# Possible move to Germany



## MTS1993

Hi there,

I need some help, I'm considering moving to Germany next year. I would be bringing my fiancé and our by that time 1 and a half year old son.
We are looking around the Bayreuth or Nuremberg area.

I was wondering if anyone could help with the following questions:

What's the cost of living?
Is childcare costly and how easy is it to come across?
What's it like for British people in these areas?
My Fiancé is a Carer are these sort of jobs easy to come across?
Any tips or advise?
I have always wanted to move to another country and being an engineer i thought why not Germany. I love the Culture, Food, and History.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you could find the time to reply that would be fantastisch


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## Bevdeforges

First question of importance: do you or your fiancee speak any German? That's likely to be the biggest obstacle to finding jobs, etc. And could potentially be an obstacle when it comes to getting the appropriate visa.

The title "engineer" is taken remarkably seriously in Germany and one other thing you'll want to check is whether and how to transfer your engineer qualification. 

I'll let those who have lived there more recently respond to your specific questions. It was a long time ago when I last lived there, though I've been back for the odd visit now and then.


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## MTS1993

Bevdeforges said:


> First question of importance: do you or your fiancee speak any German? That's likely to be the biggest obstacle to finding jobs, etc. And could potentially be an obstacle when it comes to getting the appropriate visa.
> 
> The title "engineer" is taken remarkably seriously in Germany and one other thing you'll want to check is whether and how to transfer your engineer qualification.
> 
> I'll let those who have lived there more recently respond to your specific questions. It was a long time ago when I last lived there, though I've been back for the odd visit now and then.



Thank you for your response.
We do not currently speak German, However we are starting lessons soon to help us get by. 
I am hoping to have a transfer through work which I assume helps with the whole process?


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## *Sunshine*

If you get a transfer through work, it will solve the visa issue for you, your child, and your WIFE. You should get married before you move.

1. Depends on your lifestyle 
2. Most regions have long waiting lists for childcare. Make it a part of your relocation package. 
3. You are now third country citizens. Welcome to the club.
4. *If her qualifications are recognised and* she can pass at least a B2 German test, she has excellent employment prospects. 
5. Learn German and then start the process of having your foreign qualifications evaluated. Make sure to negotiate a good relocation package.


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## Nononymous

With the caveat that I don't know the area well, and haven't worked in Germany for almost a decade, some thoughts:

1. If it's a company transfer or sponsorship by an employer, you can bring dependents. So get married before you start the process otherwise your fiancé is on their own.

2. There's a bit of a tech cluster round the Nürnberg-Erlangen area, plus adidas and some other major international employers, so there should be a reasonable number of expats and English-speakers. Not sure about Bayreuth. Otherwise you're in rural Franken, which is very pretty, but also bucolic.

3. Childcare is probably going to be a challenge, particularly at a young age. In more conservative regions of the former West Germany (see: rural Franken) there wasn't much available for children under three, and a lot of stay-at-home mothers (I deliberately gendered that - it wasn't fathers). The former East Germany was a different story.


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## MTS1993

*Sunshine* said:


> If you get a transfer through work, it will solve the visa issue for you, your child, and your WIFE. You should get married before you move.
> 
> 1. Depends on your lifestyle
> 2. Most regions have long waiting lists for childcare. Make it a part of your relocation package.
> 3. You are now third country citizens. Welcome to the club.
> 4. *If her qualifications are recognised and* she can pass at least a B2 German test, she has excellent employment prospects.
> 5. Learn German and then start the process of having your foreign qualifications evaluated. Make sure to negotiate a good relocation package.


Thank you for your reply.

We are looking into her qualifications and researching the B2 German test.
Hopefully we can get married before we go there seems to be a long waiting list because of all the weddings that have been cancelled.


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## MTS1993

Nononymous said:


> With the caveat that I don't know the area well, and haven't worked in Germany for almost a decade, some thoughts:
> 
> 1. If it's a company transfer or sponsorship by an employer, you can bring dependents. So get married before you start the process otherwise your fiancé is on their own.
> 
> 2. There's a bit of a tech cluster round the Nürnberg-Erlangen area, plus adidas and some other major international employers, so there should be a reasonable number of expats and English-speakers. Not sure about Bayreuth. Otherwise you're in rural Franken, which is very pretty, but also bucolic.
> 
> 3. Childcare is probably going to be a challenge, particularly at a young age. In more conservative regions of the former West Germany (see: rural Franken) there wasn't much available for children under three, and a lot of stay-at-home mothers (I deliberately gendered that - it wasn't fathers). The former East Germany was a different story.


Thank you for your reply.

I think the childcare is going to be the hardest part in this move. Will definitely have to discuss this closer to the time.


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## Nononymous

MTS1993 said:


> I think the childcare is going to be the hardest part in this move. Will definitely have to discuss this closer to the time.


Agreed. You should be able to research this online quite easily. I could be wrong, things might have changed, but generally in the past it was difficult to find care for kids under three in the former west, due to both cultural attitudes and generous parental leave.

The good news is, at that age they'll start speaking German after a couple of weeks. Not so easy for the parents.


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## ALKB

MTS1993 said:


> Thank you for your reply.
> 
> I think the childcare is going to be the hardest part in this move. Will definitely have to discuss this closer to the time.


It depends on the situation in the municipality. Often, there are wait lists for child care. Parents often try to get on wiatlists during the pregnancy or mere days after the birth of the child. Many places don't take kids under 1 year old and then again many don't take children under three.

Most places are available around the start of the new school year, as the older children move on. It's advisable to get on those wait lists well before that time (August/September). 

The good news is, while in the UK, one has to finance the full price for a child care place before being able to apply to get some of it back, the system in Germany works a bit different (regional differences apply). In general, when you have received the offer of a place and you sign a contract, you will be asked to provide proof of your finances to the operator of the child care facility - this can be the municipality, an NGO like the Red Cross, or a private company whose business it is to operate Kindergartens - and they will calculate your part of the costs. Not sure about Bavaria but where I live, even if you earn really, really (really) well, you pay less than 300 Euro per month plus about 32 Euro for hot lunch and an afternoon snack. The rest of the actual cost, which is not insignificant, is born by official sources. 

Apply for a Gutschein or a Bescheid über Betreuungszeiten as soon as you have moved and ask how the local system works. If there are lots of municipality-operated Kitas, the municipality will usually also do place allocation. If there are NGO/private Kitas, those usually do their own place allocation and you'll have to contact them one by one, providing them copies of your Gutschein/Bescheid.


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## *Sunshine*

MTS1993 said:


> We are looking into her qualifications and researching the B2 German test.
> Hopefully we can get married before we go there seems to be a long waiting list because of all the weddings that have been cancelled.


You should really get married before the move.

For more info on having her qualifications evaluated: 




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Bayerisches Landesamt für Schule


Das Bayerische Landesamt für Schule ist zuständig für: Schulfinanzierung, Schulpersonal, Qualitätsagentur, Zeugnisanerkennung, Schulsport.




www.las.bayern.de





I would strongly recommend negotiating a relocation package that includes housing for the first 6 months and help finding childcare, long-term housing, etc.


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