Things to Know Before Moving to Germany as an International Teacher

In June of 2023 I got a job teaching Spanish at an international school in southwestern Germany.  It was a sabbatical cover, so two years later the teacher is returning and I’m leaving Germany. 

Overall, it has been a very positive experience, but there are a number of things that I wish I had known about living in Germany before accepting the job.  Knowing these things would have helped me make a decision about whether to come here in the first place.

To give you some context, I had lived in Switzerland, Spain, and France, and had traveled to Germany before moving here, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.  That being said, in some ways, it is better to have no expectations when moving to a new place, because I think some of my frustrations were because I had an idea in my head of Germany as an ideal, near-perfect country to live in, and of course, no place is perfect.    

The bureaucracy is real

Of the seven countries I’ve lived in, Germany has been the most difficult to deal with in terms of bureaucracy and paperwork.  From getting a visa, to registering at the foreigners’ office, to getting a bank account, it seems like nothing is simple.  Of course, it doesn’t help that I don’t speak German well (thank heavens Germans speak excellent English), but there are lots of extra steps that were not required in other countries. 

For example, you need a special letter from your landlord to say that you have an apartment that’s big enough for the number of people that are living there, which you then need to take to the municipal office to be able to change your address. 

All of these official documents are paper copies. When I told my apartment management company that I was leaving, I even needed to send in a signed paper copy of the declaration; an email wasn’t enough.

A long-term outlook on life

People here plan very far ahead.  I saw advertisements on social media in February for a picnic event that was happening in August.  Most restaurants require reservations for dinner.  There is very little spontaneity. 

In terms of housing, this was problematic because almost all leases are for two years.  I’ve never heard of a country where two years is the norm for a lease.  Because I was originally only here for one year before my sabbatical cover was extended, it meant that I couldn’t sign a two-year lease, and I had to rent from a more expensive temporary apartment category.  Rent ended up being much more expensive than I had planned, especially compared to what I had seen online before coming here.

The rest of Germany is not Like Berlin

“Well, duh,” you say, and fair enough. Most of my travel experience had been in Berlin, so being in Stuttgart, which is the sixth largest city in Germany but feels more like a large town sometimes, was a bit of a let down.  I was expecting more action, more excitement, and more open-mindedness (like Cabaret, right?).  But Berlin is obviously unique and can’t be compared to other parts of Germany.  

One positive aspect of this is that people in Stuttgart were nicer than in Berlin, where I had had two memorable incidents with Germans who were downright mean to me.  

Southern Germany is conservative compared to the rest of Germany

Southern Germany (the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria) are more religious and more conservative than other parts of Germany.  While they don’t have the highest rates of far-right nationalism in Germany, you don’t see the support for LGBTQ rights that you do in other parts of Germany.  This was a big surprise for me, and in Baden-Württemberg, state law was a barrier to fully supporting trans students at school, or discussing suicide prevention and self-harm, for example.

Everything is closed on Sunday

I knew most things would be closed on Sundays, but it was more extreme here than in other countries in Europe or other parts of Germany.  Besides restaurants, museums, and beer gardens, there isn’t much to do on Sunday.  What I struggle with most is grocery stores and drug stores not being open.  Besides gas stations, there is one small 24-hour convenience store near the Mitte and then a grocery store at the airport.  But basically, if you didn’t plan ahead and buy your groceries the day before, there is no place to get them.

Healthcare can be a struggle

I have not had to pay a dime (besides what comes out of my paycheck) for healthcare in Germany, which is amazing.  The public insurance card is used to sign in for appointments, and doctors put a prescription on it, and then you give the card to the pharmacist.

Unfortunately, finding a doctor who is taking new patients can take a long time.  I would recommend finding a regular doctor as soon as you move to Germany and not waiting until you are sick to find one.  

Additionally, Germans do not like to take medicine, especially antibiotics.  I had a horrible bronchitis/pneumonia for months that I could not get rid of.  I was told to rest and drink tea. When I pushed for medicine, the doctor did a blood test to see if I needed antibiotics, and I was told I did not.  

I did get a referral to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, and she eventually gave me steroids and antibiotics, but this was months later when I finally got in to see her. 

Being in a situation where you are sick and not being given medicine that you feel you need was extremely anxiety-provoking for me. 

I had talked to a coworker who had gotten their wisdom teeth out and was only given one ibuprofen for pain relief, so my experience here was not necessarily unique.     

The sick leave is ridiculous

Because the German system uses minimal medicine, it’s understandable that in Germany, when you are sick, you are expected to rest and drink tea so that your body will heal itself naturally.  This is the opposite of the U.S. system, where you are given tons of medication and expected to push through and not take sick days unless you really need them (which is not great).

Because of this mindset, if you get a doctor’s note to excuse you from work, you are excused for a ridiculously long time.  The number of times a co-worker was sick on Monday and automatically excused from the whole week of work was crazy.  What’s more, you can get into legal trouble if you work, even from home, while you are supposed to be out sick.  

On the one hand, it’s great to be in a place where physical and mental health are important, and you feel that you can take sick days.  On the other hand, it’s frustrating to have to cover for colleagues who have been excused for the whole week when they are probably healthy after two days.    

Germans work to live, not live to work

This is probably one of the things that was most shocking to me. I had always thought of Germany as a place with a strong work ethic, but after living here, I feel like people are actually encouraged to NOT work hard.

After living in the U.S., Singapore, and Colombia, all places where people work long hours, I was surprised to find out that Germans work only about 35 hours a week, less than the European average.

Now, let me be clear that in most places around the world, teachers are overworked and underpaid, which is not a good thing.  In Germany, I’ve had the best work-life balance I’ve ever had, for which I’m grateful.  Some weeks, I don’t even work more than 40 hours a week! However, it’s not all sunshine and roses.    

Everything related to work hours is regulated here, for example, the number of minutes the bus driver can drive without a break before the bus will automatically shut off. 

In the future, teachers will need to track the hours they work, including what they do outside of school, to make sure they aren’t exceeding their hours.  

Can you imagine this?  So I will just not plan a lesson for the following day if I’m over my hours for that day? “Sorry kids, I’m over my hours, so I don’t have a lesson for you today, just talk quietly amongst yourselves.”  

I understand that this is for worker protection, but I also feel that if people want to work longer or harder, they should be able to do so.  A German neighbor of mine expressed this frustration when everyone in his company was forced to take more leave at the end of the year. 

The transportation is amazing, but only when it works

Another major disappointment here–German Deutsche Bahn trains are notoriously late. Again, this is only disappointing because I had this preconceived notion that Germans are obsessed with punctuality (that much is true), so of course the trains would be on time too (spoiler alert: that part is not true).

In less than two years, there have been five days of strikes where the subway and buses haven’t run, meaning I’ve had to pay around 200 euros to take taxis to work or walk an hour home.  This is one more reason to live close to where you work.

On a positive note, the DB Pass allows you to travel on local and regional trains for only 58 euros a month, which is an amazing deal.  The local U-bahn and buses are super clean and comfortable, and it’s easy to get just about anywhere in the metro region.  

Personal Liability and Defamation Laws

Suing is common in Germany.  If something goes wrong, you can be sued easily, so no matter how long you are here for, you need personal liability insurance.  I got some for around 9 euros a month.

Additionally, anti-defamation and privacy laws are very strong, so be very careful not to say or write anything that could be considered defamation (even Google reviews!) or take photos of people without their permission.

Conclusion

Uff, those are more things to know before moving to Germany than I thought I would write, but if you are considering moving to Germany, I hope that this post will be helpful to you and that you’ll be able to make a more informed decision.  If you want to teach in an international school, here are other helpful posts about international teaching.

Overall, Germany is a great place to teach abroad and is very livable.  The salaries are not high, but the work-life balance is good, the safety is wonderful, and the cultural and travel options are amazing.