There are a lot of stories of moving to Germany. However, most of them are quite superficial, as they are usually written in the first few months after the move and reveal the simplest things.
This article will not contain information about how much a dozen eggs cost in Germany, going to a restaurant, how to open a bank account and get a residence permit. The purpose of this article is to reveal many non-obvious nuances of life in Germany, which are rarely included in reviews about moving.
My story will be primarily of interest to already established IT specialists who feel quite comfortable in Russia and are wondering if they need to leave somewhere. Those who are not at all comfortable in Russia usually leave without a deep analysis of the country of immigration 🙂
Since any opinion is subjective, even if the author wants to be unbiased, I will say a few words about myself. Before moving to Germany, I worked in St. Petersburg as the head of the development department for a salary of 200+K. I had a nice apartment overlooking the Gulf of Finland. However, I did not get full satisfaction either from work or from life. Having worked both in Moscow and St. Petersburg in many companies from start-ups to international corporations, I no longer saw ways to somehow significantly increase my degree of satisfaction within the country. Also, I was somewhat stressed by the massive outflow of developers and other IT specialists from Russia, and due to my age of 40+ years, I did not want to miss the last train. After living in Germany for a little over a year, I moved to Switzerland. From my story it will be clear why.
Since I lived in Munich, naturally my experience is based on living in this city. Given that Munich is considered one of the most comfortable cities in Germany, it can be assumed that I have seen the nicest Germany.
Before moving, I conducted a comparative analysis of different countries, which may be of interest to those who are just starting to think about moving. Therefore, as a preface, I will first share the main directions of the move and my personal view of them.
The main areas of relocation can be divided into the following categories:
- Scandinavia
- Eastern Europe
- Baltic
- Holland
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Rest of central Europe (France, Spain, Portugal)
- USA
- England
- Ireland
- United Arab Emirates
- Resorts (Thailand, Bali, etc.)
- Australia + New Zealand
- Canada
Scandinavia. Cold climate and difficult languages (except maybe Swedish). The closeness of Finland to Peter is leveled by meager salaries, a very local Finnish culture in companies and excessive promotion of non-traditional love in schools. The large GDP of Norway, which they like to write about, is only visible on paper, since all the money goes to some kind of fund, and not to the development of the country. In my opinion, the Scandinavian countries can be interesting if you really want to be closer to Russia.
Eastern Europe available to beginners and intermediate developers. Those who do not have the desire to engage in dreary bureaucracy when moving can be brought there by the hand. Many move there in order to take the first step, but linger for a long time. Most of the countries in this group do not take refugees, but there are also enough local disadvantaged elements (probably, that is why they do not take them).
Baltic offers very small salaries, but promises a comfortable family life. I don't know, haven't checked :)
Holland offers adequate salaries, but I was very tired from the rains in St. Petersburg, so I did not want to go to Amsterdam. The rest of the cities seem very provincial.
Switzerland - a closed country, it is very difficult to get in. There must be an element of luck even if you are a Java development god. Everything is very expensive there, there is very little social support. But nice and pretty.
Rest of central Europe has deteriorated a lot lately. The IT market is not developing, and the quality of life is falling. I'm not sure that the level of comfort there is now higher than in Eastern Europe.
USA. Country for an amateur. Everyone knows about it, and so it makes no sense to write.
England no longer the same. Many flee from there because of terrible medicine and the "capture" of London by representatives of Indian and Muslim peoples. The opportunity to live with only English is attractive, but it is also attractive to a billion other people on the planet.
Ireland a little chilly and gloomy and more, probably, suitable for startups due to tax incentives. People also write that housing prices there have risen sharply. In general, English-speaking countries are already somewhat overheated.
United Arab Emirates allows you to earn a lot of money, since there is zero income tax, and the gross salary is slightly higher than in Germany. It is not very clear how to live there in the summer at +40. Also, due to the lack of a program for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship, it is not very clear where to go with this money.
Resorts suitable only for the childless or as a short-term experiment. Not my case.
Australia + New Zealand interesting, but very far. There are a couple of friends who wanted to go there. Mainly because of the climate.
Canada - an analogue of Scandinavia, but with normal languages. The meaning of moving there is not very clear. This is probably an option for those who love the United States very much, but have not yet been able to get there.
Now finally about Germany. Germany against the background of the options above looks quite attractive. Good climate, common language, easy way to get a work permit (Blue Card), kind of like a developed economy and medicine. That is why tens of thousands of qualified specialists from different countries try to find their happiness there every year. I will try to describe some interesting features of life in this country below.
Housing. The first surprise awaits you at the very beginning, when, after receiving a work contract, you start looking for housing. You will probably already be aware that housing in good cities in Germany is not easy to find, but the word “not easy” does not reflect the current situation. In Munich, finding accommodation will become a daily routine for you, like brushing your teeth in the morning. Even if you find something, you won't like it and keep looking for another place to live.
The essence of the problem is that in Germany it is popular to rent a house instead of buying. This should give some flexibility when moving and not be burdened by mortgage loans. But that's what they say on TV. But television in Germany is not much different from our first channel. In practice, renting a home means constant payments to homeowners, which is naturally more profitable than a one-time sale. I wouldn't be far wrong in assuming that 80% of all rental housing is owned by corporations, which naturally want to make more money. They are helped in this both by refugees, who are paid housing from your taxes, and by the semi-free labor market, which creates an increased demand for housing. Moreover, a large number of refugees are settled in good apartments in the city center (apparently owned by the same corporations). Thus, the German apartment oligarchs take your money twice. Once when you pay housing for refugees from your taxes, the second time you pay for housing yourself in an overheated market, paying 2000 euros for a simple three-ruble note. Our businessmen, who are trying to make money on expensive cabbage or street tiles, nervously smoke on the sidelines from envy.
It is curious that such a situation with housing, as well as 100% workload of all migration centers in Munich, 100 people per place in kindergartens, congestion of hospitals do not lead to any political protests. Everyone endures, pays and waits for their turn. Attempts to point out problems due to refugees will lead to accusations of fascism. Those who are in the subject, compare the phrase "You don't want it like in Paris" with the phrase "You don't want it like under Hitler." Pensioners are protected by the court, old-timers are afraid to move, so as not to lose their housing, which they rented several years ago at the old prices. New family members pay 50% of their salary for housing and think why they need all this. The "lonely" live in the "barracks" for 1000 euros. Girls are looking for local husbands with housing, young people hope to get rich by some miracle.
Medicine in Germany is colorfully described in legends and parables. It is true that in Germany, and in Munich in particular, there are unique medical centers with unique equipment. But you will never see it. Insurance medicine in Germany is very far from what is usually said about medicine in Germany.
With the salary of an IT developer in St. Petersburg, you practically do not need insurance, except for the most difficult cases. You can easily buy almost any medical service. Even most not the most simple operations cost less than a monthly salary. In Germany, on the salary of an IT specialist, it will be difficult for you to call a doctor at home for 300 euros and do an MRI for 500-1000 euros. In Germany there is no paid medicine for the general population. Everyone should be equal. Only very rich oligarchs can not be equal. Therefore, you will have to stand in lines with grannies, and if you have a child, then with a dozen other sick children. If you suddenly want private insurance, you will have to pay for it for all family members, even after losing your job for some time. Private insurance will avoid queues and may provide some small benefits in terms of medical services, but will not leave you money when you move with your family to enjoy your health. It is also curious that not everyone can get private insurance, but only those whom the German bureaucracy deems worthy (by salary or type of employment), even if you have a million rubles in a Russian account.
Receiving public services. Most likely, you have already decided that the MFC and the portal of public services are something taken for granted. Since it has been a hundred years like in Russia, it should be there too. But it's not there.
If you need something from the state, then the algorithm is something like this
- In Google or on the forum, find the name of the service that provides the service.
- Find the website of the office that provides the service and find out how to get an appointment ticket there.
- Get an admission ticket online. In some cases, such as for obtaining a Blue Card, there are no coupons. They are thrown out in the morning on the site in a few pieces. You have to get up at 7 am and update the site page every minute in order to have time to click on the coupon that appears.
- Collect 100500 pieces of paper required to receive the service
- Come at the appointed time. Have cash with you to pay for the service.
- Bonus. If you already know German well, then part of the services can be obtained by sending the correct package of documents by mail.
Food In Germany, it's basically normal. Her only problem is that she is very similar. Flipping through the menu in restaurants will not work, as the menu will be on a couple of sheets. Also in Munich there is no such thing as a children's room in a restaurant. After all, in its place you can put a few more tables. If you ask what kind of beer is in a restaurant, they will answer you - white, dark and light. It's the same in stores. There are a couple of boutiques throughout Munich where you can buy non-German beer. In fairness, it should be noted that there are many Asian restaurants in Munich that create some variety in food. Food quality is average. Better than in Russia, but noticeably worse than in Switzerland.
Smoking. Germany is a very smoking nation. 80% of tables will smoke on outdoor restaurant terraces. If you like to sit outside and breathe clean air, then restaurants are not for you. Also, they did not hear about any 15 meters from the stop and the entrances to the buildings. If you like swimming in outdoor pools, you will also have to love tobacco smoke. An unpleasant surprise for me turned out to be the frequent complete calmness of Munich. In calm weather, tobacco smoke is felt at a distance of 30 meters. That is, in fact, wherever there are people. I have been to many places in Europe, but I have never seen such a percentage of people smoking anywhere. I can't explain it. Maybe stress and hopelessness? 🙂
Children. The attitude towards children in Munich is somewhat strange. On the one hand, all politicians are shouting that there is a demographic crisis in the country, on the other hand, none of the shouting people is proposing to build more kindergartens, playgrounds, children's hospitals, etc. Private kindergartens, for which you have to pay about 800 euros a month, are similar to the rooming houses of Indian slums. Shabby furniture, faded carpets on the floor, worn sofas. And to get there you have to stand in line. State kindergartens are one room for 60 people and several educators. Recently, politicians have proposed making kindergartens free. Apparently taking money for such squalor is already a shame. According to the same politicians, the future of Germany is connected with migration, but not with the birth of their children. Indeed, in order to give birth to your child, you need medicine, the business of children's goods and food, kindergartens, and new high-quality housing. It is much easier to pick up a finished sample from the sailed boat. Well, the fact that this sample, apart from drug trafficking, is unlikely to do anything else, is no longer important. You can forbid scolding refugees and everything will be fine.
Another living legend - happy German pensionerstraveling the world. The problem here is that Germany is running out of money for big pensions. Raising the retirement age is unlikely to succeed, since it is already equal to 67 years. Forcing homeowners to rent it to pensioners for 300 euros instead of 2000 is also not a long time. Germany had plans to solve the problem through migration. The plans failed, as the migrants, after a short period of work, also do not want to do anything, but want to live well. No one knows yet how Germany will get out of this situation. So far, Germany is ready to pay current pensions until 2025. They didn't go for big guarantees.
Very interesting in Munich cycling "infrastructure". The city is considered the most friendly for cyclists. The bike path is in most cases separated from the pavement either by a white line or a different surface, which is more expensive, but the meaning is the same. One awkward step by a pedestrian and he can be hit by a cyclist and still be at fault. When cyclists get crowded in their lane, they go onto the sidewalk. Sidewalks are also used by cyclists who ride against the flow. Accidents between cyclists and pedestrians are not uncommon. Naturally, children are also run over, especially in parks where the paths are not even separated. If, for example, in St. Petersburg to gather a thousand migrants and give each a bucket of paint to divide the sidewalk into two equal parts, then in a day the city would wake up as the cycling capital of the world. This is what they did in Munich. Interestingly, in Switzerland, cyclists in the absence of a cycle path ride on the roadway. Cyclists separately, people separately ((c) Planet of the Apes).
In Munich, almost everywhere is quite well thought out urban development. It makes no sense to look for an area with shops, schools or parks. They will be everywhere. However, when choosing accommodation, in addition to your personal preferences, it makes sense to consider three factors that are usually not written about in reviews.
- Churches ring their bells early in the morning and late in the evening every single day, seven days a week. There are no places within the city where you can't hear them at all, but there are places where it can be "noisy".
- Firefighters, ambulances and repair services drive with sirens on, even through empty streets at night. The sirens in Munich are so loud that if you die while driving, you can still hear them. If your windows overlook the main roads of the city, then you will not be able to sleep with open windows. In Munich in the summer this will be a big problem. There are no air conditioners in the city. Not at all.
- S-Bahn (metro to the nearest suburbs) is not very reliable. If you commute to work on it, be prepared to sometimes wait an extra 30 minutes or work from home during the winter.
Now a little About work. Cases are different, but in general it is pleasant to work in Munich. No one is in a hurry and does not sit in the evenings. Most likely in Germany, most bosses become bosses if they have at least some competence. I have not seen reviews of bosses working on the principle, I am the boss, you are a fool. Also, IT companies are more likely to hire smart migrants than dumb Germans, which creates a pleasant atmosphere in the team. The other side of the coin is that the Germans would rather hire a less qualified cheap Indian than go for salary increases.
Since everyone works and gets paid about the same, it makes no sense to weave complex intrigues for the sake of some position. You can get a position, but money is not always. As a consequence of the same salaries, there is no market for premium services in Munich and in Germany as a whole, since there is no one to consume them. Either you work like everyone else for about one salary, or you have a successful business and you get many times more. It is not clear what shops, restaurants, entertainment venues successful people in Germany go to. Apparently there are so few of them that only a select few know about them. The most modern cinema in the center of Munich reminded me of Crystal Palace from the 90s on Nevsky in St. Petersburg.
In Germany, up to 6 weeks a year, you can root for 100% of your salary without any upper limit. It is surprising that at the same time people still come to work with snot and cough. Although many people in Munich get sick often, and if you stay at home every time you have a runny nose, then 6 weeks may not be enough.
Despite the above, of course, you should not exclude Germany from the list of your favorite countries. Each country will have its own "features". It is better to learn about them in advance and plan your move correctly.
Given all of the above, I would highlight the following strategies for moving to Germany.
Freelance. Two years after working for your Blue Card uncle, you will have the legal opportunity to become a freelancer. This is a typical mode of operation for the Germans themselves. It will allow you to bring your salary closer to 150K euros per year. You can live on it in Munich approximately, as in St. Petersburg for 200K rubles a month. The difficulty lies in the fact that freelancing in most cases assumes fluency in German, which cannot be obtained in two years. Therefore, it will be possible to actually work on freelance a little later.
Your business after permanent residence. In 2-3 years, depending on your knowledge of German, you will have permanent residence. This gives you the right to permanently reside in the country, regardless of your financial condition. You can take a risk and stir up your project.
Remote. The Germans are calm about remote work, but first it is better to show yourself in the office and become a resident of Germany. To do this, you will have to aim at a startup, since remote work is hardly possible in large companies. After switching to a remote location, you can sit down in a cozy German village or travel the world while observing the rule of living in Germany for at least 6 months a year.
Strategies for solving the housing problem can be as follows. If you have any savings or real estate in Russia that you are ready to exchange for German, then expect that cozy modest housing for a family (three rubles or a small house) in Munich starts from a million euros. At the moment, there is a strategy for buying housing in the nearest suburbs, but over time, prices there will only increase, as more and more people want to do this. In addition, due to the influx of poor migrants, the main suburbs of Munich are more reminiscent of refugee camps than cozy places for a comfortable life.
In southern and southwestern Germany, there are several nice small towns to live in, such as Karlsruhe or Freiburg. There exists a theoretical possibility to buy real estate with a mortgage for 30 years and enjoy life. But in these cities there is very little non-IT work. In Munich, as soon as your non-IT partner learns German, you can live on two salaries, which is unlikely to allow you to buy a house in the city, but will allow you to start enjoying life.
As I mentioned above, I don't live in Germany anymore, so I won't be able to implement either of these strategies. I found a job in Switzerland. Switzerland is also not an ideal country. However, if you can hear different opinions about Germany, then I have not yet seen negative stories of moving to Switzerland. Therefore, when I pulled out my lucky ticket, then, given the presence of a family and my age, I decided to take a tit than to catch a crane in Germany. Switzerland is in a sense a boutique country with a personal touch. Here you are a personality, in Germany you are one of the millions who have come in large numbers. I can't say more about Switzerland yet.
Who is interested in Switzerland, as a country to move, join .
There I will write about my life and work experience (especially in comparison with Germany) and share vacancies that require sponsorship.
For up-to-date information on Munich, I recommend .
PS: The picture shows the main entrance to the central station in Munich. The photo was taken on June 13, 2019.
Source: habr.com