July 15, 2019 at 09:34Germany. Munich. Advanced immigration guide
There are a lot of stories of moving to Germany. However, most of them are quite superficial, as they are usually written in the first few months after the move and reveal the simplest things.
This article will not contain information about how many eggs in Germany cost a dozen, going to a restaurant, how to open a bank account and obtain a residence permit. The purpose of this article is to uncover many of the non-obvious nuances of life in Germany that rarely make it to travel reviews.
My story will be primarily interesting to the already established IT specialists who feel quite comfortable in Russia and are wondering if it is necessary to leave somewhere. Those who are not at all comfortable in Russia usually leave without a deep analysis of the country of immigration :)
Since any opinion is subjective, even if the author wants to be impartial, I will say a few words about myself. Before moving to Germany, I worked in St. Petersburg as the head of the development department for a salary of 200 + K. I had a nice apartment overlooking the Gulf of Finland. However, I did not get full satisfaction either from work or from life. Having worked both in Moscow and St. Petersburg in many companies from startups to international corporations, I no longer saw ways to somehow significantly increase my level of satisfaction within the country. Also, I was somewhat annoyed by the massive outflow of developers and other IT specialists from Russia, and because of my age at 40+, I did not want to be late for the last train. After living in Germany for a little over a year, I moved to Switzerland. From my story it will be clear why.
Since I lived in Munich, naturally my experience is based on life in this city. Given that Munich is considered one of the most comfortable cities in Germany, we can assume that I saw the best Germany.
Before moving, I conducted a comparative analysis of different countries, which may be of interest to those who are just starting to think about moving. Therefore, as a preface, I will first share the main directions of the move and my personal look at them.
The main directions of moving can be divided into the following categories:
Scandinavia. Cold climate and difficult languages (except maybe Swedish). Finland's proximity to Peter is leveled by scanty salaries, a very local Finnish culture in companies and excessive propaganda of unconventional love in schools. Norway’s large GDP, about which they like to write, is visible only on paper, since all the money goes to some kind of fund, and not to the development of the country. In my opinion, the Scandinavian countries can be interesting if you really want to be closer to Russia.
Eastern EuropeAvailable to beginners and intermediate developers. They can be brought there by the hand of those who do not want to engage in a dreary bureaucracy when moving. Many move there in order to take the first step, but are delayed for a long time. Most countries of this group do not take refugees, but there are also enough local disadvantaged elements there (this is probably why they do not).
The Baltic states offer very small salaries, but promise a comfortable family life. I don’t know, I didn’t check :)
Holland offers adequate salaries, but I was very tired of the rains in St. Petersburg, so I did not want to go to Amsterdam. The rest of the cities seem very provincial.
Switzerland- a closed country, getting in is very difficult. An element of luck should happen even if you are the god of Java development. Everything is very expensive there, very little social support. But cute and beautiful.
The rest of central Europe has deteriorated very much lately. The IT market is not developing, and the quality of life is falling. I am not sure that the level of comfort there is now higher than in eastern Europe.
USA. The country is for everybody. Everyone knows about her, and so it makes no sense to write.
England is not the same. Many flee from there because of terrible medicine and the "capture" of London by representatives of Indian and Muslim peoples. The opportunity to live with knowledge of only English is attractive, but it is attractive to a billion other people on the planet.
Irelanda bit chilly and gloomy and more likely suitable for startups due to tax benefits. People also write that housing prices there have risen dramatically. In general, English-speaking countries are already somewhat overheated.
The UAE allows you to earn a lot of money, because there is zero income tax, and gross salaries are slightly higher than in Germany. It is not very clear how to live there in the summer at +40. Also, due to the lack of a program for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship, it is not very clear where to go with this money.
Resorts are suitable only as childless or as a short-term experiment. Not my case.
Australia + New Zealand is interesting, but very far away. There are a couple of friends who wanted to go there. Mostly due to the climate.
Canada- An analogue of Scandinavia, but with normal languages. The meaning of moving there is not very clear. This is probably an option for those who love the United States, but have not yet been able to get there.
Now finally about Germany. Germany against the background of the options above looks quite attractive. A good climate, a common language, an easy way to obtain a work permit (Blue Card), such as a developed economy and medicine. That is why tens of thousands of qualified specialists from different countries try to find their happiness there every year. I will try to describe some interesting features of life in this country below.
Housing.The first surprise awaits you at the very beginning, when after receiving a work contract you will begin to look for housing. You will probably already be aware that housing in good cities in Germany is not easy to find, but the words “not easy” do not reflect the current situation. In Munich, finding housing will become your daily routine, like brushing your teeth in the morning. Even if you find something, you won’t like it, and you will continue to look for other housing again.
The essence of the problem is that in Germany it is popular to rent housing instead of buying. This should give some flexibility when moving and not burden with mortgages. But this is what they say on TV. But TV in Germany is not much different from our first channel. In practice, renting a house means constant payments to homeowners, which is naturally more profitable than a one-time sale. I’m not much mistaken in assuming that 80% of all rental housing is owned by corporations that naturally want to make more money. Both refugees, who are paid for housing from your taxes, and the semi-free labor market, which creates an increased demand for housing, help them in this. Moreover, a large number of refugees settle in good apartments in the city center (apparently owned by the same corporations). Thus, German apartment oligarchs take your money twice. One time when you pay housing to refugees from your taxes, the second time when you pay housing for yourself in an overheated market, giving 2000 Euros for a simple three-ruble note. Our businessmen, trying to make money on expensive cabbage or street tiles, smoke nervously aside from envy.
It is curious that this situation with housing, as well as 100% workload of all migration centers in Munich, 100 people per place in kindergartens, and congestion in hospitals do not lead to any political protests. Everyone suffers, pays and is waiting in line. Attempts to point out problems due to refugees will lead to accusations of fascism. Those who are in the subject, compare the phrase "You do not want, as in Paris" with the phrase "You do not want, as under Hitler." Pensioners are protected by the court, old-timers are afraid to move so as not to lose housing, which they rented a few years ago at old prices. Newly-married families give 50% of their salary for housing and think why they need all this. "Lonely" live in "huts" for 1000 euros. Girls are looking for local husbands with housing, young people hope to get rich by some miracle.
The medicinein Germany is colorfully described in legends and parables. It is true that in Germany and in Munich, in particular, there are unique medical centers with unique equipment. But you will never see it. Insurance medicine in Germany is very far from what is usually told about medicine in Germany.
With the salary of an IT developer in St. Petersburg, you practically do not need insurance, except in the most difficult cases. You can safely buy almost any medical service. Even most of the most difficult operations cost less than a monthly salary. In Germany, it will be hard for you to call a doctor to your home for the salary of an IT specialist for 300 euros and make an MRI for 500-1000 euros. In Germany there is no paid medicine for the general population. All must be equal. Only very rich oligarchs cannot be equal. Therefore, you will have to stand in line with the old women, and if you have a child, then dozens of other sick children. If you suddenly want private insurance, you will have to pay it to all family members, even after losing your job for some time. Private insurance will allow you to avoid queues and may give some small advantages in the quality of medical services, but when you move with your family it will not leave you money to enjoy your health. It is also curious that not everyone can get private insurance, but only those whom the German bureaucracy considers worthy (by salary or type of employment), even if you have a million rubles in your Russian account.
Getting Government Services. Most likely you have already decided that the MFC and the public services portal are for granted. Since this is a hundred years, as in Russia, it should be there. But that is not there.
If you need something from the state, then the algorithm is something like this
Food in Germany is basically normal. Her only problem is that she is very identical. Flipping through the menu in restaurants will not work, as the menu will be on a couple of leaflets. Also in Munich there is no such thing as a children's room in a restaurant. After all, in its place you can put a few more tables. If you ask what kind of beer is in the restaurant, then they will answer you - white, dark and light. The same thing in stores. All of Munich has a couple of boutiques where you can buy non-German beer. In fairness, it should be noted that in Munich there are many Asian restaurants that create some variety in food. Food quality is average. Better than in Russia, but noticeably worse than in Switzerland.
Smoking.Germany is a very smoking nation. On outdoor restaurant terraces, 80% of the tables will be smoked. If you like to sit outside and get some fresh air, then restaurants are not for you. Also, they did not hear about any 15 meters from the stop and the entrances to the buildings. If you like to swim in the outdoor pools, you will have to fall in love with tobacco smoke. An unpleasant surprise for me was the frequent complete calm of Munich. In calm weather, tobacco smoke is felt at a distance of 30 meters. That is, in fact, wherever there are people. I have been to many places in Europe, but I have not seen such a percentage of smokers anywhere. I can’t explain it. Could there be stress and hopelessness? :)
Children.The attitude towards children in Munich is somewhat strange. On the one hand, all politicians are shouting that there is a demographic crisis in the country, on the other hand, none of those screaming are proposing to build more kindergartens, playgrounds, children's hospitals, etc. Private kindergartens, for which you need to pay about 800 euros per month, are similar to Indian slum dwellings. Shabby furniture, faded carpets on the floor, worn sofas. And to get there you still have to stand in line. State kindergartens are one room for 60 people and several educators. Recently, politicians have proposed making kindergartens free. Apparently taking money for such squalor is already a shame. According to the same politicians, the future of Germany is connected with migration, but not with the birth rate of its children. Indeed, in order to give birth to your child you need medicine, a business of children's goods and food, kindergartens, new quality housing. It is much easier to pick up a finished sample from a sailing boat. Well, the fact that this model is unlikely to do anything more than the drug trade is no longer important. You can forbid to scold refugees and everything will be fine.
Another living legend is the happy German retirees traveling around the world. The problem here is that in Germany money for big pensions is running out. Raising the retirement age is unlikely to succeed, since it is already equal to 67 years. Forcing homeowners to rent it to pensioners for 300 euros instead of 2000 is also impossible for a long time. Germany had plans to solve the problem through migration. The plans failed because the migrants after a short work also do not want to do anything, but they want to live well. Nobody knows how Germany will get out of this situation. So far, Germany is ready to pay current pensions until 2025. They did not go for large guarantees.
Munich has a very interesting bicycle "infrastructure". The city is considered the most friendly for cyclists. The bike path in most cases is separated from the sidewalk either by a white line or by a different coating, which is more expensive, but the meaning is the same. One awkward step of the pedestrian, and he may be hit by a cyclist and still be to blame. When cyclists become cramped on their lane, they ride onto the sidewalk. Sidewalks are also used by cyclists who ride upstream. Crashes between cyclists and pedestrians are not uncommon. Naturally, there are raids on children, especially in parks where the paths are not even divided. If, for example, in St. Petersburg to collect a thousand migrants and give each a bucket of paint to divide the sidewalk into two equal parts, then in a day the city would wake up as the bicycle capital of the world. That’s what they did in Munich. Interesting, that in Switzerland, cyclists in the absence of a bike path ride along the roadway. Cyclists separately, people separately ((c) Planet of the Apes).
In Munich, almost everywhere, a well-thought-out development of the city . It makes no sense to look for an area with shops, schools or parks. They will be everywhere. However, when choosing a home, in addition to your personal preferences, it makes sense to consider three factors that are usually not written about in reviews.
Now a little about work. The cases are different, but Munich is generally nice to work with. No one is in a hurry and does not sit in the evenings. Most likely in Germany, most bosses become bosses if they have at least some competencies. I have not seen reviews of bosses who work on a principle; I'm boss, you're a fool. Also, IT companies are more likely to hire smart migrants than stupid Germans, which creates a pleasant atmosphere in the team. The flip side of the coin, the Germans would sooner hire a less skilled cheap Indian than they would pay.
Since everyone works and gets about the same, it makes no sense to weave complex intrigues for the sake of a post. The position can be obtained, but money is not always. As a result of equal salaries, in Munich and in Germany as a whole there is no market for premium services, since there is no one to consume them. Either you work like everyone else for about one salary, or you have a successful business and you get many times more. Which shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues successful people go to in Germany is not clear. Apparently there are so few of them that only a select few know about them. The most modern cinema in the center of Munich reminded me of Crystal Palace from the 90s on Nevsky in St. Petersburg.
In Germany, up to 6 weeks a year, you can root for 100% of your salary without any restrictions from above. It is surprising that at the same time people still come to work with snot and cough. Although in Munich, many often get sick, and if you sit at home in every cold, then 6 weeks may not be enough.
Despite the foregoing, of course, do not exclude Germany from the list of your favorite countries. Each country will have its own “features”. It is better to learn about them in advance and plan your move correctly.
Given all of the above, I would single out the following strategies for moving to Germany.
Freelance.Two years after working for an uncle on the Blue Card, you will have the legal opportunity to become a freelancer. This is a typical mode of operation for the Germans themselves. Allows you to bring your salary to 150K euros per year. On it you can live in Munich approximately, like in St. Petersburg at 200K rubles a month. The difficulty lies in the fact that in most cases freelance involves fluency in German, which cannot be obtained in two years. Therefore, it will be possible to really work on freelance a little later.
Your business after permanent residence. After 2-3 years, depending on your knowledge of German, you will have permanent residence. This gives the right to reside permanently in the country, regardless of your financial condition. You can take a chance and stir up your project.
Udalenka.The Germans are calm about working remotely, but first it’s better to show yourself in the office and become a resident of Germany. To do this, you have to aim at a startup, since in large companies udalenka is hardly possible. After moving to udalenka, you can sit in a cozy German village or travel the world observing the rule of residence in Germany for at least 6 months a year.
Strategies for resolving the housing issue can be as follows. If you have any savings or real estate in Russia that you are ready to exchange for German, then consider that a cozy modest family home (treshka or a small house) in Munich starts from a million euros. At the moment, there is a strategy for buying a home in the nearby suburbs, but over time, prices there will only increase, as there are more and more people wanting to do this. In addition, due to the influx of poor migrants, the main suburbs of Munich are more like refugee camps than cozy places for a comfortable life.
In southern and southwestern Germany, there are some good small towns to live like Karlsruhe or Freiburg. There is a theoretical opportunity to buy real estate on a mortgage for 30 years and enjoy life. But in these cities not IT work is very small. In Munich, as soon as your non-IT partner learns German, you will be able to live on two salaries, which is unlikely to allow you to buy housing in the city, but will start to enjoy life.
As I mentioned above, I no longer live in Germany, so I will not be able to implement any of these strategies. I found a job in Switzerland. Switzerland is also not an ideal country. However, if you can hear different opinions about Germany, then I have not yet seen any negative stories of moving to Switzerland. Therefore, when I pulled out my lucky ticket, taking into account the presence of a family and my age, I decided to take a tit than to catch a crane in Germany. Switzerland is in a sense a boutique country with an individual approach. Here you are a person, in Germany you are one of the millions who have come in large numbers. I can’t say anything more about Switzerland.
Who is interested in Switzerland, as a country for moving, join my group on Facebook .
There I will write about my experience of life and work (especially in comparison with Germany) and share vacancies involving sponsorship.
For operational information on Munich, I recommend this group .
PS: The picture shows the main entrance to the central station in Munich. Photo taken June 13, 2019.
This article will not contain information about how many eggs in Germany cost a dozen, going to a restaurant, how to open a bank account and obtain a residence permit. The purpose of this article is to uncover many of the non-obvious nuances of life in Germany that rarely make it to travel reviews.
My story will be primarily interesting to the already established IT specialists who feel quite comfortable in Russia and are wondering if it is necessary to leave somewhere. Those who are not at all comfortable in Russia usually leave without a deep analysis of the country of immigration :)
Since any opinion is subjective, even if the author wants to be impartial, I will say a few words about myself. Before moving to Germany, I worked in St. Petersburg as the head of the development department for a salary of 200 + K. I had a nice apartment overlooking the Gulf of Finland. However, I did not get full satisfaction either from work or from life. Having worked both in Moscow and St. Petersburg in many companies from startups to international corporations, I no longer saw ways to somehow significantly increase my level of satisfaction within the country. Also, I was somewhat annoyed by the massive outflow of developers and other IT specialists from Russia, and because of my age at 40+, I did not want to be late for the last train. After living in Germany for a little over a year, I moved to Switzerland. From my story it will be clear why.
Since I lived in Munich, naturally my experience is based on life in this city. Given that Munich is considered one of the most comfortable cities in Germany, we can assume that I saw the best Germany.
Before moving, I conducted a comparative analysis of different countries, which may be of interest to those who are just starting to think about moving. Therefore, as a preface, I will first share the main directions of the move and my personal look at them.
The main directions of moving can be divided into the following categories:
- Scandinavia
- Eastern Europe
- The Baltic states
- Holland
- Germany
- Switzerland
- The rest of central Europe (France, Spain, Portugal)
- USA
- England
- Ireland
- UAE
- Resorts (Thailand, Bali, etc.)
- Australia + New Zealand
- Canada
Scandinavia. Cold climate and difficult languages (except maybe Swedish). Finland's proximity to Peter is leveled by scanty salaries, a very local Finnish culture in companies and excessive propaganda of unconventional love in schools. Norway’s large GDP, about which they like to write, is visible only on paper, since all the money goes to some kind of fund, and not to the development of the country. In my opinion, the Scandinavian countries can be interesting if you really want to be closer to Russia.
Eastern EuropeAvailable to beginners and intermediate developers. They can be brought there by the hand of those who do not want to engage in a dreary bureaucracy when moving. Many move there in order to take the first step, but are delayed for a long time. Most countries of this group do not take refugees, but there are also enough local disadvantaged elements there (this is probably why they do not).
The Baltic states offer very small salaries, but promise a comfortable family life. I don’t know, I didn’t check :)
Holland offers adequate salaries, but I was very tired of the rains in St. Petersburg, so I did not want to go to Amsterdam. The rest of the cities seem very provincial.
Switzerland- a closed country, getting in is very difficult. An element of luck should happen even if you are the god of Java development. Everything is very expensive there, very little social support. But cute and beautiful.
The rest of central Europe has deteriorated very much lately. The IT market is not developing, and the quality of life is falling. I am not sure that the level of comfort there is now higher than in eastern Europe.
USA. The country is for everybody. Everyone knows about her, and so it makes no sense to write.
England is not the same. Many flee from there because of terrible medicine and the "capture" of London by representatives of Indian and Muslim peoples. The opportunity to live with knowledge of only English is attractive, but it is attractive to a billion other people on the planet.
Irelanda bit chilly and gloomy and more likely suitable for startups due to tax benefits. People also write that housing prices there have risen dramatically. In general, English-speaking countries are already somewhat overheated.
The UAE allows you to earn a lot of money, because there is zero income tax, and gross salaries are slightly higher than in Germany. It is not very clear how to live there in the summer at +40. Also, due to the lack of a program for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship, it is not very clear where to go with this money.
Resorts are suitable only as childless or as a short-term experiment. Not my case.
Australia + New Zealand is interesting, but very far away. There are a couple of friends who wanted to go there. Mostly due to the climate.
Canada- An analogue of Scandinavia, but with normal languages. The meaning of moving there is not very clear. This is probably an option for those who love the United States, but have not yet been able to get there.
Now finally about Germany. Germany against the background of the options above looks quite attractive. A good climate, a common language, an easy way to obtain a work permit (Blue Card), such as a developed economy and medicine. That is why tens of thousands of qualified specialists from different countries try to find their happiness there every year. I will try to describe some interesting features of life in this country below.
Housing.The first surprise awaits you at the very beginning, when after receiving a work contract you will begin to look for housing. You will probably already be aware that housing in good cities in Germany is not easy to find, but the words “not easy” do not reflect the current situation. In Munich, finding housing will become your daily routine, like brushing your teeth in the morning. Even if you find something, you won’t like it, and you will continue to look for other housing again.
The essence of the problem is that in Germany it is popular to rent housing instead of buying. This should give some flexibility when moving and not burden with mortgages. But this is what they say on TV. But TV in Germany is not much different from our first channel. In practice, renting a house means constant payments to homeowners, which is naturally more profitable than a one-time sale. I’m not much mistaken in assuming that 80% of all rental housing is owned by corporations that naturally want to make more money. Both refugees, who are paid for housing from your taxes, and the semi-free labor market, which creates an increased demand for housing, help them in this. Moreover, a large number of refugees settle in good apartments in the city center (apparently owned by the same corporations). Thus, German apartment oligarchs take your money twice. One time when you pay housing to refugees from your taxes, the second time when you pay housing for yourself in an overheated market, giving 2000 Euros for a simple three-ruble note. Our businessmen, trying to make money on expensive cabbage or street tiles, smoke nervously aside from envy.
It is curious that this situation with housing, as well as 100% workload of all migration centers in Munich, 100 people per place in kindergartens, and congestion in hospitals do not lead to any political protests. Everyone suffers, pays and is waiting in line. Attempts to point out problems due to refugees will lead to accusations of fascism. Those who are in the subject, compare the phrase "You do not want, as in Paris" with the phrase "You do not want, as under Hitler." Pensioners are protected by the court, old-timers are afraid to move so as not to lose housing, which they rented a few years ago at old prices. Newly-married families give 50% of their salary for housing and think why they need all this. "Lonely" live in "huts" for 1000 euros. Girls are looking for local husbands with housing, young people hope to get rich by some miracle.
The medicinein Germany is colorfully described in legends and parables. It is true that in Germany and in Munich, in particular, there are unique medical centers with unique equipment. But you will never see it. Insurance medicine in Germany is very far from what is usually told about medicine in Germany.
With the salary of an IT developer in St. Petersburg, you practically do not need insurance, except in the most difficult cases. You can safely buy almost any medical service. Even most of the most difficult operations cost less than a monthly salary. In Germany, it will be hard for you to call a doctor to your home for the salary of an IT specialist for 300 euros and make an MRI for 500-1000 euros. In Germany there is no paid medicine for the general population. All must be equal. Only very rich oligarchs cannot be equal. Therefore, you will have to stand in line with the old women, and if you have a child, then dozens of other sick children. If you suddenly want private insurance, you will have to pay it to all family members, even after losing your job for some time. Private insurance will allow you to avoid queues and may give some small advantages in the quality of medical services, but when you move with your family it will not leave you money to enjoy your health. It is also curious that not everyone can get private insurance, but only those whom the German bureaucracy considers worthy (by salary or type of employment), even if you have a million rubles in your Russian account.
Getting Government Services. Most likely you have already decided that the MFC and the public services portal are for granted. Since this is a hundred years, as in Russia, it should be there. But that is not there.
If you need something from the state, then the algorithm is something like this
- In Google or on the forum, find the name of the service that provides the service.
- Find an office website that provides the service and find out how to get a ticket there.
- Get a ticket for an appointment on the site. In some cases, such as for obtaining a Blue Card, there are no coupons. They are thrown into the site in the morning for a few pieces. We must get up at 7 in the morning and update the page of the site every minute in order to click on the coupon that has appeared.
- Collect 100500 pieces of paper necessary for receiving the service
- Come at the appointed time. Have cash with you to pay for the service.
- Bonus If you already know German well, some of the services can be obtained by sending the correct package of documents by mail.
Food in Germany is basically normal. Her only problem is that she is very identical. Flipping through the menu in restaurants will not work, as the menu will be on a couple of leaflets. Also in Munich there is no such thing as a children's room in a restaurant. After all, in its place you can put a few more tables. If you ask what kind of beer is in the restaurant, then they will answer you - white, dark and light. The same thing in stores. All of Munich has a couple of boutiques where you can buy non-German beer. In fairness, it should be noted that in Munich there are many Asian restaurants that create some variety in food. Food quality is average. Better than in Russia, but noticeably worse than in Switzerland.
Smoking.Germany is a very smoking nation. On outdoor restaurant terraces, 80% of the tables will be smoked. If you like to sit outside and get some fresh air, then restaurants are not for you. Also, they did not hear about any 15 meters from the stop and the entrances to the buildings. If you like to swim in the outdoor pools, you will have to fall in love with tobacco smoke. An unpleasant surprise for me was the frequent complete calm of Munich. In calm weather, tobacco smoke is felt at a distance of 30 meters. That is, in fact, wherever there are people. I have been to many places in Europe, but I have not seen such a percentage of smokers anywhere. I can’t explain it. Could there be stress and hopelessness? :)
Children.The attitude towards children in Munich is somewhat strange. On the one hand, all politicians are shouting that there is a demographic crisis in the country, on the other hand, none of those screaming are proposing to build more kindergartens, playgrounds, children's hospitals, etc. Private kindergartens, for which you need to pay about 800 euros per month, are similar to Indian slum dwellings. Shabby furniture, faded carpets on the floor, worn sofas. And to get there you still have to stand in line. State kindergartens are one room for 60 people and several educators. Recently, politicians have proposed making kindergartens free. Apparently taking money for such squalor is already a shame. According to the same politicians, the future of Germany is connected with migration, but not with the birth rate of its children. Indeed, in order to give birth to your child you need medicine, a business of children's goods and food, kindergartens, new quality housing. It is much easier to pick up a finished sample from a sailing boat. Well, the fact that this model is unlikely to do anything more than the drug trade is no longer important. You can forbid to scold refugees and everything will be fine.
Another living legend is the happy German retirees traveling around the world. The problem here is that in Germany money for big pensions is running out. Raising the retirement age is unlikely to succeed, since it is already equal to 67 years. Forcing homeowners to rent it to pensioners for 300 euros instead of 2000 is also impossible for a long time. Germany had plans to solve the problem through migration. The plans failed because the migrants after a short work also do not want to do anything, but they want to live well. Nobody knows how Germany will get out of this situation. So far, Germany is ready to pay current pensions until 2025. They did not go for large guarantees.
Munich has a very interesting bicycle "infrastructure". The city is considered the most friendly for cyclists. The bike path in most cases is separated from the sidewalk either by a white line or by a different coating, which is more expensive, but the meaning is the same. One awkward step of the pedestrian, and he may be hit by a cyclist and still be to blame. When cyclists become cramped on their lane, they ride onto the sidewalk. Sidewalks are also used by cyclists who ride upstream. Crashes between cyclists and pedestrians are not uncommon. Naturally, there are raids on children, especially in parks where the paths are not even divided. If, for example, in St. Petersburg to collect a thousand migrants and give each a bucket of paint to divide the sidewalk into two equal parts, then in a day the city would wake up as the bicycle capital of the world. That’s what they did in Munich. Interesting, that in Switzerland, cyclists in the absence of a bike path ride along the roadway. Cyclists separately, people separately ((c) Planet of the Apes).
In Munich, almost everywhere, a well-thought-out development of the city . It makes no sense to look for an area with shops, schools or parks. They will be everywhere. However, when choosing a home, in addition to your personal preferences, it makes sense to consider three factors that are usually not written about in reviews.
- Churches are ringing bells early in the morning and late in the evening on every day of the day without days off. There are no places in the city where they are not heard at all, but there are places where it can be "noisy."
- Firefighters, ambulances and repair services drive with the siren turned on, even on empty streets at night. The volume of sirens in Munich is such that if you die driving, you will still hear. If your windows overlook the main roads of the city, then sleeping with open windows will not work. In Munich this will be a big problem in the summer. There are no air conditioners in the city. Not at all.
- S-Bahn (metro to the nearest suburbs) is not very reliable. If you get to work on it, be prepared sometimes to wait an extra 30 minutes or work from home in winter.
Now a little about work. The cases are different, but Munich is generally nice to work with. No one is in a hurry and does not sit in the evenings. Most likely in Germany, most bosses become bosses if they have at least some competencies. I have not seen reviews of bosses who work on a principle; I'm boss, you're a fool. Also, IT companies are more likely to hire smart migrants than stupid Germans, which creates a pleasant atmosphere in the team. The flip side of the coin, the Germans would sooner hire a less skilled cheap Indian than they would pay.
Since everyone works and gets about the same, it makes no sense to weave complex intrigues for the sake of a post. The position can be obtained, but money is not always. As a result of equal salaries, in Munich and in Germany as a whole there is no market for premium services, since there is no one to consume them. Either you work like everyone else for about one salary, or you have a successful business and you get many times more. Which shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues successful people go to in Germany is not clear. Apparently there are so few of them that only a select few know about them. The most modern cinema in the center of Munich reminded me of Crystal Palace from the 90s on Nevsky in St. Petersburg.
In Germany, up to 6 weeks a year, you can root for 100% of your salary without any restrictions from above. It is surprising that at the same time people still come to work with snot and cough. Although in Munich, many often get sick, and if you sit at home in every cold, then 6 weeks may not be enough.
Despite the foregoing, of course, do not exclude Germany from the list of your favorite countries. Each country will have its own “features”. It is better to learn about them in advance and plan your move correctly.
Given all of the above, I would single out the following strategies for moving to Germany.
Freelance.Two years after working for an uncle on the Blue Card, you will have the legal opportunity to become a freelancer. This is a typical mode of operation for the Germans themselves. Allows you to bring your salary to 150K euros per year. On it you can live in Munich approximately, like in St. Petersburg at 200K rubles a month. The difficulty lies in the fact that in most cases freelance involves fluency in German, which cannot be obtained in two years. Therefore, it will be possible to really work on freelance a little later.
Your business after permanent residence. After 2-3 years, depending on your knowledge of German, you will have permanent residence. This gives the right to reside permanently in the country, regardless of your financial condition. You can take a chance and stir up your project.
Udalenka.The Germans are calm about working remotely, but first it’s better to show yourself in the office and become a resident of Germany. To do this, you have to aim at a startup, since in large companies udalenka is hardly possible. After moving to udalenka, you can sit in a cozy German village or travel the world observing the rule of residence in Germany for at least 6 months a year.
Strategies for resolving the housing issue can be as follows. If you have any savings or real estate in Russia that you are ready to exchange for German, then consider that a cozy modest family home (treshka or a small house) in Munich starts from a million euros. At the moment, there is a strategy for buying a home in the nearby suburbs, but over time, prices there will only increase, as there are more and more people wanting to do this. In addition, due to the influx of poor migrants, the main suburbs of Munich are more like refugee camps than cozy places for a comfortable life.
In southern and southwestern Germany, there are some good small towns to live like Karlsruhe or Freiburg. There is a theoretical opportunity to buy real estate on a mortgage for 30 years and enjoy life. But in these cities not IT work is very small. In Munich, as soon as your non-IT partner learns German, you will be able to live on two salaries, which is unlikely to allow you to buy housing in the city, but will start to enjoy life.
As I mentioned above, I no longer live in Germany, so I will not be able to implement any of these strategies. I found a job in Switzerland. Switzerland is also not an ideal country. However, if you can hear different opinions about Germany, then I have not yet seen any negative stories of moving to Switzerland. Therefore, when I pulled out my lucky ticket, taking into account the presence of a family and my age, I decided to take a tit than to catch a crane in Germany. Switzerland is in a sense a boutique country with an individual approach. Here you are a person, in Germany you are one of the millions who have come in large numbers. I can’t say anything more about Switzerland.
Who is interested in Switzerland, as a country for moving, join my group on Facebook .
There I will write about my experience of life and work (especially in comparison with Germany) and share vacancies involving sponsorship.
For operational information on Munich, I recommend this group .
PS: The picture shows the main entrance to the central station in Munich. Photo taken June 13, 2019.