Matilda2u

I’ve been posting on the Australian forums for some time and as a family we had our sights set on Adelaide, we have done skills assessment, IELTS, state sponsorship then lodged visa etc, now as of today the priorities with Australian Immigration have changed – so instead of possibly relocating in July 2010, we have found out that our, along with many other applicants, will not get processed at the earliest 2012!

My question is this: My OH is German (from Freiburg) and although we kind of like the idea of Australia and have spent a lot of money getting this far, Germany has always been an option for us. My OH would have no problems (obviously) with work as he is skilled in two trades and knows the language. The question is myself and our two children do not speak German and I’m concerned that I will become isolated as I cannot do a similar job as I have in the UK and also the children at school may suffer.

The idea is, as a family to live a life that suits us and Freiburg is great for being outdoors and the feeling of freedom and nature in the Black Forest is second to none. We have holidayed in Germany over the years and I really love the lifestyle. So much in fact that I wondered why the hell we have progressed as far with this Oz adventure! Perhaps this recent setback has made me focus on what we really need – But I do need to consider the children first – i.e. the language barrier – Has anyone any advice please?

JAJ

How old are the children? And have they got German passports?

leepee

Can't help that much except to say that if the kiddies are young they are still flexible....Does your husband not speak German to them at home? If not maybe he could start....?

Other than that just wanted to say that I lived in Karlsruhe (north of Freiburg) for two yrs and then just outside Frankfurt for another year.... I know Freiburg pretty well and love it!!! I found the Germans to be unfailingly polite and kind and if we (hubby and kids) were ever to return to Europe (we are in Canada) I would live there again in a heartbeat!!!

Good luck with your decision
Lisa

the troubadour

Yes things are a little uncertain here in Australia at the moment. 2012 is a long time in the sense that the government would at this stage have little idea what numbers may be allowed in by that time.
Freiburg is a fine place, perhaps a little isolated in some ways,but have fond memories from there. We actually maintain a flat in Tubingen,with possible intent to go back there from Perth??(or another stage)
As for language the children will adapt quickly. Actually know a woman there went from Sydney aged twelve,not a word of German and now thirty five years later struggles with English more than a little,due to i guess lack of maintainance...For older folk well as i am sure you are aware it does require some work and persistance.persistenceH to speak a little each day,you'll be surprised how fast it is possible to progress.
Good Luck.

Matilda2u

Thanks for all the replies. The kids are already nearly 13 and 9 and they don't have German passports. My partner has lived in UK since he was 21 and wanted to speak more English than German hence why we are not as fluent as we perhaps should be.
I assume it'll be hard for the kids to intergrate into a German schooling system with such a poor level of German and I don't know if it would affect them in a negative way, even though they are willing to move there.

All our plans pointed to leaving the UK in July next year to emigrate and that's just not going to happen now - We have sold nearly everything of value to fund the move, bar the house (which we are renting out) so we are in a position to make a move somewhere and I was really hoping now that Germany could be it. In all honesty we would have picked Germany in the first place, but the language barrier (for me) at the time seemed unsurmountable.

Yes Freiburg is small but all his family live there and it would be a good support network for me and the kids on that level. One other option would be Munich. I'm so confused as to whether it would benefit the children or hinder them?

JAJ

But they are German citizens, so perhaps it's time to get them German passports.

For school, look to see what options the school system has to deal with children who do not have German as their first language.

Does your partner want to get his British citizenship before he leaves?

Matilda2u

Good point !!

My partner looked into getting the citizenship test but it got put on the back burner with the Australia plans. Will it be an advantage for him to do this before we leave?
I am looking into schools now with a view to maybe starting off in an English speaking International type school to start with with extensive German language emphasis. Do you think this sounds do-able? Has anyone any experience with putting their children in a school like this?

Thanks for taking the time out to help me.

JAJ

Advantage? If he leaves Britain without becoming a British citizen he won't be eligible - at all.

How long has he lived in Britain and are you legally married?

Normally German citizenship is lost upon acquisition of another (unless you get permission first) but there is an exception for those becoming citizens of other EU states or Switzerland:
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo...ebersicht.html


Can they speak any German?

MartinH

We are both originally from the UK although my wife has a German mother and speaks fluent German. I am the only breadwinner.

We moved to Germany 10 years ago.

We (or rather I) always had the desire to live in Australia and last year we moved to Australia..............hated it and within a year we were back in Germany.

When we came, our children were 8 and 4 and both arre now fluent in German (although I am not!)

We love it is Germany. It is everything that we want in a country, beautiful, safe, industrious and traditional (compared to Australia which was packed with brits, tacky and irritating)

I expect we will never leave.

Perry Groves

We are currently iin the process of applying for PR to New Zealand but are still considering options, I spent 4 months in Germany and liked it a lot, I just wonder what the job market for engineers (electrical) is like.

MartinH

To be honest I can't comment specifically on engineering - the job situation here is better than the rest of some parts of Europe and there is definitely evidence of an upswing - but largely it depends on your German skills. Although I am increasingly finding a broader acceptance of non-German speakers, even in smaller German businesses. I think at the end of the day if you have the right skills, language is not a barrier.

spankysparkle

germany is fantastic!!!!

you can be fluent in german in 3-6 months if you attend a Sprachschule (language school) and most germans speak at least some english.

if i were you, i'g grab the opportunity! i'd love to stay here AND be close to the mountains, but unfortunately hubby's job is not that flexible, so we'll be going to nz/canada next year... but we'll both be VERYVERY sad to leave

good luck making your decision

notathome

Your children will adapt quicker than you. When I moved to Germany I couldnt speak any German but thrown in at the deep end I soon learnt it. Here in Munich there is a good international school, maybe they have one in Freiburg.