Moving to Germany?

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Ladyhawke

Germany is a beautiful and safe place to live, and is especially nice if you're going to raise a family.

The only culture shock that my daughter experienced was learning the language when she came here... and a little racism, of course. American students are usually welcome with open arms. My only concern for your children is the school system. In ONLY the countries of Bayern and NRW, the teachers and government have a say as to which schools your children will intend....(which is grossly unfair.) You will be able to choose which school your children attend if you avoid these countries. They need to go to the 'Gymnasium' to have the best chances of succeeding and getting into the University. I hope that their written German is good, too! You may want to look into German courses for your children so they can brush up on their German before plunging into the German system which is a bit inflexible and unnecessarily difficult, in my opinion. Also, from the 6th grade on....(in Bavaria, at least)...they must take a second language. So your kids will have to know some French or Spanish, at least. Please have your husband contact the school BEFORE moving to Germany! There's nothing like a rude surprise.
Don't expect that the schools will teach your children. Many students have to pay for tutors or many parents have to teach their children additionally at home if their children are to succeed in a German classroom.

As far as learning German, it took me four years to master the language. (I suspect that the Bavarian dialect had a lot to do with my problems.) If you live in the northern cities, the people speak 'Hochdeustsch', (High German - German that you can understand), and you should be able to get a handle on it more quickly. If you have time, please take German classes before coming to Germany. (I took a 13 week course before coming....Berlitz.) It was better than nothing.

Job. Remember this. Paper. Forms. More Paperwork. You've got to have a paper and qualification for EVERYTHING! Please make some phone calls and get on the Internet BEFORE leaving the United States to see what you will need to be qualified to practice as an OB/GYN.

Make sure you get copies of all your birth certificates, marriage certificates, (they wouldn't accept our original marriage certificate, but they did accepted a copy because the copy had a number that they needed on it...WHAT A CIRCUS!!!).

Please find out also if you're going to have to redo your driver's license again....that could cost you an extra 1000 EURO and a headache....and make sure that your son and daughter KNOW HOW TO DRIVE before leaving the United States. (New drivers are required to go to driving school...and driving school is quite expensive! If they know how to drive already, then it will not be so expensive. Cost us 1200 Euros for our daughter. What did mine cost? $16 in the United States.) But that's Germany...and the more you find out about Germany...and accept it, (no use arguing), then the faster you'll become acclimated.

Just remember, Germany is NOT America. Everything is NOT possible...even if you work hard....but it's a very nice place to live, especially if your husband is a CEO and has money.

Alucard

>>>My kids can speak German, as they learned it from their father. However, I canâ€™t speak the language. How hard would it be for me to learn once we have made the move?

Depends - did you ever try learning another language? It's really difficult for some and easier for others. Germans like to brag about their language being a bit difficult, but there's a lot of vocabulary you'll already be familiar with coming from English. I think the most difficult thing for a native English speaker is to master the case system and articles (der/die/das/ein etc.).

>>>Would there be any culture shock for my kids? Would other kids shun them because they are foreigners?

This is kinda difficult for me to answer because I've never been to the U.S. and don't know in what aspects it differs from Germany, but I think the culture shock will be a lot less severe in Europe than in any other part of the world. I think in the last decades many aspects of American lifestyle and pop culture (TV, music, food, etc.) have been adapted by Germans (which is sometimes lamented by older people and/or the media).
I don't think other kids would shun them, many kids would probably think it really cool to have American friends.

>>>All my children do very well in school. What kind of differences and difficulties would they face when they are enrolled in German schools? And are the educational standards set high?

If they are very good in school, they should definitely go to a Gymnasium. They can complete an 'Abitur' there, which qualifies them to go to college. Education at college is much cheaper in Germany than in other countries. They have recently established college fees for the first time but there at about 300 - 700 â‚¬ for half a year, which is really cheap compared to other contries (and it already includes a bus ticket and several other benefits). I think the standards are very different from university to university, but overall the education is very good.

>>>My husband is a CEO and I am an OB/GYN. Would we be able to find work?

Yes. Generally it's not that easy to find good jobs in Germany at the moment, but well-trained people are always looked for. Many specialised doctors leave Germany though, because the payment is better in other countries, so maybe you won't get paid as much as you used to.

>>>Where would be a good city to live? I would like a place that is safe and nice, and preferably a large city.

Well, I live in MÃ¼nster in Nordrheinwestfalen and it's a beuatiful old city, very safe and nice. It's also a city for cyclist with less cars than other cities of its size. But its probably not as big as your looking for, if you want to live in a really big city I'd suggest Berlin, Cologne or Hamburg.

Gobby B**ch

wow wow wow! sheesh.
If your husband is a german ex-pat shouldn't he know the answers to many of these questions? Germany is a wonderful country, however with my experience (as a brit) alot of the cultural semantics of anglo culture does not convert well to germanic culture. your kids might find it tough at first to make good friends, but once they get a hang of how german humour all will be fine. The german education system is EXCELLENT! Collogne is a beautiful city with very friendly locals- try there :D
Im sorry i couldnt answer all of your questions.
Enjoy Germany - goodluck

Armywife2248

I think that is a wonderful thing that you guys are considering moving to Germany. I lived there for about 6 years and the people are wonderful, the education and healthcare system is great! This was a while ago, I left there in 1999, so this is my recollection of it at the time. They no longer have a Deutsch Mark, I think it's the Euro now. I think where I lived (Landstuhl) the biggest city near this is Kaiserslautern or as Americans call it. K'town, but they went to school year round there with holiday at Christmas time and during their own national holidays.

To me the people there will have to get to know you first, but once they are your friend, you have a friend for life. I was an active duty soldier there for 6 years and also a single parent. My daughter was born there in Landstuhl, they have a huge American Hospital and they offered her duel citizenship (American/German). I wish I could go back in time and make that place my home. I love the Pirmasens/Landstuhl area. The people are very sweet. The lady I was renting from agreed to keep my daughter for me for free (can you believe it?) She said it would give her grandson someone to play with during the day.

You would be able to find work easy with your profession, and most people speak a little English (enough to get by, lol) I think it is a requirement in school or something. Although, German is not hard to learn. I even taught my daughter a little before we had to leave. But, if you move closer to where the US Kaserns are, you both could find work easy and they have American/British schools there for students of military or government personnel.

Wow, I hadn't thought about Germany for a while, you are making me long for the place, lol. Your husband is a German National no? He would know the places where to find a good job. I would stay away from the huge cities such as Berlin, as they have political marches or gatherings a lot and they always advised us Americans to stay away. Vilseck is also a nice quiet place, it is in Bavaria (considered the country), but it is lovely.

Vilseck, Vogelwegh, Landstuhl, Kaiserslautern, Ramstein, and Pirmasens (not far from French border), are all close to or have American Kaserns (or Posts) in their town. There is also a small town outside of K'town called Rosenberg, it is a nice and safe place to live, I loved it there! I hope this little bit of information helps. Tschuss!!

IRISHBANDIT

wow.it seems you think to much. ;) .DonÂ´t worry.You welcome.i think the best places to live is in Hamburg or Bremen (but bremen isnÂ´t so big) in northern germany for ya because the germans there speak the clear german without so much slangs.Some words in the slang of the peoples of northern germany are the same like in english.My grandfather told me that wasn`t much problems after ww2 to speak with the US Soldiers cause a lot words was the same.But i think more work will be in middle and the south of germany.DonÂ´t worry because you donÂ´t speak german.The most young germans speak english an must learn it in school.And with time you could learn german than you have not so much problems.Be friendly and the germans will help you.i never travel to the states but i think your kids have not so much problems like they were travel to the middle east or asia.

Drachenslayer

You probably know at least, some Deutsch. It's easier than Spanish to learn because of the similar words with just a bit of spelling and annunciating differences.

Deutschland is a very progressive nation, you should have no problems finding jobs.

I'd choose your "stadt" based on job opportunities, or location to their family.

Anyone I've met or has been to Germany has only good things to say about it, so take that for what it's worth.

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