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Is there a German Language standard similar to IELTS for working in Germany?
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Mar 13, 2015 01:10
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Kommando posted:Is there a German Language standard similar to IELTS for working in Germany? The Goethe Institut exam might qualify. I think they have an academic and a vocational one.
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Mar 13, 2015 01:45
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There are a variety of exams you can take to certify your German level (in addition to the Zertificat Deutsch and Zertificat Deutsch für den Beruf offered by the Goethe Institut): BULATS DSH TestDaF TELC You can also get certificates from your local VHS after completing a course with them (you also might be able to take some of these tests there as well). You shouldn't need to have any German to get an Arbeitserlaubnis as an Aussie (though your case worker at the Foreigners Office probably won't speak any English with you). If you want to get permanent residency or citizenship, you have to prove you have at least B1 German.
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Mar 13, 2015 11:00
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Not directly related to working in Germany, but there's thisquote:Wenn Sie das Visum für den Ehegattennachzug in einer deutschen Botschaft bzw. in einem Generalkonsulat beantragen, können Sie bereits bei Ihrer Vorsprache zeigen, dass Sie die geforderten Deutschkenntnisse haben. In der Regel müssen Sie Ihren Antragsunterlagen aber ein Zertifikat über die erfolgreiche Teilnahme an einer der folgenden Sprachprüfungen beifügen: "Start Deutsch 1" des Goethe-Instituts oder der telc GmbH, "Grundstufe Deutsch 1" des Österreichischen Sprachdiploms (ÖSD), "TestDaF" des TestDaF-Instituts e.V. vorlegen.
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Mar 13, 2015 11:01
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Gold and a Pager posted:You shouldn't need to have any German to get an Arbeitserlaubnis as an Aussie (though your case worker at the Foreigners Office probably won't speak any English with you). They can get pretty indignant too (which is understandable) and their patience with people whose German isn't great is thin, even when it's clear you're making a real effort. Sometimes you'll luck out and your local Ausländerbehörde has a policy that allows you to bring a German-speaking buddy judgment-free, but doing it on your own with no German is going to be very daunting.
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Mar 13, 2015 19:03
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I'm leaving Africa for a week in Germany in April. What all is there to do in Frankfurt?
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Mar 15, 2015 20:40
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I've had this page of museums bookmarked for a while, and I'm sure some/most/all of them are worth your time. I've heard the architecture museum and the Senckenberg museum of natural history are really good - maybe someone who's visited some of the others can weigh in? Otherwise, I'm sure the Goethe Haus is worth a visit, and downtown Frankfurt (e.g. Zeil) is really nice. When in April are you gonna be there? I'm moving to Frankfurt on the 1st but then I'm in Italy for a few days, so if that doesn't coincide with your trip then I'd be happy to grab a beer.
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Mar 16, 2015 10:10
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I don't live far from Frankfurt but have honestly only gone there for the train station, the airport, and IKEA. I've got a week of vacation next week and my fiancé and I are thinking of getting out of town a bit, but not too far. What kind of stuff should one do on a day-trip to Heidelberg? We wouldn't be staying the night, just taking RB there in the morning and coming back in the evening.
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Mar 16, 2015 16:39
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Senor P. posted:I'm leaving Africa for a week in Germany in April. What all is there to do in Frankfurt? Mahlertov Cocktail posted:I've had this page of museums bookmarked for a while, and I'm sure some/most/all of them are worth your time. I've heard the architecture museum and the Senckenberg museum of natural history are really good - maybe someone who's visited some of the others can weigh in? Otherwise, I'm sure the Goethe Haus is worth a visit, and downtown Frankfurt (e.g. Zeil) is really nice. If you are interested in galleries, I'd recommend the Städel. The Schirn usually has good exhibitions, and the MMK is not bad, either. The Senckenberg museum is really, really nice, and I think they finished their renoviations etc since I have been there last. The Filmmuseum is nice, but it depends a bit what they have as an exhibition at the moment. Do you speak any German? If so, the Dialogmuseum is fantastic; it's essentially completely dark in there, and you will be lead round by a blind person. It's supposed to give you an impression what it's like to be blind, and how heavily we rely on our eyes to get around. It's a great experience, but one has to book ahead of time. Other than museums, I would recommend going up on the Maintower, which has a visitor's terrace on top which gives you a nice view of the city. It's also in the banking district, so you get to see some of the skyscrapers. The shopping street (Zeil) is not too bad, and you can get to all of the above locations from there easily on foot (except, perhaps, for the Senckenberg, take an U-Bahn or just walk it either way). The Cathedral is also interesting and located in the city centre. If you like opera, the Alte Oper is quite a nice building, as well. If you like to eat and drink, Sachsenhausen is the typical (albeit somewhat crowded) area to go and have Ebbelwoi (Apfelwein, apple wine), a sour version of cider, though you will also be fine in the Westend and Nordend. Hollow Talk fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Mar 16, 2015 |
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Mar 16, 2015 19:27
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Drone posted:I don't live far from Frankfurt but have honestly only gone there for the train station, the airport, and IKEA. Well, there's always the castle with its giant gently caress-off barrel in the basement, and if you're not opposed to walking, heading up the Philosophenweg is pretty nice and will give you a good view over the city. Other than that, I guess you should take a picture with the bridge monkey.
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Mar 16, 2015 22:34
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I'm traveling to Munich later this year and I'm looking for somewhere that would be a fun place to visit for a day or two that's close enough to travel to/from by bus or train. For example, last time I did this we went to Prague and had a great time. Any suggestions on nearby fun places? As a group we like pretty much anything -sightseeing, drinking/bar scene, historical significance, natural beauty, etc, so we're really open to all suggestions as long as I can basically grab transportation from the München Hauptbahnhof or thereabouts.
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Mar 21, 2015 16:21
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I'd say Salzburg is a clear candidate. I've never been there but it seems to be a beautiful city to visit, and not too far. Prague is quite far though, so if you're working within that range, there's also Vienna of course. Or the Bolzano/Trento/Verona/Lago di Garda area in Italy, for something completely different. There's a train to there through the Alps.
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Mar 21, 2015 16:38
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Mahlertov Cocktail posted:I've had this page of museums bookmarked for a while, and I'm sure some/most/all of them are worth your time. I've heard the architecture museum and the Senckenberg museum of natural history are really good - maybe someone who's visited some of the others can weigh in? Otherwise, I'm sure the Goethe Haus is worth a visit, and downtown Frankfurt (e.g. Zeil) is really nice. Apr 14 to 19th
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Mar 29, 2015 20:47
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Cool. Hit me up if you want to get a drink that weekend!
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Mar 30, 2015 07:17
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I will admit, going in, that this is a stupid question. However, my curiosity will not abate on its own. I have been fascinated with Europe for years. I finally had a chance to visit last year, where I spent two weeks on a whirlwind tour of much of Western Europe. This obviously wasn't enough to learn too much about any given country, yet... When I visited, I was utterly smitten. And not just with the big things, like the unique cultural and historical legacy that is so desperately lacking in my own home (which saw its first European settler in 1873). But the little things, too. The climate, the geography, the obvious quality of the food and drinks, the fact that things seemed so much more high-quality and permanent and intentional, the construction (German doors and walls practically blew my mind), the art, the architecture, the pride people placed into their appearance, the highways, the functioning governments, and most of all the public spaces, which were built with purpose and beauty as though they meant something more than just a means by which one travels from one private space to the next. It was shocking how much Munich felt like home, even though I stayed for only one night. The more I learned about Europe, the more I like it. So I guess my question is as follows. Extremely preliminarily, exactly how difficult would it be for a Canadian like myself to immigrate to somewhere in Europe, with the intention of settling there and having a family? I am a single man in my late twenties who has a bachelor's degree in commerce, a professional designation in accounting (requiring two years of post-university study) and high quality work experience (at least by Canadian standards.) I would of course learn the local language of wherever I move. (While my ancestors are European, they all moved here far enough in the past that I have no current claim to a European citizenship.) Is this a thing that is generally done in Europe, and in Germany more particularly? Is it just about impossible to get back into the professional workforce with foreign experience? In Canada, we rely extensively on immigration, but I don't know how that goes in Europe. Are there any countries there in particular that seem to like to take on foreigners? E: I know that this is a bit beyond the pale for a travel thread, but there are many Germans and expatriates here. And besides, just a few pages back there was a long discussion about someone wanting to live la vie Bohème in Berlin, so I thought a more conventional settlement question might fly. Thanks. I'm sure nothing will come of this, but I would be very happy to know more. David Corbett fucked around with this message at 19:30 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 19:25
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Europe will collapse in 10 years hth. Also Germans are very grumpy and they won't share your enthusiasm. joking aside: The first thing you might want to do before you move is getting a job, I suppose.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:34
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David Corbett posted:So I guess my question is as follows. Extremely preliminarily, exactly how difficult would it be for a Canadian like myself to immigrate to somewhere in Europe, with the intention of settling there and having a family? I am a single man in my late twenties who has a bachelor's degree in commerce, a professional designation in accounting (requiring two years of post-university study) and high quality work experience (at least by Canadian standards.) I would of course learn the local language of wherever I move. (While my ancestors are European, they all moved here far enough in the past that I have no current claim to a European citizenship.) I'm not crystal clear on this, but from what I understand, it's supposed to be pretty easy for citizens of Commonwealth countries to move to the UK. While quite different from Germany, a lot of what you mentioned being smitten about in Germany exists there too, and there's no language barrier. If you really were thinking "long-term", I suppose you could go for UK citizenship, which then grants you freedom of movement within the EU -- provided shitheads in the UK don't get their way and they exit in 2017. As far as immigrating directly to Germany, I've done it (as a skilled American) with success, though it was touch and go for quite awhile. My first year and a half in Germany I was unemployed/underemployed, coaching English as a freelancer to friends. I burnt a lot of bridges with family back in the States who were suddenly forced to pick up my student loan bills as I could barely afford food, and had to rely a lot on the good graces of my partner and his family, who paid for our rent. It was not an ideal situation. Eventually, I was lucky enough to get picked up as a full-time contractor with my previous employer from the States -- just in their European headquarters. I came across that by pure luck -- our tiny Berlin office knew that I was living in Berlin and decided to call me to fix their printer. This got me back on the radar of a colleague and friend in London who at the time ran IT for all of our company's European offices, who brought me across the country as his eyes, ears, and hands at the German headquarters. Eventually an employee position opened up under one of our American VP's who is based here, and he hired me for it (tomorrow's my first day, even). I guess what I'm trying to say is that immigration like mine is possible, but my story only worked out in the end because I got drat lucky with relationships that I had already created in the US. I would very much NOT recommend doing what I did: leaving my job in the US after saving up a few thousand dollars, buying a one-way plane ticket, and moving in with someone I already knew with no hint of actual employment afterwards. With a degree and experience in accounting and commerce, you may look into the bigger German banks that do business globally-- Deutsche Bank or Commerzbank. I know someone who began working for Commerzbank in their US headquarters as a personal assistant and, once she was in with the company, transferred to Frankfurt. I know someone else who worked with an American company back in the States for a couple years, and then eventually convinced them to transfer him to their (tiny) satellite office in Munich -- he already had German/American dual-citizenship though, so it was easier for him. At any rate, that might be something to look into as well. If you live in a large city, there may also be some European-Canadian Chamber of Commerce that you could contact as well, if for nothing else than to make connections and keep your options open. Edit: other large German concerns you might want to look into for local employment in Canada: SAP, Bosch, Thyssen-Krupp, Bayer, Merck... Drone fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 19:39
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David Corbett posted:I will admit, going in, that this is a stupid question. However, my curiosity will not abate on its own. If you made around the equivalent of 50k euro last year then you can apply for some kind of visa to look for a job. If you have at 5 years' experience as a "business professional" you shouldn't have much trouble, especially if you're able to network, or have especially if your resume has something like KPMG or PWC on it. Here's a few things to consider though: 1. Outside of Germany/Austria, Benelux, Scandinavia, and France, there's no way any salary you'll find in the EU will be close to what you can earn in Canada. While the cost of living is comparable, European taxes/VAT is high, and salaries are generally lower. The governments/systems in many south/east European countries leave a lot to be desired, so count those out. 2. You haven't actually had to experience living in Germany yet. I'd recommend taking a month of holidays and signing up for a 4 week language course with the Goethe Institute in Munich, Hamburg, or Berlin, then see how much you like it after that. Dealing with the bureaucracy, navigating new norms/practices, and even getting used to new rules (all subscriptions are cancelled a month before per mail!, recycling is a religion!, nothing is open on sunday!) are all things you haven't considered. Those areas around Marienplatz that you though were super cool and authentic when you were in Munich as a tourist? Pretty soon they're a no-go over-the-top kitschy tourist zone that you avoid as much as possible. 3. In Munich, especially, the people are extremely conservative. I don't know where your personal political beliefs lie, but being around Bavarians who display a mix of xenophobia, strong catholicism, and sometimes even a sense of revanchivism can get quite draining, especially if you don't agree with them.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:41
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I think all of the big accounting firms have programs that support employees who want to go to other countries after a few years. Conversely, the European counterparts of those big accounting firms might be more likely to hire non-Europeans accountants because their size could justify the need for such an "exotic" creature. (They might also be able to do short term contracts to see if you actually want to live in Europe for real.)
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Mar 31, 2015 19:43
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Randler posted:I think all of the big accounting firms have programs that support employees who want to go to other countries after a few years. Oh yeah, this. Check out Deloitte. They're a UK company but operate globally and have a large presence in Germany. They've got a team of about a half-dozen people pretty much permanently based at our office doing internal auditing. They're mostly foreign, they make absolute bank, and they walk around the place with impeccable suits and looking like they have a meter-long pole shoved up their asses.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:46
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David Corbett posted:The climate, the geography, the obvious quality of the food and drinks, the fact that things seemed so much more high-quality and permanent and intentional, the construction (German doors and walls practically blew my mind), the art, the architecture, the pride people placed into their appearance, the highways, the functioning governments, and most of all the public spaces, which were built with purpose and beauty as though they meant something more than just a means by which one travels from one private space to the next. Drone posted:I'm not crystal clear on this, but from what I understand, it's supposed to be pretty easy for citizens of Commonwealth countries to move to the UK. While quite different from Germany, a lot of what you mentioned being smitten about in Germany exists there too, and there's no language barrier. If you really were thinking "long-term", I suppose you could go for UK citizenship, which then grants you freedom of movement within the EU -- provided shitheads in the UK don't get their way and they exit in 2017. These two quotes are mutually exclusive. If you want the quality of life you can get in say Germany, going to the UK won't help. Food, prices and construction cannot compete, though geography, architecture etc. are another matter. If you compare the normal British inner city supermarkets (say regular Tesco or Sainsbury's) with Rewe or Edeka, you will be sorely disappointed. There is a reason we always bring half a backpack full of food back whenever we return to the UK from Germany. It's also more expensive than Germany.  fake-edit: How can people not figure out how to make decent cheese, Frischkäse or Quark?
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Mar 31, 2015 19:52
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Drone posted:They're mostly foreign, they make absolute bank, and they walk around the place with impeccable suits and looking like they have a meter-long pole shoved up their asses. Are they IT or FS auditors? Because I'm pretty sure the normal audit
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Mar 31, 2015 19:56
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In non-UK loathing things, while it's not usually a city that I would think of first when recommending where to live in Germany, Frankfurt might be a good place to have a look if you already work in finance. Since it has many big banks and associated companies, it should be easier to a) find expats and b) get around with English. The city itself isn't actually as bad as some think it is either, there is quite a bit to do, and the nightlife is pretty nice. It lacks a bit on the architecture front, however, thanks to being absolutely destroyed and not rebuilt in its former medieval glory.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:01
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Randler posted:Are they IT or FS auditors? Because I'm pretty sure the normal audit Wirtschaftsprüfer, so financial services. We have a couple IT auditors too but they're just weird.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:01
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German supermarkets are poo poo at any food that is remotely exotic, for the most part. When I went to the UK last year the supermarkets were seriously a highlight of the trip. I consider hummus a staple food and the UK's got my back.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:02
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Hollow Talk posted:In non-UK loathing things, while it's not usually a city that I would think of first when recommending where to live in Germany, Frankfurt might be a good place to have a look if you already work in finance. Since it has many big banks and associated companies, it should be easier to a) find expats and b) get around with English. The city itself isn't actually as bad as some think it is either, there is quite a bit to do, and the nightlife is pretty nice. It lacks a bit on the architecture front, however, thanks to being absolutely destroyed and not rebuilt in its former medieval glory. Also yeah, Frankfurt's possible blandness is more than made up for by proximity to beautiful stuff. Take a Rhein cruise and tell me that part of the country isn't stunning.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:03
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Hollow Talk posted:If you compare the normal British inner city supermarkets (say regular Tesco or Sainsbury's) with Rewe or Edeka, you will be sorely disappointed. You gotta be making GBS threads me. The quality of german supermarkets especially when it comes to service, variety and fresh fruits/produce is way below uk standards.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:33
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My Lovely Horse posted:German supermarkets are poo poo at any food that is remotely exotic, for the most part. When I went to the UK last year the supermarkets were seriously a highlight of the trip. I consider hummus a staple food and the UK's got my back. - Exotic food - Desserts and dairy products - Bread (though I dislike German bread anyway) - Fresh vegetables and fruit... This was the worst. The stuff on offer at the Edeka or Netto was not fresh at all, dried out, sometimes rotting a bit, and often lacking in flavour. There wasn't a very big selection, and there were no pre-sliced mixes or any such thing that you'd find in the Netherlands, except for some things from the freezer. We'd go across the border to France and it was so much better. Or to a specialized store, but that's more expensive. - Fish? Don't try... at least in the southwest where I was - Oh and beer, only German beer there... The options for sausages were a lot better, though! Entropist fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 20:38
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Entropist posted:
Them's fightin words!
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Mar 31, 2015 20:40
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UK supermarkets also tend to have Terry's Chocolate Orange and I mean that's a strikeout for all other supermarkets right there.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:41
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Actually I think bread is by far the best thing about German food at all. Though you don't buy it in a Supermarket, of course.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:43
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elwood posted:Them's fightin words! I guess the people in this thread have never experienced the joy of fresh Dutch tijgerbrood: 
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Mar 31, 2015 20:45
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Entropist posted:there was no alternative The bakery down the street here has at least 15 different sorts of bread, a few different types of buns and a lot of other stuff like Laugengebäck/Brezen and that's not that unusual I think. Where in Germany did you live?
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Mar 31, 2015 20:49
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Entropist posted:I never learned to eat these dry, dark bricks that crumble if you try to put any spread on it. It was pretty much the worst part of living in Germany for me, since I normally eat bread every day, and there was no alternative (the one type of airy bread they had was not fresh). It can be nice under some circumstances (i.e. you have a soup to eat with it) but it's not suitable or practical for daily use. I can throw a stone in any direction anywhere in germany and the chances are pretty good that I will hit a bakery with dozens of different kind of breads. I for example live in a 3000 people village and we have 5 bakeries.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:53
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Entropist posted:I never learned to eat these dry, dark bricks that crumble if you try to put any spread on it. It was pretty much the worst part of living in Germany for me, since I normally eat bread every day, and there was no alternative (the one type of airy bread they had was not fresh). It can be nice under some circumstances (i.e. you have a soup to eat with it) but it's not suitable or practical for daily use. You mistakenly posted a picture of some toast.
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Mar 31, 2015 20:54
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elwood posted:I can throw a stone in any direction anywhere in germany and the chances are pretty good that I will hit a bakery with dozens of different kind of breads. I for example live in a 3000 people village and we have 5 bakeries. I can throw a stone in any direction I currently see forums poster entropist heading towards and the chances are pretty good that I will hit someone ignorant of proper Type >=812 flour bread. 
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Mar 31, 2015 21:00
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Not this kind of bread, though!  I lived in a village near Saarbrücken. I'm sure I would have been able to find something nice, but usually I only had time to go to the supermarket. I tried a few different breads from a bakery in the beginning (just from picking them out from a shelf behind the counter, there were no labels) and they were all variations on the same theme. That's a better option than the supermarket though, it's true, and I did like that some supermarkets had built-in bakeries. Just not where I lived.  Something like this, though usually with a hard and darker crust. Too dense!
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Mar 31, 2015 21:01
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So you actually lived in France.
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Mar 31, 2015 21:05
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French efficiency and German food.
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Mar 31, 2015 21:06
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My Lovely Horse posted:German supermarkets are poo poo at any food that is remotely exotic, for the most part. When I went to the UK last year the supermarkets were seriously a highlight of the trip. I consider hummus a staple food and the UK's got my back. elwood posted:You gotta be making GBS threads me. The quality of german supermarkets especially when it comes to service, variety and fresh fruits/produce is way below uk standards. Fight me, irl! I'm not kidding about the supermarkets here, though. Tesco and Sainsbury's (there is no Waitrose around here) keep discontinuing things that tasted nice and replace them with cheap crap because they are trying to compete with Aldi and Lidl, which they can't because that's entirely their home turf. Also, please tell me how having no fresh meat/fish/cheese is superior when you can get that in every lovely little German supermarket (hello, every Kaiser's, Rewe and Edeka)? Most of the "fruit" and "vegetables" Tesco sells go off really quickly because they are frozen and cold to hell and back. I know not a single (0) non-British European here who doesn't feel the supermarkets are a joke, but I guess ymmv? edit: Also, how exactly do "self-checkout everywhere" and "service" mesh? Hollow Talk fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 23:12
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