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How much do you need per month to live in Germany?
A lot of expatriates have the problem that they get offered a job in their new city and have not got any clue about how much it costs to live in that city.
Upon first arriving in your new city, you will be overcome by everything being totally new around you. It is therefore important to have at least a To-do list which helps you through the first weeks. Obviously, there are endless reasons why you have chosen the life of an expatriate, so please only see it as a help. Feel free to add stuff in the comments section below if I have forgotten anything.
When you move to a new country, there are tons of things to consider.New language, new culture and, especially important to all of us, a new job. You will want to make the best impressions in your new job as it is most likely the only way you can afford to be an expatriate. You are dependent on making a good figure, but the German workplace is full of unwritten rules.
So, first of all, I got to admit I was born in East Germany and as soon as the wall fell, I moved to near Geneva and then spent my University in England. I travelled the world and then got a job in Germany, in Munich. I feel that I have lived my whole life abroad therefore consider myself an expat in Germany (and everywhere on the world anyway). Te...
Since 2009, all expatriates are obliged to have a valid health insurance. When applying for your residence permit or even for the registration with the authorities, you have to provide a proof of your residency. And, trust me, it is better to have a health insurance here in Germany. Together with France, Sweden and Netherland...
I am sure that everyone of you will be wondering what the "feathering effect" is that I am talking about. I can already tell you that it is related to my previous article as to why Facebook is not working anymore for International Friends. How International Friends work International Friends is a social network for expatriates to meet up and...
If you have been living in Munich already for a couple of years, you may know the Facebook group of International Friends (there are two big ones nowadays, both of them have been started by me, but that is another story). You will remember then the massive events for expats we used to have. We had parties with 400 - 500 expatriates, trips with anyt...
I arrived as an expatriate in Munich in late 2011, having found a job and I thought I had already done the hardest part, finding a job. Oh boy was I wrong... In the end I spent 4 months working a full time job and sleeping in hostel (at first in a 12 people bedroom because it was cheaper, then upgrading to a 3 people bedroom) because I could...
One of the most interesting things about being an Expat are when you experience the local culture. The festivals are a huge part of it. How the country celebrates New Years Eve is one of them. I have grown up in France, therefore I was used to the rather quaint celebrations in France. You sit down at a table with your whole family and simply eat an...
One of the main drawbacks at being an expatriate is that you are, without doubt, seen as an outsider of society at first. The same happened to me, back when I arrived in Munich. I can remember a time when it was really hot outside, lovely sunshine, weekend... inviting for doing something. And what did I do? I played computers indoors, not because ...
