changes coming soon where the landlord will have to pay this instead), deposit is 3 months rent and you will pay 1 month up front, so you are looking at an initial outlay of about 6 months rent. Plus apartments are unfurnished here, a lot won't even have a kitchen so you would need furniture when moving in.

Meeting people is not much different to Ireland. You'll meet people through work, sports and hobbies. It is a bit different of a social life, going to pub on the weekend to just get pished is not really the done thing. Sports is one of the easier ways, once you know a few people and what sports teams are around then you can join up and start playing.

Getting accommodation as an expat can be a lot more expensive.

E.G. I had a 38sqm (sparsely furnished) Studio apartment in Dusseldorf-Flingern for 380 euros a month (Warmmiete)

For extra furniture I waited until people put out their furniture for collection on a Thursday and then grabbed a nice couch from the street with the help of a man from a local bar which I compensated in beer for his assistance

No commission either as it was direct and deposit was 400 euros, notice period was 1 month.

The Agencies and Management companies can be complete cowboys, you're better off finding something direct through notice boards in Supermarkets or through work colleagues, there are some forums as well, depends on where you are.

Areas around the Mediahafen you could be paying 600-700 euros for the same thing.

IMO its better to pay a bit more and rent something short term when you arrive and then scope out the area than get tied into a contract on a place that costs too much or is not in an ideal area.

The Corinthian · 09-01-2015 2:05pm

keithclancy wrote: »

IMO its better to pay a bit more and rent something short term when you arrive and then scope out the area than get tied into a contract on a place that costs too much or is not in an ideal area.

+1

Soldie · 09-01-2015 3:37pm

jester77 wrote: »

Groceries would be slightly cheaper, going out for a night is a lot cheaper but accommodation (in the bigger cities is more expensive) and things like petrol, phone, electricity, gas, health insurance are a lot lot more expensive.

Petrol prices are quite similar now but for the past six or so months Irish prices seemed to have been trailing behind by about five cent any time I bothered to check.

Accommodation is relatively expensive in the bigger cities but it's still an awful lot cheaper than Dublin, at least. I pay €580 warm for a 55sqm Altbau in the heart of Kreuzberg which seems on the lower end of the average scale according to Immobilienscout24's index. You'd struggle to get a nice room in Dublin for that.

I pay €20 quid a month contract for my phone which gives me unlimited mobile and national calls plus 200mb (!) of data, which is pitiful. For the same price in Ireland o2 gave me 7.5gb of data and 65 minutes of calls.

In terms of gas, electricity and health insurance I haven't done a comparison to see how they match up.

jester77 · 09-01-2015 4:01pm

Soldie wrote: »

Accommodation is relatively expensive in the bigger cities but it's still an awful lot cheaper than Dublin, at least. I pay €580 warm for a 55sqm Altbau in the heart of Kreuzberg which seems on the lower end of the average scale according to Immobilienscout24's index. You'd struggle to get a nice room in Dublin for that.

That sounds very cheap for accommodation, here in Hamburg you would be looking at at least another €300 for something similar in an ok part of the city. My last apartment was 60 sq.m altbau and the landlord was looking for €900 warm when I left plus he added staffelmiete into the contract. There was 100s looking and they ended up arranging viewing for around 30 people and took someone from that.

You should have a look at Congstar, no contract and 3GB of data for €20 a month plus they are part of Telekom so you have the best network. That is about as good as it gets here unfortunately.

The Corinthian · 09-01-2015 5:28pm

jester77 wrote: »

That sounds very cheap for accommodation

He did say it was in Kreuzberg...

Soldie · 09-01-2015 5:30pm

The Corinthian wrote: »

He did say it was in Kreuzberg...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Berlin-Kreuzberg_Karte.png

36 brennt, 61 pennt. I'm in the respectable part, I'll have you know.

TheBoss11 · 09-01-2015 6:34pm

The rent being mentioned isn't too bad. Here in Dublin it would cost about 1000 for a 1 bed apartment. I'll graduate with a business degree is there any main cities good for this field? Preferably somewhere cheap as I'm also trying to save to get my pilots license

aidanic · 09-01-2015 7:32pm

Just for terminology...

"Warm" - includes some, maybe all utilities (gas, water, refuse, electricity)
"Cold/Kalt" - includes no utilities

And many German rentals are unfurnished. This may also include the kitchen cupboards being missing

Of interest, we pay ~€4.75 per cubic meter for water, which is a combined charge for both incoming water and outgoing waste. Waste water is charged on the volume of incoming water.

murphaph · 09-01-2015 8:50pm

Soldie wrote: »

Accommodation is relatively expensive in the bigger cities but it's still an awful lot cheaper than Dublin, at least. I pay €580 warm for a 55sqm Altbau in the heart of Kreuzberg which seems on the lower end of the average scale according to Immobilienscout24's index. You'd struggle to get a nice room in Dublin for that.

Yeah but I bet you have been there for a while...rents have really skyrocketed in certain parts of Berlin and Kreuzberg would be no exception. We have to remember too that Berlin is very much still in a phase of economic recovery compared to cities like Hamburg, Cologne and Munich. In Munich, for example, an equivalent flat will definitely cost more than Dublin. It's extremely expensive there.

Soldie wrote: »

In terms of gas, electricity and health insurance I haven't done a comparison to see how they match up.

They're all more expensive here in Germany, however at least the health service is up to scratch here.

Soldie · 09-01-2015 10:08pm

murphaph wrote: »

Yeah but I bet you have been there for a while...rents have really skyrocketed in certain parts of Berlin and Kreuzberg would be no exception. We have to remember too that Berlin is very much still in a phase of economic recovery compared to cities like Hamburg, Cologne and Munich. In Munich, for example, an equivalent flat will definitely cost more than Dublin. It's extremely expensive there.

Believe it or not I literally just moved into the place. My lease started at the start of this year and the landlord hiked the rent up by 30 quid over what the previous tenant was paying, and she'd lived in the place two years. My kaltmiete is €440 which works out at €8/sqm. Like I said that's on the lower end of what Immobilienscout24 claim is the average for the area (link: http://www.immobilienscout24.de/immobilienbewertung/immobilienpreise.htm).

murphaph · 09-01-2015 10:21pm

Yeah I think you're doing well there for sure. I'm not too far away in "up and coming" Neukölln.

mademoiselle_r · 03-02-2015 9:58pm

Hey I don't want to start a new thread so I'm just asking here- has anyone been to Augsburg? I got my erasmus placement there next year.

murphaph · 03-02-2015 10:25pm

I've visited it once. Nice little place. Has a cool/weird Cathedral with a Catholic part and a Protestant part! Many people live in Augsburg and commute to Munich for work, though Augsburg has industry of its own (The 'A' in 'MAN' stands for Augsburg).

random_guy · 04-02-2015 11:33am

mademoiselle_r wrote: »

Hey I don't want to start a new thread so I'm just asking here- has anyone been to Augsburg? I got my erasmus placement there next year.

I've spent a bit of time there visiting people. It's a nice city, not so big, good train connections to almost everywhere, nice festivals and the rent is not so expensive there.

Working/Living in Germany

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