Advice sought on finding a job

Hi guys,

My name is Cliodhna or Jan [Yan] it's my nickname. I am living in Dublin, Ireland at the minute and I have fallen in love with Germany so much. In the last year I have been to South Baveria over 5 times, staying in Nurnberg and visiting places like Parsberg, Ragensburg, Schweinfurt and Rothenbach and I even tried to move to Nurnberg with out being able to speak German. Lol I last two weeks before money ran out and I had to return home. I was wondering if there is any jobs in Germany that are english speaking only or any jobs where you don't have to speak? I would work in a kitchen washing plates all day if it meant I would stay in Germany. I love Ireland but I feel trapped and I really want to live in Germany. As I said I have information about a course that I could go for that teaches me Germany for two months or longer if I wanted. I will be going for that but I have to save up and I would like to be in Germany like tomorrow if I could. Could any one give me advise? Anything would be great!

You list Irish as your nationality, which means you are also an EU citizen. What is the problem, then?

Edit: I see. You need a job, but you don't need a residency permit or work permit. Ever tried an Irish pub? Lots of those about. You could lead walking or biking tours for tourists, too.

There's no issue with me going over - the only problem is that I have a limited amount of money and if I go there and find nothing I have to come home and start all over again, I would love to find a job first and then go over as there is a hostel I could stay in until I found a place in Nurnberg, but I could stay in other hostels any where else as well. My fiancee is in Japan with the US Navy so he said when he gets time off he could help me in coming over to Germany with me even if it's only support. I just don't know who I would contact in getting a social security number or looking for english speaking jobs. That's my problem. I am lost!

You need to give us more to go on. Do you have any business experience for example? If you do, then there are plenty of jobs teaching English with numerous language schools. Do you have a degree and like kids? If so, there are often jobs as kindergarten assistants and teachers. There's loads of stuff about this if you use the "search" button on Toytown.

That's the other issue - I left school at 14 because I had ADHD and I couldn't handle being in school. I have no qualifications apart from a microsoft word course that I done. I have work in a cinema in Dublin, I have also worked as a lounge girl from the age of 14 up to 19. I worked in a book store for the summer last year. I haven't really been work conscious as much as I should have been due to me being irresponsible but now I am more mature and I want to start my life some where I really really love. Nurnberg is like my second home and it's where I would like to settle down there. I plan on doing the German course in Düsseldorf. I would like to get qualifications when I am over there, weather it be part time college but as I said I would need to be able to support myself to do that. I have used the search button; but the jobs are looking for people with qualifications, that I don't have.

My advice is to be more realistic. If you are serious, i suspect you'll just have to bite the bullet, book the ticket and come. Then you can start seeking jobs commensurate with your employment record, language skils etc.

And don't stint on learning the language - it's the key to a sustainable future. The gap between those who did and those who didn't is often quite stark.

Even many migrants with money in the bank, a stash of qualifications and experience, a prefect health record and good local contacts haven't got a hope in hell of getting all you want. How easy life would be if we could just decide to live in another country and:

(1) before we went, we'd picked up a nice job to tide us over (in a country of 10% unemployment where many highly qualified German speaking locals take ages to find a new job)

(2) we could learn German "in a couple of months" (whilst somehow managing to work too)

(3) a few months later, we'd be studying in the local university / college of our choice (using a language we didn't speak six months ago) .

And language teaching is a possibility but, from my experience, the schools prefer known quantities - people they've come across or who at least live in Germany. They *may* advertise on line but they tend not to employ people that aren't already here and involved in local culutre. They don't need to.

you see I did try it before and I came home after a week because no one would hire me, even when I said I would do any job at all. Even work behind the sceenes. There is a college in Düsseldorf that is doing a 2 month course that I am interested in doing but I would love it to be in Nurnberg as that is where my heart is. I know every decent hang out spot; I know where to go for the right prices on shopping and I know my ice hockey is there but for me to stay in Germany I would take any job. I am even trying to find out if there is a way I can claim job seekers allowance while I look for a job from the Irish goverment rather then the German. The reason I want to go over after I find a job is that I don't want to run out of money and realise I have to come back to Ireland and have to listen to my parents at me again and again,

Jan, I know you are anxious to get to Germany, but I really think you need to address your lack of experience/education in Ireland before you attempt to go to Germany again.

Are you able to support yourself in Ireland? I'd say you need to be able to do that, at a minimum, in your home country before you can expect to do it in a foreign country where you have no family ties or knowledge of the language. Why not get some supplementary education in Ireland, as well as further work experience and if possible, German language training, and then give Germany another shot.

As someone already mentioned, unemployment is high in Germany. Lots of people are willing to "do anything" and still can't get work. And qualifications are everything for jobs in Germany.

You've been given some good options for starter jobs you might be able to get in Germany. Why not set your sights on one of those options, get some experience/education in Ireland toward that goal, and try again in a couple of years? Meanwhile, you can go to Germany for holidays.

I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but I think the main part of your problem is lack of education and work experience (or work ethic, if you want to call it that), combined with a rather stubborn impatience to get what you want right away. You are very young - time is on your side.

This is excatly what I need to hear and you are right, I am looking for jobs over here but it's just not working either. This morning my fiancee, who is in Japan with the US Navy there has told me that he wants me to come with him to Ohio just after x-mas to meet his family and while I have the money now to do that I think that's what I will do but mean while I think what I might do is work over the summer and get enough money up to do the two month German course in Dussledorf, I think they give you accommodation so I am going to find out about that as well, as for qualifications, I think I might have to get something over here any ways because work over here is getting hard and it doesn't help that Ireland is now in a resession so it's harder.

Thank you for your advise it's been great,

You might want to have a look at the thread about the American man trying to find out about government assistance for himself and his German wife, if you're also contemplating getting your American fiancee to move to Germany with you after his service is up. Getting permits, etc. for him to live and work in Germany will be a whole separate challenge.

The idea is that we might be getting married just after christmas so if we are I wont go to the States without him so I will live in Germany until his service time is up then when it is I will apply for a green card and all of that before I move there. Germany is just for me and me alone. I love Ireland but I can't live there any more, lol it's just so small for me when I have the traveling bug, lol if that make sense. But I think I will check that link out any ways, never know what will happen.