Turnip1

Hi, I am considering moving to Germany with my young children although we do not speak the language. Can anyone give suggestions if it is sensible idea ie to give the children a better way of life, also any recommendations for a lovely area to live in. Thanks

Moses2013

Why Germany and what do you want to do there? Do you have to work, how old are your kids etc.?

Turnip1

I have family near Hanover and I don't need to work straight away, my children are 5 and under

Moses2013

There's no point moving there without a word of German and how long can you last without a job? Sure family can help, but what do you expect to have that you don't have now? Like elsewhere, Germany has plenty of unemployed and it's not the paradise people imagine. Of course there are some great parts in Germany, but you need to be more specific. What's your background, what pulls you to Germany.......?

Turnip1

We have visited there many times and was impressed generally. But obviously when you are on holiday it is ta totally different experience to living in a place, that is why I am asking for anyone's advice or useful comments.

calman014

I would not recommend it. Go and spend some time there yourself first and do your research. Unless you have a skill in demand in Germany, your chances are slim.

Svenh

Small world Turnip I also have family in that region and like you wanting to move over aswell, what qualifications do you have, know any german I was born there it's what I call my home England doesn't feel like home to me yeah sure both England and Germany has good and bad depends what's more important to you.

Moses2013

Agree totally. Unless you have a specific skill, you still need German for a low paid job and even those jobs need to be found. Germany is a huge country and seems to be becoming more popular because of the media and EU crisis. Unfortunately the media coverage also brings the wrong type of people over. My father was telling me that they've never had more crime than now. Of course you can go to nice places and Germany has a lot to offer like cycling, hiking and it's still cheap to eat out, but when you're unemployed and your only joy is beer in plastic bottles, it can get just as depressing.

Assanah

I second what the the others said. Do your research. If your skills are not in demand you will have a very hard time finding a job. Low paying jobs in Germany are very (!) low paid. Maybe you will need to consider retraining.
If your skills are in demand focus on learning German. Have you lived in a non-English speaking country before? If not be prepared for some difficulties. It takes a huge effort to become fluent in a language. It can be frustrating because even if your German is good you still are ways from being as eloquent as you are in English. And it will be a long while until you will be able to make jokes in German. Good German will be vital for jobs and for your social life.

Anyhow, you have family in Germany. That will be a massive help. Also your kids will probably do fine because they are still young. They will start school in Germany though and need to know the language. In bigger cities there usually are bilingual kindergartens and schools. That might be a good place to start.

With regards to the areas what do you prefer? Big cities, cities with lots of historic buildings, countryside, do you like the outdoors, do like to ski, do you like wine, do you fancy living close to France or to Poland, do you want to be close to the ocean or to the mountains? Also the mentality differences in Germany are still relatively big (at least that is my impressions). So are the dialects. If you are planning on moving to e.g. the South I would not recommend taking German classes in Hannover. It is probably best to get acquainted to the local dialect as soon as possible. A lot will also depend on the job opportunities of course. Berlin and Bremen for example have high unemployment (over 11%) while Bavaria is doing fine.

calman014

I lived and worked in Bavaria for 2 years. Sure, they have a very "broad" local accent, almost like the Swiss and Austrians. However, it doesn't make much difference where you live, "Hoch Deutsch" is what you need to learn (basic German) like on the TV news or in the newspaper. Learning Bavarian won't help much with basic daily tasks.
In order to learn a local dialect you really need to grow up there or be there at least 3 - 4 years to both understand and speak it, and besides that, knowing the regular German terms helps too. Bavaria is a nice province..hot in the summer with nice beer festivals in almost every village ;-) But also Munich, which is never more than a train ride away if you don't fancy driving. I enjoyed my time there, but Germany has changed dramatically, and I wouldn't move back there now without a secure income at least.

Turnip1

Thanks all for comments, I guess one always thinks the grass is greener on the other side.

Assanah

For some people the grass is greener for others not. The trick is to know what is right for you. The UK and Germany are both great countries, free, rich, safe, and diverse. For people moving from developing countries the advantages are obvious and the reasons are clear. But for someone moving from the UK to Germany or vice versa it is not always that easy. Always better to have more things pulling you to the specific new country than a general feeling that the UK has gone to the dogs. Ask yourself the question what is it that you hope to change? Maybe this is possible with a move within the UK or starting a new career in the UK. Maybe moving to Germany would really be the right thing for you and your family. If I were you I would think about these questions long and hard. I moved from Germany to NZ and 3 years later I moved back home. Essentially I was more or less burned out and a long vacation and a career change in Germany would probably have done it for me. NZ was not a disaster but caused a lot of stress for us. Advantage now is that I am truly settled in Germany and really appreciate the good things, not only focusing on the bad. That said there are people that moved to NZ and are truly happy and settled

Moses2013

Don't get me wrong. Germany can be the right place, but without the language you'll struggle and won't have the life you're looking for. If you want a change, Assanah mentioned moving within the UK.

Assanah

Germany Some good links here.

amideislas

I live in Germany for more years that I'd like to admit to.

Germany has a lot of positives. It's clean, relatively low crime (in most places), decent social system, good standard of living, decent schools, most of Germany is a comparatively excellent place to raise a family.

and organised.

In fact, for me, a bit too organised.

I was never able to become comfortable with the rigidity and inflexibility. Process-oriented mindset. Results don't matter as long as you go through the proper process. That's the most important thing. If you somehow produce the same results with half the effort of the approved process, the results are somehow considered "not correct", and in a few cases, even disregarded.

But one thing I could never really come to grips with was Deutsche neidischkeit. People can be excessively petty, nosy and judgmental, "correcting" your behaviour, such as pointing out that your rubbish bins are out of order, or that you failed to park in a perfectly straight line. Judgements come from other petty, unexpected things, such as socks and underwear not properly ironed, a small spot on your blouse, or the way you load your dishwasher. Your car, your watch, clothes and your shoes shouldn't be too expensive or too cheap, too old or too new, and certainly not worn ...or else you can be perceived to be "suspect" in some way.

I had never experienced such a clearly defined division of the classes as I did in Germany. It seemed "frowned upon" in social circles, for those of higher economic classes to too closely associate with those who appear to be of a lesser class, and vice-versa. Of course there are numerous exceptions, but generally, I found class divisions to be pretty well-defined.

In all fairness, it's been over a decade since I lived there, so a lot of things may have changed. At that time, you couldn't wash your car on a Sunday (and the neighbours would call the police if you did), there was the 13:00-15:00 "quiet time" when the police would show up if your kid bounced a ball.. you weren't allowed to have shower or make any noise of any kind after 22:00... and things like that.

No doubt that varies by region, but suburban areas tend to be a lot more rigid than the inner cities.

So, if you are planning to live in a suburban area, and if you can live in a comparatively "rigid" society, it may suit you well.

But for me, I was happy to go. But that's just me. Otherwise I found Germany to be lovely in many ways. Except the weather, of course.