Planning to move to Aachen Germany...advice?

Patricide

Hey all, Currently looking into moving to Aachen, Germany for the summer and maybe then studying there after improving my german and doing the DSH exam.

A little backround about my circumstances. Im 21, and just after finishing up the year doing a music PLC in CSN cork. Before this I did english and new media in UL for a while. My german level is very basic, I can understand a fair bit but im not too handy at making sentences just yet.

I was just wondering what advice people have for me, especially in regards to finding a job, or any means of income! Also any information on the beurocratic process thats ahead of me, things I should make sure to bring with me, and things I should do straight away would be great!

I have a place to stay over there living with my girlfreind(she is a native) so at least thats not a problem. I have also looked into a german language course to improve my german already and I start that in June. I have about enough money to live there for 2 months without a job if it comes down it but id rather get something straight away.

At this stage, il take pretty much any job as long as it keeps my head above water, Im learning german pretty fast but as I said my german level at the moment is not so good so if theres any job that would play to my sterngths as a native english speaker that would be fantastic.

syklops

Many people in germany speak english so I wouldn't worry about the language too much. Its also a relatively easy language to learn, so a half dozen key phrases will hold you well. Phrases such as where is the toilet? where is the train station? How much is that etc can be very useful.

I have also found, if you start speaking the native language to someone and start running into problems, they are more inclined to help you if you made the effort to begin with, rather than you going up and saying do you speak english, they are more likely to say nein and keep walking.

As for things to do before you go, try and have as much money as you can. I always find travelling, I spend more money than I think I will.

I recommend you try to secure your job before you leave. There are plenty of recruitment sites, you can use.

Patricide

syklops wrote: »

Many people in germany speak english so I wouldn't worry about the language too much. Its also a relatively easy language to learn, so a half dozen key phrases will hold you well. Phrases such as where is the toilet? where is the train station? How much is that etc can be very useful.

I have also found, if you start speaking the native language to someone and start running into problems, they are more inclined to help you if you made the effort to begin with, rather than you going up and saying do you speak english, they are more likely to say nein and keep walking.

As for things to do before you go, try and have as much money as you can. I always find travelling, I spend more money than I think I will.

I recommend you try to secure your job before you leave. There are plenty of recruitment sites, you can use.

Yeah, I know all the basic phrases no problems. I have also a small bit of conversational german but not enough to hold a long talk. Any good recruitment sites that you can recommend?

sourwine

Hi,

as you are going to study I presume you will be looking for a part time job?

Try www.backinjob.de and look in the section "Nebenjobs", then search for "Aachen": http://www.backinjob.de/aushilfen/index.php?searchtext=Aachen&page=search&Suchen=submit or specify the search with any tags you want.

=> They also place permanent and fulltime positions, it depends on you.

Other possibilities are

http://www.gelegenheitsjobs.de/jobboerse/stellenmarkt_aachen.html
http://www.jobmensa.de/studentenjobs-aachen

It's good that you already looked for a course to improve your language knowledge, this will certainly help. But maybe it is not too difficult anyway to find a job, especially in new media.

Have you thought of using your native language to earn money? Giving english lessons, especially english conversation lessons could be a good option.

Good luck!

Patricide

At the moment im looking for something full-time, at this rate itl be next year before im eligible to study as id have to first improve my german, then do a dsh then apply for college.

Already checked out jobsmensa but il trawl through the other sites today, Thanks a bundle for the help!

As for giving english lessons and all that, I already have posters advertising private tuition in both english and music through english up in the universities notice boards thanks to the girlfriend.

Any more general advice on what i should bring over to germany in terms of documents such as p45, p60, birth certs and the like?

sourwine

backinjob.de also offer fulltime, and of course you can try it here:

http://jobboerse.arbeitsagentur.de/vamJB/startseite.html?kgr=as&m=1&aa=1

which is the german "FAS". You can publish your application profile and CV and companies can look for you.

General advice? :cool: If you have loads of time, read through this http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/zentraler-Content/Veroeffentlichungen/Merkblatt-Sammlung/MB7-Beschaeftigung-ausl-AN.pdf

Easier is probably this one (language can be changed to english):

http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/business/managing-business/managing-staff/germany/index_de.htm

You will need to choose a health insurance, either private which is usually more expensive, or compulsory. Your employer needs the information which health insurance you have joined. Wether or not your irish health insurance will be accepted I don't know, I'm sorry. Maybe someone else can help in that one.

If you are staying in Germany permanently, you have to register in a registration office which is usually in the city council house. You might stumble upon the word "Einwohnermeldeamt" The registration is also important if you want to buy and register a car, if you want to vote in elections, tbc...

Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einwohnermeldeamt
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldepflicht

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/de/05__Dienstleistungen/08__Fomular__Schrank/Melderecht__Mb,property=Daten.pdf

Enjoy. And no worries, it looks more complicated than it actually is.

Patricide

Sound for all the information, il have a read through it after my exams tomorro...

keithclancy

sourwine wrote: »

backinjob.de also offer fulltime, and of course you can try it here:

http://jobboerse.arbeitsagentur.de/vamJB/startseite.html?kgr=as&m=1&aa=1

which is the german "FAS". You can publish your application profile and CV and companies can look for you.

General advice? :cool: If you have loads of time, read through this http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/zentraler-Content/Veroeffentlichungen/Merkblatt-Sammlung/MB7-Beschaeftigung-ausl-AN.pdf

Easier is probably this one (language can be changed to english):

http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/business/managing-business/managing-staff/germany/index_de.htm

You will need to choose a health insurance, either private which is usually more expensive, or compulsory. Your employer needs the information which health insurance you have joined. Wether or not your irish health insurance will be accepted I don't know, I'm sorry. Maybe someone else can help in that one.

If you are staying in Germany permanently, you have to register in a registration office which is usually in the city council house. You might stumble upon the word "Einwohnermeldeamt" The registration is also important if you want to buy and register a car, if you want to vote in elections, tbc...

Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einwohnermeldeamt
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldepflicht

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/de/05__Dienstleistungen/08__Fomular__Schrank/Melderecht__Mb,property=Daten.pdf

Enjoy. And no worries, it looks more complicated than it actually is.

Heres a tip,

On the part of the form for registering with the Landhauptstadt, on the religion part put down "None"

If you put down Catholic they'll be taking 8% of the tax you pay every month and sending it straight to the Church.

Also with the Health Insurance, its ALOT more expensive, this is because its normalised over your Lifetime.

You can use foreign Insurance for 6 months I believe when working (Or commuting) but it has to be recognised by BaFin, heres a list:
http://www.bafin.de/cln_171/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Verbraucher/Recherche/li__vu__ewr__dienstleister,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.xls/li_vu_ewr_dienstleister.xls

Patricide

Heard that from a mate of mine alright. I was told the figure was 1% though?

Either way no religion it is, even 1% is too much to give!

Patricide

So im making the move on Monday, trying to round up all the necessities il need to work over there. Will i need any of the following: p60,p46,birth cert? Any other paperwork ye would recommend me to bring?

Also on the topic of health insurance, I know its mandatory that if you work you need to get public health insurance right? And from what i heard its also mandatory to have health insurance if i would want to get a residence permit too(for staying longer than 3 months in germany). The question is how would I apply for it, is it possible to apply for it before going over and how much does it usually cost?

jma

Presumably you've already left. Aachen is a nice place. Have been there many times. It's right on the border to Belgium and the Netherlands, and there's one spot where you can literally stand in the three countries at the same time.

Anyway, health insurance: health insurance can be a little tricky in Germany. It is mandatory to either have public or private health insurance. You can get a public (government regulated) health insurance plan, private health insurance plan, or a combination of both. Full private plans are available if your income is greater than the current threshold or if you are self-employed. I think public insurance is only available if you have an employer, and the premium I think costs about 15% of your monthly salary up to a maximum of about 550 Euro. Your employer would cover just under 50% of that.

Even though the German health care system has a reputation for being one of the best, there's currently one big flaw - health care practitioners are basically forced to give priority to private patients. This doesn't necessarily mean private patients get better care, but they do get faster care. Also, doctors are given a quota for signing prescriptions. Once they use up their quota, they need to pay for the prescriptions out of their own pocket. Some close their surgeries for a couple weeks if they've used up theirs.

To register with a public health insurance, you could simply go to one of the company's websites for information. There are over 150 companies, but some of the popular ones include AOK, BEK, and DAK. There's no competition between the companies in terms of premiums, but you might find differences in the service and refunds they offer.

Private cover, on the other hand, is very expensive, and can easily burn large holes into your pockets unless you make a fairly good income.

One other option you might want to look into is the global cover from VHI:
http://www.vhi.ie/info/global/index.jsp

Another thing you might need to look into is private third-party liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung). I don't know much about this so can't say much on that topic, but I think it might be mandatory too.

Fuinseog

Patricide wrote: »

Hey all, Currently looking into moving to Aachen, Germany for the summer and maybe then studying there after improving my german and doing the DSH exam.

A little backround about my circumstances. Im 21, and just after finishing up the year doing a music PLC in CSN cork. Before this I did english and new media in UL for a while. My german level is very basic, I can understand a fair bit but im not too handy at making sentences just yet.

I was just wondering what advice people have for me, especially in regards to finding a job, or any means of income! Also any information on the beurocratic process thats ahead of me, things I should make sure to bring with me, and things I should do straight away would be great!

I have a place to stay over there living with my girlfreind(she is a native) so at least thats not a problem. I have also looked into a german language course to improve my german already and I start that in June. I have about enough money to live there for 2 months without a job if it comes down it but id rather get something straight away.

At this stage, il take pretty much any job as long as it keeps my head above water, Im learning german pretty fast but as I said my german level at the moment is not so good so if theres any job that would play to my sterngths as a native english speaker that would be fantastic.

germans tend to use english speakers to practice their english but don't resepct you if you cannot speak german. ergo speak as much german as possible. avoid irish pubs if you want to integrate