As a german i can only say im very glad and honored, that you and your family are a part of germany now. You have my highest respect! I wish you and your family all the best for the future. :)
I can not stress this enough. The amount of quality work you guys put into the informative videos is really amazing. I can see a "how to move abroad and what to expect" company charging hundreds of euros for that. Ashtons health insurcance videos were not only giong to the edge. It was way over the edge that she opened up about her personal space. Thats really something that takes courage and yall added probably the best differences between healthcare videos on youtube. I dont think there is anything like that on youtube. Now you Jonathan took all the effort and explain the work and immigration sitiuation while also giving details into your personal space and open it up to the world is amazing. All the high fives yall deserve :D And the video quality is next lvl. So much effing work PS: I love that you point out the fact that it really really is a lot of work and takes a lot of time to get a perminit visa and stay here for good. Because there is too many people saying everybody can jsut get in here and stay and whatever. That is just not the reality :) PS: I think you can apply for a dual citizenship already right? US and Germany/EU PSS: I cant stress enough how many more subscribers you deserve. There is so much useless stuff on the social media. And this is not only informative for everybody, but also a very close view into a families life which takes courage.
Wow! this comment just made our morning. thank you very, very much for the kind words of support. We usually spend 2-3 days editing each video, so it is really nice to hear that you enjoy them and that they are fun to watch. And to you point - the new German coalition is hinting that they will once again allow dual citizenship. If it goes through we will totally apply! I am not sure if the US will recognize it, but it would great if everyone in our family had the option for dual citizenship (and not just Jack).
Es ist wirklich schön, jemanden zu erleben, der nach solch beschwerlichem Weg durch en deutschen Behördendschungel, sich eine positive Sicht auf uns als Gastland bewahrt hat. Hoffentlich bleibt der Black Forest Family das Glück auch weiterhin hold, so dass wir noch viele interessante Geschichten über "die Amerikaner in Freiburg" hören und sehen können.
Ach vielen Dank. Der Umzug und die Einwanderung nach Deutschland war eine Herausforderung für die Behörden, aber wie ich im Video erwähnt habe - ich hatte SEHR Glück. Meine Arbeit hat mir mit einem Anwalt geholfen. Ich kann mir nur vorstellen, wie viel stressiger es hätte sein können, wenn ich das nicht hätte.
Es ist wirklich sehr schön das du mit deiner Familie nach Deutschland gekommen bist und hier ein Stück Heimat gefunden hast! ❤️lich willkommen und ein hoffentlich schönes, erfülltes, gesundes und GLÜCKLICHES Leben in unserer Gesellschaft/Gemeinschaft!
@@TypeAshton Gut, dass ihr hier seid. Ich glaube, dass ist eine Entscheidung die Ihr nicht bereuen werdet! Herzlich Willkommen(auch wenn Ihr schon ein bischen länger hier seit)😝❤
Thanks for telling your story, Jonathan! Another interesting coincidence: I started my German adventure in Freiburg (43 years ago) with no intention of staying. I later did a post-doc in Hamburg - working with a professor from Freiburg - making polylactic acid for use in prosthetics. Small world….. I have been here my entire professional career and am now retired in Hamburg. Sometimes life leads us in different directions than we first planned. Keep up the great work! Cheers, Doc.
I'm a bit proud of you, if I can say so. A wonderful sucess story full of obstacles and problems. It shows me as a german, that I need to do more. Thanks for your story and of course the Videos! Greetings from Leipzig! If you visit my town, be sure to visit Naunhof too! Great nature!
Freiburg bike culture is amazing! Impossible not to fell in love with it! I was there for an international internship (also in Mechanical Engineering field) and enjoy it a lot, as I was already a mountain biker back in Brazil. I hope I can move back to Freiburg one day after finishing my studies! By the way, I just found a new definition of dream job hahaha Congrats, man!
Thank you! Agreed, it was hard to see the bike culture here and think of anything different. It's great living in a city where so many people appreciate it the same way.
Not bad. You choose a nice country. I left Germany 10 years ago. Living middle east now, summer every day. Bought a bike end of summer, from a local manufactur. Its a Fat Bike with motor, easy to ride even without motor support. I use the motor only as range extender. Did not ride a bike for 10 years but its like i never stoped. And, that fat huge thing makes a lot of fun!
@@TypeAshton Here is desert in wide areas. Sand is very similar to snow in most cases. Except one thing, which I really not miss, snow can convert to ice. I had too many times the luck to test how it feels as my butt hit the ground after i overlooked an icy area.
Well you’ve officially gained another subscriber, one that shares your passions. Big roadie myself, ridden in France and Italy, run a small cycling blog, my wife is from the Midwest, and we’re constantly dreaming of moving abroad, even if only for a short time. May need to scour your website some more. Really enjoyed your videos so far!
For the Blue card, you don't need a 5 years experience. It depends only on your salary, if its above certain threshold ( around 53k and changes every year ) you get it. The same requirement apply in every EU country with different salary threshold ( above 60 k in Sweden for example)
That is information combined with a personal story one doesn't encounter often on RU-vid. Great work. As an old German completely out of biking it's the quality of your video that kept me watching it. I am sure it will be valued by quite some folks as a helpful support. BTW I was quite surprised how attractive Germany or better working in Germany obviously is to skilled workers. Because I read quite the opposite in the media that Germany isn't able to attract the necessary number of these people.
Hey Black Forest Family, thanks for sharing your experience with us. For me as a german, passionate bicycle rider, living at the coast near Bremen, with friends in the states and freiburg, its very interessting and sometimes funny to see what you think for our land and where the trouble where to get over here, what you like and what not :-D Keep up your videos, love them. Liebe Grüße nach Freiburg :-) Ride On.
Great video ! If I may ask about money aspect, you probably answer in another video. How to fairly consider this factor, at the point when you decide to stay in Germany, as you would most likely earn more in the states. Thx !
Thank you for watching. The financial part is a bit tricky. We haven't talked in detail about this too much... yet. For percent salary deductions, it is for sure higher in Germany than the states. But, the quality of life is also higher and things like healthcare can be cheaper for major problems. For me, the quality of life improvement is worth the extra money every month.
Another unicorn job is working as a (European) patent attorney here in Germany (if you are an engineer, chemist, biologist, physicist, pharmacist). I know several US expats who work in this profession and do not have to speak or write a single German word on the job.
Pharmacist? I really am having a hard time believing that. As far as I know your pharmacists are more or less just sales personnel, while a German Apotheker has to study at University as hard and long as an M.D. They are pretty much doctors as well... What did I miss to think that? Please explain.
Hi there - I might be able to help clarify. A good friend of mine went to school to be a pharmacist in the US and there is a distinction in the US between a Pharmacist and a Pharmacist Technician. Traditionally they work together in tandem, but they aren't the same. There are specific schools that offer a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree - these requires at least two years of specific undergraduate college study followed by four academic years of professional pharmacy study. However, many students like my friend, entered into a pharmacy degree program after completion a 4 year bachelor's degree program. Basically he went to school for the same time as an M.D. (and rightfully has his doctorate in Pharmacy). But a Pharmacist technician is the sales person that you are referring to - the people who usually help you at the window at Walgreens. They only have 1 year of training and can help dispense medication, but legally I think a licensed PharmD degree holding pharmacist needs to also be on staff to answer questions about medication interactions, make sure that a patient's medication is in the correct dosages, etc.
I was hoping on more shots of das Schwarzwald, beautiful area. I rode my Honda Transalp, cycling is too far. P.s. in Germany it is not on cloud 9, aber auf wolke sieben. Over here, in 7th heaven. 👏🇳🇱NL.
Actually I would say that for most IT jobs speaking English is the rule. Of course some of our lunch talk is in German, but if there are people who don't speak German that well, we will switch to English immediately. But this of course is only my experience in the IT sector, things definitely are different in more traditional "German" companies (mostly mechanical engineering) and might also be different in other fields.
I do SW development in a company which is part of a really BIG Japanese company from the fortune 500 list. In theory, company language is English. All important documents, all source code comments are in English. You are expected to at least understand English even in non-technical roles. BUT nearly all of the more informal communication is in German. In theory the one guy not speaking German might force the meeting to be in English, but you do NOT want to be that guy. So everyone wanting to work in Germany should plan to at least understand German, otherwise they might run into problems even at work.
@@thiloreichelt4199 Informal communication in our company is mostly German as well (we are a small German company). But as far as I know our company neither requires German on a certain level neither does anyone mind switching to English for people who don't know German (at least not as far as I know). Edit: But of course you are right... One cannot expect that the team you will be working with in a company will switch to English just for that person. So better to at least know German on a certain level.
Fantastic history , i want move , i am EU i not need the visa , the my problem is the language , that is the my big problem. My wife is German and born in black forest, i wented there a 2 months ago , fantastic place . I will see .
I totally agree and only can emphasise again that speaking German, more or less fluently, is still a requirement in Germany. For the everyday conversation with neighbours and colleagues, sure thing, but many Germans will meanwhile at least understand a bit of English. However, it's more important for the public authorities, banks, insurances, etc., although that will be a completely different kind of German language, which even the well educated native speakers will have their difficulties to comprehend. And don't forget that Germany can be a bureaucrazy, where you may need a form to apply for getting a form. And those are in "Behörden-Deutsch", an obsolete and nowhere else used but still considered 110% correct variant of the language, introduced when Germany still was an empire. So you may want to find a friend who can translate that into *real* German, too. Not joking ;)
Every time I hear the words "Beamtendeutsch" and "Bürokratie", I have to think of Reinhard Mey: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BrcKzP4B6UE.html
I totally understand that point. We have struggled quite a lot with some of our forms to get other forms. Even Google Translate struggles with many of them. And as you said, even some of our friends struggle explaining to us what is being asked. We will keep working every day to move towards fluency.
Great information as always. The happiest people are always the ones who love their jobs. So, did I understand you correctly: you got to know Ashton here in Germany? How exactly did that happen? Happy 3rd Advent to you and your family.
Thank you very much! Ashton and I actually met in the United States while I was living in Germany. We touched on it briefly in the 'our story' video. We will do a more detailed video in the future. :)
Nice video. I am an avid cyclist and the Schwarzwald region is fantastic for cycling, there are so many possibilities. I am based not far from you and love it here. Gruss aus Basel! PS i am guessing you work for Cannondale/GT as you are in Freiburg. I own a 2020 GT Grade and it is a great bike. I think it was partly designed in Freiburg? It has opened up many new on and off road possibilities. So if you were involved in that project, great job!
The GT Grade is a very nice bike! It was designed in the USA office. Yes, the Schwarzwald region really has an unlimited number of cycling opportunities on and off road. Glad to hear you get to enjoy it as well! Have a great New Year!
I like your very well balanced video! A good intro for working in Germany. One point worth mentioning: Internships in Germany are normally paid internships. That is somewhat different to the US, as it gives you more freedom financially.
Thank you so much! I actually did not know that about internships. In the states, you are lucky to be making minimum wage with an internship. I am happy to hear Germany requires paying for the work.
i think u would enjoy north Holland for holiday :) (callantsoog) it's a nice place for bicycle and enjoy beach and long empty roads just for bicycles. check it out u will be not dissapointed. I am there every summer since im a child and riding bike was the biggest for me there... (also fishing)
Hi Jonathan seeing the video you climbed all the time up the hills, what was it Mount Everst to go to that hight hmm just wondering ever heard about Alpe d'HuZes its about cancer awareness and raising money for that cause knowing you for a well bit you your fam you might get a sponsor buy your employer just a thought love your vids and fam keep them coming
Hi there - we wrote a blog post on our website www.blackforestfamily.com where we give all of the details on how we moved our two dog from the States to Germany.
Freiburg - Nice? Every summer there are southern Europeans, for instance Italians, that go to the top of Norway by bike. I only spot them in Norway, so for all I know they may have travelled by plane to the southern Norway, and only explore Norway from and nordwärts by bike. But still that is at least 2000 km one way. There are for sure maniacs that do all the 2 x 5000 km, but they will need 2-3 months for that. (I know 2000 km is nothing in USA-scale though; like, California is the size of Sweden...)
Johnathan, your story is very inspiring. I am in the process of going for Mechanical Engineering. Would I need a master's degree and need to be a polyglot in order to get a job like yours. Thank you in advance. Respect from a subscriber of the Black Forest Family.
You mentioned, several times, in the video that you only knew "three words of German" back then. I would be really interested to know WHICH three words those were! 😁 Can you tell me, and us, these exactly three words? ... PLEASE?! ... 😁 PLEASE-PLEASE? 🤗 Many thanks in advance! 🥰 (I hope those words weren't beer, beer and Oktoberfest ... 😜🤪😆)
Are you interested in getting the german citizen ship in the long run? I think this would mean giving up the US citizenship but I could imagine would boost that "feeling at home" feeling. But I don't know if there is any other benefit.
We recently learned that the new German coalition government is interested in restarting the option for dual citizenship. If so, we are totally interested. At the moment, only Jack qualifies for dual citizenship - but he will have to choose one or the other in his early 20s.
Just saw that snazzy helmet in my recommendations and decided to click on it. 😅 I was born in Freiburg and even though only spent the first four years in that area the accent slips back in hard when I talk to people from there and I cannot stop it. Glad to hear you love it there! Now, the more important question: do you have a bike channel? 😁
Thanks for the nice comment. Freiburg is such a beautiful city, we are lucky to be here. A bike channel has crossed our minds, but for right now it's fun to include bits and piece of it in our Black Forest Family channel :).
But doctors from abroad are not accepted that easy. There will be an equivalency review because the content of studies is not the same and you need a B2 language certificate for the everyday language and regarding your professional language as a doctor it has to be C1. I have taught doctors from abroad at a language school. It is not a very easy thing to handle but when you really want it and put some effort in it, then you can do it.
I could certainly see that being the case for doctors. For us, it's not necessary for day to day but with our son Jack growing up, we now have a very strong drive to get through B2 (our goal). We are taking courses again daily :).
Great question! In the first few years, I had an expat contract (for a limited period of time). Now I currently have a German permanent contract. However, regardless of expat or permanent, the conditions of my position did not change. Although I have an American employer, I am not military. As a private company they still have to abide by all of the same work regulations as any other company operating in Germany. So my work benefits, including time off, required payments into social contributions, insurances, pensions, taxes and work conditions are the same as any other German company.
We just recently heard that the new German coalition government is considering reinitiating the opportunity for dual citizenship. Right now, Jack is the only one in our family who qualifies - but if it goes through I would definitely go for it. Ashton has to first get permanent residence (she has to wait 1 more year) and then she would apply as well.
Do you have US tax implication from dual citizenship? I understand that the US tax authorities will tax you even though you are no longer resident in USA (unique as far as I know)?
Without diving in too deep here, essentially most Americans will have to file taxes but are unlikely actually owe taxes in the US if living/working abroad due to the Foreign Earned Income Tax Exclusion
I live in Bavaria, I work in IT so my business language is English , but, even so, for my social life I speak German, my wife is German so it's not so hard. If you can't speak German you are cutting yourself off from so many things. After Brexit I got my permanent residence status - I got an appointment through the post. The meeting took about 30 mins and a few weeks later my card arrived. The only thing I can add to your great video, which perhaps I missed ? - Driving Licence - you need to sort that out too. Germany is a great place to live, much better than Brexit UK . I hope you continue to enjoy and good luck to you and your family. Viel Glück und bleibt gesund aus Bayern👍👍
Ah yeah this would be a GREAT video because if you are coming from the US - getting a driver's license in Germany is incredibly complicated. Germany has rules on a case-by-case basis for each of the 50 US states. For example, if you come from one state like Illinois, you can just switch over your driver's license without any issue (you just need to show proof of a clean driving record)... but have a driver's license from another state, you may need to completely re-take driver's education classes and tests in Germany! What was it like for you coming from the UK?
@@TypeAshton ...well, not speaking for Rod here, but coming from the UK he of course had to learn to start driving on the RIGHT(in BOTH meanings of the word!) side of the street in the first place.... 😉😁😁🤣
@@TypeAshton The UK is/was part of the EU driving licence scheme so it was easy. We could use our licence until it expired and then renew it in Germany instead of the UK. Brexit forced brits to do that renewal early. I escaped it because my driving licence was renewed in Norway so still good :)
It was nice of our fellow countrymen to take away our right of free movement. But at least we get to keep permanent residency here which is enough for me. I didn't plan to move again. Shame about future generations that will lose the easy opportunity though.
I moved to Munich from the UK in 2019 and so just before Brexit, which meant my wife and I could transfer our UK driving licenses to the German one. which was technically needed after 6m of residence in Germany at the time anyway - the UK license has postal/home address and we cannot use that in Germany. Of course it makes it harder when we visit the UK now, as we cannot simply get insured on a friend/family car there. If we ever move back, we can submit our German licenses to the DVLA and have them swapped back.
Listened to your story with interest. My son has been living in Germany (Munich) for the past few years. From Yukon,Canada, he ended up there through meeting a German gal while travelling.He's a civil engineer and all his experience has been building roads/bridges, and managing projects in remote northern Canada. Now he's involved in building European tunnels. I'm amazed at him learning to speak German at 27. He speaks it in his work. Darn covid means we won't get over there for a bit, but hoping for next year. Meanwhile I enjoy your channel as it gives me a glimpse into where he is living.
That's awesome! What a cool job he has! I hope you can make it over to visit next year. I know that when my mom came over to Germany it was eye opening for her to see where I live.
Hey Sir :) I believe he will be in good hands and I hope you can see him as soon as possible and check that by yourself :D Best regards from Bavaria, Germany
Civil engineering is a very important job. I know of one who live in Vancouver and seen a increase in his income to where I dont think his wife works full time.
I needed to take a moment to thank you both me and my fiancé here as an interracial couple for talking so respectfully and warmly about your friendships with the people you made friends with overseas Jonathan 🙏✌️ it’s very refreshing to hear nice and kind words about the Asian community
I really loved my time in Taiwan and think back about it with very happy memories. I meant it when I talked about how happy they are. Such positive and friendly people. They welcomed me immediately and today I am still friends with many of them.
So this was fascinating. I grew up in the US and somehow got the F1 bug at an early age. We're talking late 1960s. So, weirdly I gained a massive appreciation for mechanical engineering. A that point in time it was slide rules and gut instincts about what would make a better engineering solution. Forward to the 1980s and I found bicycle racing with the US emerging out of the shadows with LeMond and all. So, yeah I rode when the shorts were still wool. Why am I telling you all this? Because I'm fascinated how our world is so small sometimes. I found your channel through your wife's excellent videos (sorry) as my wife's family is Dutch, and I'm heavily researching retiring to NL for us. While many of your points are appropriately German based, there's a general overlap to becoming a permanent resident of NL. Lastly we live in Norwalk CT, directly behind a certain 'northeast US bicycle company.' Keep the videos coming, your channel is fantastic.
Wow I thought I loved cycling before I met you 😂. One route around Germany I would definitely recommend doing if haven’t already, is the 230+ km route around Lake Constance or the “Bodensee”. it’s rather flat, so perfect for road cycling and the views are spectacular while you ride along the shore, passing through Austria and Switzerland as well. 11/10 would recommend 😂
That's a great idea! I have ridden there from Freiburg several times but haven't done the loop around the lake. We might have to go and do that next summer. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'm originally from the Jersey Shore. I arrived in the Bavaria back in the summer of 93' thru the US Army. I was stationed in Nuremberg from 93' till late 95' before moving up to Schweinfurt. I spent a year there and then ETS out of the Army in January 97'. I married a German Frau and raised 3 kids who are now 25, 21 and 18 in Mittelfranken. I got lucky while I watched so many of my peers x-Gi's who tried but went back home to the States. Most of the Americans who you do see living in Germany are former soldiers like myself. By you, you have the Black Forest to test your bikes out, by me is the Fränkische Schweiz. Wishing you and your family all the luck. Schöne Grüße aus Mittelfranken.
Johnathan, to answer your question if it was difficult transitioning from the Military lifestyle to the German one, for me , yes. I was stationed in the Nürnberg Military Community from 1986 - 1993, U.S. Army. When I was enlisted, I had the support of the Army . I benefited luxuries such as cheap gas, a lot of tax free purchases (such like when you bought your kitchen,minus the tax), cheap car insurance ( the military had a similiar system like the states), no GEZ and cheaper items at the PX (post exchange). In general, it was like living in Germany with the conviences of America. After exiting the Army, I faced the bureaucracy of the German Government and all of the new challenges that cames with it. I was partly lucky, because back then it wasn't as stricht as it is today. Like Mike mentioned, many of my fellow soldiers didn't make the challenge. One thing that helped me out was that I was already married to a German woman before exiting the Army. So total, I've lived in Germany since I arrived here with the Army in 1986. MfG, Don
This is such a wonderful video! In fact, it's actually half vlog, half documentary. The content and information you put in feels just right and you also manage portray yourself very well. Overall, I love it! However, I could've done without the non-vegetarian friendly bit though ;-) But you cannot have everything, I guess!
Thank you so much! We are so happy you enjoyed the video. This was my first time going "solo" and Ashton had a lot of fun shooting and editing it. Going through all of the old pictures was a fun trip down memory lane.
You forgot somehow to mention. Internship USA= no compensation. Internship Germany=obliged by law you get compensated. Not necessarily a lot, but you don't work for free here.
Hi there! Ashton here - I would say that in my experience only "some" internships in the US do not have compensation and it is heavily slated to specific industries in specific regions. I worked as a full-time instructor at a University in the US for 4 years in the architecture sector. In our program all students were required to complete an internship in order to get their Bachelor's degree. All internships were required to be paid by law.
@@TypeAshton Thanks for the insight. I appreciate that. :-) I was just parroting the vast majority of people online that experienced something else than you. It is not a coincidence, that there are countless videos about that, I guess. There must be some grain of truth in it..?
I did a quick google search (which I know isn't exactly 'scholarly') but one report noted that 40% are unpaid. From what I recall talking to friends, I think this is more common in fields like law/government or media. But I know a lot of Universities are trying to combat this by partnering with companies who pay interns a fair wage for their work.
Great video! As a german i think everyone how wants to live and work in germany should speak german, not perfect and not from the beginning but please think the other way round, if a german comes to the us or any other country and want a job only speaking german all day long .. this would be kind of inconsiderate in my opinion.
Nice story. I am glad that you found your way to Germany and that you feel at home. Thank you for bringing up the issue with the lack of nurses. Should a nurse from abroad be reading along here: Please come to Germany. The hospitals are desperately looking for good and motivated nurses. Some of the major university hospitals offer accommodations and language courses during working hours. Be brave, take heart.
Bilden die Kliniken denn auch aus - zu Bedingungen, von denen ein erwachsener Berufswechsler leben kann? Dann würden vielleicht auch mehr Deutsche in diesen Beruf wechseln. Ich könnte mir das vorstellen. Aber von ein paar hundert Euro Ausbildungsgehalt kann ja keiner über Monate und Jahre leben, der bedingt durch Alter und vorhandene Berufsausbildung längst jenseits aller Ausbildungsförderung ist und seit 20 Jahren einen eigenen Hausstand hat - also nicht unbedingt in ein Wohnheim ziehen mag.
I'm a registered nurse in the United States. I only speak English and Spanish but absolutely no German. My husband works for a German pharmaceutical company as a pharmacologist. I think it would be difficult to migrate without this language experience because I will have to interact with patients.
I was a corporate recruiter for big software companies and the advice on the international transfer is dead on. It is much easier to get someone a work visa if they had worked for the company overseas. I brought a lot of people into the US for work (on an L-1 visa) and sent several to Germany, Canada, UK with similar visas. Usually you need a degree (or equivalent work experience) and at least 1 year with the company in a "special knowledge" or leadership role. Do well at your job, have language/cultural skills and let management know (without being pushy) that you'd like to pursue an international opportunity.
"I was a young guy, i was there by myself, i could do whatever i wanted. So it was a great opportunity for me to.... meet... new people...." I get you bro, i get you.
Wow, my favorite sport. I will participate in the Las Vegas Etape Tour de France this year. Can t wait to visit France for a stage of TDF again, it has been almost 20 years since Dunkirk. I am very happy for you both. Freiburg is probably one of the best places in Germany or even Europe to live.
So cool, both your actual job and how it takes you places and that you and your family go for it! I’m lucky like that, too, although now it’s almost only in Germany. But I want that- I don’t like being more than a (loooong) car ride away from home. My first job abroad was in Theater Freiburg. I was hoping to be in Freiburg in January, but the big C has caused the Messe to be cancelled, unfortunately.
Awe the pandemic has affected so many with our work. Typically I go to Asia 4-6 times a year, the Netherlands 1-2 times, Spain/Italy 1-2 times and South Africa for work, but for the past 2 years I haven't traveled at all. It definitely is a very weird time.
Jonathan - I've watched a number of excellent Black Forest Family videos, and the RU-vid God (aka the Algorithm) threw this one at me which I watched with great interest as I've considered moving to Europe for quite a few years now, especially in the last 10 years where I have traveled about Europe for 6-8 weeks every year. I also have a couple things in common with you graduating with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and then finding out that I didn't learn anything and having to learn engineering in the Real World while working at a job. Then I quit that and started doing GIS (the IT application of mapping). Just about everybody I know, or know about, that moved to Europe from the US did so by working for a US company that had offices there, as you did, but unfortunately there's almost no international GIS companies and most of the jobs are in Government. So, I wonder if you have any sort of feel for trying to get a job in Germany without any "ins" via a company? Yeah, I hear over and over how desparate Europe is for IT professionals, but you also hear a lot about the so-called "worker shortage" in the US - which i can assure you is complete BS as it only applies to unskilled labor. I do have a couple of things going for me though - I learned German from my parents and can still speak pretty well, few real Germans that I strike up a conversation with don't realize I'm a foreigner unless it strays into more technical or business terms, and for half of these it seems Germans use the English word anyways. Do you work on a "Computer", or do you work on a "Rechner"? :-) Despite living my whole life in the US, culturally I seem to much more German than American. Of course, I have a big thing going against me - I'm OLD but don't want to stop working until either my mind or my body kicks the bucket. In the US, age bars you from almost all jobs regardless of how skilled you are in your profession despite the so-called laws against discrimination (which don't apply to gray people) unless you want to be a Walmart greeter. I don't have a feel for whether this is also the case in Germany. What do you think? One other unrelated question: just a few kilometers west of Freiburg in Alsace many of the French speak German. Do you also find many Germans in Freiburg that speak French? I really like the French language, unfortunately I didn't learn that as a kid so it is a struggle as I'm sure you know...
I am mostly German by heritage. Been there as many as 5X. Last time for as much as 3 months, starting from Stralsund to Austria to the Bodensee. The one thing always told to me was if you want to work here bring a job with you. I've been a carpenter, Electronics Tech, Broadcast Engineer (TV), oilfield tech for fracking and Semi truck driver. Now I would like to retire there.
I've lived in the US from 1977-1980. My idea on improving the language skills is to talk only German at home, maybe only a few days during the week for starters. When we were in the US, neither my Mom nor my brother knew any English. They both went to night school, English as a second language. In order to improve their skills, my sister, me, and my Dad spoke English at home. My Dad improved at speaking, too since his job in the IT-industry required mostly writing and speaking revolved around technical IT stuff. My sister and I went to school, having had English classes in school in Germany. Enjoy your life here in Germany, having successfully struggling through the ill-famed German bureaucracy. You did it!
That's a very good suggestion. We have often avoided this because we have been worried we will continue to teach each other incorrect grammar/pronunciations/syntax. However it's becoming quite clear that isn't very important at the moment and we just need to practice speaking.
@@TypeAshton Ask Germans to pronunce a particular term (for example `Niederl.......`) then go home, stop saying ´I love you` all the time, look into her beautiful blue eyes and say `Niederlassungserlaubnis` instead.
@@TypeAshton I think you are correct. If you can formulate sentences (and even start thinking) in German then the groundwork has been done. Everthing else will get honed by interaction with Germans and watching tv and reading newspaper(s). Once you have conquered the first step you can fully concentrate on the fine points. Nobody will give you a strange look if you make mistakes in grammar or pronunciation. My boss always said: make your errors faster! I think you are on a good way.
Can't thank you guys enough for these videos, I got a job offer in Germany and I've been very hesitant about taking it since I already own a house and what not. However, based on your videos I now have clear expectations and it won't be easy, but it would be for the best! So glad I ran into you.
It's so cool that you guys are here. I am not far away on the schwänische Alb (that is much colder than the Breisgau-area) and baden-Württemberg is a great place to be. You can get to france, switzerland, austria, even italy within a day. Where you guys are it's just a little hop to france or switzerland, you can even do it with a bike ^^ I think or hope that the US and Germany can re-discover their ties (that were broken by WW2) and build a positive relationship like Ireland does with the US, especially with more cultural exchange.
Thank you! We really love our location. We are less than an hour to Colmar, FR and Basel, CH - having even greater international exposure is quite literally just outside of our doorstep. And thank you again for watching and supporting us. We are happy to share our experiences as Americans abroad and hope that both Germans and Americans alike can see that we have so much good to share between each other.
Taiwan? I live in Taiwan and visiting Germany every summer. When Ashton said Bloomberg, the way she pronouced it really gets my heart. We're all right about one thing that Germany is better and I discovered that 20 years ago.
if you love beautiful. countryside and a challenge on your bike, jYou really had to bike in Norway. MatthewNorway has a channel on youtube and created a webside for biking in Norway. It's biking on a next level. Do you know the biking lift in Trondheim?
You and my son are carbon copies. Masters in ME from Oklahoma(thesis on composites), on team that design bin Laden stealth helicopter at Bell and then dream job at Trek. Until this month, he was Director of Engineering. Just left for another dream job at Nike. Had a post-graduate internship at Adidas in Herzogenaurach.
I've been living in Germany for 8 years and I didn't know about the Niederlassungserlaubnis, I don't even know if I have to apply for one or if I get one automatically after a while. But to be honest it's not on my list of priorities right now
I said it many times but I love the videos and you guys are really easy to like. I guess you really upgraded your life. Better, cleaner and safer environment and as an engineer you will NEVER lose your job!
While on the indoor trainer doing a long Z2 session your wife’s video on comparing salaries popped up on my feed. So I flicked through the video and then watched the video on driving which showed you, I was like her husband looks like a cyclist > that skinny lean look. Thought nothing more, I then watched the video on child care, your wife was talking in a hallway and I notice a foot pump under the stairs, looking at it, it had a wooden handle, looked like a silca, so I said to myself ah he defo a cyclist. Then I watched this video……sure enough! Great videos 👍👍👍 Ride on!
Hey Jon. I have just watched a few of your videos. Small world but my wife and I live in KC (Brookside). I am from there and she is from Deutschland. Coincidentally her parents live in Bad Krozingen outside Freiburg. Maybe we could grab a bier or for for a ride. We are thinking of moving over here in a few years with our newborn ... so I figured I'd reach out to a fellow Kansas City guy. Prost!
Wow! What a small world. Really cool that you guys have such similar connections to both KC and the Freiburg area. I'd be up for grabbing a beer the next time we are in town. And if you guys make it over this way, let me know.
A very easy way to get work permit and residency in any of the 27 European Union countries is via a passport of any European Union country. If one of your parents or grandparents were Irish for example you may be entitled to same passport. So armed with Irish passport you are then entitled to travel work in ANY of the 27 European Union countries. I'm Irish. I can move and get a job in any country of the European Union. It is one of the 4 freedoms . Free movement of travel capital trade and I forgot the last one.
I am glad that you addressed the need to learn German. I have lived in Germany for three and a half years, and I have stressed in some of my videos the necessity to learn German. I have seen so many videos where expats living here mention that you do not need to learn the language to live here. For those wanting to live in Germany for an extended period of time, learning German is a necessity. I use the Göethe Institut for language training and really like it. I need to include a one-on-one coach, so I am currently looking for a tutor. Thank you for the tutor suggestion. I will try it out.
Totally agree. Speaking German will be such a huge part of Jack's life and we want to be able to speak German for him. Plus, we really enjoy the Lingoda classes. We are 2 weeks in to our 60 classes in 60 day challenge have enjoyed the flexibility and class structure.
WUTTTT? YOU designed this dissolvable screw? Just recently I saw a video in which they were mentioned and thought: WOW, what a great idea! And now it turns out YOU invented it? I can only hope you hold the patent for it! 🤑
Thanks! It was a super cool project that I was able to work on. No, I don't have the patent to the idea. The materials used in this project my spearheaded by my professor, I worked as part of a team. My specific job was to optimize the shape to show it was strong enough with the materials we were creating.
@@TypeAshton interesting. I did look for having a toe surgery with a dissolvable screw (Magnezix® CS Screw) but yours is made from plastic. Is it stronger than magnesia? how long does it take for it to dissolve?
jonathan is one of those rare people who has a happy face. Whenever I look at his face I get in a good mood. My father has such a face and having people like that around me is very valuable.
Very informative content, thank you so much for sharing! It's great to learn about the immigration rules and regulations of one's own country. Tell Jack all about your hassles you went through when he grows up, he won't experience them himself.
Thank you for watching! I think in the future we may need to make even more detailed videos about what the process is like at the Ausländerbehörde. It can be overwhelming and stressful because you are worried about missing an important document or not meeting a deadline - especially when you are new and not as familiar with the language. We are thankful that we have been pretty lucky and have moved through the process with relative ease- but it isn't that way for everyone.
If one can make his living with what he really loves to do he is truely blessed. But - who would want to work for an American employer in Germany, unless the work conditions are German, with all the advantages your wife is so keen of. Do American employees work here under German or American conditions for an American company that are not the US-forces?
Hi there! Thank you so much for the great comment. We totally agree, we feel very lucky to get to do what we do and live where we live. So, legally even though I work for an American employer, because they are not a government entity they still have to abide by the same German work regulations, including work benefits, healthcare, social contributions and time off. My work conditions are the same as my German colleagues in our office .
