Advice on moving but no job in place.

Dear Toytown users,
I have read some of the fantastic advice in the forums but would appreciate some of same for our problems.Without a doubt we are leaving England,before the 21st of november,with kids.Firstly to get a flat do i need to have a job or if i show a bank account with a certain amount of money,is that enough??If so how much??Am looking at Gross-Gerau to live as it is in the middle of everywhere but it looks expensive,Do i really need to get a Anmeldung straight away? Am learning German now but will do a course as soon as i arrive in Germany,that's best no??And finally after reading and printing off the apartment rental,German taxes,health insurance and residence registration info from Toytown.can anyone assure me it is not as complicated as it seems???And for parents out there,do they think that a 5 and 8 year old would not have too many problems integrating in the school system.???Many thanks for any advice.

I've nothing against Gross Gerau but it seems like quite a left-field choice! Not sure I'd see it as "in the middle of everything" (although look at a map and I see what you mean, plus it likes to think of itself as "centre of Hessen"). Rather, it's a small town on the outskirts of Darmstadt. On the other hand, that also means you are choosing a smaller home base rather than the benefits of one of the many great towns in this area. Travel will have an impact when you find work of course.

Price is a relative thing. It's kind of "average" for this area, certainly not pricy or top end. It costs far less to live there than in Darmstadt itself (which is in turn cheaper than Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, and other more sought-after places etc). You've picked on of the wealtheri psrts of Europe to set up in and prices reflect that (and the sinking GBP probably doesn't help comparisons).

As I mentioned on the other thread, it's a nice idea to say "I'll position myself so it's it's only 30 mins to Mainz, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, FFM and many other places" but real life often gets in the way and means limited chance to spend all our free time jaunting between them!

Resident registration is easy, healthcare OK (at least if you can handle German). Best apartments are fought for hard in central D, don't know about GG. It's not "complex" but more there's an awful lot to do and the unfamiliarity of doing it in another language in an unfamiliar culture with unfamiliar processes makes it "harder" of course.

I have never been asked for bank account details when getting a flat. Usually landlords don't care about the cash you have available right now but that you have a secure income. Also I know in some places landlords can be choosy about who they rent their flat to based on their jobs - people who work for large well known companies always seem to have a better chance at getting a flat or at least in my experience. Out of the 10 couples interested in our flat the landlady picked my boyfriend and I and I am certain it was because he works for the European Space Agency and I work at a large German medical company. I know this isn't always fair but sometimes this is the way it is

If you want to open a bank account, get a telephone connection, car, internet,health insurance, find a job and (I assume) send your kids to the German schools then yes you will.

As for it seeming complicated, it isn't actually, it is just different. You just need to make sure you read everything thoroughly and ask people what pieces of paper you need. The system is logical. Most people just have problems because they don't know the rules or how the system works. Double check everything, get things in writing and you'll be fine.

Dear Purple and Swimmer,thanks for your advice,
Much appreciated,if you had a choice of living in uk or germany want would you take???

Both fine for me (but then I moved for relationship reasons so Germany could have been anywhere). Had a great life in London (can't speak for rest of UK). Have a great life here (different, for various reasons). Personally, I'm all for quality of life and so prefer better-off areas with lots of work, nice environs and stuff to do, and good infrastructure, and I'm lucky that the town I live in is quite relaxed, liberal and has a lot to offer, and well-located to get to other places. There are plenty of parts of both nations I'd think hard about before suggesting people live in. Germany's quite like the UK in that way, quite big divides between the affluent places and the rest. Quite a lot of deprived areas across Germany, though south Hesse's not one of them, thank goodness.

Also, I'm only a one hour 90 Eur flight from London, and 4 hours door to door from family in the north. Modern technology, multiple flights and the EU mean in that in logistics ways, it's almost doesn't feel abroad these days - more like the United States of Europe!

It's also not as clear cut as immigrants of course. In the UK, we are in a country we know and understand how it operates and all the cultural references, and can speak the language etc. Go to one that doesn't fit that description and life can be very different, like starting again, and in some ways going back to childhood when you know very little, can't automatically conduct a conversation with everyone / read any document quickly etc. Not to mention the common plunging of employment / work prospects that comes with that - fine if "downshifting" or otherwise not reliant on decent local income, less so if relying on finding local employment income. That's why why a lot of UK immigrants here are mainly here because that's where a job they got happens to be!

Dear all,can anyone tell me how the benefit system works in Germany.If after trying for 3 months to get a job i can't,do they give me any dole or help with rent,etc.Or are you left out to dry. And can anyone tell me how hard it is for a 9 year old to move to Germany????

I don't think you will get any benefits here as you won't have paid into the system. But I am not 100% sure on that. I think you get child benefit from the UK in these circumstances.

As for how hard it is for a 9 year old, well I can only imagine very. Moving away from school and friends to a place where they don't understand the language, have no friends and can't play with kids in the street or playground because they don't understand them. I would say it is a 9 year old's worse nightmare.