Moving to Germany

Not OP but in similar situation (bumping for interest). I am still waiting on my state health insurance to supply my my insurance number. It has been 2 weeks and several follow up emails latter. Does anyone here have experience dealing with german health insurers?

>>1144467
wg-gesucht.de is were you will find a WG, all other sites are way smaller
immobilienscout24.de is the biggest site for single apartments like 1-room if you exclude ebay were you might also look
or look on facebook if there is a student housing group (just look for WG+city you wanna go)

>>1144479
call them and if something went wrong try another one. getting no replies from a health insurance is strange, at least as a native.

>>1144467
also i advise against Munich. Finding a decent place to live, shared or not, will be really really hard. The city is extremely expensive in terms of rent.

>>1144467
Are you in Germany?

There is no 'state health insurance provider', so I'm not sure what you're talking about. A bunch of private companies cover insurance and one them will provide you a card. A number (half of which is your birthday) will be registered with state authorities, but they don't really have anything to do with you otherwise. Two weeks is nothing so just gotta wait longer, and I can tell you that they probably don't want to mail stuff out-of-country. So if you're not IN Germany right now, I wouldn't be surprised if things move slower.

>>1144483
>>1144483
thanks for the suggestion man, I just called them up. Apparently the problem is that they could not send my insurance package details to an address outside of germany. My Insurance consultant has been nice enough, she's trying to press her bosses into sending me this information. It would have been nice if the Insurance consultant kept me in the loop.

Worst comes to worst I'll just turn up in Germany and try wing it with the health coverage from my travel insurance until everything is settled.

>>1144495
Apologies mate, I should have been more clear. I mean to say the mandatory statutory health insurance (GKV?) plan in comparison to the Private option (PKV?).

What are the differences between the GKV's? It's next to impossible to find comparisons between different insurers, I can't tell what the difference in what each insurer covers and it is next to impossible to google this information. I've tried http://www.krankenkasseninfo.de/ but even that is not really clear. Anyway I am going with Siemens (they seem like they have the best english service in comparison to Barmer or AOK), what do you recommend?

>>1144504
no problem. Problems with GKVs are mostly solved by a call

>What are the differences between the GKV's? It's next to impossible to find comparisons between different insurers, I can't tell what the difference in what each insurer covers and it is next to impossible to google this information.

they all cover the basic stuff, if youre only here for studying without children and dont insist on alternative healing methods you wont notice a difference apart from service quality and personal availability. Prices etc. are fixed anyways. At least thats how i experience it, but i rarely have to do with them.

TKK is mine and i never had any problem with them and they payed for everything. My Gf is trying hard to get out of her Barmer contract because they pay only half the stuff she wants (alternative/plant-based healing, acupuncture and the likes)

http://www.verivox.de/gesetzliche-krankenversicherung/
if you can speak German. But i really think you can just stick with the one youre in contact with already - the other anon is probably right that it takes a while.

OP here,
>>1144483
Yeah I saw that site too, but I was told that bigger sites tend to contain a lot of scam and fake offers so just wanted to check if I can trust it.
>>1144488
I know that it's hell to find an accomodation in Münich but first and foremost I'm going there to study and to me it seems that the Uni there is the best. The other thing is that I will be looking to find a part-time job and I'm not sure how easy will that be in the other cities that I've mentioned.
>>1144479
I suppose that you're not a EU citizen, because otherwise you only neec a European Healthcare Card(not sure if that's how it's called in english) and some papers from where you're insured right now. I can elaborate if needed.

>>1144573
Well back when i organised a WG i would always use it to find new roommates and never had a fishy experience.
Mostly you will get invited to a single/mass "casting" beforehand anyways (also you might try to do that via Skype) to get to know your eventual future roommates. If there is no invitation to a "casting", i would indeed be concerned.

>The other thing is that I will be looking to find a part-time job and I'm not sure how easy will that be in the other cities that I've mentioned.

if youre talking of Immobilienscout - the people offering apartments have ratings

cant think of a reason why it should be easier in Munich to find a part-time-job, honestly. But im from a completely different state of Germany so i dont know how it really is in west germany. My brother lived there for a year and payed 450€+ for a shitty moldy 1-room apartment and he still had to share the toilet/bathroom with 4 other apartments.

>>1144578
fucked the second and third paragraph up, sorry.

>>1144467
i wouldnt recomend munich or dortmund
munich is expensive as fuck (most expensive city ing ger) and dortmund is full of arabs/turks

i live not far from karlsruhe and its pretty nice here

wg gesucht is pretty serious
most job sites are pretty sketchy
JOBBÖRSE der Bundesagentur für Arbeit is the official one from the goverment and pretty good
but for part time jobs its best to be personaly there than you can get pretty fast a job if you are willingly to work and can speak german

>>1144578
Well I guess that the bigger the city, the better the job prospects are. Not that I really love Munich or something, it's just pragmatism.
>>1144604
I've heard that about Dortmund, but that is more of a backup plan. I will look for a part-time job when I get there and my german is decent, though I need some practice when it comes to speaking. I've heard that universites offer some jobs for students for example in the library. Also do companies contact the universities when they are searching for students to work for them? It's a common practice around here, even in schools. A friend of mine got offered a job while in the uni as a guard or something(he is currently studying in Munich).

Just by the way, this is the only board on this site that has ever helped me. Thanks.

>>1144637
jobs at uni are popular and hard to get
my university got also a site with job adverts, but they dont contact you directly usually
if you want to work as a guard you need some certificat, its not that hard to get but u need one

there are enough germans who want to do jobs like in library so this would be hard to get. jobs with physical labour are pretty easy to get

>>1144467
hey, I've studied in Aachen and here is what I can tell you:
Aachen is a little city with one huge uni and three small ones, in fact one sixth of the population of aachen are students. 90% of the students are male, since the unis are mostly into engineering and hard sciences. That means lots of beer and no women. no women, srsly. only beer and math, but lots of it.

there are two more things I have to tell you:
wg-gesucht.de has a kinda monopolist postion for finding flats and rooms. However, this won't work: Aachen has one of the nine elite-unis for engineering in germany and traditionally one of the richest cities of germany, that means you have to compete with people that are rich or very determined, for places that are kinda expensive. And you have no connections, don't speak the language, etc. (forget it)

Same goes for Karlsruhe. KIT, small city, engineering, south (expensive)

Your best bet might be to get into a dormitory, but these are booked out for 6+ months in expense.

I would advise you to go to TU Hamburg-Harburg or Uni Dortmund. You will find a cheap place, since the cities are huge and you can rely on public transport.


No doubt Aachen would be the nicest. Just get a bicycle and ride into holland, to maastricht or valkenburg or into belgium around raeren. Or Herzogenrath. It's really nice in summer.

>>1144637
mate, studying in Germany is hard as fuck. you just won't have the nerve to work.
Either you have the money before you come here or just stop thinking about it and study in albania.
What are you going to do if you failed one (!) exam for the third time, get kicked out of uni, rent is overdue anyway and you have nothing accomplished but wasted time.

In engineering, of 10 people that start only 3 finish the shit. If you have to think about money, forget it. I'm sorry.

Also these student jobs aren't very high paying, they'll just cover HALF the month max.

>>1144637
guard jobs are okay if you can stand working nightshifts and on weekends while dealing with drunken hooligans. certainly better paid than other student jobs i assume

>>1144895
>In engineering, of 10 people that start only 3 finish the shit. If you have to think about money, forget it. I'm sorry.

thats because every retard can study it, you dont even need 12 years of school for it in some places. nothing to do with it being hard, there are plenty of engineering students working while studying, as are medicine students, pharmacy students etc.

>>1144913
>>1144913
the ones that are working usually have the worst part behind them.
Also we don't have the Dipl.-Ing. system anymore, where everyone studied for like ten years and nobody gave a shit.

>nothing to do with it being hard
you got no idea

>>1145056
i dont really get what you mean, i know plenty of engineering students studying right now who are working since their first semester and not failing.
My sister did it too and she even had a kid during the time she got her degree. Yes, it was a Dipl.-Ing., but she did it in 12 semesters which would be acceptable by BA/MA standards. And its not like the Uni here is shitty or cheap.

Working while studying is what all poorfags do regardless of the subject, its not as if the state money is handed out with trucks. If OP isnt an imbecile he can manage it.

>>1145059
I'm a bit baffled, since my experiences are the complete opposite of yours. First semesters felt like a constant battle, like D-Day or sth.

>If OP isnt an imbecile he can manage it.
idk, I have only first hand experience with chinese, south american, baltic, italian and spanish students. All but four dropped out. One was really fucking struggling.

>Working while studying is what all poorfags do regardless of the subject
no, most poorfags don't even study.
idiotic poorfags work and study until they are 40 and then give up. Or if they finally get the degree, they don't get a job.

smartfags start working later, mostly to gather connections and early work experience. Everyone that works as a bartender is desperate and wasting everyones time. How can you advise that?

OP here,
>>1145059
I'd like to think that I'm not an imbecile.
>>1144893
I've basically apllied to RWTH, KIT, TUM and TU Dortmund, and 3 of those are obviously T9 and for a reason. Think I'll manage it all in the end, only thing worrying me is the accomodation, since dormitory is near impossible.

>>1145068
I only need something to cover part of my expenses like 3-400 Euro a month not an 8h/day job.

>>1145070
>only thing worrying me is the accomodation
you can try to get in touch with the ASTA, they might have something for emergencies.

Expect arriving and not even getting a bed in a hostel, because it's booked out. If you get one, the 14 days max stay isn't near enough to get into a WG. You can't rent a flat directly, because you don't have no income and you parents are in romania. Landlords won't give a shit, because the market is overcrowded.

good luck you idiot.

>I only need something to cover part of my expenses like 3-400 Euro a month not an 8h/day job
absolute total shit plan nonetheless.

>>1145070
>obviously T9 and for a reason
good to see you know the terms. however, you don't know what you are talking about.

>>1145079
thinking about it:
either you come in a boat in which you can live for half a year
or you come in a caravan and live like a gypsy without a washing machine and shower.

>>1145068
well, my experience is the complete opposite of yours. That includes my experience with foreign students and working while studying, since a lot of them were coworkers and they did quite fine.

>if youre poor you shouldnt study

what kind of elitist shit is that

>>1145071
450€ tax free jobs is what you should look for via Arbeitsagentur. Did one of those and worked 8h/week. And seriously try to get a WG or contact the ASTA for dorm as soon as you get a confirmation

>>1145086
>>if youre poor you shouldnt study
If you're poor, think of failing as a realistic outcome

>>1145087
I honestly don't see your point. It's not aboit money, it s about individual ability to pass your exams. Even if you're rich you can still fail, sure if you don't have to worry about money it's easier but that's not the determining factor.>>1145086

>>1145096
true, but moreso it's about having connections and friends. and if you're too poor to cloth yourself adequately, too poor to live in the city you study and have to commute, too poor to have a room, you can invite some people in, too poor to visit concerts and go out drinking, it's just not going to be a worthwhile experience.

After all, you might be better of learning a trade and starting your own company with 25.
Or in his case do his masters in romania and do his doctor in germany.

>>1145100
and apparently he needs 5000 bucks a month for that?

all the fucking things you stated are easily doable with 500-800 bucks a month if he does not live in Munich. You just need to budget properly.
Holy shit, did your parents pay everything for you?

>>1145100
Now I'm actually middle class but the standarts here are wuite different from those in Germany so there I am considered poor. Besides I want to be as independent as I can instead of expecting help from my parents on every step.

>>1145102
They did give me a couple of hundreds each month. But I also had a bunch of money saved before and was working most of the time.

Obviously your experices are completely different from mine. I studied in Aachen, civil engineering, i have a master now. What did you do btw? Did you even move out? Did you finish?

>>1145106
>Did you even move out?
of course, otherwise i wouldnt give OP advice on it
lived in a WG for 180/month, with a budget of 400 for everything plus eventual work income if i felt like i could use some more money.

>What did you do btw
nothing engineering related (SpecEd), but two of my siblings did and i know plenty of them due to my former Uni having a huge naval engineering part.
one worked because she lived in a somewhat expensive city and got along with 800 a month and had plenty of spare time, like i said she even had her first kid when she finished.
the other one didnt even need to work and lived off the 400 bucks and his savings from civil service and also had enough time at his hands

both had friends, were able to dress themselves and were able to go out as well as to visit every once in a while and i never can recall them saying that their studies are hard in any way. Only that the retards are filtered out in the first/second semester via exams (that are absolutely doable if you have half a brain and the ability to listen to a prof) and afterwards its smooth sailing.

>did you finish
of course, otherwise i wouldnt be giving advice

really, as long as you have 200 bucks to spend every month youre good to go. Just cook cheap, prefer house parties and barbecues to clubs and bars if you can and you wont suffer.

>>1145110
>as long as you have 200 bucks to spend every month youre good to go
OP don't listen to this, he is trying to kill you

> i never can recall them saying that their studies are hard in any way.
>exams are absolutely doable if you have half a brain
can't follow you, really, honestly.

>>1145116
but ty, for that elaborate post.

>>1145116
Not really, I know other bulgarians tjat are doing fine with around 500 euros a month. And I don't really like to go clubbing and drinking, minus the odd couple of beers with friends every now and then, so that sounds reasonable. 2-300 for rent and about as much for everything else. It's all diwn to lifestyle. And I also don't smoke.

>>1145116
if you cant handle money i cant help you, but stop acting as if its impossible or "try to kill someone" because i did it for a long time and here i am with a degree and still alive.

>>1145118
like i said, i doubt 500 will get you far in Munich (or some other expensive cities), but its definetly possible.

>And I also don't smoke.
good. spent way too much money on that, its expensive as fuck here.

>>1145118
>>1145119
good luck you bunch of idiots

>>1145118
>>1145070
also on this one to get away from the idiotic money topic and i can provide something constructive:
>only thing worrying me is the accomodation

youre right and its crucial. You need to get into business as soon as you know where you will be heading
with 200-300 € for rent a single apartment is out of question, only WG or dorm. Some Unis also have offers for people who did not find a room at the beginning of the semester - youll be allowed to sleep in a gym hall or something then until youre placed somewhere (ASTA of the uni should have info on this).

if you look for a WG:

write to multiple persons at once. I have never seen someone not doing it, and noone is pissed if you message them that your "casting" is cancelled because you found something else

check if someone put an offer in english - chances are they actually want an "international" flatmate and youll might have an advantage.

write a long message - introduce yourself well, how you will contribute to WG life (if its a "social" WG like the one i ran), include pics etc.. bonus points for referencing the offer in the first place.
One girl i "casted" send her application as a 30 minute video on a dvd with a pack of sweets in the envelope. Needless to say it was way more interesting than all the other three-sentence emails and we gave her the room. Not that you need to do this, but you get the gist.

your problem will be getting the room without a personal meeting before, so make sure you include your skype and phone number.

>>1145126
Yeah, thanks. Valuable advice.

That one guy is right, studying in a big German city with a budget of 400-500€ per month is a fucking terrible idea. Students pay about 550€ for their room in Munich on average. Ok, Munich is by far the most expensive city to study in, but still.
Now let's assume you've got a room for 200€ in a really shitty neighbourhood in Dortmund and a 400€ job. Ok, you can survive now, congratz. But all it takes is one little fucking thing in your life to tip off the balance and you're fucked. What if you get sick with something that takes more than a week to recover from? What if you don't pass an exam (which is probably pretty common in Engineering)? What if you get fired from your job or thrown out of your appartment short-term and can't find a new one at the beginning of the next month?

and this is right here is really triggering me as a regular German university student
>>1145126
>>1145126

I can't fucking wait until I'm done with my masters degree and can get my own fucking place. I fucking HATE the norms of WG-Gesucht. Trying to make myself look like an interesting person, trying to point out how I can contribute to the WG, trying to stand out from the crowd. Am I applying for a position at McKinsey or do I just want a 10m2 room at some place that isn't a 1,5h ride away from my University? What the fuck? How can a wealthy country like that make its intelligent young people literally beg for an accomodation? And why do people act like it's completly normal?
Listen, this is exactly the kind of society that produces these people who travel not for their own enjoyment, but to make themselves seem like a more interesting person during their next WG-interview or on their facebook and tinder profiles. It's so fucking disgusting.

And no I'm not some Antifa-loser who wants to live in a "culturally open" and "self-determined" commune with fellow-minded idiots. I'm just a guy who needs a normal fucking room in order to study and aquire skills that are useful to society. fuck

>>1145162
well, i somewhat understand what you mean, its tiring that you have to do this kind of stuff over and over again if youre just looking for a place to stay

however take a look from the other side: if i rent out a room, i will basically take a person in that i will see every single day for the next years. I had a 5-person-WG to administer and wanted people to get along, so of course i took the people who had a lot of information and at least took the effort to present themselves as someone to get along with. Also i want the person to look like someone whos reliable in terms of hygiene, payment of rent etc.

I took a person in once that sent just some short messages and seemed "decent enough" because it was the only one looking for a room by that time. Literally a month later he was arrested by the cops and jailed.

a lot is also the very unequal supply/demand ratio. thousands of students applying on hundreds of offers, so of course you have to stand out.

there are also WGs that are not "social", where even the offer will say "we will not be your second family, this is just a place to stay, deal with it", but they are definitely less common because people want to live with people whom they get along with. This is basically what the whole stuff is on about, but yeah, i can imagine that its spiraling out of control in sought after areas like Munich.

Don't know if this is the right place to ask, but the office of public affairs hasn't gotten back to me in a week, so I'll give it a shot.

I've been in a German course for several months and at this point I can hold normal conversations, understand newspapers, magazines, etc. I want to get a job to improve my German in a realistic setting because I don't speak to Germans as much as I'd like to. Also courses are expensive as balls and I'm not getting as much out of them as I used to, at this point everything I learn in class I could get out of a book. Hence, why I'd like to get a job and improve my speaking.

But the thing is, my visa says that I'm in Germany to attend a language course in the current city I'm staying is. It says I can work during celebration (waehrend Feiern). Is it possible to work while I'm just simply not in a course (as opposed to an official break like Christmas/Winter)? And is it possible to move out of the city or would I have to alter my visa first?

>>1146334
I'm pretty sure your visa doesn't say you can work during celebrations (Feiern) but during holidays (Ferien) or semester breaks. German law is complicated and you're better off calling the Ausländerbehörde or the Arbeitsagentur then asking some random anons.

>>1146473
Yeah, I'm planning on visiting my local public affairs office tomorrow to inquire about it and update my Anmeldebestätigung. Dropping in always gives me intense anxiety though so I was hoping some answers here would calm me down. Thanks anyway, friendo

If getting a job doesn't work out, how would I go about making German friends? I tried getting a tandem partner but hanging out with her feels awkward and conversation forced.

>>1146527
>how would I go about making German friends?

University group activities like Unisport

At our Uni we also have a "meeting center" for exchange students and sometimes they have open evenings for german students to come

or, if youre into that and can cope with mentally/bodily impaired people, volunteering for a charity (Caritas/Diakonie). Youll get a little bit of pocket money and meet lots of other volunteers.

>>1145158
I assume he would go there with some emergency money