Meanwhile in Germany....someone is drinking beer and/or wearing lederhosen...
Friday, April 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Apartment Hunting
Hello!
So, as promised, here are some tips on apt hunting for those who are about to arrive or have just arrived:
As I said, the easiest way is speaking German! Unfortunately, many foreigners have a bad reputation in Germany and not all pay rent on time (or at all!), which results in a lot of stress for the apt owner since there are laws that prohibit them to take someone who doesn't pay rent out of the apt.
So renting an apartment is one of the hardest tasks here. If you are coming to study, I would suggest a WG (student apt) because they are cheaper and much easier to rent then a normal apt since you will not have the whole contract under your name. You can find WG offers in most uni announcement boards on and offline. They are usually called "Schwarzes Brett" and are not hard to find.
If you decide you do want to rent your own apt. you probably either need a working German spouse or a good job contract from a known, serious company. If you are looking for an apt and you are not a student nor working at the moment, and intends to live just on savings for the first few months, it is extremely hard to sign a contract under your name, I would say chances are minimal.
I have a friend from India who recently lost his wife and wanted to move to a smaller apt. Even though he has a job contract and his boss was willing to write him a letter stating things like his paycheck amount and etc., he still hasn't been able to find a new place and he has been searching for the past 9 months! Usually, if you're interested in a place, you are probably one of many! So specially in bigger cities, you need to fill out an application with information about yourself and then the apt owner decides who would be the "safest" fill for the apt.
So I guess that's it, however, don't be discouraged! If you're new here have a German friend help you in the hunting, they will also provide you with great insight!
See you next time and I'd love to read your comments!
xoxo
So, as promised, here are some tips on apt hunting for those who are about to arrive or have just arrived:
As I said, the easiest way is speaking German! Unfortunately, many foreigners have a bad reputation in Germany and not all pay rent on time (or at all!), which results in a lot of stress for the apt owner since there are laws that prohibit them to take someone who doesn't pay rent out of the apt.
So renting an apartment is one of the hardest tasks here. If you are coming to study, I would suggest a WG (student apt) because they are cheaper and much easier to rent then a normal apt since you will not have the whole contract under your name. You can find WG offers in most uni announcement boards on and offline. They are usually called "Schwarzes Brett" and are not hard to find.
If you decide you do want to rent your own apt. you probably either need a working German spouse or a good job contract from a known, serious company. If you are looking for an apt and you are not a student nor working at the moment, and intends to live just on savings for the first few months, it is extremely hard to sign a contract under your name, I would say chances are minimal.
I have a friend from India who recently lost his wife and wanted to move to a smaller apt. Even though he has a job contract and his boss was willing to write him a letter stating things like his paycheck amount and etc., he still hasn't been able to find a new place and he has been searching for the past 9 months! Usually, if you're interested in a place, you are probably one of many! So specially in bigger cities, you need to fill out an application with information about yourself and then the apt owner decides who would be the "safest" fill for the apt.
So I guess that's it, however, don't be discouraged! If you're new here have a German friend help you in the hunting, they will also provide you with great insight!
See you next time and I'd love to read your comments!
xoxo
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
First Post!!!!
Hi guys!
So through this blog, I'd like to connect and help people who live in Germany or would like to move/visit here for some reason! I'll post tips, experiences, practical day-to-day things, adaptation struggles and what to expect for those who are planning to come. This is basically a sharing of my experiences as student, professional and most of all a person trying to adapt to a culture that's completely different from mine!
So here's some background information about me:
I am originally from Brazil but have lived and studied in America for 6 years previously to moving here. I moved in here as soon as I finished my Bachelors degree in International Relations and came speaking 0 German (which I definetely don't recommend!!!!). Had I known I would move in here, I would have started learning the language at least 6 months before!
So I guess here is my first tip for those who would like to come: LEARN GERMAN FIRST! The language is exremely hard and for most people it takes years to learn! I've been here for a little longer than 2 years and can still assure that my German is nowhere near perfect! I had the expectation that learning German would be like learning English: easy and fast, and must say I was really wrong! I also thought that using English everywhere would be no problem - many Germans do speak English but you will be at another level and much more respected when you are able to speak German. Plus, only speaking English shrinks your job opportunities very very much!
I've studied German at a language course (VHS- probably the most popular in all Germany) for about 2 years from Monday through Friday and finished at level B2. I can communicate but still make grammatic mistakes and lack on formal vocabulary.
Next time I post I'll share some tips about renting apts here! Hope to have your feedback!
Bis dann!
So through this blog, I'd like to connect and help people who live in Germany or would like to move/visit here for some reason! I'll post tips, experiences, practical day-to-day things, adaptation struggles and what to expect for those who are planning to come. This is basically a sharing of my experiences as student, professional and most of all a person trying to adapt to a culture that's completely different from mine!
So here's some background information about me:
I am originally from Brazil but have lived and studied in America for 6 years previously to moving here. I moved in here as soon as I finished my Bachelors degree in International Relations and came speaking 0 German (which I definetely don't recommend!!!!). Had I known I would move in here, I would have started learning the language at least 6 months before!
So I guess here is my first tip for those who would like to come: LEARN GERMAN FIRST! The language is exremely hard and for most people it takes years to learn! I've been here for a little longer than 2 years and can still assure that my German is nowhere near perfect! I had the expectation that learning German would be like learning English: easy and fast, and must say I was really wrong! I also thought that using English everywhere would be no problem - many Germans do speak English but you will be at another level and much more respected when you are able to speak German. Plus, only speaking English shrinks your job opportunities very very much!
I've studied German at a language course (VHS- probably the most popular in all Germany) for about 2 years from Monday through Friday and finished at level B2. I can communicate but still make grammatic mistakes and lack on formal vocabulary.
Next time I post I'll share some tips about renting apts here! Hope to have your feedback!
Bis dann!
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