I mean for anyone that has lived in Germany please answer only.?

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Nekkra

As a SSG, you will be authorized to live off post and will be given OHA (off-post housing allowance) to cover your rent and utilities (for the most part). You will also get COLA (cost of living allowance) which is pretty high right now since the $ is in the toilet. You can expect to pay about 700 Euro a month rent and another 200 Euro a month in utilities.

I would suggest getting a car and shipping it over here on your orders. You "should" be authorized to do that (can't see why you wouldn't). But if you really want to buy something here and without having ties to a German (being married to one), you are pretty much limited to AAFES Car Sales and those places close to the bases that sell to Americans. It's not a big deal because you can usually get a loan from Andrews (credit union) or Community Bank. I'd suggest a USED car, though. If you're only planning on being here for 3 years (normal tour), you don't want a fairly new car that would cost more than it's worth to bring back to the US and hard to sell in Germany tieing you down when it comes time to PCS.

For #3, you can probably count more than 3k a month. With your base pay (+ any bonuses you get), add in OHA and COLA which should cover your bills. Your base pay is pretty much what you'll have as spending money every month (if you're not going crazy over here). As a former SSG in Germany before the $ went in the toilet, I was clearing an easy $4.5k a month (including OHA & COLA), so there was plenty to go around.

#4 This is kind of hard to answer. If you want to get a job with the US Government, the pickings will be slim. After your tour is over, that's when Mannheim and part of Heidelberg are scheduled to close. There will only be a little left in Heidelberg. Ramstein/Kaiserslautern will still be full, Grafenwohr and Vilseck will still be full, and part of Wiesbaden, Ansbach, Garmisch. To work in the German system, you have to get a residency permit & work permit. To do that, you have to prove that you have enough money to support yourself for a year in case you don't find a job. But they REALLY want you to have a job lined up before you apply for those permits. If you were married to a German, you could apply without a job lined up. Jobs for non-EU citizens in Germany can be pretty hard to come by, so be prepared for a hard time there. Also, make sure you plan a "European Out" when you get out of the service. This will allow you to (A) get a job with full benefits with DOD (as a stateside hire) as opposed to as a local hire within 1 year of getting out and (B) allow you to keep your return rights for up to 24 months after your ETS date in the event that things don't go well and you have to return home.

#5 German girls like people for who they are, not what they are. If you're a good person, you have a good chance of finding someone.

Jared G

Hey SSG. I currently live in Heidelberg with HQ USAREUR. I am a SPC(P). Here with HQ they have Single Soldier Housing. This is where most junior NCO's live with one roomate. I am not sure how easy it is to get off post housing. I think it all depends on availability and the command. AFFES has new car sales over here so you can expect everything to be about the same as it is in the states unless you are looking to buy off post which would more than likely be more expensive since the Euro rate is killing the dollar. You will get COLA but it isn't really enough to cover the exchange rate. I know someone who got out over here and works on post for the Army in Wiesbaden. I guess it depends on how hard you prepare before you get out if you want to stay. I would definately say that you can for sure find German women that like American men. Especially in Heidelberg. My girlfriend is German.

The baby penguin

I guess the 2 other ppl answered everything already. As far as the girls go, you won't have a problem finding a girl, I just want to warn you about the so-called "american dreamers", that's german girls who are only looking for american guys so they can move to the US one day. But I hope you'll be able to tell who's real and who's not. Good luck with it.

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