I want to do something - work or study with a view to working but no idea at all what to do. Any help please?

[ErnesttheBavarian]

Honestly I have felt this way for a long time now. I used to be a MFL secondary teacher.

I don't want to do that now, and anyway, my qualifications are not recognised here in Germany, I would have to do a course anyway. TBH after 13 years at home with dc I have had enough of kids. I don't know enough english grammar to teach it, I could learn it, but if I taught privately, I would still be stuck at home, and language schools not an option due to my own dc (most require evening lessons, I could realistically only do mornings to early afternoon).

I stopped working when I had my 1st dc, almost 13

We now live in Germany, and I do not feel confident with my German, I am starting lessons tomorrow, so am aiming to rectify that asap. There are a lot of international companies here, and I know many people who don't speak German, but I don't know what they do or how to learn it. I read job adverts and don't even understand them and after so long at home feel totally unemployable.

My dc come home at about 1 o'clock every day, so feel it would have to be part time.

I feel trapped by the school and the language. I really am bored senseless at home and feel really at my limit. I day dream constantly about this but I really am totally blank as to what to do.

How do I even begin to work that out? I am working on the German, as that needs sorting regardless. I am now 42 and feel desperate to do something but I have no idea what or how to find out. I am so keen to get the ball rolling, I feel like I'm at the top of a hill with a giant boulder, just ready to push, but I look all around and I don't know where to push it, so I'm still stood here with my boulder and a sinking feeling. Does that make sense?

Thanks reshetima, will keep that in mind when/if something grabs my attention. Maybe I could get a job lecturing at the university....... What qualifications do you need for that?

Nowadays you'd be expected to have a PhD to be a lecturer at most universities, but you could hunt around for teaching related jobs - I don't know the German system, but imagine there's work around for people who teach English as so many of academic texts and academic work in general is in English. One thought might be to see if there's any work in proof-reading/editing academic papers, for example.

You can offer your services to the international office at your university.

Hi hope I can help a bit here: my sister lives in Germany with teen age daughter and she was looking for a part time job. Although she did have a secretarial job which was coming to an end so in that respect she is in a different situation already being in work, however the job she has just found is in an international school in the school office. Living in a foreign country, and struggling at times with the lingo, her main skill over everyone else she has always found in the workplace is that she can speak/write English.

If your German is not good, then use your English to best advantage - is there a international school near to you you could get a part time job in? It doesn't have to be teaching ncessarily (although the atmosphere in such a school is light years away from our schools here) just write to them and see what!

Good luck with your search for work.

Hi me again at the risk of boring everyone...it would help if I read the posts properly first, but you mention Munich - there is an international school there, I know because there are two children at our school who used to go there before they moved here. Deffo worth a try. I am sure they will be very approachable.
Their website is
www.mis-munich.de/about/employment-opportunities/index.aspx

They say no vacancies at present, but you never know, my sisters job wasnt advertised and if someone hadnt told her about it she wouldnt have known.

Hello to Robino from Qatar - hope DH finds work soon. Assuming he's in construction there is a lot around, just might take a while.

OP - this might not work in Germany but my mother does a lot of volunteer work for Age Concern in Spain - basically helping British expats out when, for example, they have medical or financial problems. Obviously a lot fewer British retirees in Germany but Age Concern might be doing something similar.

Hey Ernest - good for you for getting out to university etc. Have you considered creating something that you would love to do and where your talents and abilities lie rather than trying to fit into whatever is out there? My suggestion would be to try take some time out and put on a fantasy hat, however difficult that might seem right now with all the barriers and think, if it wasn't impossible, how you could add value to someone based on your experience, talents and abilities, and more importantly your passions. You have something in you that other people would benefit from, believe it or not. With the internet as it is today you could create your own business delivering your expertise (and yes you have some or certainly something that could be developed) to whatever speaking market you wanted rather than being tied to German. This probably sounds daunting (and I hope not patronising) but you really could do it. Alot of women around the world are doing just that...setting up online/via phone/skype - connecting through social media, that way you wouldn't be so isolated as well.

Anyhoo, just a thought, but GOOD LUCK anyway.

Hello bedubabe! Yes, construction. Health and safety. You'd think he'd be snapped up, wouldn't you?

Ernest - you have to start gate-crashing lectures! I'd like to hear what you get into please! I found a great masters course here but it's too part time to fit in with the kids I think, plus who knows how long we'll stay.

Hi all, sorry for delay in replying.

Need..cuppa - thanks for idea. I had thought of the IS. MIS is way too far away, but there is another one closer, BIS, to the north, but I had really only considered etching, which I had already ruled out. I suppose I could consider that, but it seems like doing something just for the sake of it. ANother problem with the IS school here is the holidays are at different time to the german schools, so they broke up at the end of June, but my dc only broke up today, a whole month later, so it would make it v. v. difficult.

I said before, I tried looking into volunteering, but no one wanted me, except to teach english to kids after school which a. I don't want to do, and b. doesn't work well with my dc.

I was at a dinner with a bunch of neighbours the other night and mentioned I should set up and english speaking nursery here and they unanimously seriously said I'd have their custom. Unfortunately I lack the gumption to do it and I don't want to work with little kids. I think that looks like a real possibility, but I just don't want to do that! I think it comes under jennies fantasy hat!:)

The international office at the university sounds interesting. Might look into that.

I'm feeling your pain and I am German. Here for the next two years with a view of settling here eventually in a few years. BUT:
All my qualifications are in English and Germans are generally arsy about work. As many kids leave school and do an apprenticeship, thats what they typically end up doing for the rest of their lives. Even admin work often asks for the necessary school qualification...

Then there is insurance. Even if one wanted to become self-employed, one must take private health insurance and that is so costly.

So even though I'm better of linguistically than you, its still not any easier. Are you in Bavaria then or are you BFG?

I live in Germany and whilst I have a really good level of German, I´m having the problems which Schnullerbacke mentioned. It´s so hard if you´re not inside the German system. I want to go into teaching but would have to study for five years before doing a 2 year equivalent of NQT. Even though I already have a Master´s degree in a shortage subject. And I have now been refused a place on this five year teaching course because, guess what, I already have a Master´s.
Where I live, English language Kindergärten are booming. I´m sure as a business idea, it is a good one. The only problem is if you don´t want to work with small children!! But maybe you can recruit other English people to do the childcare and you manage the whole thing :o
Have you tried looking on Toytown?