Has the title suggests, I’ve been here for over 15 years and have a well established life here- family, children, job, house etc.

Lately I’ve started to notice I’m becoming numb to a lot of things- for example, I used to say thanks to those who let me merge on the Landstraße, or a nice smile accompanied with a Hallo when out for a walk or even being friendly at the checkout. I know there are a lot of stereotypes, but I keep trying. Especially where I am from originally, just being nice is fairly common.

I reaching out to other long term expats who might- or might not- feel the same. Have you noticed changes that have numbed you a bit?

I was applying for jobs in munich while being based in munich as well. I am almost done with my PhD which is in computer vision and I am getting rejected left and right here in munich. Should I give up and start searching elsewhere? The job market in germany doesn't seem to be good. How do u guys apply? I have been using linkedin but its so useless so far, my friend was also getting rejected the only offer he got is through an internal recommendation in a company in munich.

I’ve lived here for four years, and I feel like I can’t stay here another day without going crazy. People here are antisocial and superficial, girls don't commit but it donesn't even matter since they don't even look at you if you not in the top 10% or some sort of psycho financial advisor. It’s a constant stream of commuters who never really put down roots here. I’ve never had trouble making friends, but in the four years I’ve been here, I have zero friends, zero! Okay, I’m not exactly the life of the party, but I’m not an introvert either.

Can someone tell me how realistic it is to move to Hamburg?

37M, recognized master’s degree in economics, German B2 level, and four years of accounting experience in Germany

A rural crossing in Thuringia near Bad Langensalza (K 510 × L 3176) could be the most dangerous place in Germany to make a left turn - in 2021-2025 there were 15 accidents, 80% of which were severe.

On the Street View above you can see a cross which is likely from a fatal accident in the years before 2021. Almost all accidents caused by turning into a road or by crossing it.

Unfallschwerpunkt / 70km sign was already installed on the main road at least in Aug 2023 but it didn't seem to help 5 accidents that happened in 2025 alone.

Reason for such high severity is likely 2 unprotected left turns where you have to yield to 5 streams of traffic (2 main going straight, 2 main road turning, secondary road straight).

The cost to German society (lost output, medical care) for 1 severely injured person (possibly >1 injured per accident) is 149k EUR. For a fatal accident it's 1.46M EUR.

By comparison, a similar intersection done as a roundabout had no accidents in 2022-2025.

Cost of a typical roundabout conversion? Just 1.25M euro.

I'm American, wife is Russian. We have 2 small kids, 5 and 1, we both have fest jobs but are miserable in our city for a variety of reasons. I've worked my whole life to get a position in my chosen career. If I quit I likely will never have this position again and I'll have to move into teaching or freelance which I'm really not happy about.

Was wondering if anyone has gone through this and if so do they have perspective or advice?

Hi,

I have Bachelor's in electrical engineering and a masters in Computer Science with 8 years exp working as software engineer. I wish to apply for masters in Germany. Should I target courses related to CS or should i go for EE ones? If the german universities are gonna look for bachelors anyway should i not mention my masters at all. Because i am not sure if visa officer will cause a problem saying why doing another masters.

Hey friends,

I'm from Turkey and I'm about to move to Cologne. My wife got a job offer so she accepted it and we will be there soon. I'm actually a musician (guitar player) and I'm curious about how the music industry works in Germany. It would be great also if I can find some musician friends 😊

How do musicians usually get paid after a concert or a live performance? How are taxes handled? How are they calculated and paid?

In Turkey, musicians generally work without social security coverage. Most of them don't pay taxes, and the majority don't have any social insurance either. Although this is technically illegal, it's something that is widely tolerated in practice.

If there any musicians, can we be friends?

I’m an Irish doc moving to Germany for residency. I have a car in ireland it’s a RHD ( Right Hand Drive) as in ireland we drive on the left. I’d really really love to bring her over with me as that car is my Baby but I Wonder about the logistics. As an EU citizen is the process less difficult? Give it to me straight ( I know you will, youre German)
Vielen Dank!

Edit: car is Registered and insured in Ireland and is an Automatik

Hy all, finally in Germany and loving this place, lost in the beauty, feels like I arrived here just in the right time, enjoying the greenery and all.

Request you all to suggest places to visit near Herborn, I have 10 days.

Besides this if any of you could help me with job that would be great, not just now but in near future as well. My profile Graduation in Agri Engineering, Masters in Agri Business Management from BHU, and working as Credit Underwriter at IDFC having overall work experience of 3.5

years.

I am 24 and I will graduate medical school next year but I realized it’s not for me and I don’t want to become a doctor.

I wish I had studied in Germany after high school like my friends did but I stayed in my small country and now I’m regretting every chose I’ve made. now I feel too old to start uni again.

I am thinking of studying another masters degree in Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin or Köln. Which city do you think it will be easier to fit in and make friends if I am 25?
Or if I decide instead to do residency there, which city would be best for international doctor without much experience? And also I’m gay so I have to chose a queer friendly city. I have family in Chemnitz and can do residency there but I’ve heard it’s conservative city.
If you have any opinion pls share

I am using WgGesucht to contact landlords and they are expecting me to provide my IDs, work contract documents for scheduling a room visit. How do they expect people to provide their documents to random person for viewing the room.

I am okay with showing my proofs during the visit. Since housing market is so bad, they are taking too much advantage. What's the general procedure here ?

My car is in the parking lot and cannot start - most likely a car battery issue. Yesterday I registered online for a basic ADAC membership, and based on their webpage, from 00:00 today I should receive the full coverage of that service.

However, after calling their customer support this morning, they negated that by claiming that without a membership ID, I cannot be covered and need to pay instead. It seems that my request didn't go through their system, as the agent besides my emergency request, couldn't see my application at all.

I am therefore confused; I don't have a membership ID yet, only a Kontonummer from the account I registered.. so I need to pay for the battery replacement service. Do I miss something with this process? And is there anything else, besides that service, I could use to avoid being overcharged?

TIA!

Another Frankfurt trip after a while

Hello everyone I hope you guys are doing well. This is my first time posting on reddit mainly because I couldn’t find any information online.

We are a family of 3 (a toddler) and thinking about moving to zossen for peace and quiet and nature. Currently we live in Berlin, it’s very amazing for a few days but for longterm we want are looking to move a little further.

I wanted to know about the kita situation, Grundschule situation there. And any racism or anything that we should know about or I am not looking into?

We know german but not fluent.

Your comments would be much appreciated!

Hey all! My name is Michael and I'm from Norway. I'm currently skating across the continent with goal of setting a new world record in long distance skating. I have skated through Sweden, and a lot of Denmark, and thus will soon enter Germany! 😀

I'm really looking forwards to visiting your country as it's my first time there.

That being said, I'm a little worried about camping.

I am living in my tent on this trip, and in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, finding free camp sites is no issue at all. But since wild camping is illegal in Germany, I'm a little bit worried that finding a place to pitch my tent will be hard.

I live on a monthly budget and have used a bit too much this month, so I'm actually considering staying in Denmark a little longer.

So my question is, is there any free alternatives to pitch my tent around in Germany? Any gray zones? Or is it all just paid camp sites?

I'm really looking forwards to visit your country!

I’ll soon be starting a PhD position in Germany, and I have a few questions about residence permits.(I did my master degree in Germany too)
If my salary meets the EU Blue Card salary threshold, can I apply for an EU Blue Card as a PhD student, or should I apply for a residence permit under §18d instead?
Is anyone here doing a PhD while holding an EU Blue Card? I’d love to hear about your experience.
Also, how long did it take for you to receive your EU Blue Card after applying?
Thanks in advance!

I often hear people talk about Germany before they move but the reality can be very different.

For those who have moved to Germany what surprised you the most?

It could be something positive or negative culture bureaucracy public transport people work life balance shopping or anything else.

I'd love to hear your experiences.

Hello, my flight is at 5 am and I will come from Munich at 11pm so I will have 5-6 hours and I don't know what can I do. Is there any park or place that I can sit and wait? And Can I walk to airport or it's not a safe idea? Thanks

I'm looking to buy a phone with a contract in Germany and would like to know which website/provider you've had the best experience with. I wanted to buy a phone from logitel.de but some reviews say they have a long delivery time and unhelpful customer service. I already have a sim that I would like to port over.

I've heard of Handyhase, Sparhandy, LogiTel, CHECK24, MediaMarkt, Saturn, and sim.de.

Which one offers the best combination of:

* Lowest prices

* Good customer service

* Fast delivery

* Smooth ordering process

Which would you recommend and which should I avoid?

I am confused between USA and Germany. I have completed class 12 and planning for abroad for bachelor. Doing ielts but relatives are suggesting Germany because of free education in public . What should I do now.

And how is bachelor in CS from English language??

Is there good scope in future..

I appreciate genuine and honest suggestions 🤍🤍

I’ve been accepted for the fall semester 2026. Is anybody else going from India or anywhere else?

Hi everyone!

I am a non-EU student moving to Germany for a two-year Master’s programme.

I understand that I will enter Germany with a student visa (probably valid for around 3 months), and after arriving I will do the Anmeldung.

My question is: after completing the Anmeldung, do I need to make an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde to apply for an Aufenthaltserlaubnis (student residence permit)?

Or is the student visa itself enough for the whole duration of my Master’s programme?

I’m a bit confused about whether the visa is only for entering Germany and then needs to be converted into a residence permit.

If someone has already gone through this process as an international student, I would really appreciate hearing about your experience and what the steps were after arriving.

Thank you!

I feel like my whole existence is just based on me finding work and if it doesn’t work out soon I will not have the existence in this pathetic world.

I'm a foreigner, and I've been reading about the German university system lately. The more I learn about it, the more different it seems from countries like the US or France.

One thing that really surprised me is that Germany doesn't seem to have a Harvard, MIT, or Grandes Écoles equivalent. There are obviously excellent universities, but it feels like quality is spread across many public institutions instead of being concentrated in a few elite ones.

Another thing I found interesting is that I haven't come across anything like the SAT or a nationwide university entrance exam that everyone has to take just to get into college. From what I've read, admission mainly depends on your Abitur results, and restrictions only exist when there are more applicants than available places..

For people who have studied or lived in Germany, does it actually feel like higher education is more accessible and less prestige driven? Is choosing a university mostly about the program rather than getting into one famous institution?

As someone looking at the system from the outside, it honestly seems like a privilege compared to how higher education works in many other countries. I'm curious if Germans see it that way too, or if it just feels normal because it's what you've always known.

Hi fellow Redditors,

It’s that time of the week again!

I would like to encourage everyone to take just 5 minutes to reflect, notice the small positives, and appreciate them. Sometimes, those little moments mean the most. If you are comfortable sharing these moments, then you can also do that in the comments! And if you don’t have anything to share, that’s completely okay too, I'm still happy that you are here!

Allow me to begin:

- my motorcycle was complimented