Please no National Socialism/Adolf.

How similar are we?

Head, arms, legs and all that. I’d say it would be tough to tell them apart really.

They tend to be better at grammar than us.

define ‘them’ and ‘us’
i like to go to work, do my job, come home, have a beer/ride my bike/watch telly etc.
some other uk peeps have no intention of working/cant stand alcohol/think cycling is wierd.
surely there will be the same type of variation (of people) in germany, or almost any other country for that matter.

I don’t speak German but I do speak French and Spanish and have lived and worked in both countries. I find that I’m pretty different from French people, who whine a lot, and Spanish people who I sometimes find quite annoying. My only experience of Germans was a short but extremely, er, athletic relationship with a girl from Aachen which I enjoyed very much indeed and I liked her family too so I conclude, unscientifically, that I am closer to Germans in temperament.

By the way, the plural of German is Germans.

We can’t play football, so ‘not very’ 😉

My father in law is German and I have worked with many. I’d say they are very close to the British in general attitide and aptitude.
They do have a better work ethic but generally that is because the employers treat them better. The stereotype of being efficient is definitely true but is offset by being less flexible and creative thinking. A stereotype that is not true is humour. Their sense of humour is as good as ours.

The German Royal Family seems a lot like the British one.

I work with a few Germans. Some do live up to the efficiency stereotype, while others like to give the veneer of being efficient. Clearly something valued within their culture.

In a global context pretty close, in a European one less so apart from ability to drink beer in large quantities.

We could do with being a bit more like them IMO. I hope they stuff Argentina.

I remember seeing a bag of bones horse and cart ride in Athens . It had those curvy up hooves and could barely pull away on the smooth cobbles.
The English people were dismayed at the condition of the poor animal.
The Germans laughed at it and climbed on for a ride.

A stereotype that is not true is humour. Their sense of humour is as good as ours.

Isn’t a lot of it to do with the differences between the German and English languages? Stewart Lee on the subject.

I have met a lot of German’s through work, mainly commissioning engineers and to be honest I have found them to be very affable, their sense of humour is very much the same as ours.

They laugh at our over zealous health and safety laws though, in fact it makes them quite angry!!!

I worked there for two year in the late 80’s and was astonished at their lack of health and safety then. Consequently I’ve worked in this country for a few German companies and it is a veneer as said previously about their work ethic. When I was in Germany it was the time of the wall coming down and the difference between east and west Germans was huge compared to the west and us.

They do have a better work ethic but generally that is because the employers treat them better. The stereotype of being efficient is definitely true but is offset by being less flexible and creative thinking. A stereotype that is not true is humour. Their sense of humour is as good as ours.

+1

I’ve lived and worked in Germany plus worked with many Germans elsewhere.

They do have a better work ethic but generally that is because the employers treat them better.

Innit. They even try and create unions when it would be easier not to.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/7/10/chattanooga-volkswagenunion.html

We don’t have “boobies ooot” on telly at 4pm in the afternoon, so not very.

“boobies ooot”

Is that a Scottish show?

Is it true they don’t send their kids to school till they are 7 or 8

They even have a Hora flow control company http://www.hora.de/.

Jamie – Freeloader! But we still like him

“boobies ooot”

Is that a Scottish show?[/quote]
I thought it was on Channel 5

Innit. They even try and create unions when it would be easier not to.

Has they move Tennessee to Germany now?

Lived in Bavaria for 6 months. People were generally pretty decent, cheerful and essentially normal, but as above not very creative thinking in problem solving. Far more process and procedure orientated than we are. Reluctant to deviate from agreed process, whereas here we seem to be reluctant to stick to it.

Also people seemed to be a bit cold in a public or official context. Not very helpful or compassionate when you are struggling. A lot of things were not their problem.

Not that they aren’t friendly and nice of course in other areas. Loved the wy that shops and businesses kept lollipops behind the counter and handed them out to kids 🙂

Good to see some German love on the forum. I have been living with a Bavarian for the past 21 years and spent 6 years living and working over there so am a bit biassed. I would definitely say that other than the language we have FAR more in common with the Germans than ever we do with the Americans. We have a motorised satellite dish so that her in doors can watch German TV. I must say, I very rarely watch UK TV now as the choice and quality of programmes from the German broadcasters is so good. In particular the news & documentary type programmes are first rate, unbiased, and far more globally encompassing than the UK stuff.

Ask yourself this. How well informed are you about the TTIP and are you concerned about the implications of it?

There is not a day goes by when there is not an article on the news or a special program dedicated to it on the German TV, so worried are they about the implications to SME’s and the average consumer.

BTW if you don’t know what TTIP is then a google search will enlighten you.

In general we are pretty much a like as if you consider yourself English born and breed you are in fact a1/4 German,a1/4 Danish,a 1/4 Italian and a1/4 French 😉

Is that a Scottish show?

I see what youse did there.

#mon

I haven’t lived there, but have spent a bit of time there as one of my bezzies lives out there with his Jermin wife and half Jermin kids.

I found what Mol said about process and procedure to be very true. Works well sometimes and can be frustrating at others. Just like the converse I suppose.

I lived in Germany for 8 years with the forces, although I can’t really say I ‘knew’ Germans at all, as we obviously lived in pretty isolated communities. Although I regret that to a degree.

Now though I work with Germans a lot in my work and I love it. The work cultures are quite different and it’s the source of a lot of humour and friendly banter between me and various IT engineers I work with. I have German technical people delivering solutions for UK clients, so see both sides. Can be crudely summed up as follows;

UK – A general disregard for a considered diligent approach and process. An unhealthy and inefficient attitude towards structuring the working day/week. A very strong ‘can-do’ attitude which can be both good and bad. People are pre-occupied by status and office politics. Bogged down by health and safety. General disinterest in tried and tested methodologies, preferring a ‘wing-it’ approach. A little bit insular and, dare I say, arrogant.

Germany – A very careful patient and diligent approach to tasks, thoughtful planners, never over commit or promise. However, the pay off is slow to actually produce but end product is likely to be of higher quality. Clearly defined roles (few ‘jack of all trades’), and a very strong adherence to the day/week structure (I won’t get anybody into a meeting for two hours over lunchtime). Great organisational structure with minimal influence from politics. Fondness of good practice.

My biggest challenge of all is aligning the expectations of the typical UK ‘want it yesterday’ client, with the ‘we’ll take a month create a detailed plan before beginning production’ German production team. And it is purely down to these working culture differences.

if I had a choice, I’d work in Germany 🙂

oh and another thing if it matters – I have found all Germans I have worked with a lot happier in their work than their UK counterparts.

a German friend of ours was staying in Sheffield last weekend.

On saturday night we were arranging our ride out to the Massif du Bradfield for the tour.

‘pop round our house for 11ish’ i said.

he arrived at 10.59 and 45 seconds.

‘vfell, i haff ein national stereotype to support’ he said, when i mocked him.

‘here, i haff brought you ein present, to console you after your National teams poor performance at ze vorld cup’

(he handed over a bag of M&M’s, sorted into the Black, red and yellow of the german flag)

Germans, great sense of humour! 🙂

Very different attitude to law and order;

In Germany, you can assume something is illegal unless it’s specified not to be.
In the UK, the opposite applies.

No kids getting drunk and rowdy in town centres at night?
That’ll be the curfew then.

I have worked with Germans in Germany the UK and in Nigeria, I can summarise simply by saying that their pro`s neutralise their cons in the work environment, out of work I find them good company and unlike most of the common stereo types.

Whilst discussing drinking and night life culture with a German friend he remarked that he had seen several programmes shown in Germany about the yobbish binge drinking culture in the UK. Before I could jump to he defence of good ole Blighty he stated that that the less cosmopolitan areas of Germany had very similar situations but he German media were less self flagellating that what we in the UK are.
He also had a craving for HP sauce.

I’ll vouch for Germans having a good sense of humour as well.

I know a few Germans. I laugh just as much with them as with Brit friends.

Tomorrow I hope a certain Prime Minister doesnt have the opportunity to bang on about the Falklands again.

😀

German wasps are less aggressive than their English counterparts.

Has Have they move Tennessee to Germany now?

I’ve worked with quite a few Germans over the last few years and they’ve all been competent, focussed on doing their job properly and just honest, decent people – willing to admit when there’s a problem which needs fixing rather than trying to bullshit their way through it.
You can see how their economy tends to avoid all the crises of the rest of Europe with that kind of ethic.
I tend to get on with them well, but being an eighth German (great grandfather on my Dad’s side) I’m not surprised.

The more I travel the more I realise we are all basically the same – getting up on a Monday morning when it’s raining, off to work, mortgage to pay, kids to support…

How similar are we?

Well for a start, you’re pretty bloody different from me everyone I’ve ever met so its rather difficult to quantify tbh.

Rusty Spanner – Member
Very different attitude to law and order;

In Germany, you can assume something is illegal unless it’s specified not to be.
In the UK, the opposite applies.

No kids getting drunk and rowdy in town centres at night?
That’ll be the curfew then.

I’ll tell you a tale, the brother of a pal of mine, playing in a band, did a gig in Germany, didn’t have the money for the tube, so vaulted the barrier and legged it. Unluckily for him the police were nearby, they shot him in the leg to bring him down, it was a saturday, by monday he was in and out of hospital patched up, in court, fined and duly despatched on his way, at the bottom of the fine there were a couple of small extra items charged at only a few pfennigs (it was before the Euro) what’s that he asked, it’s for the bullets they shot you with came the reply.

Class. In England the Officer would automatically be suspended.

In America you’d be foolish to run as you’d end up looking like a sieve.