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nessin posted:I'm planning a trip to Amsterdam and Prague. Planned on flying between the two but I'm steadily leaning towards a train with a couple days extra in Germany. My first thought was Berlin or Leipzig, but I'm open to suggestions if someone has an opinion on a better stop. Just looking to do some people watching, get some quality food, maybe check out something with some military history behind it, and try some beer. Probably something I can do anywhere, but it never hurts to ask. My two favorite cities in Germany. Berlin has more to see and do, but for military history the Völkerschlachtsdenkmal is pretty kickin. Of course Berlin has the Siegesäule made out of confiscated French cannon from the war of 1870, though on the whole the monument in Leipzig is more interesting.
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Jan 31, 2013 17:47
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Troubadour posted:...but for military history the Völkerschlachtsdenkmal is pretty kickin. Probably not the worst time to visit the place.
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Jan 31, 2013 23:06
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I was admitted to FU-Berlin for the Master of Physics program for the summer semester, and I have some questions. 1. Is there any detailed outline online on the process on obtaining the visa I need? 2. I enrolled for the Summer semester, but I dont graduate until May 1st. They told me to enroll and figure this problem out later, or else I would have to reapply for the winter. Do I need to be taking classes for the summer semester or do you think it would be ok for me to show up a month late for some class like a seminar? Obviously any real classes that require homework/tests are not possible. 3. I applied for 3 dorms through studentwerk, but I know this isnt guaranteed. If there are no places, how late will I find out and need to find a place through wg-gesucht? 4. Do you only start the research for the Master's thesis in the 2nd year? I spoke to a group about working with them and they said it was really early. I assumed that I should be doing research for the entire 2 years and only writing in during the last semester. Also, do you get paid for it?
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Feb 8, 2013 07:15
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bmxerguy posted:I was admitted to FU-Berlin for the Master of Physics program for the summer semester, and I have some questions. quote:2. I enrolled for the Summer semester, but I dont graduate until May 1st. They told me to enroll and figure this problem out later, or else I would have to reapply for the winter. Do I need to be taking classes for the summer semester or do you think it would be ok for me to show up a month late for some class like a seminar? Obviously any real classes that require homework/tests are not possible. Well, at least at my university, you are not allowed to be absent for more than 10% of class without a doctor's note or extra credit - reason being that time in class counts towards the workload for the whole credit point bullshit. That said, even at my university, this is controversial and not enforced by all professors. Since I can't give you a useful answer with any certainty, I guess your best bet would be contacting the program manager with your problem. quote:3. I applied for 3 dorms through studentwerk, but I know this isnt guaranteed. If there are no places, how late will I find out and need to find a place through wg-gesucht? quote:4. Do you only start the research for the Master's thesis in the 2nd year? I spoke to a group about working with them and they said it was really early. I assumed that I should be doing research for the entire 2 years and only writing in during the last semester. Also, do you get paid for it? Chances of getting paid are minimal, though. You're essentially doing work for the opportunity to write your thesis and any street cred you can get out of it. I hope that helps. Edit: As far as I know, that's something that started a couple of years ago, when they introduced the bachelor/master system to Germany. There's still quite a few professors that think it's retarded and don't enforce it, but apparently it is part of the European Credit Transfer System clusterfuck (which no one but the politicians wanted, anyway). vvvvvvv Badly Jester fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 10:26
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Badly Jester posted:Well, at least at my university, you are not allowed to be absent for more than 10% of class without a doctor's note or extra credit - reason being that time in class counts towards the workload for the whole credit point bullshit. That said, even at my university, this is controversial and not enforced by all professors. Since I can't give you a useful answer with any certainty, I guess your best bet would be contacting the program manager with your problem. This was the biggest shock for me starting at a German uni. It felt like being back in school again. Here in Australia it's up to you as to whether or not you want to bother going to class the lecturer still gets paid so they don't care and if you fail it's your own fault and you bear the consequences.
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Feb 8, 2013 10:46
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bmxerguy posted:2. I enrolled for the Summer semester, but I dont graduate until May 1st. They told me to enroll and figure this problem out later, or else I would have to reapply for the winter. Do I need to be taking classes for the summer semester or do you think it would be ok for me to show up a month late for some class like a seminar? Obviously any real classes that require homework/tests are not possible. I had moved to a different city and started on a postgrad program 3 months before I officially graduated at my old school. 4. It is normal to start the thesis in the 2nd year. Payment varies from institute to institute. Badly Jester posted:Well, at least at my university, you are not allowed to be absent for more than 10% of class without a doctor's note or extra credit - reason being that time in class counts towards the workload for the whole credit point bullshit. That said, even at my university, this is controversial and not enforced by all professors. Since I can't give you a useful answer with any certainty, I guess your best bet would be contacting the program manager with your problem. I have never heard of any University in Germany that requires attendance in normal lectures. When I took some lectures that required attendance at 2 days in the semester where there were in class tests, that made the course very unpopular.
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Feb 8, 2013 15:25
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I'm at the University of Marburg. Lectures are optional here, too, but he was asking about seminars more or less specifically.
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Feb 8, 2013 18:43
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At Saarland Uni, it was also just seminars that were mandatory, because the in-class discussions are an essential part of the course. You are supposed to participate in them, and sometimes got graded for them. And with a new topic each week, you can't really miss one. Some seminars had an option of writing a paper review for a week instead of attending, though.
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Feb 9, 2013 02:17
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Entropist posted:At Saarland Uni, it was also just seminars that were mandatory, because the in-class discussions are an essential part of the course. You are supposed to participate in them, and sometimes got graded for them. And with a new topic each week, you can't really miss one. Some seminars had an option of writing a paper review for a week instead of attending, though. Same in Rostock. No one ever enforces attendance in lectures. Hell, even in seminars it is kinda iffy, I have never heard of someone who missed 4 times and was kicked out for it. Nor have I ever heard that anyone actually checked your attendance when you want to graduate.
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Feb 10, 2013 14:38
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Some universities will pull fast ones on you though, like "Okay we won't check attendance but there may or may not be a small test during one of the lectures and you need to pass that in order to qualify for the actual exam!" Also in my experience natural science departments tend to be less lenient/organized/competent with these kinds of things than social sciences.
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Feb 10, 2013 19:32
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NihilVerumNisiMors posted:Some universities will pull fast ones on you though, like "Okay we won't check attendance but there may or may not be a small test during one of the lectures and you need to pass that in order to qualify for the actual exam!" At the LMU in Munich you just need to show up for the first class (to figure out your Hausarbeit/Referat topic) and to give your Referat. That being said, while profs don't really take attendance/care that much about you showing up, they do take note of who participates and contributes and asks good questions, which will often mean the difference between getting a 1,7 or a 2,3 on your overall class mark.
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Feb 11, 2013 10:39
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Landsknecht posted:At the LMU in Munich you just need to show up for the first class (to figure out your Hausarbeit/Referat topic) and to give your Referat. That being said, while profs don't really take attendance/care that much about you showing up, they do take note of who participates and contributes and asks good questions, which will often mean the difference between getting a 1,7 or a 2,3 on your overall class mark. This can seriously not be overstated. Participate as much as you can. Most people sit in class like zombies and never participate. I can't imagine how often my professors said something along the lines of "That paper you wrote wasn't that good, but I know you know your stuff because you always speak up in class."
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Feb 12, 2013 20:51
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ArchangeI posted:This can seriously not be overstated. Participate as much as you can. Most people sit in class like zombies and never participate. I can't imagine how often my professors said something along the lines of "That paper you wrote wasn't that good, but I know you know your stuff because you always speak up in class." The other thing is that you might have a few professors multiple times in your bachelors, and if they get to know you, you'll have a lot of options open. You can get invited to various department talks and events, there are always cushy jobs at the university that people working there can network you into (not like actual handshake no-effort work, but decent paid, part time office admin jobs), and if you ever want to get into a masters or doctor, it's way easier if the people at the department know you and know you're interested in your field.
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Feb 13, 2013 17:00
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Hey Germans, please come to this thread to explain what's up with your weird pedestrian crosswalks! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3177805&pagenumber=194&perpage=40
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Feb 14, 2013 15:20
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Is there anyone in here that has taken the IELTS and could comment on it a bit? I'm due for mine tomorrow in Munich and was wondering whether I could get some goon-testimonials to off-set the stuff I've found online. As a preamble, I grew up with english (in South Africa), so it's basically my second native language, a third of my family is british, with another third being sort-of-american, I've spent a semester abroad in highschool (in Auburn, Alabama  ), I'm fluent and current in the language, mostly due to a solid 40% of my everyday friends over the last 6 years having been american soldiers, I read fucktons of english books, albeit not the most complicated of literature, mostly Ludlum, Forsyth, Robinson, Leather, Follett, Clancy, Child, that kind of stuff, I shitpost consistently and religiously on these, the SomethingAwfulDotCom forums, I've done roughly 2 years of translation work (including, but not limited to, brand bibles, trademark license agreements on a corporate level, scientific test reports for products and various other legal documents) and every single thing I watch on TV or at the movies is english.Other credentials of note would be
I've got this, right? Jokes aside, I'm obviously not worried about passing the test, but I really want to knock that poo poo out of the park hard and I'm kinda worried that my issues with concentration in the past could screw me out of a good score when it comes to the listening comprehension parts of the test, where you don't get any replays and stuff like that. This is my first test-situation since university well over a year ago and I've got to admit, I'm not used to this whole being nervous concept anymore.
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Feb 15, 2013 16:27
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Hi, I'm trying to apply for a work permit to Munich through the company I work for. My immigration counsel can't file the paperwork until I have proof of German health insurance. I was suggested to apply with Techniker Krankenkasse, but their signup form requires a 'pensioner insurance number'. How would I get one of these. I don't have a permanent German address or a German bank account.
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Feb 20, 2013 17:23
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You would think that since you're getting health insurance through your job, you wouldn't have to prove that you had it. You could try getting something like this: http://www.mawista.com/en/international-health-insurance-365days/ for a couple of months for the purpose of getting your visa and then once you're set up in Munich, you can then switch to TK. Also, what country are you from?
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Feb 20, 2013 17:45
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I'm an American. I'm getting health insurance through my job, but it's only coverage in the US. Everything I've read and heard indicates that I need to apply for health insurance in Germany myself.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:59
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Are you going to be the only employee of your company in Germany? Are you going to make more than €52.200 a year? If yes, you can get private health insurance, but if not, you are obligated to use the public system and unless you're a freelancer, your company has to pay ~half of the monthly cost. I did this a while ago so my memory is a bit hazy, but AFAIK, I never had a "Sozialversicherungsnummer" until after I was set up with my health insurance company (TK). Using: http://www.tk.de/tk/jetzt-zur-tk/die-richtige-wahl/jetzt-mitglied-werden/197788, it doesn't look like you need to give them any sort of pension number to apply. Total Confusion fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Feb 22, 2013 |
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Feb 22, 2013 13:03
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Gold and a Pager posted:Are you going to be the only employee of your company in Germany? I'm not the only employee. It's a large multinational. I'm going to be making more than that. I'm kind of wary about filling out forms in German, though, because I don't want to imply I know the language, and I don't want them to think they can communicate with me in German.
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Feb 22, 2013 16:45
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If you're not planning on being in Germany forever, then it could be cheaper to get private insurance. I know Toytown has a lot of info on how to get private insurance: http://www.toytowngermany.com/wiki/Health_insurance Is there no one at your company that has more information about this? It seems strange that they would say that the only insurance they could give you would be for coverage just in the US, especially since you have the option of being in the public system where they would have to pay for part of it.
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Feb 22, 2013 17:19
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They say they can't help me get insurance in Germany, I have to do it myself. I know it'll be cheaper to get private insurance, that's why I figured applying with TK would do the trick, but the questions that are asked on the form don't make sense for someone in my situation, and the other private insurance providers I've checked don't even have forms in English. I want to apply for TK because they seem like the largest, most well known provider. I don't know, whatever. I'll figure it out. Thanks for your help though.
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Feb 22, 2013 17:59
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The Techniker Krankenkasse is not a statuory sickness insurance agency, not a private one. Assuming eglibility for a private scheme, this might explain how the forms don't seem to make sense to you. Furthermore, the English language form of the TK is not as well designed as the German ones. Gold and Pager is correct, that a Pensioner's Social Security Number should not be necessary and would be provided if you have none. In the German language versions this is correctly spelled out. However, there exists a bilateral agreement regarding pension schemes between the United States and Germany. It appears to contain provisions which might allow you to be exempt from paying into the pension scheme in Germany (and therefore not needing a number). All things considered, I would highly recommend you get in touch with a (German) lawyer to at least give you some pointers on the application process, as it is a legal question at heart. Considering your employer is a large corporation, chances are good that somebody there could point you to an office which is used to deal with such issues for Americans wanting to work in Germany.
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Feb 22, 2013 20:40
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I've been here for two weeks now, done quite a bit of traveling within the Schwarzwald region (here for a month for business, so longer trips have been contained to the weekends). But nothing has topped Heidelberg for me so far, I honestly want to permanently relocate to Germany because of this place. If anyone could recommend anything close to as cool as Heidelberg I will definitely check it out next weekend.
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Mar 3, 2013 12:25
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Sock The Great posted:I've been here for two weeks now, done quite a bit of traveling within the Schwarzwald region (here for a month for business, so longer trips have been contained to the weekends). But nothing has topped Heidelberg for me so far, I honestly want to permanently relocate to Germany because of this place. If anyone could recommend anything close to as cool as Heidelberg I will definitely check it out next weekend. Depends I guess, what made Heidelberg so cool to you?
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Mar 3, 2013 13:21
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Sereri posted:Depends I guess, what made Heidelberg so cool to you? Mostly the scenery, I'd say it was one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. It also helped that it was quite sunny and warm there compared to the cold and gray I've been experiencing in Baiersbronn for the last 13 days.
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Mar 3, 2013 20:42
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You "lucked" into the darkest winter in over 40 years, according to the papers. Have you been to Freiburg and/or Basel yet?
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Mar 5, 2013 08:10
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heading to Munich in a few weeks with some friends and wondered if anyone could recommend a few decent places to drink, I've been looking online and seen all the usual touristy beerhalls etc but wondered if there were a few other good places to go, ideally the cheaper and less touristy the better
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Mar 5, 2013 16:47
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Troubadour posted:You "lucked" into the darkest winter in over 40 years, according to the papers. Have you been to Freiburg and/or Basel yet? Yeah that darkness was really something, thank goodness it's not like that every winter (since Sunday it's been gorgeous). At my bosses recommendation we're headed to Freiburg on Saturday. Thinking about heading there with the same mindset as Heidelberg, no real plan and just walk about the city for the day.
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Mar 5, 2013 17:28
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In Freiburg you can get off the train and walk straight up the Eisenbahnstraße until you hit the Munster. Cool historical architecture around there. Then you can take a right over to Augustinerplatz and have a delicious fresh beer and decent Schwarzwald pub food at the Feierling Biergarten. Walk that off for a while by going for a hike around the Schlossberg. Take some pictures, enjoy the view, maybe stop by the beer garden there which is decent as well. If you're there for two days you can take the tram and bus to the Schauinsland. Dress warm if you go there, but it's quite worth it to take the cable car up and see pretty much the whole black forest from the viewing platform. If you can read German, fudder.de is a good blog with insider tips and news from Freiburg.
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Mar 6, 2013 08:24
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I posted these questions to the Germany Discussion thread, forgetting I was already posting questions here. I have a whole loving bunch of questions about renting an apartment in Munich. - Everything I've read indicates that I can't get a local bank account until I've secured my residence permit. Is it reasonable to provide my employment contract as proof of income, since I can't get a bank account yet? - How would I pay the deposit, etc for a place if I don't have a local bank account? Do landlords typically accept wire transfers from US banks? - What the hell would I do if I don't find a place to live by the time I need to register a permanent address at the Rathaus?
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Mar 12, 2013 13:06
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I don't know about the first question - though if I remember correctly, when I opened a bank account the guy only asked to see my passport for a basic account. I highly doubt anyone will know how to/want to accept a payment from a US wire transfer. Plenty of people will take a cash deposit if you explain the situation though. Make sure you get a signature from your landlord awknowledging the payment. You only need to register in theory within a week after moving into a new location. Though you will need to register to apply for residency and a work permit, of course. Registering at the Bürgeramt is quite painless really and in your case I would register at the hotel you are staying at until you find an apartment. You just fill out a few forms, enter your address and passport number, as well as basic data like if you are married. Then after you have an apartment, you go back and fill out a quick change of address form.
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Mar 12, 2013 22:46
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Troubadour posted:I don't know about the first question - though if I remember correctly, when I opened a bank account the guy only asked to see my passport for a basic account. That's the thing. My plan now is to go there two weeks before I'm scheduled to, pick out an apartment, sign a lease that starts the first of the month, and then move in all my stuff a week later. So the move happens in one shot and I don't have to register any temporary addresses. Is this a totally loving retarded idea?
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Mar 12, 2013 23:39
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horse mans posted:That's the thing. My plan now is to go there two weeks before I'm scheduled to, pick out an apartment, sign a lease that starts the first of the month, and then move in all my stuff a week later. So the move happens in one shot and I don't have to register any temporary addresses. Is this a totally loving retarded idea? Depends on how much you're willing to spend on rent
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Mar 13, 2013 00:13
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Meaning that if I live in a hotel for three weeks upon arriving and then find an apartment for the following month, I'll end up paying more money? Why would the average rent of a place go up from April to May? And how would it be more expensive than the 21 days * 90 EUR I'd end up spending on the hotel?
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Mar 13, 2013 00:49
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The higher your budget, the bigger your chance of finding a decent apartment within two weeks. Unless you can afford to spend several thousand Euros a month on rent you're not going to be able to just pick out an apartment. But I guess it can't hurt to try if you don't have anything better to do during those two weeks.
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Mar 13, 2013 01:16
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Okay, that's fair. My biggest concern was doing it before I actually arrive, and then being turned away for some bureaucracy bullshit, and having a lease on an apartment I can't enter the country to actually use.
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Mar 13, 2013 01:19
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Pro tip for registering: When they ask you to enter your religion, you say none. Don't let them talk you into entering catholic or protestant or what have you.
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Mar 13, 2013 05:48
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elwood posted:Pro tip for registering: When they ask you to enter your religion, you say none. Don't let them talk you into entering catholic or protestant or what have you. This loving winter just isn't ending, it was -12 at night in Hannover this week. 
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Mar 14, 2013 18:36
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Berlin goons, My wife and I travel to Germany every summer (usually Bavaria for the peacefulness), but haven't ever been to Berlin (strange right?). Keeping in mind that we're young, married, not really interested in the bar scene, but do like a good biergarten, and like clean, safe places, we need some recommendations for neighborhoods to stay in this June. We don't need anything fancy, my wife's only requirement is a.) no hostels, and b.) it has to have an en suite shower and toilet. We seem to have exhausted a lot of the options for pensions near the center of town and have settled on maybe a chain hotel near Potsdamer Platz or another one near the Bismarckstraße U-Bahn stop on Bismarckstraße. We're tending toward the hotel near Potsdamer Platz as it appears closer to the attractions and appears to have better connections to U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and HBF for when we need to leave town. It also appears that this might be more "Berlin." Is our thinking right? Also any suggestions you might have with these requirements, trying to stay under 70 E a night would be awesome too. Suggestions for good German style breakfasts (assuming we end up at a place without) at or near a bahnhof would be nice too.
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Mar 16, 2013 17:15
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