How would I go about becoming a German citizen?

Question

I am hoping to move to Germany after I either get my A.A. or B.A. in English, to become an English teacher. I've heard a few people say that I need a work visa so I can work there, and I know I need to file citizenship papers so I can live in a certain place- probably for work- but how do I become a REAL citizen? Like, a permanent resident that doesn't need to fill out anymore paperwork everytime I move somewhere?

Is that possible? I mean, I don't mind filling out paperwork, but I'm kinda hoping there's a way for me to become a resident and not need to fill out anymore paperwork, ever.

Is it kinda like how it is in America w/ immigrants?

Would I have to marry a German so that I could be a REAL citizen? or have a baby?

I'm not planning on doing either anytime soon!

Also, about learning German:

If you learned a new language- Did you find it easier to learn from a private tutor or class, or did you think it was easier to learn it from a computer program like Rosetta Stone

Answer 1

I'm just going to touch on this question, to become a German citizen you must have lived and worked (no lapses in work) for a minimum of 5 years. You can not have received any social assistance or unemployment money. You'll have to take a test (the test is in German only) and it will cost you about 500 Euros (non refundable). You will also have to give up your citizenship from your home country (no dual citizenship...yet...in Germany).

As for paperwork, every time you move or change jobs, you have to report to the local Einwohneramt or Burgeramt and fill out a new residency form. When you change jobs, you'll have to file with your Krankenkasse (health insurance company) with the new employment information. There's a lot more paper work...too much to mention.

As far a teaching English in Germany, you must have graduated from a German University and be able to speak, read and write German fluently.

Good Luck :-)

Answer 2

If you marry a German then you could become a citizen after living there for two years I think. Otherwise it takes around eight years to become a German citizen.

Answer 3

Er......If you want to move to Germany and you dont like paperwork..........your in trouble.  Ive lived here for two years and I have 5 big folders of paperwork.

Its not the work papers.......you only ask for them once and then renew them once more a year later at the "Bergerampt" which is like the CAB in England.  

The paperwork comes from TAX cards every year......different financial documents sent to my door every day!!!!  Its law apparently here for any documents to be kept for SIX YEARS!!!!!!  I work in Internet banking and if anyone wants their account deleted......its a six year wait!

Marriage should get you citizenship pretty much instantly and otherwise......youll have to enquire with the authorities here but I think they will want you to have a job and a certain amount of money.   Your German will have to be pretty fluent.  Also there is a test on general German knowlege (not language) but history and social skills etc....

Answer 4

You don't have to be a German citizen to get a work permit.  You need to have an "Aufenthaltserlaubnis", which is a permit allowing you to stay in Germany for a certain period of time.  My husband is German, and after living here for 2 years, and not committing any crimes, I got my permanent residence permit.  

I learned German here at the Volkshochschule, a kind of adult education program.  I also learned from watching German TV and reading lots of books and magazines in German.  Plus, my husband is the only one in his family who speaks English, so I was more or less forced to learn it really fast.

Answer 5

LIke others said, you would need to have graduated a German university programm for teachers to become an English teacher at a public school. There are further differences because "Education" is not regulated by national laws. Every state (i. e. Bavaria, Baden-Würtemberg, Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Hamburg...) has their own laws for education, and what is taught to whom at which age is also slightly different. As a rule of thumb only (!!! Don't you Germans all get me wrong, please!) the south has the most to learn, while the amount of material decreases the further north you get. This is important, as there are tests you can take, if you have not graduated from a German University, that will allow you to teach at a public school in Germany. But, if you take such a test in Hamburg, for instance, and than want to go teach in Bavaria, you might not be allowed to, while, if you took the test in Bavaria, and wanted to teach in Hamburg, you would probably have no trouble at all.

Anyway, about becoming a teacher: There are numerous teachers of foreign languages that don't come from German Universities and not from Germany, at all. They teach at private Schools, Volkshochschulen (kind of like evening classes), Institutions offering tutoring (Schülerhilfe, Nachhilfering...) or work for either a big company that hires them (those mostly teach German to the Employees the employer bring in from other countries, though) or for a language school that offers everything together as a pack, so you would teach kids, adults, a class from a company, and so on.

I wish you luck with coming to Germany! Have fun!

Answer 6

In order to be a English Teacher in Germany you must master the German Language.

Also, Oxford English is taught in schools, not American English.

Answer 7

If you want to be an English teacher for teens and children in Germany you need to graduate from a German university and pass the state-administered exams for teachers. In order to teach at a public school you'll also need to be a EU citizen in most of the states in Germany.

And yes, it is kinda like it is in the USA w/ immigrants.

If you move to Germany and intend to live and work there as a US citizen, you are an immigrant from the USA to Germany.

You have to go through the whole rigmarole of applying for residency and work permit. Since there are a lot of people trying to do exactly that (mostly from Asia and Africa), you shouldn't really expect a warm welcome.

Easiest way to immigration is generally to graduate from a German university (BA or Masters), as this will give you a real chance to get a working permit. See http://www.daad.de

You can become a German citizen after having lived in Germany with a residency permit for over 8 years.

And if you apply for German citizenship you loose the US citizenship that I think you have.

Answer 8

I'm American and have lived in Germany for over 20 years. There is no reason to give up your American citizenship. However, you'll have to get a residency visa. First you get a year, then two years, then two more years and then you get unlimited residency. I am married to a German citizen, but got my permanent residency before marriage.

Germany does not have a dual citizenship rule for adults. If you're born to a German and American binational couple - like my daughter - then you get both. But it doesn't work for adults. I would seriously never give up my American citizenship - there's no reason to.

As for working as a teacher, you'll never get a job in the public school system. If you want to teach kids, then you'll have to try the private schools. There are lots of them in Germany, as the public school system is pretty bad.

Or if you want to teach adults, try a language school. Start with Berlitz - they'll help you get your first set of residency permits. Then check the local market and find schools that pay more.

Germany is a pretty easy country to get started in. And speaking American English is a plus for language schools, as American English is what people need to learn. Oxford English - which is basically dictionary English - doesn't help anyone in an globalized world.