[Closed] What's Munich like?

never lived there so prob not much help but i have been a few times and really like it. of all the bits of germany i've visited its southern bavaria i'd happily go back to. i like the germans as well, best people i've ever done business with.

Lived in North Bavaria for 6 months (Helmbrechts) and loved it. The people, the countryside, any excuse for a fest!

Only visited Munich for the day but really liked it.

If it's like the other bits of Germany I've been too then it'll be great. Was only there for two days. Erding you say, beer!!!!!!

Expensive by German standards, or at least was back 5-10 years ago.

> What's Munich like?
Very lovely, but also the most expensive city in Germany, some areas make London look cheap. Obviously close to the alps (60min drive) so good for long weekends cycling or skiing. Never lived there but have family and friends there. Considered one of the richer/posher areas in Germany. Sven

Erding is where the Erdinger brewery is located.

Enough said, I think!

Here are the considerations:

1) Need to find a flat or house with bike storage naturally and preferably furniture (otherwise it's cheap Ikea for a year)

2) Language - will we really be fine everywhere with English? Or just in the big shops in the big city?

3) Healthcare - if we are there for a year there's a good possibility of another baby Grips arriving. What's that experience like in Germany compared to here?

The Big Blue gig not happening then ?

Ooh, the home of the 'Dinger!

Look at their happy little faces. It's because they drink good beer.

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It is, but the lack of a formal offer means I am keeping my options open! Also depends on how much IBM want to pay me and how much they want to send me around the country.

>Also depends on how much IBM want to pay me and how much they want to send me around the country.

Can you live with 0% payrises after year one + lots of being sent around the country ? 😀

I lived and worked in Munich for a year and really enjoyed it. Not only is it a very nice city, it's also a fabulous base for exploring other areas.

Once a contractor, always a contractor. If they don't give me payrises I'm off 🙂

Two things really impressed me about Munich when I was there:

1. There is a whole street of sausage shops (I like a speciality sausage, although I didn't go near the white ones!)
2. There were families sitting down to a hearty breakfast in one of the main squares with large steiners of beer at about 10am.

The Bravarians clearly know how to live.

I'm in Regensburg about 60 Miles north of munich.
That part of Germany is great - quality of life, alps the bavarian forest. Weather is really good - 30s in summer - snow in winter.

You probably wont want to live in munich center though. Its good to visit but living there is pricey and i found the people a bit arsey.

matt

Anyone had kids in Germany?

Can you live with 0% payrises after year one + lots of being sent around the country ?

Sounds like BT.

It's where Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was filmed (the Gene Wilder version), so it will be ace!

I have a daughter (2.5 years)
Its good to have kids in Germany at the moment. Due to the low birth rate they are doing loads for families. We have good creche/Nursery through the my company.
Lots of parents kid groups where we are as well.

Went there on holiday about 10 years ago. Lovely place. Very wealthy city. Check out the Englisher Garden in the summer if you're into a bit of naturism.

Ah. Munich is one of my favourite places.
Spent most of the week there, every week, for two years a while back.
Perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in Germany (maybe second to Berlin now, I suppose), known as "Million Village"... ie. Pop: 1m, but still has a village feel (kind of).
Locally known as being more Bavarian than German and, definitely noticable, that the poulation at large appears more Italian/Alpen than, er, Aryan.

As above: Very, very expensive place to live (but, hey, I was on expenses at the time) and a brilliant base for further travel.

Big employers are Siemens and BMW - both with big ex-pat bases - so loads of precedents to follow.
No idea about healthcare as an independent (albeit EU) migrant - but do know that healthcare [i]quality[/i] is as per every German stereotype.

Have friends there still if you've any specific questions.

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Although i am quite badly dyslexic.

My In-laws live near Erding and have done for about six years. Erding is a lovely little town but seems quite quiet in my limited experience. Munich itself is lovely and I would echo all of the above, the Englisher Garten is lovely and well worth a cycle through in the summer. Generally German houses come with a cellar which is ideal for bike storage and even flats often come with a basement storeroom. I had my second son in Germany (Hanover) six years ago and the service was excellent with plenty of English speaking staff. My wife is a German speaker but was not is a very chatty mood at the time! You will definately 'get away' with English in most places but the Germans do appreciate the effort with language and if you are imersed in it then you should pick up pub and restaurant German pretty quickly.

Garmisch Partenkirken (sp) is about 1.5 - 2 hours south and has some great cycling. It is a ski resort in the winter but in the summer has some great cycling routes; lots of up and then lots of down.

If I had the chance of a year there I would be off like a robbers dog!

Hope this helps

Dogsby

it's full of Germans.

Germany - Formal, southern germany - even more formal! Worse parts of the country to live in, such as the Rhineland industrial areas.

No idea about healthcare as an independent (albeit EU) migrant

So what do you do then? You have private insurance?

I'm a bit more concerned about the actual experience of having a baby compared to the UK. We like the empowerment and personal involvement you get here rather than the hospital operation style you have in the US, say.

Plus don't really fancy spending 3k on letting agents fees 🙁

My son was born in Germany, my daughter in the UK. After my son's birth the wife remained in hospital for a week, which is the norm, plenty of after care and time to recover. Daily visits from the midwife who showed her all the basics of childcare. This was our first child though, but the one week stay in hospital was the same for any further kids. My daughter was born at 5am and we were asked to leave the hospital at 9am due to a shortage of beds, first midwife visit came 5 days later. Couldn't have been more different.

We had heard that you stay in hospital for a week, we don't really think we'd like that. We checked ourselves out the morning following my daughter's birth.

take a look at.
http://www.toytowngermany.com/

also "living and working in Germany" is a good book
for a start on insurance, health care etc.....

White boiled sausage and Weiss beer is a trad Bavarian breakfast.

I don't like beer.

Its ace if you can make the finances work.

Bike friendly, fast motorways south to the mountains, nice beer, good food etc.....

I have 2 mates living over there so have spent some time in the city and biking down along the river. Not sure if you are outside of the city but I expect typical german efficiency and tidyness!

ah, another episode of 'around the world in 80 days with molgrips'

Wonder where we'll go to next? 🙂

[i]1) Need to find a flat or house with bike storage naturally and preferably furniture (otherwise it's cheap Ikea for a year)

2) Language - will we really be fine everywhere with English? Or just in the big shops in the big city?

3) Healthcare - if we are there for a year there's a good possibility of another baby Grips arriving. What's that experience like in Germany compared to here?[/i]

1 Flats/Houses usually come 'bare' (ie you need everything including the light fittings and kitchen) and the landlords are looking for +5 years rental - and houses are 'expensive' by German standards, but normal by UK prices.
2 Learn basic German, especially you wife if she's not working.
3 No idea, except its insurance based

Also check on an NT tax code if you are German based, but UK paid.

I would learn German asap of course, but it's not instant 🙂

It's currently the accommodation experience that's putting me off, and the possible baby-having experience.

As a "proper" english speaker you'll be a hit. The Germans love trying to speak English. When their kids learn a few English words with us they flip out!

Houses - no problem you can get a good flat or house no probs.
It wont be dirt cheap but reasonable - and u cant be stitched up when renting like in the UK.

Health insurance - simple really. If your other half wont work stay in the state system (automatic) if she will, then go private. When our monster was born there were literally midwives milling round looking for stuff do.

I said to my company I want to come but... i'm worried about X,Y,Z help me!!! Normally they will help you.

PS. mention the war all the time - they love it!

Well I'm not working for a company, I am self employed. It's a contract position for 12 months. Private healthcare is something I'd rather not have to pay for 🙁

Plus I really don't want to have to shell out three grand for bloody letting agents fees, another three grand for a deposit and then on top of that have to buy an entire house worth of stuff including all kitchen appliances, light fittings and everything. Hardly worth my while doing the job.

I've lived in Germany for the past ten years. I've got three children (soon to be four!) who were all born here. The health care system is way superior to the UK but the Germans pay a lot for it. I live in Leipzig which is was part of the GDR and in the old East Germany Kindergartens are mostly free (which is not the case in the old West Germany) where the mothers are expected to give up their jobs to look after their children until the they are school age (something that is not the case in the old East Germany).

As for Munich it is indeed one of the most expensive cities to live in Germany but you literally have the Alps on your doorstep. For the size of Munich the people can be quite provincial too IME but overall I find the Bavarians to be quite accomodating.

[i]I am self employed[/i]

Then you are only elligible to private healthcare. If you shop around you can find some cheap deals especially as a first year foreigner (I paid less than the state insurance for the first three years I was here) and if you do need the health care system then you notice the difference between private and state (though I'm not sure about your wife/gf as it could start getting expensive if you have to pay for them on your insurance.....as a private insured patient you have to pay everything up front and then you get it back later.... including dental bills).

Oh and as for renting the whole system is much better regulated than in the UK. It's done by square metre and the deposit you pay you will actually get back as long as you fulfil all the renting criteria, unlike in the UK IME anyway.

Unfortunately the Germans see a kitchen as furniture and not many flats will have one fitted but some do so it's worth looking around. Other than that you could look for a fully furnished flat but then they are more expensive.

Does no-one think it's an issue having to find three months' rent for a letting agents' fee?

Give Munich beer a chance. The best in the world. Probably

Unfortunatley you want to live in an area that is attractive to a large majority of Germans and so the rent/house prices reflect this. In contrast Leipzig, where I live, has a surplass of accomodation and so it is a buyers/renters market. There are other options to look for accomodation such as [url= http://www.immobilienscout24.de/de/finden/wohnen/lp/immobilien1.jsp?ftc=1100010201&kw= [immobilienscout]]Immobilienscout24[/url]where you can find private landlords if you look carefully enough....but it's all in German. I can help if you need some translating.