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Who's in Germany or planning to come over?

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    #182
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,832 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Nah, you'll be grand.
    All the pollen is in the air now mainly from trees but that'll have passed by the time you're over.

    What's really aggressive is the birch tree which is far more common in Germany than Ireland so it's effects are more profound. But it all comes in a burst in may. In Poland it's so synomous with this time if the year that the month of may is named after the birch tree!

    Just be glad you aren't coming in may or you would probably be very miserable!


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    #183
    Misty Moon
    Registered Users Posts: 294 ✭✭Misty Moon


    If you check the wetter.de website, they show what the pollen count is going to be like, too. If you hover over the pollen picture you can see what kind of pollen it refers to. Here's today's for Düsseldorf, for example:
    http://www.wetter.de/deutschland/wetter-duesseldorf-18220611.html showing mid-level birch pollen count, tomorrow is low-level birch and grass pollen. Of course, that's 'cos it's pissing rain but whatever, I'll take it. It's typical that birch pollen is the one thing I'm actually allergic to.
    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    is the air in Berlin noticably more humid than Ireland, or is it just warm and humid or something along those lines?

    I find Munich air to be too bloody dry. Hands are only recovering now somewhat from a serious problem with the dry winter air.
    I thankfully dont suffer from the Föhn which is the mysterious warm airflow from the alps that gives many folks headaches.

    Has anyone noticed the crazy amount of Germans who have hayfever and Asthma compared to Ireland?
    I know barely anybody with asthma (i.e. only 1 person comes to mind who uses an inhaler) and when I came to germany I had to look up hayfever on the internet to see what the hell it was!
    I knew far more people in Ireland with asthma than I do here. Hayfever maybe about the same although in Ireland it tends to be self-diagnosed and people just suffer through it or use OTC meds. Here I had to go and get a proper diagnosis (was trying to donate blood and they don't let you if you're in the middle of bad hay fever and insist on having the allergens report from your doc) but that's fine because the doctor gives me good meds that work (even if I do usually end up getting a nose spray - I hate taking it but it does help).

    Don't know about Berlin or Munich but in Düsseldorf the winter air is ridiculously dry and it gets really, really humid in summer. Total opposite of Dublin where you're checking for damp in winter and not in summer.


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    #184
    herthabsc
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 69 ✭✭herthabsc


    I am going over to the sacred Fatherland this evening and can't wait to get over there to the Allgaeu region! - Oberstdorf, Obersammergau, Garmisch-Parkinkerkin etc - lovely wheatbeer, mountains etc


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    #185
    livinginkorea
    Registered Users Posts: 5,438 ✭✭✭livinginkorea


    This is a shout out to the two girls who were on the train to Koblenz speaking Irish! Fantastic stuff!

    I have been outside of Ireland for 10 years now and never heard Irish spoken (apart from craic in the Irish pub) so it really made my day.


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    #186
    Apanachi
    Registered Users Posts: 757 ✭✭✭Apanachi


    livinginkorea wrote: »
    This is a shout out to the two girls who were on the train to Koblenz speaking Irish! Fantastic stuff!

    I have been outside of Ireland for 10 years now and never heard Irish spoken (apart from craic in the Irish pub) so it really made my day.

    I was walking down a busy street in Berlin one day and two guys were standing near the train station station when one of them looks at me and said "Dia duit cailín deas álainn" - I just smiled, said "Go raibh maith agat" and walked on, his face was priceless and his friend was in stitches laughing, I don't think he was expecting anyone to understand him, let alone answer back "as gaeilge" ;)


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    #187
    livinginkorea
    Registered Users Posts: 5,438 ✭✭✭livinginkorea


    Apanachi wrote: »
    I was walking down a busy street in Berlin one day and two guys were standing near the train station station when one of them looks at me and said "Dia duit cailín deas álainn" - I just smiled, said "Go raibh maith agat" and walked on, his face was priceless and his friend was in stitches laughing, I don't think he was expecting anyone to understand him, let alone answer back "as gaeilge" ;)

    I was thinking if I should say something but it would have been strange after 'listening' for so long so I just left it :)


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    #188
    Drakares
    Registered Users Posts: 904 ✭✭✭Drakares


    In Friedrichshafen now, just about settling in! Picked up my first blood injury playing astroturf with a group of the missus's brothers friends. Am studying German in CJD 4 hours per day, going from A2 - B2.

    All going well, though these Bratwurst and Weisswurst are so damn tasty I think I've put on some weight!!


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    #189
    DesertCreat_15
    Registered Users Posts: 1,262 ✭✭✭DesertCreat_15


    Drakares wrote: »
    A group of the missus's brothers friends

    Wait til they start coming with kegs of beer and a lift of shots telling you that "you must drink, you are irish" :pac:


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    #190
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,832 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Drakares wrote: »
    <snip>
    All going well, though these Bratwurst and Weisswurst are so damn tasty I think I've put on some weight!!
    you sure its not the beer?

    I remember back pre celtic-cub days (before students had 1000s upon 1000s of euros of cash to go travelling to the other side of the world for the summer, so came en masse to Munich) it was very noticable how a lot of the ladies went home significantly chunkier and rounder than when they came, mainly from a diet of beer !


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    #191
    Andrew Purfield
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭Andrew Purfield


    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    is the air in Berlin noticably more humid than Ireland, or is it just warm and humid or something along those lines?

    I find Munich air to be too bloody dry. Hands are only recovering now somewhat from a serious problem with the dry winter air.
    I thankfully dont suffer from the Föhn which is the mysterious warm airflow from the alps that gives many folks headaches.

    Has anyone noticed the crazy amount of Germans who have hayfever and Asthma compared to Ireland?
    I know barely anybody with asthma (i.e. only 1 person comes to mind who uses an inhaler) and when I came to germany I had to look up hayfever on the internet to see what the hell it was!

    I lived in France for a year and spent 6-7 weeks on an internship in Berlin and also have been to Munich on holiday for a week. I've never had hay fever outside of Ireland. The pollen here is unbelievable. I should know, I sell strawberries and daffodils every summer and spring!

    The whole week in Munich it was 38 degrees and we spent a day in Austria like that too. Air was dry alright but nice. No hay fever.


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    #192
    Andrew Purfield
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭Andrew Purfield


    bump. Anyone any experience working as a language assistant in Austria? I learnt my German with Austrians and Germans in France and for a while through working in Berlin but only been to Austria for a day so 12 hours a week working for the dept. of education on a decent basic wage interests me more than 2-3 euro an hour to clean books again like I did in Berlin..also will be a good way of spending a year abroad I figure to get fluent before maybe doing a masters somewhere in the auld Sprachraum.


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    #193
    Ardennes1944
    Registered Users Posts: 9,238 ✭✭✭Ardennes1944


    Finishing my Masters in BIS in July, hoping to get an internship in Germany if no graduate programmes in Ireland come to fruition, has anyone done any sort of IT or business analyst internship in Germany before?


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    #194
    Andrew Purfield
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭Andrew Purfield


    I did a business one in a bookshop before but it's half the pay of jobbridge. Was a joke too as it was just a glorified cleaning job. Answer you better to get any job that isn't strictly an internship as it will at least pay average basic of 800 plus a month. Germany is like anywhere else and employers take advantage of interns to get them to do the most degrading work.

    Having said that you could try IT, especially if you don't have fluent German.


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    #195
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Whats the best affordable city for employment at the moment? I have retail experience and will be able to give excellent references. My German is ok, but not perfect. Like I can understand about 85-90% of German radio or a TV show. What city would be the best for a summer job(from Mid-May onwards) and Ill be going back to college in mid-September.


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    #196
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    hfallada wrote: »
    Whats the best affordable city for employment at the moment? I have retail experience and will be able to give excellent references. My German is ok, but not perfect. Like I can understand about 85-90% of German radio or a TV show. What city would be the best for a summer job(from Mid-May onwards) and Ill be going back to college in mid-September.

    I would rule out the East of Germany and the Ruhr Valley (Dortmund or Essen), as you can find the highest unemployment rates in the country in these regions.


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    #197
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Ardennes1944 wrote: »
    Finishing my Masters in BIS in July, hoping to get an internship in Germany if no graduate programmes in Ireland come to fruition, has anyone done any sort of IT or business analyst internship in Germany before?

    Look up linkedin. I seen hundreds of internships for just banks in Frankfurt a couple of weeks ago. Try linkedin


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    #198
    Crumpets
    Registered Users Posts: 585 ✭✭✭Crumpets


    Heading to Göttingen in September to attend Georg-August Universität for the year. Excited!! :)


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    #199
    TheBoss11
    Registered Users Posts: 313 ✭✭TheBoss11


    Hi guys, looking to go to Germany for the summer and just work for the Sumner months and then come home. Just wondering is there any websites I could look at to get a job before I go over? It's something I would really love to do


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    #200
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    TheBoss11 wrote: »
    Hi guys, looking to go to Germany for the summer and just work for the Sumner months and then come home. Just wondering is there any websites I could look at to get a job before I go over? It's something I would really love to do

    https://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=en

    Gives you some background information about Germany as well.


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    #201
    zweton
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭zweton


    is it possible get an english speaking i.t job in any of the cities?


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    #202
    jester77
    Registered Users Posts: 11,262 ✭✭✭✭jester77


    zweton wrote: »
    is it possible get an english speaking i.t job in any of the cities?

    If you have the right skill set then you should have no problem. Where I work we have difficulties finding people with the right skill sets and have hired people from every corner of the world.


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    #203
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    zweton wrote: »
    is it possible get an english speaking i.t job in any of the cities?

    First of all, most of the Germans are fluent in English, there should be no problem with the language barrier.

    And then you will have the bigger IT companies with staff from all over the world, and nobody is expected to be fluent in German anyway, I suppose.


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    #204
    zweton
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭zweton


    great to hear the language wont be a barrier, was thinking munich.
    I have hear alot of good things about it. Anyone on here living in Munich.


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    #205
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Lars1916 wrote: »
    First of all, most of the Germans are fluent in English, there should be no problem with the language barrier.

    And then you will have the bigger IT companies with staff from all over the world, and nobody is expected to be fluent in German anyway, I suppose.

    That's handy
    I'm looking at requirements that do say fluency in english and german
    I'm on c1.2 german, my business german doesn't really go beyond basics of inflation is going up and down, and stuff like that
    I think at this level I'd be able to pick it up handy enough though on the job, if I ever find one


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    #206
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    bluewolf wrote: »
    That's handy
    I'm looking at requirements that do say fluency in english and german
    I'm on c1.2 german, my business german doesn't really go beyond basics of inflation is going up and down, and stuff like that
    I think at this level I'd be able to pick it up handy enough though on the job, if I ever find one

    I think, your German will automatically improve, once you mix with the locals ;)


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    #207
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Lars1916 wrote: »
    I think, your German will automatically improve, once you mix with the locals ;)

    The question is whether prospective employers will take the same view :cool:


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    #208
    zweton
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭zweton


    Anyone in Munich:)


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    #209
    EoghanIRL
    Registered Users Posts: 4,080 ✭✭✭EoghanIRL


    bluewolf wrote: »
    That's handy
    I'm looking at requirements that do say fluency in english and german
    I'm on c1.2 german, my business german doesn't really go beyond basics of inflation is going up and down, and stuff like that
    I think at this level I'd be able to pick it up handy enough though on the job, if I ever find one


    How do you know what level your Germans at ? Is there a test ?


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    #210
    pconn062
    Registered Users Posts: 5,370 ✭✭✭pconn062


    EoghanIRL wrote: »
    How do you know what level your Germans at ? Is there a test ?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages


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    #211
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,832 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    EoghanIRL wrote: »
    How do you know what level your Germans at ? Is there a test ?
    maybe something like this would be what youre looking for?
    http://www.sprachtest.de/schnelltest-deutsch

    or try this one by the Deutsche Welle (similar to bbc world service)
    http://einstufungstest.dw-world.de/

    or search for einstufungstest and see if anything else is usable.

    By the way, if you are looking to take a german course you'll be taking one of these tests anyhow to see what level you should start at.


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