Anyone moved from London/UK to Germany and is happy?
Posted by sheylalala@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 106 comments
Considering the option of moving to Germany from London as my partner is from there.
Would love to hear from anyone else that has made this move and how it’s working out for them?
K3MEST@reddit
Moved to Munich for the first job out of Uni and I am still here. Quality of life and proximity to nature is really great.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Happy to hear you are doing well there. Do you have family back in the UK?/ how often do you see them?
K3MEST@reddit
My family is from farther out, but the Munich airport is great and its easy to get back home.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
How have you found making friends and integrating?
K3MEST@reddit
I was very lucky to have started at a multi-national company, and we quickly formed a friends group outside of work. It's been a few years so many have moved companies and we stay in touch. Otherwise, I have made friends in niche hobbies such as running/cycling/football, I would recommend joining the local sport verein as it's generally very cheap and good to meet people in your neighborhood.
McFuzzyChipmunk@reddit
Yep I did, I went to Bavaria to do an internship when doing my degree with a UK university and once I graduated I got a job out there and have been happily living near munich for the last 3 and a bit years.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Glad to hear it’s going well for you. Do you have any trouble with seeing your family back in UK, being away from them and language?
McFuzzyChipmunk@reddit
Yeah I mean, the language still proves to be challenging. For me I don't need it for work as my company language is English which helps (or hinders depending on the point of view) but I speak enough German to get by and trying to learn more. As far as seeing family I can travel back to the UK easily each Christmas to see family and my parents and I meet up 2 or 3 times a year for a holiday somewhere else. So it not too bad but I dont see them as often as I might like.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Ah ok. How do your parents feel about you being there and not near them are they happy for you and happy with how many times you see them? And how have you been learning German considering your job is English because mine would be too.
McFuzzyChipmunk@reddit
My parents are really happy for me as the quality of life I have here is far better than what I would be able to achieve at this point in life if I was still in the UK. Obviously they wish they could see me more often as I am an only child but they are both coming up to retirement soon so I expect that I will see them more often once that happens. As far as the language goes it will be difficult, I've been here 3 and a bit years and I'm still barely A1 as thats all I actually need for my day to day life. Obviously if you join some local clubs or take a language course you can learn much faster but it all depends on your specific situation.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Oh I’m an only child too. would be so interested to hear your experience on a few things. Is it ok if I direct message you by any chance?
McFuzzyChipmunk@reddit
Sure, feel free.
envoyagemargo@reddit
I did it and hated it — thankfully we moved back to London after two years. Have you spent time in Germany? My life was worse in every way vs. London, I found Germans quite harsh and cold, and the language is very difficult to learn. Happy to answer any questions.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Yes I have spent time in Germany I’ve lived there 50/50 for the past 2 years. Main issue for me was that it was a small village albeit a very nice one with 20/30 min drive to Strasbourg, Offenburg and Freiburg. My struggle mainly is parents being back in London and how to work around that and also having independence in day to day life with the different system/ language?
wc6g10@reddit
Did exactly that, moved from London to Munich. Overall I’ve had a really positive experience but it can be really difficult with the language barrier. I had the unique advantage of having a German partner who helped massively with all the ridiculous bureaucracy that you have to endure.
The stereotype of Germans being miserable and unfriendly has not been my experience whatsoever, but then again Munich is a fairly international city and I can imagine in smaller, isolated communities that there might be some xenophobia and bigotry. Pretty much get that anywhere. British people are 100% more relaxed and approachable though, it’s just an ingrained informality in the culture. With Germans, you will find they are a little bit more reserved at first (especially in work) but ultimately they are a lot like us.
Life feels a lot easier here than the UK. You get a lot of social security and workers rights which the UK doesn’t. Everything feels a bit shit and broken in the UK, whereas here I have been impressed with how well things looked after (roads, infrastructure, schools, health care) despite most Germans thinking it’s shit. I feel like a lot of Germans have no idea how good they have it.
If you do move, you will 100% be better off learning German. Everything is easier if you do and it’s not really that hard, it’s just a lot of work and takes a long time.
London is an amazing city and unlike any other place in Europe. But in general the future of the UK looks bleak, I also can’t see how anyone can build a life in London without earning serious £. If you want to be in the rat race chasing money then it’s probably great, but for people who just want a ‘normal’ life it’s impossible. Munich is also fucked with how expensive property is but not as bad.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
I know probably about 20 people that moved to Germany. Only one is "happy". All the others would move in a heartbeat if they had the chance or had they not started a family with partners that do not want to move.
pieceofpineapple@reddit
How about in NL?
carnivorousdrew@reddit
It's even worse. Everything is privatized and it's a corporate tax heaven... Not really for regular people.
DiligentAudience7314@reddit
What? NL is not for regular people? I am from Dutch working class family, and a large part of people in NL are 'regular' people. We have a big agricultural, industrial and shipping sector, who do you think works in those jobs? NL has a very strong workers Union history, with unions still being very popular. Even our 'privat healthcare' is not fully private, but a mixed system that is heavily subsidised. Why do you think we pay so much tax!!! Totally uneducated comment.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
Your healthcare system is completely privatized and the insurance companies have bought all your politicians who only work for the corporation that, unlike you and your working class, pay 0 taxes thanks to Dutch law, damaging the whole European economy and logistics by doing so. The system may be mixed on paper, but the public regulations have been completely bought off by CZ and the likes.
Sephass@reddit
Look at what I got back from chatGPT:
The UK is significantly more privatised than the Netherlands due to extensive, long-term programmes of asset transfer from the public to the private sector, particularly during the Margaret Thatcher era, which reduced the public sector and privatized major industries and utilities like British Gas and British Telecom. While the Netherlands also engages in privatization, the scale and historical depth of these processes are far greater in the UK.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
lmao dude you need a private insurance in the Netherlands, and all clinics are private. Drink up the chatgpt shit all you want.
Sephass@reddit
Yeah, the famous private Dutch healthcare, where 90% of the spending is financed via public budget.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
Great thing to enmesh public and private like that. Guess that may be the reason why they would rather have you permanently injured/sick than doing prevention tests or prescribing a specialist visit lmao. What a fucking joke.
Sephass@reddit
I can confirm, I've lived in NL for \~5 years and both me and all of my friends are permanently injured and sick.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
I am :) Thanks to their shitty system, I literally cannot do some things I loved to do and have to take care until my death of the consequences stemmed from the incompetence and pseudoscientific beliefs instilled in the GP's to make them save the clinics' money instead of caring for their patients. Also, you don't know what you may have, there is no fucking prevention lol This being said, idgaf what you may say from here on out, the Dutch healthcare system is pure shit and you can eat it up as much as you like, your choice.
bluexxbird@reddit
Netherlands, another story to add: The dad of my friend had been getting regular checkups for years, one day they found out he had been suffering from the last stages of cancer despite already visiting the GP regularly.
The GP just said casually, no worries, we have euthanasia here.
Fresh_Relation_7682@reddit
I left the UK for Germany in 2018. I got a job in Dresden, my wife (Italian) got a job in Nuremberg.
At first we based ourselves in Nuremberg (since my job was more flexible with working from home). We didn't really like it. Nuremberg felt quite suffocating and the stereotypes about Germans obsessed with keeping order, enforcing noise rules (despite the churches of rival denominations of christianity having bell-ringing contests at all hours of the day being fine....) seemed true. People weren't so friendly, constantly made us to feel stupid for expecting people in public service to do their job etc.
So we decided to try out Dresden full time. Best decision we made. Despite the reputation we found the people in Dresden to be much nicer, more welcoming and helpful. Both cities are beautiful but stuff seems to work better in Dresden and the distinction between old town and the fun new town is really nice. I like being close to nature and being between Berlin and Prague is great.
General remarks:
- German is difficult to master and each area can have its own peculiarities with the language. I learned at school and had a certificate for B1 before arriving. This has been sufficient to negotiate bureaucracy. But I have no idea when a handyman from rural Saxony comes to do some repairs in the flat.
- Bureaucracy can be difficult if you're not prepared. There are rules to follow and if you get the wrong case worker then you can be derailed for missing documents etc.
- Get a fax machine
- German society generally is still a bit suspicious of outsiders and there are rules that people adhere to even if it seems to make life more miserable ("We always do it this way", "I follow the rules so if something goes wrong I can say I followed the rules"). They are also very direct (which can be refreshing but also quite abrupt if you're not used to it). I don't know what your experience of that is so far
- You will need a support group. It's important to balance between integrating but feeling comfortable. I was fortunate that Dresden has a good english speaking community that Germans also take part of. This has helped a lot with settling in and meeting locals. Having a German partner helps but also be aware that you will be a foreigner in their country, and I know from some people married to Germans that they sometimes feel a bit resentful or lost being in their partner's world. Make sure you find your own friends and don't feel guilty for sometimes seeking out english-speaking friends/opportunities
Overall I'm settled here, I've applied for citizenship and have no intentions of going back to the UK.
supreme_mushroom@reddit
It's quite challenging to integrate into Germany in my experience. Also, Germany typically ranks very low for integration happiness.
I'd say by all means move there for a few years and you can have a great time as an expat exploring a different culture, but when it comes to settling in for the long term, language and cultural barriers tend to catch up on you.
The people I know who are happiest here are the ones who studied here or worked in German and learned the language to a high level.
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
In my experience Germany is not a place to be happy if you're not German or from such a poor/totalitarian country that Germany is just innately impressive. I know a few "happy" foreigners in Germany but I'm convinced they'd be happy anywhere tbh, like nothing about them being happy has anything to do with Germany.
Source: lived here from 4.5 years, from Southern England.
DE_Auswanderung@reddit
No wonder Germany attracts so many asylum seekers. Other than that, it is good for natives as you mention (mostly the pensioners, but also to a good extent the young / middle-aged people who are very attached to their Heimat).
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
You can earn a professional salary from the state if you have 3 kids and don't work. Not working in Germany can be extremely lucrative.
0xPianist@reddit
Where in Germany?
What do you value the most in London and want to find there?
Truly after living in London, I was not impressed by pretty much anything in Germany.
BreadCrumb24@reddit
There are no happy people in Germany
sSantiago8@reddit
Live in Berlin, moved here 5 years ago from the US. I completely agree
BreadCrumb24@reddit
Yeah. German people "live to work", where other people "work to live"
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
Germans don't even live to work. I don't actually know what they live to do or do to live. Strange place.
ethicpigment@reddit
The most exciting thing they have in their life is to go the supermarket every day.
Vadoc125@reddit
Considering the tax rates here, living to work is stupid. Just like the person who responded to you, I also don't know what they live to do...
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Have you lived there?
Civil-Nose-9405@reddit
Germans will try to dim your light like it’s their life purpose.
Argentina4Ever@reddit
Germany sucks the life out of you.
curiousman_1992@reddit
No more than London does
ethicpigment@reddit
I did that. Hate it in Germany, moving back asap.
ChtN66@reddit
If you are white European and learn the language properly, you will be fine. Germany has higher living standard in most areas.
Job market is extremely difficult right now, even for natives. No idea how you plan to get one without language fluency.
If you provide more details, I could share more insights. If you are non-white, don’t even think about. It’s really bad.
Source: lived there 10 years but moved to UK.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
I am not white European but I don’t exactly stick out that much either if that makes sense. I have remote work for the foreseeable future and my partner is from there so we would in the next 5 years be married so that would remove the visa issue per se.
My family is very small no siblings so just my mum ask dad back in UK. German is hard but willing to learn and over time should be fine naturally with classes and speaking to people.
My main concern is my parents being back here. Yes there are a lot of cheap Ryan air 1 ish hour flights straight to London from there but that’s really the main thing worrying me most for long term.
sSantiago8@reddit
I will be totally honest, I moved here from California 5 years ago and recently got my German citizenship. My whole life in the US I was just considered white (my Dad is German and mom is Mexican so I'm slightly olive toned) until I moved to Germany and that's when the racism/xenophobia began. If you're not completely white passing I genuinely wouldn't bother, people here are awful right now (see the rise of the AFD and how much support they have), I cannot wait to leave this god forsaken place.
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
I’m white German with a Japanese wife and a mixed kid and neither my wife nor our son have ever experienced any racism or xenophobia in Germany, on the contrary. I’m not saying these things don’t exist, but saying (all) people in Germany are awful etc. is quite an ‘exaggeration.’
sSantiago8@reddit
Where in my comment did I say "all" people?
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
You said ‘people here.’ What exactly does that mean? People in Berlin? People in Germany? Some? A few? All? I put ‘all’ in parentheses on purposes, because your comment is wide open to interpretation. Nobody is negating your experience. You’re putting words in my mouth. I said your comment as it pertains to ‘people here’ is an exaggeration since obviously not all Germans are the same and not all immigrants have the same experience as you. And please spare me the condescending ‘typical white German response’ bullshit retort. It’s ridiculous how certain people always try to invalidate any statement by pulling the ‘…but the white German’ card. Convenient excuse for everything, isn’t it.
sSantiago8@reddit
It's not actually condescending, I would say you're pretty condescending and getting weirdly harsh about a comment that clearly triggers you, for what reason? I'm not sure.
shypeteite@reddit
Looking through the thread i at first i couldnt understand what people meant by gaslighting is a habit. Thanks to your post and the attacking responses I understand it clearly now .. thank you for your post !
sSantiago8@reddit
Right? I felt his responses were a 100% perfect example of that. Glad he could fulfill the example lmao
sSantiago8@reddit
and actually given the fact that AFD is now polling at 26% tied with the CDU/CSD, I would say 'people here' is not an exaggeration, prick.
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
Funny how you keep on avoiding having to answer what exactly you meant by ‘people here’ Instead you’re trying to sidetrack the discussion by insinuating things about me. And now you’re calling me a prick. What a class act you are. I’m slowly beginning to understand why your experience in Germany hasn’t been the best so far.
sSantiago8@reddit
'People here" majority of Germans in the country of Germany. There you go.
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
Well, thank you. The majority, not ‘all’, got it. Still wondering though how you could possibly know that the majority of Germans are all awful. That would imply that you’ve had a personal negative experience with at least 50% of them. Get my initial point in terms of ‘exaggeration’? In any case, you’re entitled to your opinion. Hopefully, you’ll have some better experiences for the remainder of your time in Germany.
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
"People" not meaning literally every last person is kind of implied lol. Kind of stupid nitpick tbh.
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
Calling someone out for making exaggerated blanket statements is now nitpicking? Ok, got it, my bad. Let me give it a try then. How about…oh yeah wait…people in the UK are awful. Don’t worry, I don’t literally mean every last person, just the majority. Lmao.
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
Oh no!
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
Oh yes!
Own_Mammoth_9445@reddit
The only non-white people that germans like are black / african people and that's because they have a pervert sexual fantasy with them, specially german men. I've heard and seen stories of german men (both straight or gay) being completely obsessed with black people, wanting to date with them or fuck with them, because it gives them a fantasy of a white person "owning" a black person like he's some kind of sexual slave who's there to be submissive and deliver their bodies as objects of their pleasure that they can own and do whatever they want, specially light skin black people.
I have a black friend who went to Germany once and a lof of german guys wanted to fuck him because they have / idealize this fantasy of owning a black "slave". Of course it's not all of them, but unfortunately there's a lot of mental sick germans in Germany.
sSantiago8@reddit
I completely believe this
ChtN66@reddit
And that’s Berlin, try living any place outside Berlin or maybe Hamburg. It’s a lot worse.
sSantiago8@reddit
I can only imagine. :(
ChtN66@reddit
Ok, does your remote job also has German branch? Otherwise you can’t get visa with a remote job. There is I think freelancer visa for some countries I think.
Ryanair 1 hour flight becomes more like 4-5 hours journey in total door to door. I found not easy to do that as we also had family in the UK.
London to small German town is going to be quite a big change. I would suggest you to spend few weeks in the area you are interested and try to get the feel of how it is.
IATAH123@reddit
Yep, did that. It didn’t make much of a difference as I was/am a foreigner in both countries. I also moved to be with my partner when I decided to hand in my notice (unrelated reasons but there was nothing keeping me in London after that, and long distance had burned me out). I do miss the UK in the sense that I had an established social network, friends, people to go out with. And I miss the big city life. And how cheap painkillers and over the counter drugs are. I think both countries have really good quality, and despite their actual residents’ complaints, both offer amazing quality of life, opportunities, nice landscapes. I find that Germany is a tad bit harder when it comes to finding work. I am a native speaker and still have sent 100 applications with no interview whereas in London it took me about 10.
CacklingWitch99@reddit
Not to Germany but we moved from UK to Austria. Loved it. Much more laid back, more outside time, more family time.
Language is somewhat of a challenge but proper immersion will get you there faster. Get your partner to communicate with you only in German and you’ll pick it up so much faster than we could hope to achieve with lessons.
Blind_WillieJ@reddit
Austria is not like germany
K3MEST@reddit
It is if you are in Bavaria
FluffyAd9808@reddit
I am German but lived close to 10 years in the UK (Cambridge) and recently moved back. I wouldn’t say I regret it but I was definitely happier in the UK. German society is really far behind on topics like racism/xenophobia, diversity and inclusion or feminism. I have the feeling a lot of Germans have the “it has always been a certain way so why should we change it?” Mindset, which is holding back any form of growth.
DeCyantist@reddit
Yes, but happy people are not on reddit.
Ybadi@reddit
Moved the other way and if you can make ends met the UK is much more welcoming. There is less social support and funding is stretched thinner in the UK, but Germany is difficult even for Germans, the beaurocracy, you need to be very confrontational all the time, a lot of hard headed people too. There is a downward trajectory for Germany now, it's just behind the UK by a few years.
Fiona-eva@reddit
I’m curious why the confrontation is a norm, aren’t the services there to help people? What’s the story behind making it purposefully hard?
Ybadi@reddit
It's just German culture. The German Service Desert 'Servicewüste" is a well known phenomenon and has been satirized a lot. I think it stems from the independance and competence that is instilled in Germans from a young age, which unfortunately is hard to translate.
FabSeb90@reddit
Yeah, I did the same move (for family reasons) and can confirm.
In Germany, you often have to put those people working at the local council in their place and more or less say 'This is the law and these are my rights. Here is a link, now get on with your job'.
Especially at local government offices you're often treated like someone who just gets in the way with their job - despite paying taxes on a level higher than in the UK - plus a fee for accessing a service.
DE_Auswanderung@reddit
Very little of your taxes actually go to the local councils...most of it is for pensioners and their healthcare / election gifts, and the rest of it for subsidizing the bloated social state.
Fiona-eva@reddit
But you mentioned that it’s difficult even for Germans 🧐 thanks for replying, I will dig in more about the “service desert 🏜️”
FrauAmarylis@reddit
Germany has a much higher quality of life than London.
The UK has a lot of people leaving.
Choice-Ad1477@reddit
The HDI is higher in London than any German state, though of course we aren't comparing like for like here.
carnivorousdrew@reddit
Honestly thry are both not great, but the UK has a better healthcare system, retirement options and job market. And, even after Brexit, I would expect way kess bigotry and racism in the UK. I lived in York for a while and it was actually a nice experience, although the weather is just as bad as anywhere from 45 up.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Can I ask if you’ve ever lived in Germany and what you thought was better/worse than UK?
Gloomy-Sugar2456@reddit
Well, thank you. The majority, not ‘all’, got it. Still wondering though how you could possibly know that the majority of Germans are all awful. That would imply that you’ve had a personal negative experience with at least 50% of them. Get my initial point in terms of ‘exaggeration’? In any case, you’re entitled to your opinion. Hopefully, you’ll have some better experiences for the remainder of your time in Germany. Good luck.
GrantandPhil@reddit
I have worked there, yes. It depends entirely on where you are in Germany. In Germany there is an absolutely vast difference between life in the top international cities and everywhere else. That means Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne-Düsseldorf and Hamburg. These are all cosmopolitan and pretty affluent and English is widely spoken. Outside those places, life is much more conservative and quite honestly boring. Germans can be very formal, Sie and Du is taken seriously, customer service can be terrible and people are generally very reserved if they aren't on friendly Du terms with you. Apart from that as a country it is generally more affluent than the UK with higher average standard of living and better public services.
Civil-Nose-9405@reddit
Yes, I did. I grew up in Germany though, Im from south america but I’m half German. Moved to the UK in my late teens and lived in The UK for almost a decade, most of It in London. I then moved back to Germany just after the brexit vote and I consider this to be one of the worst mistakes I have made in my life. To sum it up: a lot Germans are socially awkward bullies. They really can be one of the worst human beings you can encounter. It’s a country with too many unwritten rules on top of the written ones, you will be shamed you you don’t follow them. Racism and gaslighting are also very German qualities. I personally think that germany is only for very specific type of personalities, most people come here and regret it tho. Is a country with huge social deficiencies, Im planning on either going back to the uk or the us.
sSantiago8@reddit
Thank you for bringing up the gaslighting (I feel many people do not believe me about this) , I also live in Germany (originally from the US) and I tell me parents that gaslighting is the Germans favorite sport.
Sorry-Acanthaceae105@reddit
I moved to Germany from the UK. I’d say much happier but not easy. Bureaucracy things are sucks in Germany stressing me out very much and all the things are not working properly compared to the UK but work life balance is ok to stay in Germany. I personally want to move back to the UK if i can or other northern europe
bigredsweatpants@reddit
I did. Loved Germany but property brought me back to UK. Munich prices were unsustainable for us.
It was great,the people are mostly miserable though, so if you’re not used to that you might struggle. I came back to UK several years ago to the Mids and bought a house. Miss Germany terribly but no regrets. It was the right thing to do for us.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Yes I’ve heard Munich is very expensive. Are you originally from the UK or English speaking country? My main concern is language and not being in immediate reach of family (1 hour plane ride).
bigredsweatpants@reddit
Originally US but have a German mom so I’m not native but have always had good receptive skills. Worked on speaking obviously at uni and grad school and although it was never a huge issue for me. But my situation was such that I did not need proof of language proficiency or integration classes. Most immigrants do.
NiceCandle5357@reddit
Search this sub for "Germany," there are so many people who moved there for love or work or opportunity and are absolutely miserable. But there are others who like it. It seems like there are more of the former than the latter, but I suppose it is technically possible to enjoy living in Germany.
RLJ1874@reddit
Scotland to Bavaria. Been here (Germany) for 15 years. I was very happy for 11 years. The last 4, I want to move back. Combination of having kids, missing my British family, and not being able to go back for a while due to COVID. It's also incredibly difficult to make real proper long lasting friendships here, and property is unaffordable.
We're trying to move back but with brexit and a German spouse, it's not easy
Grouchy_Conclusion45@reddit
I haven't made the move yet, but I'm considering it. I'd ideally like to move to the US, but the visa situation at the moment makes it improbable.
I'm British, but I've so far tried the US, Portugal, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland and now Germany for the past few weeks (although on and off, most of my time is in the Netherlands still).
Honestly, I like Germany a lot. I'm into cars, so the derestricted sections of autobahn are heaven to me. Food is cheaper (and portions are bigger at restaurants) than the Netherlands, people are the same level of friendliness. I'm hoping to move full-time next year to give it a try, sick of the Netherlands and it's ridiculous prices.
purpleflavouredfrog@reddit
Germany is great. It’s a beautiful country, clean, efficient and the people are shockingly nice. I’ve never had a bad experience there.
Re: the language - going there is the easiest way to learn it. Try to expose yourself to it as much as possible. Try reading it on the first day, even if you think you can’t understand it, you ought to be able to pick out a few words. As time goes on, you’ll understand more and more.
In my experience it takes 2 months to be able to understand about 80-90%. Speaking takes a bit longer, and you really have to work on that.
Remarkable-Ad4108@reddit
Know a chap who went for a business trip in Dusseldorf for a couple of weeks, met his significant other and moved there as everything was cheaper/ affordable.
26 years later - he's living a happy life in an affluent village with 7k inhabitants (somewhere between Koln and Dusseldorf) and he's loving it: plays tennis and golf 4 times a week, comes into the office once a week, has got a massive garden (brews his cider and stuff), goes hiking/ fishing every month etc. Asked him last week whether he ever missed London, he admitted that but with a caveat that it's just once a month he'd be keen to watch the premier at Wembley or Spurs and crash in the nearest pub, but other than that, he's happy.
I'd say really depends on the set-up.
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
That’s interesting as it’s a very similar vibe to life where my partner is from. Did your friend ever talk about missing family/how he got around that or language problems?
Remarkable-Ad4108@reddit
He did mention this, yes. There are multiple short 1ish hour flights from London, so he was flying whenever he wanted. But that has lasted until he’s got his family started, then his family was flying over to stay as his house was like triple the size of his parents in London.
And language wise - yes, he ended up learning it, slowly but surely. At first, that wasn’t an issue as he worked for ân international company, but later he was just missing the social aspect. It took some time, but he’s happy and never looked back.
Minimum_Rice555@reddit
Düsseldorf town center is beautiful, it's like an extended Mayfair area with cafes and parks.
clarified_buttons@reddit
I haven't moved from London to Germany, and I'm not particularly happy. In case that helps.
jagchi95@reddit
From London to Germany? please don’t
sheylalala@reddit (OP)
Why do you say that?
jagchi95@reddit
Germany is a horrible place to live in, especially as a foreigner.
Ambitious_Yoghurt_70@reddit
I did. And it was an easy choice. In London I earned minimum wage, they could lay us off without any big hassle or govt intervention. Was all the time broke when living in London. Moved to Berlin and I am able to travel intercontinental 2 times per year + on top week long vacations in Europe. And the labour laws are much better.
Professional-Yak1392@reddit
Yeh, loads of people make that move and love it! Main thing is getting your visa for Germany sorted early, that's step one. For jobs, a bit of German really helps, even if the role is English-speaking. Workplace culture can be quite different than London, just be ready for that. It’s a rewarding change though, good luck!
YetAnotherGuy2@reddit
When Brexit came along, many Brits decided to quickly get their German citizenship while they could still get dual citizenship.
Continental Europe operates with a different philosophy. If you can adjust to that, some people are happy to get out of the way things are being done at home. If you're not open for that, it won't.
The problem is you can't really know until you do it, if you haven't done it before.
mezuzah123@reddit
Boring answer but I think when it comes to staying or leaving London a lot depends on personal circumstance financially. In German cities, more people live along the median so you can make generalizations around standard of living/quality of life. Not so much for London.
Beyond that, of course there are differences of course are the language barrier, being close(r) to your partner’s family, and geographical region/travel.