# Good cities for an engineer and communications person



## MountEverest (Aug 1, 2014)

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Germany fairly soon. I am Croatian with master's degree which allows me to move to Germany without needing a work permit. My husband is Nepali, but as my spouse, he will have all the same rights as me. 
I speak a bit of German, but he speaks none. Now, in your opinion, what would be some good locations in Germany to consider for a communications expert (me), and hydropower engineer (my hubs)? We really want to focus on only several places for our job search, as opposed to trying to cover all of Germany. 

Thanks for your input!


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

With little (you) and no (husband) German skills, finding any job will be difficult.
Why then would you restrict your search geographically to even less possibilities?


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## EmCeEL (May 15, 2014)

Just a comment: I'm a German hydropower engineer myself and the fact that Germany's HP resources are more or less fully developed or big projects aren't possible due to regulations was a reason I left for Norway. The energy companies focus on Wind and Solar, so your husband might have problems finding a job. Maybe he gets lucky with a consultant company, but then he'll travel mostly.


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## MountEverest (Aug 1, 2014)

Thanks for your replies. 
Yes, no knowledge of German will definitely limit us, and I guess you are right when you say we shouldn't limit ourselves additionally by focusing only on certain areas. 

Norway you say, hmmm, that's an option too, I suppose. How cold does it get? :tongue:


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## EmCeEL (May 15, 2014)

Well, it was around 25-30 degrees since May so we can't complain. Got a little colder now, but still around 24. Winters can be cold if you live inland, but the biggest cities are on the coast/fjord anyway  I love it here!


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## MountEverest (Aug 1, 2014)

Definitely something to consider. I know Norway is not technically part of the EU, but generally speaking, do most of the EU immigration laws apply there? 

Also, do you speak Norwegian? If not, how limited were you in your job search there when it comes to language skills? Is it common to find English-speaking jobs/companies?


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## EmCeEL (May 15, 2014)

Croatia became recently also part of the EEA area, which is more important for Norway (EØS it's called here) than EU membership. This means basically that you can settle in Norway if you have a job. You can be here for 3 months without any registration (e.g. job search), then you have to register. If you google "Croatia UDI", the first entry shows you the regulations in English (I can't post links). 

Your husband can join you as a family member (see link on residence card for family members of EU/EEA nationals), but you have to be capable of supporting both of you. Which means you as the EEA citizen have to have a good job first.

There are big companies where English is the main corporate language, especially in engineering. But knowing Norwegian is even there a big advantage, which other applicants might have. Almost all Norwegians speak English on a very good level. I didn't knew any Norwegian and got a job, but my girlfriend needed 9 months to find something (her German native skills helped there, because Germany is the biggest trade partner). 

I wouldn't move here without a job offer, your savings will disappear sooner than you can say "Blåbær"  
If you have a job though, it's a great country to live in!


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