Living Abroad

[Tommy]

46 minutes ago, Coma said:

We could throw back some Kölsch together.

[Coma+]

1 minute ago, Tommy said:

 Don't worry, I know your feelings on Kölsch drinkers.  I do prefer altbier but I had to have a go.  

[Coma+]

From Expatrio.com:

What kind of jobs are there in Germany?

As we noted earlier, Germany is a country where the job market requires labor from overseas. Domestic graduates simply can't meet the demands of companies, and that applies to almost all sectors, from tourism and catering, to cybersecurity and data analysis. However, some sectors have higher demands than others.

Engineering is an area where production in Germany would struggle without arrivals from overseas. Germany has huge manufacturing and IT industries, and they have grown so large that home-grown talent can't hope to meet demand. So expect a wide range of openings in automotive and aerospace engineering, civil engineering, metal processing, plastics production, automation, and all aspects of computer sciences. In fact, IT is a core growth area for Germany, so any tech experts can expect a rapid employment.

Engineering and IT aren't the only sectors worth investigating, though. For instance, the move towards a green economy has stimulated the expansion of solar, biomass, and hydropower, as well as green architecture. And demographic shifts in Germany's population mean that healthcare is a huge sector as well. Nurses and doctors have never been in such high demand.

Finally, jobs related to hospitality and tourism continue to be in high demand. This includes a large number of accommodation-related posts, as well as kitchen and waiting jobs, along with skilled positions such as hotel management, web design, and transport logistics specialists.

[Coma+]

Living costs in the major German cities

Despite being the capital, Berlin is one of Germany’s cheapest cities. Rental prices vary massively, but as a rule of thumb, the west remains much more expensive than the east. You can rent a one-bed flat in Berlin for €600 upwards.

Thanks to a multicultural population, it’s easy to find low-cost street food such as kebabs and the city’s famous Currywurst as well as open-air produce and street-food markets in Berlin.

Munich has a much higher cost of living than Berlin. Despite its provincial feel and distance from the northern powerhouses, it has remained a city with a strong economy where rents and living costs are relatively high. You may find it hard in Munich to find a one-bed apartment for less than €1,000.

Students moving to Munich should always try and secure student accommodation to keep costs down. It’s best to do this as far in advance as possible, as these spaces are high in demand.

Cologne is not as expensive as Frankfurt or Munich, but it’s still pricier than Berlin, with one-bed flats starting at around €800. Cologne has a huge student population and like Berlin is home to a wide number of world-food restaurants which means that although rents are high, socializing and eating out can be cheap if you do your research.

Hamburg is comparable to Cologne with slightly higher rental prices and living prices than Berlin. A one-bed flat will typically cost around €900 per month. This is a popular city for students and young professionals, and the demand for flats and housing is high, like in Berlin.

Frankfurt is certainly one of the more expensive cities to live in Germany, coming second only to Munich. A one-bed flat will you cost in excess of €900 per month. Luckily, there are a few ways to live in Frankfurt for less; enjoy after-work drinks at a farmers market rather than a bar, a cheaper option which is commonplace in Frankfurt.

[Azeem]

Move to Rhineland 

[Danny]

No experience on living on the continent but I lived in Australia and New Zealand for 3 years. Have now worked out that I have enough points to qualify for a skilled migrant visa in New Zealand and so after I've completed my studies I think me and my girlfriend will start making plans to move there permanently, if not there straight away then maybe Melbourne.

I've no idea what it's like to live somewhere where you have to learn the language, that must be difficult, though there is a big push within firms in New Zealand to try and learn Maori so that was a nice experience, but still English is what everyone spoke so no issue settling in there.

[Coma+]

So I've been doing some digging on visas, specifically Spain, and it sounds like an absolute nightmare.  Granted, some folks have said that the bureaucracy in Spain is awful compared to other countries.  Anyone have any insight on this?

From what I've read about Spain your passport grants you a default 90-day visa and as long as you aren't in the country more than half the year then you don't have to pay taxes there.  I assume it's the same for the rest of Europe.  That twist has made me re-consider my plans.

[nudge]

3 minutes ago, Coma said:

So I've been doing some digging on visas, specifically Spain, and it sounds like an absolute nightmare.  Granted, some folks have said that the bureaucracy in Spain is awful compared to other countries.  Anyone have any insight on this?

From what I've read about Spain your passport grants you a default 90-day visa and as long as you aren't in the country more than half the year then you don't have to pay taxes there.  I assume it's the same for the rest of Europe.  That twist has made me re-consider my plans.

What do you intend to do while living in Spain? It will decide the type of visa you should apply for. Business visa if you plan to start a bussiness, non-lucrative visa if you have enough savings and don't plan to work, employment visa if you have a job offer in Spain, etc.. Each country will have different types of visas and different processes of application. The 90 day visa is just the standard Schengen visa, it's just for tourism/visiting relatives/etc.

[Coma+]

41 minutes ago, nudge said:

What do you intend to do while living in Spain? It will decide the type of visa you should apply for. Business visa if you plan to start a bussiness, non-lucrative visa if you have enough savings and don't plan to work, employment visa if you have a job offer in Spain, etc.. Each country will have different types of visas and different processes of application. The 90 day visa is just the standard Schengen visa, it's just for tourism/visiting relatives/etc.

My original plan was to retire to somewhere in Europe and I'm interested in both Spain and Germany.  However, the potential difficulty in getting a visa (at least in Spain) is making me reconsider.  My plan was to get a non-lucrative visa but from what I've researched it's literally 50/50 whether you're successful or not and the reasons for failure seem to be arbitrary.  Maybe I'd be satisfied living there seasonally and just renting for a few months at a time.  I guess my question is, is the visa process really as difficult as it sounds or am I just reading all the negative reviews?

[nudge]

53 minutes ago, Coma said:

My original plan was to retire to somewhere in Europe and I'm interested in both Spain and Germany.  However, the potential difficulty in getting a visa (at least in Spain) is making me reconsider.  My plan was to get a non-lucrative visa but from what I've researched it's literally 50/50 whether you're successful or not and the reasons for failure seem to be arbitrary.  Maybe I'd be satisfied living there seasonally and just renting for a few months at a time.  I guess my question is, is the visa process really as difficult as it sounds or am I just reading all the negative reviews?

Dealing with immigration officers is often a hassle in most countries, but if you are truly retired and can show a sufficient amount in your savings account (or regular passive income), I don't think getting visa is going to be problematic. Spain rejected a lot of applications in recent years because the applicants were actually freelancers/remote workers.