Top Ten Reasons to Live in Germany

An economic crisis has pushed many financially stable families in the most developed countries into precarious situations. The US are facing rising and insurmountable debts, the labor market crisis in Europe has pulled the rug out from under the Europeans and the new superpower China will hardly be able to maintain a growth of 9% this year. Highly-qualified graduates are not finding jobs in Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal and many do not see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Many are considering going abroad to find jobs but fear, skepticism and uncertainty keeps many from taking that step.Indeed, living in a foreign country is not easy. Adapting to a new culture and foreign traditions as well as learning a new language often takes years and can lead to frustration and even rejection of the host countries customs.

However, the world is transforming and many countries are opening up their doors to skilled and motivated workers. One of these countries is Germany which is in many aspects a very welcoming and hospitable European country.

These are the Top 10 Reasons to live, work and/or study in Germany:

Germany is a very sought after location for university students from abroad. The German tertiary education system is highly diversified. If you are practically oriented and want to gather professional experience while studying at university, a Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) might be just the right institution for you. These Fachhochschulen offer degree programs in the field of technology, business, social studies and media management. Those interested in studying medicine, education and law-related study programs will find the programs they are looking for at the traditional universities. Some might be reluctant about studying in Germany due to a limited knowledge of the German language. You don’t have anything to worry about anymore. Nowadays, many German educational institutions including universities offer international degree programs. Subjects are taught in English and students are awarded a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with international recognition at the end of their studies. Some international programs include:

Some interesting Bachelor’s Programs in English

• Bachelor of Arts in International Business Administration (IBW)

Furtwangen University (Click for more information)

• Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics (Click for more information)

University of Oldenburg

• Internationally Oriented Studies (IOS) - Engineering & Technology

FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences (Click for more information)

• Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management

EBS University (Click for more information)

• Bachelor of European Studies (Major)

University of Passau (Click for more information)

Some interesting Master’s Programs

• European Master in Law & Economics (EMLE)

University of Hamburg (Click for more information)

• Executive MBA in Innovation & Business Creation (MBA)

Technische Universität München (University) (Click for more information)

• International Management of Resources & Environment (MBA IMRE)

Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Click for more information)

• International Tourism Management (MA)

Heilbronn University (Click for more information)

Look for international programs in your area of speciality on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

You can get a scholarship to study in Germany! Highly motivated university graduates with good grades have a good chance of obtaining a scholarship to study in Germany for several years. Scholarships are granted to foreign students, young graduates, doctoral students and early-stage researchers from all academic disciplines. Visit the DAAD website and find out about the application procedure, the selection criteria, information on German language proficiency requirements and the rating of the equivalency of your academic education and degree.

Germany is looking for qualified people! Currently, there is a lack of qualified engineers, IT specialists and medical doctors in Germany. The average number of children per family is 1.3. In order to maintain the size of the population of Germany, an average of 2 children would need to be born per family. The demand for qualified people is rising and Germany has already introduced measures to facilitate the immigration process. On August 1^st, 2012, the Blue Card came into effect. By this measure, the German government wants to make it easier for qualified experts to get a German work permit. There are some requirements that have to be fulfilled though. Applicants must possess a university degree from an accredited university or at least 5 years of experience in a profession as well as an employment contract from a German company. The salary must be 44.800€ or 35.000€ in the case of scientists, IT experts, engineers and medical doctors. There will be no more labour market check (Arbeitsmarktcheck) which generally extended the visa application process for weeks. Before, this group of experts needed to be offered a contract with a minimum income of 66.000€. After 21 months of employment and a good knowledge of German, employees can get a permanent residence permit in Germany. Foreign students and graduates are also supported in their search for a job. They are now granted 18 months to look for a job in Germany. In addition, well qualified graduates from abroad now have the right to reside in Germany for 6 months to look for a job. These prerequisites create incentives for highly qualified individuals from abroad to look for career opportunities in Germany.

The Germany culinary art is exceptional and one-of-a-kind. German bakeries are a heaven on earth and there is no country where you can find more bread varieties. Many consider the German bread to be the best in the world and anyone who has tried it can only confirm this. There are seven categories of German breads find at every German Bäckerei.

- Breads made from wheat include at least 90% wheat flour. They have a light color a mild taste and a soft crust.

- Breads made from a mixture of wheat flour and other flours have a wheat content between 50 and 89%.

- Breads made from rye include at least 90% rye flour. They have a lot of vitamins and nutrients and a strong, unique taste.

- Breads made from a mixture of rye flour and other flours are made up of a rye content between 50 and 89%.

- Whole-grain breads consist of whole grains which are finely ground.

- There are 1200 different rolls & mini-Breads called Brötchen in German. They have different types of crusts and are again divided into four groups. There are smooth rolls, rolls with a slashed surface and an aromatic taste, refined rolls which contain sugar and fat and are generally softer. Examples are Hörnchen und Croissants, the imitated, French variant. Last but not least, there are rolls with added flavorings. They contain seeds, nuts, onions, raisins and others.

- Specialty breads are breads that have a specific amount of a special ingredient, are made with a special technique or are for people with specific dietary needs.

Besides the bread, meat eaters will find their paradise in Germany which boasts 1500 different sausage varieties of which the most popular ones are the Bratwurst (fried sausage), the Wiener Wurst, the Blutwurst (made from blood), the Münchner Weißwurst (white sausage from Munich) or the Currywurst (a steamed sausage spiced with curry ketchup).

Beer is obviously another reason to live in Germany. In the summer, Germans get together at German Beer gardens and sit at long wooden tables outside in between trees. The Oktoberfest in Munich boasts 30 beer tents in which local beers are served. You can even take your children to pubs. You can take a look at one of 1200 beers breweries in Germany and sample the beer right there. Germans are usually proud of their local beer (Kölsch in Cologne or Alt in Düsseldorf).

Some different beer types include:

- Altbier

- Berliner Weisse

- Bock

- Dunkelbier

- Hefeweizen

- Kristallweizen

- Kölsch

- Märzen

- Pils

- Rauchbier

German punctuality, organization and cleanliness are another top reason to live in this Western European country. Streets are clean, parks are tidy and the traffic is strictly regulated with a great variety of street signs at every street. Cleanliness is a top priority for Germans which is why they prefer using their own toilets over public ones and buy the most cleaning products and soaps in Europe. Sundays are holy days for Germans and you are not allowed to vacuum-clean, mow your lawn or renovate and you should also not allow your children to be too noisy.

Germany has one of the best medical care systems in the world. The law requires everyone to be insured, even those that are unemployed or unable to work because of health or other reasons. The state provides for their health care expenses in these cases. The five pillars of the social security system are health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance, unemployment insurance and work accident insurance. The work accident insurance is fully borne by employers while the costs of the other insurances are shared by the employer and the employee.

Holidays are holy in German. Germans benefit from 30 days of paid vacation time and they would do anything to maintain that right which seems to be God-given to them. They view it as necessary to be able to perform well in their jobs and work productively and efficiently.

Germany is a country with many clubs (Vereine) for leisure purposes. Clubs range from dance to bowling to chess to badminton to singing clubs. There is a club for any kind of interest in Germany. Clubs are not based on profits and can thus offer relatively low prices for their sports or leisure programs. Germans use the chance to get together with other Germans in clubs on weekdays as well as on weekends. Clubs also organize competitions and compete against each other.

Germany has an unsurpassed public transportation system as well as the renowned Autobahnen with unlimited speed limits. The public transportation system includes the high-speed train ICE which offers extreme comfort and travels up to 230km/h between the major cities in Germany. In the cities, conventional trains, subways, busses and taxis guarantee you can get anywhere at any time without spending a dime for your gas. Tickets are affordable and parts of the price can even be reimbursed by tax authorities if the tickets are used for work purposes.

Germany has many great things to offer and is a very attractive location for foreigners, especially in view of the world crisis. Expats can be sure to find a good and stable future in Germany with many academic and professional opportunities that might long have seeped away in their home country.