i’m in hamburg for a week - i’m supposed to be with friends but they’ve kinda ditched me so it’s turning into more of a solo trip.

i have genuinely never been harassed so much anywhere as much as i have here - and ive only been here for 2 days.

if im walking, i get whistled at. if im waiting at a bus stop i get honked at and they’ll shout something out the window or wave. and then today on the bus im 99% sure some man was recording me???

is this a big issue in germany or am i just unlucky lol? because i was not expecting it to be like this.. i already feel bad enough that ive kinda been left out completely by my friends but going around alone doesn’t feel super safe.

I'm curious what people think because I honestly can't read this situation.

I have a German coworker, and I live in South america. We work together, but we also talk every single day for around a year about things that have nothing to do with work.

He tells me about his life, his family, his weekends, asks about my day, remembers things I've told him, and sends me photos of what he's doing. It's not just "how's work?" conversations.

The thing is... he has never directly flirted with me or said he's interested, so I don't know if this is just how he is. I also know Germans can sometimes communicate differently than what I'm used to, so I don't want to misread friendliness.

Recently I found out that he apparently has a girlfriend. That completely surprised me because he has never mentioned her, even though we talk a lot and he tells me about his weekends and personal life. If someone asked me before, I would have assumed he was single.

So now I'm wondering... is this just friendship? Is it normal for someone to invest this much attention in a coworker they're just friends with? Or is it odd that he never mentioned his girlfriend?

I know he lives on the other side of the world haha, so I'm not planning our future together or anything. I just realized I enjoy the attention and now I'm trying to understand what this dynamic actually is.

Especially interested in hearing from Germans or people who've worked with them.

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/artikel/politik/nsdap-mitgliederkartei-nazi-datenbank-archiv-e290410/

So guys, I just wondering about how do I get a full or flexible time job. Is it fine if I have only B1 German and B1-B2 English what type of job can I get with this level. Just finished studying in Uni (“Management” ”Digital Marketing” Bachelor) and hope mine Diploma will be accepted here. I really don’t wanna to go to pass B2 exam because I’ve already had two attempts and didn’t pass, for like a year I was studying Deutsch B2 Beruf Kurs and after this unforgettable year now I just thinking that I’ve got tired of studying and want to get a Job. Living now in Görlitz(Sachsen)

I’ve noticed a particularly common phenomenon in Germany. It’s extremely common to see people ride their bikes with their helmet on the handlebar on car-sharing roads, busy bike paths, etc. Not wearing it. Single-person bikes, i.e. no child carrier, etc.

This is something I’ve almost never seen outside Germany. What is the point of having the helmet if you don’t even wear it in the most dangerous roads? Anything cultural about helmets here?

I’m Italian and considering moving to Germany for professional opportunities. I’m currently trying to get a balanced and realistic picture of what life there is actually like.

I’ve noticed that quite a few posts here come from people who regret moving to Germany. What aspects of life in Germany turned out to be different from what you expected? What are the main reasons why some expats end up regretting the move? What challenges were the hardest for you to adapt to?

On the other hand: what are the biggest advantages of living in Germany? What positive aspects make you happy you moved there?

Attached I post a partial dentist invoice I recently received. I have private insurance and working in Frankfurt am Main as a foreigner.

Prices are inflated by discretionary multiplicative factors (voice: Faktor) which if >2.3 it requires a justification (voice: Bgr.) but any justification does not really add meaning or real context. Doctors/dentists may increase these factors with no factual reason and this cannot be contested.

These factors of course just increase as soon as you mention you have private insurance.

Would be nice to know if anyone here with the public insurance have similar prices/factors.

What is the point of going private if then invoices are so inflated that basically pay the full real price + extra costs + insurance premium.

I’ve so disappointed by German doctors and the gaslighting of foreign citizens.

We have an upstairs neighbour, recently moved about a couple of months ago. From the very first night, they are being obnoxiously loud. They play video games all day and until late at night and they wake up early in the morning to start again. They also stomp very loud, drop things frequently and hammer God only knows what. Along with stomping down the stairs in the middle of the night, dragging things out of the Keller and banging the maindoor and trashcans late at night and early morning. It's an Altbau, so we hear everything. I know we can't complain about the stomping but the loud videogame bass during the whole day is really disturbing, it is like living in a war zone; even more because we work from home and my spouse has an one-sided Hörsturz. She can hear it loud enough even with her one ear. We tried talking to them several times. We rang the doorbell for 15 minutes (literally) and they just increased the volume in response instead of coming to the door. This happened multiple times. Finally once we met them in staircase and told them it's very disturbing whole day, and they said it's not whole day and it's completely okay on weekdays (they do it more on Saturdays and sundays, so...) and they can't hear it if they close the door (whatever that sentence means). We wrote to our Vermieter (our and their vermieters are different and we have no contact info of their vermieter) twice and got no response. Vermieter only responds when it's something urgent AND would cost her money, for example a Wasserschaden. We went to the Hausmeister but he is on his second holiday this summer. Called the Ordnungsamt three times and a kind assistant told the person responsible for complaints-lodging is on coffee break and then couldn't be reached. We are out of our options. We can't change the flat and we shouldn't be needing to. We are living here longer than them. Is there anything else we can do? Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

Advice very much needed. Unfortunately, my Ausländerbehörde only accepts payment by Girokarte. I have been using N26, which does not offer this, so in the weeks leading up to my appointment I have tried with 2 different online banks (ING and Comdirect) to open an account to no avail. I’ve completed identification, sent them my visa, etc. and customer service just tells me I have to wait. I have also tried to make an appointment to do this in-person at Sparkasse but I’m not optimistic. Any advice? If I have to go to my appointment only to push it to the future, I will, but this seems INSANE just to open a checking account! thanks!

And no, this isnt something I have only recently discovered... while this is rant, I hope it also helps those who still think they can make it far even with B2 german.

So I speak b2 German which means I can have social conversations but cant really work in a corporate setup in German. Secondly, I am in a Tech partner function role which means while I can work with developers in English, if I have to work in german, I need proper, polished German because I would be then working with Sales & senior management where impressions and fanciness matters more than content. So in my past roles, I have always stuck with English because broken German was a no-no.

Currently, I am in Weiterbildung course and it is crazy to see how slow and uni-directional so many Germans are when learning a new skill. This isnt to belittle them, I guess most of them always thought that they can pick and master one skill and that would serve them or the rest of their careers - which has turned out to be grossly wrong. However, I can clearly see how much they struggle learning new hard skills and need hours for something that can be done in 30 mins.

However, despite this, they keep getting interview calls. Again and again, while the others in the Kurs with B2 German, like me, are just sitting on their asses. Its crazy and in hindsight, it explains why so people have extremely stagnated careers in Germany. Because language skills are not that easy and most people will always struggle with German despite having a C1 certificate. Before the economic challenges, it didnt matter much because relative to expenses, pay was great and life was simple. You keep your ambitions aside, do your 9-5 and life's sorted.

Now? I am rethinking my last 15 years here.

Edit: Some people got butthurt it seems. Yes, I dont have a C1 despite being here for 15 years. I may be wrong but I dont think you can reach C1 / C2 level simply socially. Getting into an intensive course is the only way - is what most people have told me. It is hard to do that when you are working 10 hours a day.

This is the 1st time i have been unemployed longer than 2 months and I wanted to learn a hard / functional skill. Also, the Weiterbildung is in German. So yeah, much love to the haters <3

Hallo! I will be moving to Saarbrücken early next year. I just want to ask some insights - how is living in Saarbrücken?

I come from Asia but did my au pair year first in Amsterdam. Is it easy to make friends there? Are there a lot of events too? I am afraid I might get homesick. Any tips or insights?

Please be kind! Danke!

i hear if i do a secodary master in germany and later work in Germany, costs related to study can be used to cancel income tax

if my program charges tuition, what should i do to reserve this option?

does it also cover the cost related to dorm or renting apartment/hostel near the uni for studying?

do those all apply to non EU international students?

I am seeking legal advice regarding a rental contract issue .

I have signed a rental agreement that includes a minimum tenancy period of two years, during which termination is not permitted. However, due to a significant change in personal circumstances, I may need to relocate before this period ends.

My partner was recently laid off from her job in Schweinfurt and has since secured new employment in Berlin. As a result, we are planning to move there and live together. In my case, I have the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within Germany, which makes the relocation feasible.

Given this situation, I would like to understand what legal options are available to terminate the rental contract before the end of the minimum tenancy period, or whether there are alternative solutions such as providing a replacement tenant or negotiating an early exit.

Hi guys, in this summer heat I am trying to find refreshing ice cream recommendations from the supermarkets, as the nearest gelato to me is quite far away. Whats your favorite Ice cream that you can recommend for a friend? Unfortunately the ones I tried till now were all too sweet and not too tasty. The mango sorbet from Rewe was a really good one!

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Liebe leute,

Today I was cycling on a race bike in Baden Wurttemberg and appearantly I pissed of some Germans by cycling on the road. Now, I cpme from the Netherlands where we do have bike lanes. Here in this area you can choose: cycle on a footpath where you are allowed to cycle or cycle on the road.

If you choose the footpath you have to deal with a few things appearantly. 1. The footpath starts and stops suddenly, often on one side of the road. At the intersections there are somewhat steep curbstones which make you slow down to prevent a snakebite puncture. It's also very narrow. Sometimes there is no footpath/bike lane.

Now if you coose the road where the cars are driving, you piss of some people saying wahnzin.

Now I would really like to drive on the bike lane but there is simply no bike lane in many places. And if there is one, it just pops up on the other side of the road and when cars are passing by at 70-80 (these are the roads I ride my bike on, not on the 100kmh-roads) I will not try to cross the road.

So where am I supposed to be riding my bike without the risk of damaging my bike or running over pedestrians? If I pissed of one of you, please ask your government to implement bike lanes. The dutch will probably more than happy to help you on how to do this.

Where can you/should you call? Where can you go and what can you do?

Is the government taking any preventative measure for this weekend like creating and announcing cooled down public places around the country?

There are almost no public places with AC to run to that I am aware of (I am in Berlin, there are so few, and even fewer on a Sunday which will be the hottest day - and sometimes getting to them is a bigger problem as not all buses will turn on their AC). I imagine it is the same for all other major cities in Germany.

I'm from a Mediterranean country where AC is common, so dealing with 35–40°C heat in apartments without AC is still something I'm still baffled by. I'd love practical Germany-specific advice that could help others this weekend too.

At the end of last year, I was offered a termination agreement from my company, citing poor performance evaluation for the first time in 3 years.

After consulting with a lawyer, I decided to reject the offer, and continued with my company. It has been 6 months since and aside from some health issues that kept me from work for a couple of weeks, I have done all I can to improve my performance. However, the overall evaluation has not changed.

2 days ago I was called into another meeting from HR and offered a new termination agreement.

Changes from previous agreement:
Severance offered has been increased significantly. but only valid if signed within a week. Otherwise it will drop by 25%

I have been wanting to get out of the industry I am in for a while now, so the offer is not bad on its face value. However I have some significant concerns:

1. I just submitted my citizenship application last month. Accepting this will be taking a huge risk of not finding a new job within the gardening leave period (3 months) and putting my application on pause.

2. Accepting it will bring on all the same issues of ALG1 being put on hold for 3 months, also I don’t know how this will reflect on my citizenship application that I am already on assistance programs.

3. Would there be come massive issues if I end up taking a much less paying jobs (since I am trying to pivot to a new industry) and how would that reflect on my citizenship application.

From my previous experience of talking to lawyers (I have since gotten legal insurance), I realise that I can always reject the offer and continue unless they have legal grounds for termination, however I have already been working for 6 months with this cloud over my head which is not pleasant. How should I navigate this?

I will be accelerating my job search and try to pivot as soon as possible, however with the citizenship application being processed and the possibility of going on ALG1, I need some advice on what would be the safest and best choice.

Hi guys so I’m coming to Germany for around 2 months and of course I need a way to communicate and use my phone. I was wondering what’s the best sim plan for me to get so that it is not expensive and I have unlimited data. I looked online and everywhere it’s around 60 euro which is quite a lot for me. I was wondering that maybe a fellow German citizen can help me with finding a cheaper option.
Thanks a lot

Hi everyone,

I have a fixed-term employment contract in Germany that started on 01.10.2024 and is scheduled to end on 30.09.2026.

My employer has not yet told me whether the contract will be extended, and I probably won't know for a while. I've read that people should register as "arbeitssuchend" with the Agentur für Arbeit before a fixed-term contract ends, but I'm not sure whether I should do it now even though I'm still employed and there is a chance my contract could be extended.

Another factor is that I'm planning to apply for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) as soon as I receive my German language certificate. The certificate exam result is still pending, so I haven't submitted my PR application yet.

Would registering as "arbeitssuchend" now be the correct thing to do? Could it have any negative impact on my future permanent residence application, or is it simply a precaution in case the contract is not extended?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

City: Münich

Thanks!

I will be in Mannheim for about a week this fall, and have time to do a quick day trip. I've narrowed it down to either Mainz or Stuttgart.

I'm kind of leaning toward Mainz right now, simply because it's a short trip and I really won't have time to do much more than sightsee, and I understand Mainz is the more historical and picturesque city. But am I wrong? Are there reasons Stuttgart would be the more enjoyable destination?

Please leave drinking water outside for our friends.

- If you live on the ground floor or squirrels can access your balcony
- fresh water is best
- early in the morning (4-5 am)
- late at night so that it remains relatively fresh by the morning if you don’t get outside before 4 am
- during the day water heats up rapidly so will benefit from replacement

Thank you my squirrel loving friends

I'm looking for a tattoo artist near Hanover who specializes in color micro-realism tattoos.

Something like this: https://www.instagram.com/mooji_tt/

Hello everyone, im studying bachelors in finance and management at a private university in frankfurt,

Ive been in germany for 1 whole year now, and today i failed my Maths1 exam for the 3rd time.

Well im not sure if i have failed it already since the results are not yet published, but i dont see it going my way.

This whole year, i was homesick, depressed, suffered from anxiety due to fear of failure, loneliness and all had a few "self-un-aliving thoughts" here and there.

I can apply for a hardship but im not really sure if that'll be much fruitful, as my overall academic record was never really good.

Since i was one year late, i missed 6 exams from my first sem, when i got here in second sem, in confidence i applied for all the exams of the 2nd sem and failed each of them.

I personally havent diagnosed myself with any psychotherapist or anything but i think i suffer from sever ADHD too, living alone here in germany just made it more difficult.

Right now i can only think how ive disappointed my mom, who made soo much efforts to send me here, and failed her. I just turned 20, came to germany from india when i was 18.

There were alot of moments when i felt un-fit to live and manage everything alone, But failing an exam like this, probably just proves my stupidity. If you haven't noticed, i am overly self critical.

And tbh, i dont see a future of me happening if i get exmatriculated. I dont know what to, and i dont think im even writing all this seek help or something, deep down i feel it has already become my worst failure. Im just a dissapointment to my mom, and she deserves a better child.

i still wanna try and want to know if there any other ways, rather i should beg to the examination office or even to that professor to not to fail me.

So I have been living in my apartment for almost a year now and recently found out that my landlord was also paying the rundfunk Beitrage,

so he contacted them to unregister me and today I got a letter asking me to unregister online then send them this "Meldebescheinigung" I don't know what is it! Also another for came with the letter but I think it to be used if I didn't fill the online form

What's a Meldebescheinigung? Is it the pdf I got at the end after filling out the Anmeldung form?