Thanks to another Expat Woman, I’ve found a great website called Expat Women: Inspiring your success abroad. How did I miss this site? What I like most about this site is that it is not only expat women in Germany, but world-wide. I have a friend who recently relocated to China. After 6+ years of expat life in Germany she is now an expat in China. I will absolutely forward her a link to this website.
For those of us living in Germany, there is a wealth of information. Some of which I’ve already discovered and hope you have as well like Toytown Germany, an English language community website/chat and Deutsche Welle in English.
I have met so many women which I talked about a bit here. Many were very successful business women while living in their native country and are then thrown into a new world, filled with new languages and challenges. It can be a very hard transition going from power woman to SAHM ( stay at home mom) or just SAH ( staying at home). Here you will find a link to the Expat Women’s Germany page which includes information on finding jobs speaking English.
I’d love to compare experiences of being an expat in Germany. Please feel free to comment below! You never know who you can help with your comments!
Here are a few tips I found on their website:
Top 5 Tips for Expat Women in Germany |
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| These tips were kindly provided by volunteer Expat Women Mentors in 2007. ExpatWomen.com shares these tips in an effort to help but takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information. | |
| Provided by Melissa A, Filipino-American, in Frankfort am Main, Germany | |
| 1. |
Learn the German language as soon as you arrive – you’ll feel less like a fish out of water if you can communicate with the locals; plus you’d meet lots of new friends in class who are going through the almost same experience as you.
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| 2. |
Read about the German Culture. The more you know, the better you’ll understand why people act the way they do. It would save you the pain of misunderstanding the general public. It would also spare you from thinking, “what is wrong with me…and these people.”
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| 3. |
Learn how to communicate even if you have access to a car. It’s easy to figure out and, imo, commuting speeds up the getting-to-know-the-city stage.
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| 4. |
If you have children, research all the school possibilities in advance. Germany’s educational system is different and can be confusing.
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| 5. |
Look for Starbucks, Hugendubel (biggest book store with the largest selection on English books) and the American Woman’s Club of Taunus, should you feel homesick and/or want to talk to someone from home that is physically with you.
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| Provided by Sarah F, American, in Heidleburg, Germany | |
| 1. |
If you want to work, start looking for jobs through the Internet beforehand, and figure out what paperwork you might need for a residency permit before you leave.
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| 2. |
Be prepared to take several language classes (intensive) at the Volkshochschule (sort of like adult ed) right at the beginning, before you lose motivation, otherwise you might lose motivation.
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| 3. |
Buy a code-free DVD player when you get there to get your fix of movies in English (or whatever your native language is).
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| 4. |
Germans are not as openly friendly as English speakers in general; it may take a while to make friends, but once you do, they are friends for life.
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| 5. |
Relax and get to know the public transportation system. You can get anywhere from here on a train or bus! Go and see the rest of Europe while you are here – you are in the center of it all.
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| Provided by Lisa S, American, in Aachen, Germany | |
| 1. |
If you’re a licensed driver and plan on driving in Germany, exchange your American driver’s license for a German license as soon as possible after you arrive. If you exchange your license within three years after your arrival it’s cost-free. If you wait longer than three years (to the day), it is required that you go to a German driving school for both lessons and testing. This can take quite a bit of time and be costly as well as frustrating, because the driving school and license test in Germany is more involved than what is given in the States.
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| 2. |
If possible begin learning the language and try to have a good grasp of it before you come. If that isn’t a possibility, enrol in a language school or your local VHS (Volkshochschule Adult Education Center) as soon as possible after you arrive. The longer you put off learning to speak the language, the harder it will be for you to integrate into German society and the more isolated you will become.
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| 3. |
As much as is possible try to keep in touch with your friends and family back home – be it via internet, phone, letters, etc., and plan to visit whenever you can. This helps to combat home-sickness, which is a definite problem for many at first, although not indefinitely.
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| 4. |
Actively contact and network with other expats! They’re a goldmine of support, friendship and advice.
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| 5. |
Don’t expect your new home to look or act anything like your old one. Keep an open mind and be prepared to experience new things. Living in a foreign country you’ll find much to discover around every corner and each day can be an adventure. The experience will change you in ways you’d never imagine.
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