Reasons for moving to Germany

I don't mean this in any antagonistic way, I have been wondering for a while what the breakdown is regards people's reasons for moving to Germany.

None of the above. I was having a great time in Vienna for a year and my boss told me to get myself over to Munich, quick smart, for an important meeting. Damn, that was almost four years ago.

Wouldn't that come under "Work / Transfer"?

Don't be so pedantic.

So who's "On the run"?

I am. Or at least, I was. I have a theory that people move far far away for one of three reasons. 1. Lots of money via a job offer. 2. They are running away from something. 3. They are in lurve with someone who's moving for reason 1 or 2.

And before you ask the next question. I ran away from deciding what to do with the rest of my life. Original plan: one year abroad, chance to learn another language, see some more of Europe, figure out what the hell to do when I went back. That was nearly 10 years ago.

You must have been up day and night formulating that theory.

You could tack on another few 'or's at the end. But I would say that most people here have moved because they are in lurve with someone from Germany.

when i met my beau at college, i was on my way to costa rica to perfect my spanish skills, instead i chocked it for a eurorail trip to visit his homeland, etc. then decided to learn german 'cause he was seemingly too perfect and i had a subtle feeling he would be different once he was in his own language & culture modus. then said, hell, might as well do an internship & use those damn language skills, then convinced myself it didn't matter where i got job experience. so yup, came her for luv.

funny thing is, all the german exchnge students i knew were big dorks, who wore stripped, tight pants and never bathed. so germany was not on my list of places i wanted to visit & that machne-gun language. ugh. now look, 5 years later ... i have an extra roll of deo in my desk drawer just in case!

My main reason for coming here was Lurve.

Met my Woman in Ulan Bataar, capital city of Outer Mongolia. We were consulting together on a soil erosion project. I worked for a British firm, she worked for a Munich company. I was wrongly briefed about my mission and ended up trying to train mapping skills to two women who knew the software better than I did! Then my woman came along and taught them properly. I spent the next month not doing any work and drinking up my daily expense account and snogging my lady on the Mongolian steppe!

That is how I came to Germany!

Doesn't anyone have an orignal story? Seems like most people come for love or work/school...

I ran away from home. Germany was just a coincidence.

I am a carpet bagger. I spent a year in Heidelberg on an exchange program, finished my degree in the states, did my internship, decided I liked the way of life here better than there, sold my car and brought two suitcases of stuff with me.

Ended up in Munich because I was having a beer in the Viktualienmarket when I met some americans who mentioned a job opening here. I really wanted to be in Heidelberg, Hamburg, or Berlin (I don't remember why).

Before that I slept on couches at people's places I had met during my exchange, taught English in Mannheim. Put myself into incredible debt getting my first apartment here in Munich.

Running away? Boredom? Curiosity? Dunno.

Thought of living a better life here in Europe ( Munich ) compared to living in India.

But regret it now...no matter how many years you live here...there is always a feeling of being an outsider...

hard to answer this one. I originally came to study but kind of knew before i even started my studies in London that i would end up living here permanently.

So to cut it short, i came to Germany because of my uni course, i stayed in Germany because of my job and moved to Munich also because of my job.

Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up!

Originally because of a German man which didn't work out. Stayed in Hamburg an extra 2 years on the other side of the city before returning to England to start my degree. I like it in Germany, but wouldn't want to die here.

For me it was completely random...spin the globe, close my eyes and point, Munich was the winner

The furthest point away from debt collectors back home. Will just stay here until the heat cools off. Would have gone to Majorca, but Skasey took that.

Didn't find a job in states but found one in germany as i was very much excited to work abroad.

... escape the Gulag

...needed a clean break...

I am moving to Germany, cause I'm a sucker for 18th Century living (and I'm German of course) . Not that I expect it to be that why, but I love 18 century "stuff". If I could choose, I would have lived in the 18th century, A bit corny, I KNOW...

I came because I was bored out of my mind. I had started working and found myself in a holding pattern. I was doing the same things day after day and couldn’t stop thinking that there was more to life, if I didn’t seize opportunity while I was young enough and relatively devoid of responsibilities, I never would. I had always been attracted to the arts and culture in Europe and spoke German so narrowed my choices down to Munich or Vienna. Munich won by a hair as an old lady offered me a place to stay until I found an apartment of my own.

I used to live on a boat traveling with my friends/family throughout Europe, mainly being driven out of the towns by ignorant townfolks. I would make money selling trinkets and doing odd jobs around the towns we visited, until one day in France I met this wonderful lady who had a beautiful daughter that had a wonderful imaginary wallaby (she thought it was a kangaroo). She owned a chocolate store/halfway house for battered women. Well after my boat was burned down through an unoffical mandate by the local mayor, I decided to try and merge my meadering roots with the owner of the chocolate store, while she tried to guess which was my favorite chocolate. As soon as I thought that I would actually live in one city and was enjoying becoming a "local". Her gypsy roots which "blow" her from town to town, blew here to Munich. I followed and have been living here quite comfortably trying new mixes of chocolate and chili, which is always dangerous when our putzfrau is cleaning our flat!!

Hello everybody,
I just read the thread about the survey: US expatriate adjustment to German culture.

For me being in german, and all those few in this forum...it might be interesting to know from everybody else who's not german:

What made you come here?
Why Germany?
How did you manage to come here?
Was it difficult? Visa, Aufenthaltsgenehmigung etc...
How long do you plan on staying?
What are the advantages and disadvatages?

...just a few question as examples...I am not focusing on any special nationality
I am just really curious about those things, since for me it's easy to live and stay here and I now why I am here, or not...
..but for examples I live in the US for a while and I know how hard, expensive it can be over there
So I just wanted to get some insight on life here in Germany/Munich as a foreigner, because I think a lot of people are not aware of all the stress you might have to go through to get where you are right now.

Topics merged by admin

>>What made you come here?
wife got a job here

>>Why Germany?
we wanted to stay in Europe but not go to Britain (my home country). Have always liked Germany on trips here and wanted to learn the language. Good job opps for my wife

>>How did you manage to come here?
sorted out a temp flat for month 1. Packed the car, drove here and found a permament place to live within month 1

>>Was it difficult? Visa, Aufenthaltsgenehmigung etc...
not really, as EU citizens

>>How long do you plan on staying?
at least to end of 2006 although I'd like to stay much longer

>>What are the advantages
central European location, excellent standard, nice climate, we are in a 3rd country (not the homeland of my wife or I)

>>and disadvatages?
always difficult with new language etc but really I don't see any disadvantages at all

What made you come here?
I studied abroad here 5 years ago, loved it, met my current boyfriend, and wanted to get the hell out of the US

Why Germany?
It's really embarassing but I had the opportunity to either go to Spain or Germany-I spoke no German and a lot of Spanish, but then watched Lola Rennt and decided Germany would suit me better

How did you manage to come here?
With an airplane, of course

Was it difficult? Visa, Aufenthaltsgenehmigung etc...
nope, got a job right away and then studied, and now have a job again

How long do you plan on staying?
no idea, I don't make plans

What are the advantages and disadvatages?
Advantages:
clean, safe, beautiful city
friends
cool language

Disadvantages:
Germans live here

D*mn... I don't feel like typing that much today! Ask me those questions next week at post-Ultimate-beer

That's one thing better here. Outdoor beer. And you could drink on the subway or in the street if you so desire.

For you - being in German (gosh- isn't it uncomfortable in there??)

What made you come here?
a mere whim
Here - meaning Munich or Germany in general ? (since I didn't want to come to Munich and spent my first few years in Heidelberg how do I answer that?)

Why Germany?
A mere whim based on the fact that my brother had to take a language course at university and I offered to help him if he took German, he failed and I was offered an exchange spot

How did you manage to come here?
On a plane, then a train

Was it difficult? Visa, Aufenthaltsgenehmigung etc...
As a student - easy peasy, as a "grown up", well, it only took 3 days for my to get my first residency permit (3 consecutive days at Pocci Strasse)

How long do you plan on staying?
Until I get bored with it. I am a carpet bagger - only dependant on me !

What are the advantages and disadvatages?

yawn - same as everywhere that is not home

PS: Hr. Schlimmdu - We do expect a detailled "auswertung" in power point in two weeks (which you can extend to the end of august if your entire staff is on holiday)

> What made you come here?
Studied Germanistik at Uni, after three years I still wasn't learning the language, came on own for three months to immerse myself in it (and got 27 credits for a summer of drinking).

> Why Germany?
Long story how I got into the German Dept. It started with an incredible professor of a History course which was the only one I could take to pack my schedule to 30 credits in a quarter.

> How did you manage to come here?
Saved my money from three jobs.

> Was it difficult? Visa, Aufenthaltsgenehmigung etc...
No visa. First 90-day Aufenthaltsgenehmigung was easy. The Verlängerungen got more and more difficult; getting engaged forced the hand of the Einwohnermeldeamt and I got my long-terms after the wedding. After seven years of residence I got my lifelong.

> How long do you plan on staying?
Until I get a job offer in Iceland or some incredible offer somewhere else. Or as long as the right girl wants to stay if I ever meet her.

> What are the advantages and disadvatages?
Too damned many to list. Security, social system, less phoniness, privacy, security. Paperwork, a court system on ketamine, general bloody-mindedness, economics, too close to both France and the eastern European countries.

woof.

I came here because my wife was offered a job here.

My wife is German and we both wanted to move to Munich as we like winter weather and skiing so an opportunity came up and my wife took it.

Sold our home in England, drove over here and a big lorry with our stuff in it turned up later

Didnt need a visa

We plan on staying for good (and have just bought our first home here)

Advantages (over living in England) are just too numerous to mention

Disadvantages, foreigners (western) seeing a closet racist in every German that says something they dont like! Oh, yes, the amount of extra cash that you have to pay when you buy a house to the taxman (its a bummer!!!)

Hi all,

Some of you may have already read I'm heading over to start a new life in Frankfurt shortly. Looking on here and on some other websites, I've noticed that there is a rather large amount of us ex-pats over in Germany.

Now obviously some of us are here because work sent us, or we've been posted by the forces, but I'm rather curious (and sorry, but I am a nosy bugger - and hopefully nobody is going to be offended by this post) as to why people decide to make such a life changing move to Germany of all places

I've got a German fiance who's lived in the UK for the last 10 years who wants to come back. With both of us working in a financial background, Frankfurt was the obvious choice. Is that a similar story with everybody else? Or did some people wake up one day thinking "you know what, I'm off to Germany"?

Crap topic or interesting discussion point?

Topics merged by admin

relatively interesting topic. Although been done a couple of times before I think

my reason: girlfriend's work

Come to Munich on a sunny day and relax in one of the many beer gardens and you might get an idea why I moved here.

Apologies if it's been done before - bit of a newbie here, and constantly hiding screen from lurking boss! Although... I've resigned, why the hell do I care if he see's whats on my screen??

to death i would think, like most "ex-pat" topics. Still new blood, new discussion.

I came to Germany cos i studied here and just sort of stayed. I've never had a reason to leave yet.

My brother had a german exchange kid staying with us when I was younger so I always wanted to go to Germany. Despite trying in the RAF and after living in Spain, Italy and NY...the chance came up and so off I went to live in Frankfurt. I was also working in Banking and I had a whale of a time...

Now I'm getting married to a german girl and so have settled down in Munich..since I liked frankfurt but not that much!!!

I should thank that fat german kid who came to our house when I was a nipper...Thanks fat german kid!!!

I disagree. Compared to France, Spain etc I think there are very few brits moving to Germany.

A fun game back home at dinner parties was to say "Hey, I am emigrating...guess where!"

Germany is usually guess number 497 just after Iceland and Papua New Guinea.

And even when you do tell people they look at you like you have just announced you have terminal cancer.

If you say "I am emigrating to Australia" they say "Ohhhhhh you lucky thing, I want to do that one day".

If you say "I am emigrating to Germany" they look the other way and offer their condolences.

but...

Visitors once they get here say what a jolly spiffing place it is. Just they need to get over the HUGE and I mean HUGE prejudice in the UK about this place.

(although my condolences that your are being posted to FFT of course)

i went to germany in oktoberfest 2004 and just sorta stayed till oktoberfest 2005. thought the damn fest lasted a year and i would have been rude to go during it. little did i know there was a pause of 11.5months between them

Related topic: Why did you move to Munich?

Johnny English, maybe that's a good thing!!!

We'll keep it to ourselves...

Work. That and the amazing availability of quality beer, interesting people and places, beer gardens, lack of loony-left PC local government, Oktoberfest, erm did I mention the beer?

i came here for love. no more love left, but i am still around. hard to just pick up your life and move home again although everyone back home seems to think it's easy.

p.s. when i tell people back home where i live, they say "oh, you're stationed there". when i say, "nope, living and working like everyone else" they say simple "oh".

I have an invite to a party in the UK next month:

You are cordially invited to our "Come As Where You Come From Party", Saturday 19th August, 7pm onwards. Please come dressed as "Where you come from" ie, something to do with your country , a famous person from your country etc. ( country of birth, origin or where you live now - your choice)

I have invested in a nifty pair of Lederhosen, and...a 3 litre beer glass (20 euros from Lidl the other month). Now I just need to perfect my grumpy face and remember to stare at everyone.

Don't know any figures and couldn't be bothered to look, but I'd guess that more people move to Germany for work whilst those going to Frans or Spain are retiring or "dropping out" in some other way.

World Cup has helped a bit

I think the World Cup helped a lot. BBC news spent most of it's time praising the Germans for their organisation (and I know there's sooooo many jokes about that last comment people can make). Many people that I know were really surprised about how nice Germany was when they came.

Work asked me if I wanted to move to Munich. I can't lie, the biggest reason was probably the pay-rise, but since I've been here I think I would have probably moved anyway without the pay-rise. Hmm, I hope they don't read this

The beer and the autobahn are just a bonus...

Have to LOVE the autobahn. in my last job I was driving all over the country. 70mph (ok, ok nearer 90) is just sooooo boring. When I brought the car over here I couldn't wipe the smile off my face

Once you get over the "God things are awful over here, why did I do it?" phase (which in my case lasted approx 3-4 years), you start noticing things on visits back to the UK which you definitely do not miss (but that's another thread, I guess), and then start searching for reasons to return. I had this opportunity 2 years back, but the job was in London & was just not an option with family etc - would have entailed quite a nosedive in quality of life, I reckon.