# Questions aboutmoving to Freiburg, Germany



## alexgoodmn

I am currently working as an IT engineer in an international company and just got a job offer to move to Freiburg, Germany to work in a more senior position. Moving across continents with my wife we have now tons of questions and I hope you could help us with some:

The company is offering me 50K Euro annual gross salary. In other words I will have 2,400 Euro monthly net salary in my pocket to spend on our life with my wife. I am receiving no relocaiton package. it means no flight ticket from Asia to Europe, no furniture move, and no temporary stay before finding a home in Freiburg. I did a bit of online research and a similar position usually gets around 65K Euro annually and more than 75% of companies globally offer relocation packages. First of all what do you think of the offer?

Considering I accept the offer to move to Freiburg here comes my next questions:

-How difficult is it to find a decent furnished apartment with two bedrooms in Freiburg in a good and lively area near the city center? and how much does it cost me? I'd appreciate a range. Can you mention the names of a few decent neighborhoods in the city?

-How much is it to buy home grocceries for a month? Considering that we do a lot of cooking and other than the weekend that we eat outside for dinner we almost always do the cooking at home. 

-Is it easy to buy a new car with a bank loan in Germany? if yes, for a reasonable car how much do I have to pay for installment? Is it really easy to get around the city without owning a car simply using public transportation? 

Other than the rent, shopping, entertainment, and transportation, is there any other cost I should really consider in Germany? I mean any unusual costs compared to other countries.

How much more would you add to this salary to make my life much easier for both my wife and me. BTW, my wife is not working.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers


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## Bevdeforges

I'd be a bit concerned about an offer like that with no relocation provision. Particularly if they are offering you something under the usual salary for the position. You should probably check to see what they are doing about the immigration side of things, and check to see what sort of Probezeit (probationary period) is in the contract. During the Probezeit, they can let you go for no reason at all - and if you don't have any agreement about relocation, you could be stuck in Germany with no visa/work permit and no money to move back to Korea. 

But as far as where to live is concerned - I'd look at the nearby towns, like Gundelfingen, which is just to the north of Freiburg. There is a tram line that runs from Gundelfingen right into the center of Freiburg. And (unless things have changed since I lived there), Freiburg has a daily market in the Messeplatz where you can get fresh produce and other food items year round.

Depending on where you'll be working, you may very well be able to get by without a car. Check to see if your workplace is on one of the tram lines.

I lived in Freiburg for about a year - and I just loved the city. The job, on the other hand, was pretty grim for a number of reasons. I'd check out the terms of employment before getting too wrapped up in life in Freiburg, however. Just the fact of having no relocation allowance seems a bit dodgy.
Cheers,
Bev


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## miaux

How many years of experience do you have? Is it a well established company or a startup? 

Sr. positions not necesarily means moving upwards... 

Honestly, the salary that you are offered is a bit low, and remember that in Germany you have to give a 3 month deposit for an appartment, prices, you can check them in immobilienscout. 

When I had 5 years of experience, KIA motors in Frankfurt offered me 5K EUR relocation and a similar salary as yours ( im single)... The job that I finally got in Berlin, paid 1k EUR in relocation, and a similar salary to yours... so here you have a benchmark... Check immobilienscout for prices of appartments in Freiburg, that will take most of your salary. 

Remember that there are other expenses that you should consider, such as the GEZ and the monthly transportation ticket ( in Berlin 78 eur per month). 

For groceries, i would suggest going to Aldi or Lidl, and going on a Saturday evening... as everything will be on sale ( specially fruits and veggies) as they close on sundays... 

And loans... you can just forget about it for now, it is very hard to get one, and even germans have problems getting loans, so imagine for a NON EU person... plus you dont need a car, transportation is almost perfect in the rest of Germany, so why adding unnecesary expenses to a car ( the most expensive part of a car is the insurance). 

All the best!


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## alexgoodmn

Bevdeforges said:


> I'd be a bit concerned about an offer like that with no relocation provision. Particularly if they are offering you something under the usual salary for the position. You should probably check to see what they are doing about the immigration side of things, and check to see what sort of Probezeit (probationary period) is in the contract. During the Probezeit, they can let you go for no reason at all - and if you don't have any agreement about relocation, you could be stuck in Germany with no visa/work permit and no money to move back to Korea.
> 
> But as far as where to live is concerned - I'd look at the nearby towns, like Gundelfingen, which is just to the north of Freiburg. There is a tram line that runs from Gundelfingen right into the center of Freiburg. And (unless things have changed since I lived there), Freiburg has a daily market in the Messeplatz where you can get fresh produce and other food items year round.
> 
> Depending on where you'll be working, you may very well be able to get by without a car. Check to see if your workplace is on one of the tram lines.
> 
> I lived in Freiburg for about a year - and I just loved the city. The job, on the other hand, was pretty grim for a number of reasons. I'd check out the terms of employment before getting too wrapped up in life in Freiburg, however. Just the fact of having no relocation allowance seems a bit dodgy.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thanks for the information. Yes, I am also a bit concerned regarding the visa. They said they will do it for me but we never discussed the renewal and that is probably something I should talk to them about. I have neither talked to them about the probation period and that is also something which I should ask them to keep out of the contract. Good advice anyways.


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## alexgoodmn

miaux said:


> How many years of experience do you have? Is it a well established company or a startup?
> 
> Sr. positions not necesarily means moving upwards...
> 
> Honestly, the salary that you are offered is a bit low, and remember that in Germany you have to give a 3 month deposit for an appartment, prices, you can check them in immobilienscout.
> 
> When I had 5 years of experience, KIA motors in Frankfurt offered me 5K EUR relocation and a similar salary as yours ( im single)... The job that I finally got in Berlin, paid 1k EUR in relocation, and a similar salary to yours... so here you have a benchmark... Check immobilienscout for prices of appartments in Freiburg, that will take most of your salary.
> 
> Remember that there are other expenses that you should consider, such as the GEZ and the monthly transportation ticket ( in Berlin 78 eur per month).
> 
> For groceries, i would suggest going to Aldi or Lidl, and going on a Saturday evening... as everything will be on sale ( specially fruits and veggies) as they close on sundays...
> 
> And loans... you can just forget about it for now, it is very hard to get one, and even germans have problems getting loans, so imagine for a NON EU person... plus you dont need a car, transportation is almost perfect in the rest of Germany, so why adding unnecesary expenses to a car ( the most expensive part of a car is the insurance).
> 
> All the best!


Thanks for sharing your experience and the information especially about the loan and I think anyways having a car also has its own troubles. my future manager told me that he might be able to get a relocaiton package but it is going to be small. let's see what he could give me.


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## bluesaturn

I think your salary is too low. You have experience, haven't you?
It is also bizarre that they won't pay for moving, re-allocation, flight tickets etc.
How about checking for a better job? Do you have to take it?

Usually flats are not rent furnished in Germany. Sometimes they come with a kitchen, sometimes not.
Food prices are very cheap in Germany, but the better quality you want, the more you pay.
You should consider putting money back for your private pension. 

Personally, I think working in Germany is all about exploitation of the employees. Even academics these days are on temporary contracts to push down the salary.
Also, the taxes are way to high in Germany.


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## Tulku

Hi,
Offer:
Please remember that the first offer they give you is the lowest they will offer you based on your experience. Base on experience etc. you should ask for relocation provision, the relocation provision can help you with flight, first damage deposit for rental etc. They might include in the contract that the relocation provision should be paid back (minus months you already worked at the company) if you leave the company within 3 year. It is quite common that they will include 6 Month probation period, but you can negotiate about it. 
Loan:
It is possible to get loan, however each bank has it own rules about how to give out loan. Mostly it tied to their security. 
Transportation:
If you are planning to live in middle of Town like Freiburg, then you wont need car at all. Freiburg is well known as bike city, and Freiburg even has Bike Garage by trainstation. There is also good public transportation to get around. I live just outside of Freiburg and get into town on bus/train and it will take me about 30 min. Even outside of town, quite few people just simply live without any cars and use car-sharing instead. There are quite few different company who just do that, for example Grüne Flotte just to mention one. 
Living Expense: Food are quite good and cheap, but others such as clothing etc are more expensive. There are currently three different special asian food store in Freiburg, if that interest you. 
Flat: Please remember two room apt means one bedroom, and one living room. It does not mean two bedroom. EBK means includes Kitchen. You can check out in immonet.de or immoscout24.de for some ideas. FYI: Freiburg is currently one of the most expensive place to rent in Germany, as some Flat in Freiburg will eat up easily your 30% of the salary a Month, so like someone already mention, it might be wise to look living outside of Freiburg, such as Gundelfingen, Emmendingen, Kirchzarten, Opfingen, Tiengen, Sexau and Denzlingen. (or Oberried where I live!  ) If you want to stay in town, then look around like Stühlinger etc.


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