# Moving to Germany, First Steps



## Perchperkins (6 mo ago)

Hi all!


I am finally getting around to being with the love of my life who lives in Germany. We met during an exchange program five years ago (we were exchange partners) and ever since we have always had strong feelings for each other. Fast forward 5 years and she came over to the US for a two week vacation with me and we are now dating, but I have a few problems.


Moving to another country is a big change and I have a lot of questions and need some guidance.

My main problems in a nutshell are...


I need 3 years in America to finish my degree which I would rather not do. (bachelors in mechanical engineering)
I am looking for a stable job in Germany in the Dresden area as my girlfriends job dictates that she will be living in Dresden. (she does taxes for the government)
I hardly speak any German but I will be studying a lot over the next year.
I don't have a lot of money but, If I liquidate all my assets (CNC machine and car) and save money then it is feasible that I could have $15-20k saved up when I want to move over there.
I would rather go into a trade like an electrician or something similar but any stable career will do. I'm a very technical person and love engineering related things. what might my options be in Germany in the Dresden area? how might I go about finding career or work study or vocational options for English speaking people? 



Moving to Germany is a very logistically challenging thing to accomplish and there are a lot of things I need help with but my main thing is a career. if anyone can give me advice or a pointer in the right direction then that would be very much appreciated.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

To be perfectly blunt about it, the Germans have mega-respect for most sorts of qualified "engineers" and for the long term, it would probably be in your best interests to finish that bachelors in mechanical engineering, while maybe learning some German so that you could do advanced studies in Germany to claim the title of "Ingenieur" 

Without much German, your chances at finding a stable job (and getting the necessary visa to allow you to live and work in Germany for the long term) are pretty slim. And $15-20K won't last you but a few months in Germany these days.

To become a technically oriented tradesman, you're looking at a 3 year program to qualify - study and apprenticeship - and those are offered in German only as far as I know. (There is something of a joke in Germany that to qualify for any profession or line of work, it takes completion of a 3 year program. There is a lot of truth to that.) 

I have some experience in moving to Germany and I first found myself a job there - based on 15 years of experience in my field in the US and a fairly good command of the German language. Once you have the relevant experience, being bi-lingual can come in extremely handy in job hunting, but with little or no German, your chances of finding work are pretty slim. Going over there as a student (ideally after you finish your US degree) could improve your options greatly - though obviously it would mean coping with a long distance relationship for a while longer.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Perchperkins said:


> Hi all!
> 
> 
> I am finally getting around to being with the love of my life who lives in Germany. We met during an exchange program five years ago (we were exchange partners) and ever since we have always had strong feelings for each other. Fast forward 5 years and she came over to the US for a two week vacation with me and we are now dating, but I have a few problems.
> ...


How old are you?

Logistics are the least problem. First, you have to secure a visa.

There are only a couple of possibilities:

Employer-sponsored - (not applicable without formal qualifications and experience)

Student - complete your mechanical engineering degree in Germany? You´ll probably need to attend the Studienkolleg beforehand but even if not, you will need intensive, specialized language studies and pass an exam. Part time work is allowed.

Apprenticeship - completing a formal vocational training program (B2 German needed and age restrictions apply), remuneration is low.

Spouse visa - probably a bit early for marriage?

Freelancer visa - used to be the panacea for Americans´ residency problems but I hear it´s a lot harder to get now. It would also restrict you to a single type of job, like language teaching. Just being a native speaker is not enough, though. I think they want to see at least a degree if not TEFL / CELTA qualifications on top.

I´ll not go into detail about a visa for self-employment since that would require both more qualifications and money than you have.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

The first step is to start learning German. There are many online resources to get you started and you should be able to get upto A2/B1 on your own. It is possible to reach B1 before making the move and makes language classes in Germany much more cost effective.

If you really want to move to Germany and *are committed to learning German, *you are probably better off NOT finishing your degree in the US and continuing your studies in Germany. Studying engineering in German in Germany is very difficult, however, you'd have better employment prospects.

Depending on your age and your high school results it might be better to first complete an apprenticeship in Germany (minimum B2 German) and then a degree in Germany. Keep in mind that as an apprentice you will probably not earn enough to cover all your costs and you'll need to budget accordingly. 

I would highly recommend having your high school diploma evaluated to determine whether you meet the minimum requirements for an apprenticeship:





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Anerkennung von Abschlüssen - Schule und Ausbildung - sachsen.de







www.schule.sachsen.de


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

My recommendation would be to sign up for a year-long language course in Dresden and move in with your girlfriend. You can easily obtain a residence permit for language study, you will learn German relatively quickly, and if your relationship survives this trial period then you can get married and stay forever. Your savings should be enough to cover the year. Hopefully you won't start speaking Sächsisch.

Once you've spent some time on the ground you'll have a much better sense of what you might want to do in terms of career and training. Right now, with only minimal German, you're not in a good position to look seriously at vocational programs, apprenticeships, or university. (On Reddit, Americans are constantly being advised to "go study in Germany, it's free" but everyone seems to forget that admission to some programs might actually be _competitive_.)

If you were keen to finish your degree in the US that would work too, as long as you piled on some German courses and spent your summers in Dresden.

One quick note. Americans are among the small number of "privileged" nationalities who don't need visas before they enter Germany. You simply arrive, then you have 90 days to organize a residence permit with the local authorities. This is a great convenience, as it saves you trips to the consulate and so on.


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