I am 18 years old, and want to move to Germany. What should i do before moving?

Question

I am 18 years old, I have had 5 years of German, and I am just about to start my second year of college. I want to move to Germany, and I am wondering, what i should do before i go, and what i should i do when i arrive.

Answer 1

Mosst important thing: make sure you can work!  Get your work visa before you leave.  It is SOOOOO much more complicated than most people think.  You can't just get on a jet and move.

If you can study there for a year while in College, then do that, make some connections, maybe get a job.  If you have some connections, then the work visa can be easier to secure.  N.B.  CAN...not will.

Answer 2

It is not exactly easy for a non-EU citizen to move to Germany.

You need a residency permit and a work permit and both are hard to get.

It is possible to come to Germany and apply for a residency permit, but unless you got somebody helping you financially (boy- or girlfriend, relatives), some decent savings to tide you over for about 3-4 months and some potential job offers already lined up chances are high you'll be flying back to the states at the end of your 90-days visa-free stay.

This is because for a skilled migrant work visa the minimum requirement is usually a bachelor degree plus a few years of experience.

The easiest way for you to a residency permit and to work permit would be to graduate from a German university. Non-EU graduates of German universities are given a year to find a job suitable to their qualifications and if they find one they can get a work permit to go with the job.

See http://www.daad.de for more info on studying in Germany.

You should also look into doing a semester abroad to see what living in Germany is actually like.  

And if you are a US-citizen, consider working on a U.S. Armed Forces base. If you work as civil servant there you don't need a work permit for Germany.

Answer 3

You already speak German so that's good news but you will find that 95% of Germans speak fluent English.

Before you leave you need to inform yourself about the customs and etiquette of the country.

I reccomend the book "Culture Shock".

I lived in Berlin, Germany in 2005 and I did not find the culture to be profoundly different but this can vary according to which part of the country you visit.

The most important thing to do is save a lot of money because the euro is weak to the dollar.

I can all but promise that you will not find work since unemployment is always at 14-16% in Germany.

You have a better shot at finding work than most but be warned that a large number of highly qualified and educated German citizens cannot find work in their own country.

You can however attend university as a student and you will find a large number of Americans in Germany attending university as they have some of the best schools at a fraction of the cost.

Biggest problem is the schools in Germany will likely not accept transfer credits and vice/versa.

One thing you will have to grow accustomed to in Germany is red tape and an extremely high level of slow moving bureacracy...everything is complicated.

People are mostly friendly and the food is fair but probably not the best you've ever had.

If you want to make some friends before you go try www.couchsurfing.com

Oh I almost forgot, if you attend university you must provide documentation showing how you plan to support yourself financially...if you cannot do this you will not be allowed to stay longer than a tourist which is 3 months maximum.

If you want to search for a rental or other items try www.craigslist.org and click on Germany then click on the city you want info on.

Take care and good luck!

Answer 4

You should get a working Visa like everybody else is saying, but h**l if you just want to move there without getting one try working at aafes or at the commissary on US bases.  You can work on base with an ID that only allows you on base for work and then live off base.  Try Heidelberg.