Just curious if anyone has moved to Germany without speaking the language or moving with someone who does. I've always been fascinated by the country since the first time I went there and it generally appeals to me.

There is also this perception that the country has lots of jobs available. So I am just curious as it is a I would possibly consider living in, in future. The company I currently work for does have office in Hamburg and Stuttgart and some other smaller locations. An inter company transfer would be interesting and i would certainly give it some serious consideration.

I did, but the job I went to take on was in a research institute where I could function without German at first without a problem.

I wouldn't have done it without a job already set up, but having said that my German was functional after 18 months and fairly fluent after circa 5 years.

A friend of mine did it and she took an intensive Goethe Institute language course and became pretty fluent inside 6 months. Will obviously take longer if you cannot do a course full-time.

In most big cities its not a problem to just speak English, but there will be the odd situation where someone can't speak English and it would be handy to know the language or at least the basics.

I've been learning for a few years now off and on. I recommend finding a course and learning the foundations in the UK. You can find speaking partners on places like gumtree to practice. They speak english and you speak german to help each other.

Also I love the mindsnacks application for German Learning. It's really good fun and you can play it on your phone when on the train or bus to kill time.

I'd say the number one thing when it comes to German is to do homework yourself. Class rooms are great for explaining the information, but unless you learn on your own a few times a week it will take a long time in my experience.

Germanpod101.com is also good and only $1.

Hope that helps.
Tom

Hi, my Anglo-French daughters both speak German and are both currently living in Berlin. The elder one eventually found jobs in various Kindergartens and primary schools, teaching French and English to German children. She started life in a Call-Centre, earning peanuts for deadly boring work. The younger has just finished her second Degree in German and, while seeking something in her field, is surviving by working in the same Call-Centre... They are tri-lingual and it seems that "lots of jobs available" is a myth.
If you can have an inter-company transfer, then go for it, but if you go to Germany without a job lined up, take a lot of savings to tide you over while you learn the language in order to find higher-than-minimum-wage employment.

I first left the UK about 30 years ago without being able to speak German and with very little knowledge about the place. I went to a small town (totally unknown to me) for a technical job that required English and all my work colleagues could speak English, some excellently.

I did pick up a little German with the help of colleagues and became interested to learn. In the outside world, trying to talk to older people (40+) in English could cause problems, but with younger ones it was mostly OK. You should be aware that a kid is not considered to have completed school successfully unless they have passed their exams in German, Maths and English.

I left the UK for the last time 25 years ago after using the intervening time to go to German evening classes and begin to progress with the language.

I now have a German wife. We own a house here and am looking forward to retiring here. I speak German, not perfectly, but everybody understands me perfectly well and telephone conversations with strangers in German are not a problem. (I am often accused of being from New Zealand).

I have moved jobs often, my English is always being used to check their technical English at their request.

If you are single and have the wish to try something new that will sometimes be difficult but rewarding, then try for that job in the company you work for. You will have the safety to return to the UK hopefully. If you are married with a family then discuss it with them as they are also affected. Children of young school age will pick up the 'Lingo' much quicker than you.

Be prepared for "doing things" in a different way. Sometimes you will wonder at how differently (not always better) it is done in Germany.

I do not regret the move I made.

Learning German is easier if you have already studied an inflected language like Latin or Russian. Sadly the numbers learning languages to any level of competence has been declining for years. I bet they still do languages at Eton nd Harrow !

I'd say that from my experience, Germany is much friendlier to foreigners who live there than Holland is.

I found the Dutch very unwelcoming, whereas I've never had a problem making friends with Germans. They can be very annoying, certainly, but they are at least open to making friends with foreigners.

Goethe Institute is good for German classes. Not cheap. How many British school-leavers
a. have ever heard of Goethe ?

and

b. can pronounce his name ?

I have sometimes wondered why they called it that, it sounds like some sort of snooty literary circle. I can't stand literature haha.

They're expensive, aren't they? Not that I know how much they charge. The VHS could be worth looking into for lessons; the teachers vary in quality but you can do a free Probestunde and the fees are reasonable.

http://www.goethe.de/enindex.htm

Within Germany another possibility is your local Volkshochscule (VHS)

Why annoying, I find some of my Brit friends annoying, and wouldnt suprise me,
If they think the same about me....sometimes.
I like the dutch, found them more than welcoming, individual experiences I suppose.
My wife finds me annoying, but she would, shes German, but the maedeli loves me,
Denke ich, mindestens ..

I moved there without any language skills nor a job in the 1980's, I took 2 hours of German lessons, then stopped to work full time. I picked it up OK. Stayed in Germany for 16 yrs working as an Engineer up to management level and survived until being transferred to the US. I still do my best to maintain my German language skills.

Good luck.

Also try " bussu.com ", it's free (at least the basic entry is ) and you can learn at your own pace.