Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Anyone in Erlangen/ Herzo/ Nuremburg?

7 replies

NinjaChipmunk · 06/05/2014 13:09

So it looks like I will be living the expat life within the next 6 months due to dp's job moving to the above area. I have so many questions and I don't know where to start!
Is there anyone there on here? What's it like? Is it friendly/ easy to settle in? I have a 6 yo ds and a nearly 2 yo dd. DP is in a rose tinted bubble that moving abroad 'isn't a big deal' (this comment nearly got him throttled) but he doesn't seem to have thought about all the practicalities. We would probably try to get DS a place at the FIS if possible but I haven't a clue about dd. Over here I work part time and she does 3 days a week at a really lovely nursery. What is the nursery system like over there (and actually do people work part time over there? what is the culture when you have little kids?).
Any help/ hints/ tips on what to do between now and arriving would be soooooooo much help. Like have you kept a british bank account? Has anyone moved over there with debt and just carried on paying it off? Help me! I'm drowning in a sea of questions!
TIAx

OP posts:
MrsNutella · 06/05/2014 18:51

Hi ninja hopefully the ladies from the German thread will pop over soon but feel free to post this on there too. They are much better at things like child care/kindergarten questions (DS is 16 months) than I am.

Are you planning to work here? Just considering if DP is not your DH you might not be covered under his health insurance. I don't know if you've looked into that but especially with the kids you might want to get some advice on that so that you don't get caught out.

I still have my British bank account. I have it registered to my address here in Germany.

Nuremberg is beautiful. A really lovely town with lots of small cafés and places to drink a nice coffee/have a beer or get decent food. Great stuff to see and do, lots of culture and an interesting history. I always found shop assistants helpful and their English surprisingly good - I think because they have big international companies head offices nearby.

What is being provided by your DP's company in terms of accommodation? Most places are not furnished and this often included having to bring a kitchen with you - it is as bizarre as it sounds.
Hmmmm.... What else.... I'll keep thinking.

NinjaChipmunk · 06/05/2014 22:10

Not sure about accommodation, I know they provide a relocation budget but not sure how much and then we rent a house somewhere...I'll have to get dp to really find out exactly what is included.
What are living costs like over there? Is it cheaper than UK? I know the tax and health insurance thing could be an issue and we have talked about probably getting married for tax purposes (how romantic, 17 years in and this is why we do it).
There are just so many things to think about, its a bit overwhelming.

OP posts:
drinkingtea · 07/05/2014 08:41

Hi again Ninja

I am in Bavaria, between Munich and Nuremberg, but closer to Munich, and have kids of 8, 6 and 3. I'll try to answer some questions.

If you don't plan to work it is in your interest to get married as this will mean your DH will be in a lower tax class and you and the kids can be on his health insurance. However if you plan to work I am not sure there is any advantage, and in fact you may be short term better off tax wise unmarried (though when you do your tax return it would even out I think - hazy grasp of the complexities of hypothetical situations).

We have been here 7 years - I kept my UK bank act on my German address like Nutella - but you need a German one too or else you will be paying for everything in cash - even supermarkets don't take credit cards nor UK debit cards, you need an EC card which is a debit card for a German bank account. Also of course you would be paying to exchange money all the time - so open a German account once you are here.

Cost of living is "how long is a piece of string" - if you are moving from Newcastle it will be more expensive in Bavaria, if you are moving from London it will be cheaper. It depends where you shop and whether you run a car, and most importantly where you live - city centres can be very, very expensive, but there is less of a commuter belt, so if you move out of the city you get more for your money much closer to the city than you would in S.E England. Food costs are broadly the same as in the UK. Child care is cheaper, but less available, I would say, but again there is a choice of state and private - state places are subsidised and usually at least as good as private or even better (unless you want a specific approach - if you want Bilingual you need to go private, but then if you aim to stay long term I wouldn't recommend bilingual as many kids then stick to their strongest language).

I see you are thinking of private school, so that gets around the awkwardness of moving with a 6 year old who doesn't speak German but would be due to start school! Assuming the one you mention is English medium or bilingual?

Far more mothers work part time than full time and many mothers of an under 3 don't work here - Bavaria is very traditional, but big cities are "ahead" (if you see it that way) in terms of both parents working and more childcare being available. Thare have been changes in the law recently entitling children between 1 and 3 to childcare (Krippe is nursery, Tagesmütter are childminders, you also get "Kita" in cities which are combined Krippe (under 3 year olds) and Kindergarten (3-6 year olds). However in Bavaria there simply aren't enough places in existence, so childcare for under 3s can be scarce in some areas, and in some cities the chances of getting a state Krippe place if you are not highest priority (working single parent or sibling of a child already there) and have not applied already are very low. However you will probably find a Tagesmutter or (more expensive) private KiGa place if you do want to work, and they are also more willing to be flexible (a lot of state Krippe insist children do core hours, meaning they have to go every morning, with afternoons being optional). Once your youngest is 3 there are far more Kindergarten places than Krippe places.

Not sure if that's any use. Is the job definite? Is it fixed term or for the foreseeable future?

drinkingtea · 07/05/2014 09:09

Oh - if you rent a house, be prepared for the fact it probably won't have a kitchen (as in there will be a room with plumbing, but no units, no sink... you buy your own kitchen in rentals and take it with you when you leave, or sell it on to the next tenant - if it does have one the previous tenant will want money for it, most likely - you can say no if its grotty, but then they might take it out). We moved into our rented house when I was 6 months pregnant and had a young toddler, and had to cook on a camping stove and wash up in the cellar laundry room for the first month... but then, on the up side, most houses have a cellar laundry room, washing machine in the kitchen is considered an incredibly weird idea! :o

WallyBantersJunkBox · 12/05/2014 20:56

Hi, I work for one of the major sports firms in Herzo, and spend a lot of time in the area, I was offered a permanent relocation but I'm not moving.

I would add that schooling will dictate where you live. If you choose international in Nurnberg then you will need to live close to the city. The traffic is always really heavy from there to Erlangen/Herzo so your DH is looking at a 45-60 minute commute each way.

If you decide on local provision then you have a nice choice of villages and houses in the area with a shorter commute.

Erlangen is a University town with otherwise mainly Siemens employees. It has a nice feel to it (nice restaurants, clean and friendly). Herzo is Puma/Adidas land - a lot of English speakers as both offices are Global, a lot of young interns and employees. It has a good range of housing - I have looked wistfully in the window of the estate agents at the cash point at 4 bed houses with small pools for 300,000 euros!

It has a few nice local restaurants and a good leisure centre. If you want to work there will be good opportunities in the 3 companies I have mentioned as you need English to work there.

PM me if you have any questions. A lot of my staff are relocating there so I am hearing a lot at the moment!

NinjaChipmunk · 13/05/2014 22:34

Hi wally, have pm'ed you.

OP posts:
WallyBantersJunkBox · 14/05/2014 00:06

Yep have replied.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page