Advice for Americans Planning to
Live and Work in Germany
From an Interview with
Jana and Evan Eggers in Berlin
Dealing with German culture: In our interview with a working couple from the U.S. living in Berlin, we asked the Eggers to list what they considered to be the Top 10 things an expat should do or be aware of in order to have a more successful and enjoyable experience in Germany. Here is their advice...
The Expat Advice Top 10
Ranked in reverse order from 10 to 1 (like David Letterman’s Top 10)
10. Take time to travel. This helps you understand the culture, as well as giving you a break from some of the normal expat stresses.
9. Don’t hang around ONLY with expats of your own nationality. The expat community is a nice and friendly one, but breaking the barriers with people from other cultures is the real way to learn.
8. Recognize the stresses as they occur. It is easy to stay focused on work and let tension build. Remember that the divorce rate for expats DOUBLES! Ignore this and it can happen to you.
Jana Eggers plays with her two dogs in Berlin’s Tiergarten park.
For more about bringing dogs or other pets to Germany, see Dogs in Deutschland.
7. Bring things that are familiar to you. We did this with pictures. It is nice to be surrounded by our friends and family each day.
6. Learn the culture. This comes along with 3 and 4, but do give it some focus on its own, especially for the business world. It will reduce the stress, especially that caused by misunderstandings.
5. Research, research, research. The amount of information for expats is overwhelming, but try to identify GOOD resources first, then delve into those. There is A LOT of misleading information to sort through, so having a site like the German Way is very helpful.
4. Get on the Net. This is a great source for research, but once you move it is also like a life line to friends and family in your home country.
3. Learn the language. Being able to communicate alleviates so many barriers. Start as soon as you know about your assignment.
2. Find a great relocation agent. It will save you so much time, hassle, and stress, but only if you have a good one! (If you omit this step, then you need to add a bunch of additional steps for finding a decent place to live, getting your bank set up, registering your car, finding a school for your kids, registering with authorities for residence/work, etc.)
1. Get used to change. You’ll be amazed at how many things you just expect to be the same and if you don’t learn to adjust it can completely ruin this exciting time in your life.
Full Interview with Jana and Evan Eggers
1: Not Business As Usual: An American Couple in Berlin
Sabre and gedas telematics - Berlin surprises: the "little things" - Banking and paying bills - Different business cultures - Taking care of business: a typical day
2: Not Business As Usual: An American Couple in Berlin
Wired in Deutschland - Working together as a married couple - Doing business -- in English or German - Moving to Germany
3: Not Business As Usual: An American Couple in Berlin
Finding an apartment in Berlin - A 16-page lease agreement? - Berlin as a place to live - Getting around in Germany/Europe - Advice: The “Expat Top 10”
Extra: Dogs in Deutschland
The Eggers share their experiences and advice concerning bringing their two dogs with them to Germany.
MORE > Expat Interviews
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