# Seeking German Sabatical



## Mkhorton22 (Jul 10, 2018)

I’m a single 32 y/o female from the US. Born in Frankfurt, Germany to two American parents. Dad was military. After visiting in 2016 for two weeks I fell in love and hope to make a return 3-6 month stay in Germany. The problem is I’ll need to work as my savings will not support my house/car note here in the US as well as cost of living in Germany. I have this fantasy idea that I can get a job in Nuremberg or Frankfurt or even Oberammergau at an English speaking touristy cafe or shop. I’m a mortgage broker here, and the research I’ve done it does not appear my skills are transferable. Does anyone have any experience relocating temporarily? What first steps do you recommend?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Mkhorton22 said:


> I have this fantasy idea that I can get a job in Nuremberg or Frankfurt or even Oberammergau at an English speaking touristy cafe or shop. I’m a mortgage broker here, and the research I’ve done it does not appear my skills are transferable. Does anyone have any experience relocating temporarily? What first steps do you recommend?


You'll need a spouse with EU citizenship or to obtain Canadian citizenship before you are 35.

Although there are summer permits to work in the hospitality industry, this programme is only open to university students. 

Furthermore, the US does not have a Working Holiday agreement with Germany.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

With a US passport you can visit for 90 days as a tourist, twice per year. You could, once there, try to find a job and go through the application for a work permit and all that, but it's probably not a realistic proposition for someone with little German and no transferable skills. 

Berlin is full of cafe staff who don't speak a word of German, but they all seem to be either EU nationals or Australians, Canadians and Israelis under 30. The working holiday programs are not open to Americans, for some reason.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Nononymous said:


> The working holiday programs are not open to Americans, for some reason.


The Working Holiday/ Youth Mobility agreements are bilateral treaties; the only reason that Germany doesn't have one with the US is because the Americans are not interested in offering reciprocal work permits to foreigners.

Considering the current administration, I can't see that changing anytime soon.


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## Mkhorton22 (Jul 10, 2018)

Thank you for the information, I had a feeling this pipe dream was a little bit harder to achieve than I’d want it to be. So let’s say I shorten my trip and go as a tourist for 30-60 days, are the hostels fairly safe or recommendations on host families? Or recommendations on other fairly cheap but safe accommodations? The fact that I had dual citizenship doesn’t help me, correct? From what I read since I was born in 86, the law was I needed to declare my citizenship by 18. Is there not any benefit to having been born there?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

You should probably take a look at the Wikipedia article on German nationality: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationality_law#Birth_in_Germany

Born after 1975, to be German you need to have had at least one German parent. It used to be that at age 18 you had to choose if you were born with double nationality, but they apparently don't do that any more. 

There are new rules for those born since the year 2000, but obviously those are of no help to you here. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Mkhorton22 said:


> The fact that I had dual citizenship doesn’t help me, correct? From what I read since I was born in 86, the law was I needed to declare my citizenship by 18. Is there not any benefit to having been born there?


You mentioned in your first post that both your parents are American. Why do you think you would have had dual citizenship?


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

I don't think that being born in Germany to parents in the US military gave you any claim to German citizenship, and certainly not in 1986.

Otherwise it's a reasonably safe place, in general. Where you stay kind of depends on what you want to do - move around from hostel to hostel and explore the country, or just sublet some type small studio or room in a shared apartment for a couple of months and settle down in one area.


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## Mkhorton22 (Jul 10, 2018)

Perhaps I’m incorrect in understanding my citizenship (or lack of) but I have a document stating I had dual citizenship that went along with my birth certificate. Clearly I need to dig that out and re-read. My friend and immigration lawyer was the one that told me I had certain rights until I was 18, but again perhaps I’ve been misinformed. Either way, I feel connected to Germany and will find a way back, even if it’s just as a tourist. As always - appreciate the input!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Mkhorton22 said:


> Perhaps I’m incorrect in understanding my citizenship (or lack of) but I have a document stating I had dual citizenship that went along with my birth certificate. Clearly I need to dig that out and re-read. My friend and immigration lawyer was the one that told me I had certain rights until I was 18, but again perhaps I’ve been misinformed. Either way, I feel connected to Germany and will find a way back, even if it’s just as a tourist. As always - appreciate the input!


If you were born in Germany and one of your parents was German, then yes, you had until the age of 18 to choose which nationality you wanted to retain. If your military parent (I'm assuming that's your Dad here) was married to a German (assuming your mother), then yes, you had dual nationality at birth. And, if that is the case, they did change the old rules so that you didn't have to choose your nationality at the age of 18 and can continue as a dual national. 
Cheers,
Bev


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