scot47

Right to NHS treatment is based on residence and not on contributions to NI or anything else. When you leave the UK you will no longer be entitled to treatment. Entitlement to Health Care in Germany comes when you work and pay Health Insurance Contributions ("Krankenasses" or similar) in Germany.

Jake.White

All other issues notwithstanding, the need to be able to speak at least some German when working in Germany is paramount. Imagine a scenario where you are working away in your bar - customer comes up to you and says something, and your response is a blank look and maybe a vocal 'huh..?' .... and that will happen every single time unless you have at least a reasonable basic understanding of the language. Many people do indeed speak English in Germany - they are taught it from day one in school - but not all of them really want to speak it just so they can help someone they might view as an ignorant foreigner who can't be bothered to speak to them in their own language. Imagine if it was the other way round : would you seriously expect a German to come to the UK to work without speaking a word of English and expect everyone to pander to them in their own language..? Of course you wouldn't.

If you don't have some basic German at the very least you will be linguistically tripped up time and time again right from the moment you arrive in the country and it's very naive to think you can just go there and start work and all will be well without being able to speak a word. I strongly recommend you commence learning right now if you're really serious about doing this. German is difficult and the grammar is completely back to front and upside down compared to English and many people find it quite impossible to get a grip with, but even in a case where you can't get the hang of the grammar, some vocabulary will be a help, so you need to get cracking.. Buy a dictionary and start asking yourself what some random and useful words might be in German, - road, address, bottle, pay, breakfast etc.. - look them up and learn them by heart, that's how I started and it works if you stick with it. A good target at the start is to learn 5 or 6 new words per day and keep repeating them to yourself until they sink in.. The Google translate app is a pretty good little helper device to have on your mobile too.

scot47

The attitude of the OP to language reflects a very common Anglo Mindset. Hostility to the very idea of learning and using another language.

Jake.White

I think it's more a case of uninformed naivety and ignorance to be honest....

scot47

Yeah
that as well

spouse of scouse

I didn't see any hostility towards learning the German language in the OP's posts?

Thairetired2016

Nor did I. But he is naive to think that in order to work with Germans he will be able to use English and pick up German as he goes along.
Requirements for dishwashing staff is German language skills. A barman will need German even more.
Germany has no shortage of lower skilled workers (migrants) who can speak German. There is plenty competition on the labour market for these jobs.

spouse of scouse

Agreed.

scot47

The mindset that we need not bother learning other languages is very common. It comes through in the OPs post. Why did he not learn German at school ? Why do so few of our Youth even attempt a foreign language ?

spouse of scouse

I don't know why the OP didn't learn German at school Scot. I didn't learn German at school. I'm sure millions of people didn't learn German at school.
I also don't know how many young people in the UK do or don't learn a foreign language. What does it matter? Learning a foreign language doesn't make you a good mother or father, or a good citizen, or a kind person, or the sort of person who doesn't judge others . It's also not necessary to learn a foreign language in order to be creative, to be well travelled, to be successful, or to be an inspiring leader. In short, learning a foreign language is far from the be all and end all!

Thairetired2016

Is it not compulsory in UK highschools to have at least one foreign language? My husband had to and he chose French.
In Germany and Austria it is 2 languages. Whether you like it or not.
While I agree with spouse of scouse, but Brits expect other nationalities to speak English.
I often observe in Austria that Chinese tourists are happy to use the 3 words of German they know while Brits expect you to speak English.

Jake.White

It's compulsory to a point, but taken seriously for a minimum of only 2 years in high school, after that if you choose not to continue you can drop it. My daughter for example did two years of Spanish and made almost no effort with it whatsoever with the result that she can hardly speak a word and might as well not have bothered. Likewise when I was at school I did 2 compulsory years of French which was the only language taught in my school at the time and I made no effort with it. That was back in the 1970s and as far as I understand it things haven't changed much. I expect that's because of the status of English as the main international language which is spoken worldwide.

I don't think the situation benefits us in any way as it makes us look just a bit thick as well as arrogant and somewhat colonial in the eyes of many who learn languages as part of their curriculum from day one in school, like the Germans and the Austrians. It's not our fault really on any kind of personal level but just unlucky coincidence that English is the spoken language of choice for so many around the world, as well as a blase education system in the UK which can't see past the end of it's nose in the case of foreign languages...

Personally I'm of the opinion that we should follow the German model and teach at least one language seriously on a compulsory basis from the very beginning in schools but I don't see that ever happening.

Thairetired2016

My neughbor's kids in Bangkok went to a school with a British curriculum and finished with a baccalaureat. They had no choice but to do French (their choice) right to the very end. French class included a review of one of the French classics. If this can be done in Thailand by Brit. teachers, why not in the UK.?
Germany/Austria make learning foreign languages compulsory, Germany fails on many fronts. A child who moves from Germany to Switzerland doesn' have the knowledge to join class at the grade it left in Germany. It starts one grade lower. A German A level student will not pass A level in Switzerland. I'm talking about the normal govt. school kid, not someone from a highend public school like Schloss Salem.

scot47

Education at secondary level should include at least one foreign language. In the past it was necessary to gain a pass in a foreign language for matriculation and entrance to university. That requirement has gone and it is considered normal to go through education without exposure to another language. Welcome to dumbed-down Britain.

Thairetired2016

Hard to believe that an education system can be so shortsighted.
I'm glad to say that the British ambassador to Austria speaks perfect German and bits of Austrian dialect. Not many in this position speak the country's language.