Living in Germany - Top 5 Reasons I Moved to Germany (& Why You Should Too) 

Michael Ludwig let’s not take it for granted. That is one of the main realizations for me, having lived abroad for a long time.

i lived 5 years in peru and then you see why germany is the better place to live every second... but dont understand me wrong... peru is a beautiful country with beautiful people (my wife is peruvian and my daughter is born in lima), but i can go every time back to germany and they have to stay there and that makes you safe and you dont have to pray every day, that nothing bad will happen with you and your family, because you can lose every day everything there, you only have to get ill or lose your job and then that it was for your future...

Wow, thank you! Stay healthy!

I second that! Welcome to our wonerful country, even if you have been living here for some time already.

heartly welcome to Germany i wish you and your born or unborn children all the best

Agreed. Don't know her, but in just a few minutes I have the very best first impression I can have of a nice person, haha. Intellectual, caring, positive vibes. ^^

I wish I could be back in Germany. Ich wäre gern zurück in Deutschland 😭

Hello, Liam. I have never actually worked in the UK and know very little about workers' rights there. Could you explain a bit what you mean?

Nervous, I will be moving from Indiana as well.

I want to visit Germany

I am interested to see how raising a family in Germany will differ from my own childhood in the US. During our summer breaks in Wisconsin, I was either sent off to summer camp or my siblings and I had a babysitter for the summer. I'm not sure what the childcare options are for Germany. I also think it is interesting that there is a German law that you can't just pull your kids out of school for vacation. You HAVE to take vacation during the allocated school holidays. During my childhood, you just had to let your teachers know you would be gone and they would give you the work to be completed while you were away.

@@taylorhafemeister8794 Át first: I can´t compare the "being raised experience" between the US and Germany because I never lived in the US. But I can answer your questions. I´m sure there is such a law you mentioned, but if a perent askes for a trip(lets say to the US because of a wedding) you can take your children with you even when it is not vacation time. Not for vacation, but for family stuff like weddings or funerals (in another country.) Or you can excuse your kid from school with the reason "family stuff". Thats enough for most schools. The majority of kids in germany that go to 5th grade or higher are considert to be okay, if you let them home alone while you work. A lot of times the grandparents take care,or they are in the homes of friends which parents aren´t working right now. Babysitters aren´t a big thing in germany. I bet there are diffrent experiences, but that was accurate for my childhood.* Born ´90

@@michaelmeier270 born in 78, it was no different. So i would say, what you said is accurate for many of us germans. Never had a babysitter. Like you said, grand parents, other relatives, friends... and from a certain age on (in my case it was 11) you are supposed to get along with most stuff by yourself.

I'll be making a video soon on how I moved to Germany, so maybe that will give you some insight into the immigration process!

@@taylorintransit3421 Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Karl Weiß :)

karl white - US-Americans and Canadians are always be welcome here in Germany.

OFFICIAL ESC unless their name is Donald Trump.... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Let me know if you have any questions! Would love to help!

YOu are very welcome!

Thank you for your kind words! Stay healthy!

wolf B welcome home 😁

Hello! There are so many smaller things that I have fallen in love with about Germany, but I'm pretty sure people aren't going to click on an hour long video (: What are some points you think I missed that convinced you to move back? I think a lot of Germans dream of moving to California.

@@taylorintransit3421 I was one of them and out of 16y in the USA 14y were spent in CA, Southern CA (Encinitas, North County San Diego) as well as Northern CA (Palo Alto, bay area). One thing most Americans will claim, is that taxes are so much lower in the USA, and quite frankly, I thought that too .... initially, even though, not for very long. It's all a matter of definition, isn't it? In my book, what really matters is my quality of life and the bottom line, not merely what one calls tax. The real question is what is that bottom line. To explain where I am coming from ... we never owned anything, even though we both worked for Fortune 500 companies and made very good money. The reason was simple, first of all, the prices for a decent home in these areas we lived and worked in, were extremely high and we had seen the market rise and fall dramatically before and after the 2008 crisis with people sitting on property that was worth half the money they had paid for. So we weren't really sure what we would do and if we would stay. And secondly the annual real estate tax for a decent home ranged from 3.000 to 10.000 (and even all the way up to 20.000 for really nice homes) in these areas - per year. How is that not a tax? We always chose very nice areas and always rented (paying a LOT), and the cost of living was extremely high which meant that all the money you made was gone faster than you made it, even though we always lived a very modest life. Then there is infrastructure, or better the lack thereof. I am sure Americans understand the concept of "You get what you pay for". Well, we didn't. Given the high cost of living, we did not get a whole lot in return - at least not from a European perspective. Simply comparing "taxes" simply doesn't cut it. Then there is the cultural offers ... or, again, the lack thereof (at least compared to European levels) - I guess we do not need to go into that one. Then there is the cost for a university education. A CA college costs $15.000 annually - on average!. Now how about you have 2 or 3 kids and want to send them to college, or even worse, a decent university (not even talking about the better ones). If that is not tax, I don't know. You can call it what you want, in my book that is simply TAX, and much of it simply qualifies for THEFT. We had a neighbour in Palo Alto that we befriended because she had an interest in Europeans (her parents had come from Italy when she was a toddler) and she rented a very small apartment around the corner. She lead a very simple life, working as a waitress in an Italian restaurant down the street and she didn't need a car to get to work. Now, when she was 63 years she had an accident. She fell and hit her head, dripping over one of those stupid sidewalk concrete slabs that were lifted from the roots of a tree. She was hauled to the hospital and they diagnosed a serious concussion and kept her in the hospital for 6 days. I only saw her weeks after it had happened, and asked her how she was doing when she told me the whole story. She was okay, except for the hospital bill they had sent her - $143.000! You heard right! Given she didn't have health insurance (that was before Obamacare), since she had a heart condition which they wouldn't insure anyways and in the first place. But more importantly she simply could not afford it. Now you can argue that this was her own fault, fair enough. But how come 50% of all personal insolvencies in the USA happen exactly because of such expenses, insured or not?! Now I call that TAX or simply THEFT on a massive scale. My own mother in law has had COPD for many years (meanwhile stage 4) and the cost for the medication she needed on a monthly basis will make you cry. Needless to say, we took her with us to Europe. I could go on and on ... food and water quality for example, again, not a tax, but something you have to deal with as part of the bottom line. And it is the bottom line that matters, and not what you call tax alone! I don't care what someone calls it, but in Germany I know my taxes, and I also know what I get in return, and I am certainly not being taken for the cleaners for the most basic things and rights and conveniences. That said, no place is perfect - but knowing the difference and having the experience, I prefer and chose Germany over the USA any day, every single time. Would I like to pay less taxes? You bet .. but then again "You get what you pay for", at least in Germany!

@@taylorintransit3421 You have no idea. I'd love to get an in-detail outsiders view of my Country. So yeah, keep'em coming. :)

@@BlissLovePeace As a german who is really interested in CA and the US for a long time, this one really opened my eyes on the situation there.. Going there for a vacation? Sure why not. But living there? I think I never will do..

Thank you! (:

@Alexander Ocazio-Cortes I can only ask: What do you mean by that?

@Alexander Ocazio-Cortes Oh really? Hm, I do live in this beautiful country btw. and I totally disagree with everything you pointed out. But its okay, I respect your opinion.

@Alexander Ocazio-Cortes Why should I criticize the system of democracy in such a harsh way? I am a member of a party already and I know I have my influence by bringing up polls and voting. I put my efforts in this system and I like the way how I can sometimes change things to my favor. Thats how it works in my little world. I feel fine.

@Alexander Ocazio-Cortes Yeah if this abyss... I don´t know what is bad?

Glad you like them! (:

Do you regtet to have moved ?

What you said is a complete lie.

Thank you for watching and subscribing! (: If there is anything you particularly want to see, feel free to make suggestions!

Thanks for your comment (:

If I may slightly correct here: For a five-day week it's 20 days legal minimum (24 days are set by law for a 6-day week); commonly you have 25-30 days.

@@hoff5109, thank you :)

Strange, that Munich turned out to be cheaper. It is the most expensive city in Germany.

Florida has a very large retirement community. My grandparents spend a large portion of the winter in Florida because of the weather. I'm glad you are happy with your decision to back to Germany even if the winter can get a bit gloomy.

Thank you for the support! I appreciate it (:

Hello! Thank you for watching my video. (: I hope you can convince him to move across the Atlantic. I found the process much easier to immigrate to Germany than it would have been for my partner to immigrate to the US. The current US administration is also trying to make it more and more difficult for internationals to move there.

@@taylorintransit3421 Right now there is 0 immigration allowed. Let's see what will happen in future. First of all they must allow international flights again ;)

Woops, thanks for the correction! Yeah, I know, I need to buy a ring light or something, because right now I am dependent on the light from this window.

Hello, Jens! Thanks for the comment. I am glad that your friend is also enjoying life in Germany! I was actually planning on buying a road bike and getting into cycling, which is perfect in the north because everything is so flat! Unfortunately, because of Covid 19, the supply chains have been disrupted and the bike I wanted to buy is not in stock. So I am just waiting until they produce more. :/ Thank you for the recommendation (:

I 100% agree!

As a German who visits the US at least twice a year (not in 2020 of course) I fully agree with the comment. I have many freinds in the US, but I also wouldn't want to live or even raise children there.

Hello! Thank you for your kind words! I try to emphasize that many of my opinions are based on my own experiences. Everyone has their own lived experience, and I am sure they see things differently than I do. However, I know many US Americans feel the same as I do. (:

@@taylorintransit3421 Your last line is a positive for the future if you can gain the majority in the country. I'm guessing they're all sane enough not to inject disinfectant. ;) However, I've really had to bite my tongue not to just say the US is a basket-case that's too far gone!

every country needs more people like her ....

Thank you! (:

Never looked at it that way but it's true. In the US pro-gun people say it's their right to have be able to defend themselves from others. In Germany we wouldn't assume people would be out to hurt us in the first place.

Taking a short walk in the fresh air is always a great way to clear the mind! (:

I used public transit for four years while in Dallas, TX, of all places, but not only did it not precisely help my social life, I had such interesting episodes such as a police car stopping next to me asking whether everything was ok and I just replied "Sure, I'm just walking to the light rail station over there". Guess I must have been the first pedestrian they've seen in a while :P

Antananarivo ist die Hauptstadt von........ genau!

@@wolfgangfalck1250 Madagaskar, easy.

@@semir9112 Der Tatortreiniger hat es mir verraten 😃

@ukkr its like Bielefeld, a myth??

That's the hope :D

Germany very much is in the past when it comes to things such as using cash for most payments, fax machines, slow internet, poor cell signal, homes that lack ventilation, excessive paperwork, headshots on your c/v. Racism seems to be a world wide problem so i'm not going to nock it there. overall Canada would be better to live.

Some of these things you mention are by choice, not by lacking behind. Germans value privacy incredibly highly so many people don't like leaving a track record of every purchase they make. Plus it gives them a closer sense of what they are spending. That's why using cash is still the preferred method by many people and it's not going to change anytime soon as the demand isn't there. Most germans also don't like air conditioning, because they feel like a) it's not really necessary due to the weather conditions and b) because the constant flux between hot and cold actually is pretty unhealthy for the body and people get sick often due to it. People who need air conditioning to live are viewed as kind of weird and unnatural to be honest.

Hello, David. I definitely have a few moments where I wonder why Germany hasn't embraced some of the things other countries have and have embraced others. I think that every countries has its flaws (the US has many, which I pointed out in this video) but it would be lying to say that Germany doesn't either. I don't think any country is perfect. I think @renzuki makes a valid argument about why Germans prefer cash payments over card payments (although I have seen a shift slowly happening I feel since I have moved here). There are other ways that Germans are much farther ahead of the curve such as with renewable energy. I would say Germany has an odd blend of traditional and progressive ideals. (:

I think that you explain well why Germans have not embraced electronic payments as other countries such have Sweden have done so. Germans seem to much more focused on the issue of privacy (including data protection) than people I have met in other countries. As for air conditioning, I have mixed feelings. I know that in many places in Germany the days in which it would be worth it to have air conditioning are few and far between (maybe a week or two during the summer), but I have noticed that the summers are getting progressively warmer. There are definitely many health benefits for having access to air conditioning in places where the heat is unbearable - such as a lower occurance of heat stroke. People are also able to sleep better under cooler conditions. - However, air conditioning can be dangerous if not properly used and cleaned. AC is also not great for the environment, so it really shouldn't be used unless needed.

​@@soundtraveler9555 Homes that lack ventilation is not done because of different climate and environmental reasons / saving energy. Slow internet is a reality for more rural areas. Usage of cash has dropped significantly during Covid-19-crisis. People just seem to value data privacy which can easily be achieved by paying cash.

My original motives for moving to Germany weren't so much thinking about my future, but definitely moving the second time. Thank you for watching (:

Where were you living that this was possible! You are definitely in the minority if you lost weight after moving to the US. Everytime I go back to visit family, I eat all of the food that I can't get when I am in Germany and come back a few pounds heavier :D

@@taylorintransit3421 I worked in Durham, NC. Long way to the next bus stop from home. And a long way from work to the next bus stop. So the fact that the US is build for driving by car worked to my advantage. I simply walked a lot ;)

It's not just fast food, it's also portion sizes and composition. When I lived in the US, I worked in the lab of a Taiwanese principal investigator. He liked to say that his mom could cook a whole week with the meat in one portion of chinese take-out in the US. And while I, despite being German, stuck to the Asian stuff in the university cantina, the portions were so huge that over time, I still gained a substantial amount of weight and worst of all, got used to big portions, a habit that I've not fully managed to shed since - and consequently, neither could I shed the weight, despite being back in Europe for well over a decade now.

Hi Michael, if you have a USA passport you can stay in Germany up to 90 days without a visa. If you consider to move (completely independent of the Covid-19 situation at the moment which changes things so fast) just check the many German internet sites about this topic or contact a German embassy in the USA. www.germany-visa.org/immigration-residence-permit/moving-germany-from-us/ This is a good basic site to start with. I don't know how old you are - a very good idea before you even start with your research would be to try to learn the first few hundred vocables of the German language. If you want to move to foreign country with another language you should be willing to learn it. Perhaps an exciting perspective to your question came from a former USA president - J.F. Kennedy "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." Born in the USA you have inherited the right to live in the USA. Many people all over the world envy you for that! When you think about an alternative perhaps it is a good question "ask not what another country can do for you - ask what you can do for this country." Stay safe!

Thank you for watching! (:

Thank you! 😃

That's a really interesting perspective! I am so grateful that Germany has become a more tolerant and progressive society!

Yes, I think your country should change it's political system. More politcal parties mean more balance between the parties and would change this black and white thinking. Isn't it sad that even families are enemies because of policy?

No, 20 days of vacation is minimum from the EU and also in Germany.

When you work full time your minimum vacation days are 2 per month -> min. 24 a year

Thanks for the comment! I guess I am lucky that I started with 28! I would have probably taken less. I was pretty desperate for a job after getting my degree (;

As Pitch Black points out, legal minimum is 20 days, but: if you work six days a week, i.e. Saturdays, too, as you might when working in a store, it's 25. That being said, collective bargaining agreements usually make for 30 days being pretty much the standard number of vacation days - but that's collective bargaining and small variations exist from industry to industry and of course especially in fields where collective bargaining isn't the norm.

Hello! Thank you for watching my video. The irony is that there are many many Americans that feel the same way that I do, but they are overshadowed by the very loud right-wing community. I completely agree with your assessment of why Germany has adopted many of these social policies. I would be interested in learning more about why US Americans are much more focused on individualism.

@@taylorintransit3421 I dont know but as a german it seems to me when americans talk about freedom and individualism they mostly use them as buzz words that have to validify whatever they want at that spedific time. Everyone knows the us is about freedom, so being against what I want is against freedom, is against america! that kind of stuff. politicial debate in the us, in my eyes, occurs mostly around the very surface of things. not saying we have great public debates all the time, by no means, but atleast the substance still maters at least a bit. Often when I'm listening to US media its horrorfying to me to what degree media on all political sides is biased. it's always doom and gloom and you are either for them or a total idiot and traitor. And the same thing occurs in private political debate, at least as far as i can tell. there is no middle ground whatsoever, you are either on their side or an enemy. In my mind when finding a middle ground isnt encouraged or needed or even welcome it's clear that progress has a very hard time of happening. when both sides of an argument are just mentally unable to move nothing is capable of changing. you can even say its the same as in politics with a 2 party system: you either get everything or nothing, there is no need for discussion. Since in europe most countries have multiple parties, the need for conversation and compromise is much bigger. But ofc that doesnt answer a bit why it is the way it is. just some obersavtions on my part.

Sorry, but you forgot we have much more. Add the payed public holidays to the number. So it's 10-12 more.

True! I am very grateful to have so many days off!

It is only the standard in some jobs. In others it is exactly the legal minimum. Things have gone far downhill since the 90s.

Hello, Bruno. You make a good point! I will probably make a video in the future specifically about my experiences working in Germany. I remember being relieved once I was out of my Probezeit at my current job. I'll have to do more research on what benefits you exactly are afforded when you are fired from a job.

Hello, fellow Wisconsinite (: I am actually really jealous of people living in the south that are so easily able to go hiking. The closest hiking we have here is the Harz, which is about a four hour drive and isn't comparable to the Alps. My partner and I wanted to buy road bikes this spring and start cycling, but unfortunately the bikes we wanted are out of stock because of supply-chain disruption.

Taylor in Transit , Thank you for replying.Yes it is really nice to go hiking here, we are actually live very close to the Black Forest and since the Covid19 there is not much place to go but hike, lol ! .But I think even though living in the flat area ,I am very sure that there are a lot place to walk or hike right ? Germany is really good having hiking Trail and walking trail between villages and Town..You and your Partner could come to the South and join us for Hiking sometime when the covids19 slow down.BTW are you Packers Fan.?My husband miss going to the Games,but he can still watch it in Germany on TV..

Your English is great! Thank you for your comment. I know there was a similar fee people in the US had to pay if they didn't have health insurance when the ACA was put into place, but I think this may have been revoked since the new administration came into office.

Welcome to my hometown then 👍

Hello! Thank you for watching my videos! What exactly do you mean by renting? Renting an apartment or home? If so, I think it can be pretty difficult if you aren't physically present in the city you are looking to move to. Especially in big cities like Frankfurt, finding an apartment can be a competitive process. There are a few sources that are good for looking for apartments - I use an app called ImmoScout24 but if you google "Immobilien in Frankfurt am Main" you should be able to find some other websites. I would probably suggest moving to Frankfurt and staying in a Ferienwohnung or AirBnb and then walking through neighborhoods that interest you and look for apartments in those areas. If you go to a showing of the apartment, it is likely that other people will already be there. Bring all of your documents right away that they require and maybe even fill out an application while you are there if possible! Hope this helps!

It is a minimum of 24 days if you have a 6-day week. If you have a 5-day-week it is minimum of 20 days.

Thanks for your comment! I remember that my partner was really surprised when I asked him about his political beliefs on our first date and he told me that you wouldn't typically do that in Germany. It was really weird for me, because in the US people are really expressive about their political affiliations. Americans put out posters in their yards and place stickers on their cars about who they are voting for.

Well, you usually wouldn't do that on a date...but in a normal conversation at a party, it's not like politics is a taboo Thema. But it is usually less about political affiliation (nowadays most Germans are "Wechselwähler" anyway), and more about "What do you think about political decision X". Germans don't really talk about who they are voting for and they certainly don't ASK about it, because we take the notion of a secret election seriously, though if you know someone well, you usually have a pretty good idea. It's not about political affiliation in the sense of "this is my party and I'll support it, no matter what!" like it is the case in the US, Germans don't do this unless they are actual party members, and even then they tend to be very ready to be critical of their own party. So that was odd was more that you specifically asked what kind of parties he would support, not that you talked about politics. Talking about politics in itself is totally fine (though again, I wouldn't do it during a first date necessarily - just like I wouldn't ask about religious believes or anything like this...those are at the end of the day very private matters which you would only share with someone who earned your trust).

Hello, thank you for your comment! There are many many people in the US that hold progressive beliefs similar to my own. I would say that I went to a very good public school, but there were still many flaws, especially in our history classes. To be honest, the only time that we really discussed Germany in length was to learn about WWII, but even then, it was more about the US's role in the war. I haven't heard of this conspiracy theory or anyone that believes it, but it wouldn't surprise me. The Pledge of Allegiance is a very strange concept to me. I remember once (during my rebellious anti-establishment phase in high school) that I refused to stand and was kicked out of class. As for America's divisiveness, you could very well be right. There must be studies out that that talk about this!

Thanks for your comment. It's so great that worker's get compensation when they are ill through no fault of their own!

Hello! This is a hard questions, because there are a lot of places that I could see myself living, but there are always things that hold me back such as lack of job opportunities or the necessity of learning another language. Germany has a strong job market, whereas in many other countries there is higher unemployment especially for young people. If I didn't have to think about any of these things and just made a decision based on cities I love, my top three European cities to live would be Stockholm, Athens and Barcelona. With that being said, I have many many cities I would still like to visit like Vienna and Zurich. (:

True! Unions are very important for the provision and maintenance of employee rights! I have a Betriebsrat at my company, but am not part of any official union.

@@taylorintransit3421 You probably should - It's not expensive (the monthly fee is only 1% of your monthly gross income) and gives you benefits like free legal consultation on all matters regarding work. After 3 months of membership, there is also a right to legal protection, i.e. even in the event of legal disputes with the employer, the trade union will bear the costs of the proceedings. And of course, in case of a strike, the trade union also pays the "strike pay", which after all is 60% of the normal income. Plus other services, such as advice on income tax, advice on mobbing, job references and various educational opportunities.

@@taylorintransit3421 To add something to TheAxel65's comment: you pay approx. 1% of your Brutto, but you will also get half of it back with the Steuererklärung. You should ask your Betriebsrat which Gewerkschaft is behind them. By joining the ("proper") Gewerkschaft, you will not only support them, you will also support and strengthen your Betriebsrat and therefore your colleagues :)

EU citizens and Swiss citizens qualify for dual citizenship in Germany. US citizens do not, I'm afraid.

@That Richie Guy: Not true, you’re qualified for dual citizenship in Germany if your native country doesn’t let you get out of your citizenship. My Mexican wife gained dual citizenship in Germany because of this.

@@heindaddel2531 Yes, I understand that. I'm quoting the German stance whilst being fully aware that in practical terms there are more dual citizens in Germany than just EU citizens and Swiss citizens. I don't claim to be an expert but a quick internet search suggests that the US does indeed allow its citizens to renounce their US citizenship. In which case, when applying for German citizenship as a US citizen one will be required to do so.

Hello! Thank you for your comment. Even if it is possible, I am considering renouncing my citizenship anyways. I have made the decision to pursue my career and have a family here in Germany and I have very few ties to the US.