Samual

I want to move to Germany (preferably Berlin) for a year or two to experience a new culture, learn a new language and meet new people. Do many people do this? How easy would it be to find a job without speaking German, and what types of jobs would i be likely to find? How fast can one expect to learn German?

If anybody's seen the BBC show Eurografters, that is essentially what i'd like to do.

Austrobrit

Good luck

Samual

Thanks... nobody can answer my questions then?

Lorna at Vicenza

Hi,

I am not in Germany but in answer to a couple of your questions :

How quickly you learn the language depends entirely on you and how much effort you put into it. Books, lessons, a study course, throwing yourself in at the deep end.

The same goes for friends. You will probably find that many people have a good level of English.

As for jobs - I don't know. I do know that it is not so simple for Brits to move to Spain, France or Italy these days. You can't just walk in and live here.
If you don't have a national employer then you need to provide proof of funds to keep yourself so that you are not considered a burden on the sate - at least here in Italy.

You should have a look at the Embassy website to see what you might need to go and live in Germany.

I hope it works out for you.

Austrobrit

bit by bit.
I want to move to Germany (preferably Berlin) for a year or two to experience a new culture, learn a new language and meet new people

A great idea and one that more people should consider

Do many people do this?

Yes, lots of aussies and kiwis can be found in and around berlin as can pretty much every nationality you care to think of.

How easy would it be to find a job without speaking German, and what types of jobs would i be likely to find?

Not easy at all as more and more people are finding it hard to keep their jobs at the moment. You will be very lucky if you land a decent job without being able to speak the language, that leaves the lower paid menial tasks that the berliners dont want to do themselves, If you are not to fussy, you will nearly always find something workwise.

How fast can one expect to learn German?

depends on your own ability, google is full of responses after typing in "learn german quickly" to the search result.

Samual

Thank you both for your replies, yep i realise the language will take effort - i figured id start off by enrolling at a local language class and take it from there.

Regard to jobs, im not that picky, though working in an English speaking environment (Irish pubs, international schools etc) would i think be best, atleast to begin with. Would having a degree help? If so, i may have to put off the move for a few years.

the troubadour

Berlin would be the easiest city in Germany to move to and live in as it has a large expat population of foreigners already established there,including quite a number of Americans and other English speakers.
Not sure it is the best place to learn the language the quickest though..(with so many English speakers)
Berlin is also one of the cheapest cities to rent..in fact they had a glut of property a few years ago.Think this remains the case.
Big problem that drives people away is the difficulty finding work...
But Good Luck....

notathome

Good luck with your venture. A nephew of mine turned up at the door saying he wanted to work his way around Europe. He registered with Manpower here in Munich. He was prepared to do any work offered and immediately got a job with a removal firm. other jobs he did was working in restaurants. Are you prepared to get up at dawn and really take on any job offered? If so you'll be o.k.

andrewshrehane6j

Berlin is not the best place from an econmic perspective, to be honest.

However, there do always tend to be jobs available in places like McDonalds, which it's possible to supplement with English tuition.

In my experience, it's been possible to get by in German with either no or absolutely crap German. I personally have found it hard to learn German, though things have improved recently.

However, having said all of this, I would wholeheartedly recommend Germany as a place to live. Along with France, it's home away from home to me.

teardrop

I think it´s a fantastic idea! I´m always for people just moving to another country to get a completely new experience. I don´t know if it´s common, because I don´t think many people dare to do it.
Germany is an amazing country. I find the German language a little difficult (compared to Spanish or French for example), but I think if you completely immerse yourself in the culture you will learn a lot. Sign up for German classes, as well as other courses that interest you- that way you will meet a lot of people. I think the key is also getting to know a lot of locals; you will learn the language quicker and you will get a better understanding of the country! Good luck

spankysparkle

great idea - Germany is fantastic.
the best place we've ever lived (coming from south africa and london) and we love it here.

you can learn perfect german very quickly if you join a language class (Sprachschule). they usually offer full day or half day classes. half day would be from 10am to 1pm i think. if you take a half day class you will be fluent in german in 6 months, or with a full day class in 3 months. well worth the effort if you want to find a decent job.

frankfurt is also a very international city with people from all cultures, vibey and almost everyone speaks english. There many americans (US Army) stationed here and brits too.

frankfurt is the financial centre of germany and the largest financial centre in continental europe, but there is also Wiesbaden and Mainz - all three cities are very close to the Rhine (Rhein) river where they grow wine and all the best castles are there... stunning place! check them out on wikipedia.
just thought i'd suggest frankfurt/wiesbaden/mainz if you decide not to go to berlin

good luck and i hope you do go. it really has been the best experience we've ever had, and i'll be very sad to leave

Samual

Thanks people for all the encouraging replies. I've been put of slightly by the recession and commitments at home. If i were to go after university, would a degree in Scandinavian Studies and fluency in Norwegian amount to much in the form of jobs? And would my chances of learning German be at all affected by being older? (id be 25)

powderman75

can't answer your first question but there is no age limit when it comes to learning german. it's all down to how committed you are.

notathome

If you stayed in the UK what sort of job would you be seeking with those qualifications?

Samual

No idea. Not thinking that far ahead. Why?