Moving (back) to Germany

Hi all,
I discovered this site a couple days ago and this is my first post to the board.

Anyhow, I'm a US-American and my wife is German. We met in Freiburg, Germany while I was on study abroad there and we got married there (I lived there for a total of about 2 years). We moved to the US so I could get my Ph.D. in math and that's what I'm in the process of doing now. My wife, Nadja, feels rather homesick and is not having the easiest time adapting, so I figure we'll probably move back to Germany when I graduate or collapse:-).

The entire time I was in Germany, I was a student, so I know enough about being a student, but I never had the need to get a job, since the exchange program I was with gave me enough money to live off of. So, that means I really don't know much about life as an "adult" in Germany.

So, I have a number of questions that I'd like to hear some discussion on.

First, in most parts of the US, it's almost taken for granted that one *owns* and *single-family* detachted house (and, although I am still a student, that is already the case with me). That is obviously not the case in most areas of Germany. It seems it is the dream of many Germans to own their own home/apartment/whatever, but based on the relatively low price of rent in comparison to the cost of real estate, it almost seems fiscally bad to buy (especially considering that German real estate appreciation seems to be low and shrinking). To illustrate this point, let's assume I don't buy my 300,000 euro condo, but instead take my 300,000 euros and put it in an interest earning fund. If I make an average of 8% interest a year (reasonable, since the stock market averages about 12%, so the fund could even be conservative), I would make 24,000/year in interest payments, or 2000 euros/month, which would rent you a pretty nice place, even in expensive cities like Munich (where my wife grew up) or Freiburg (where my wife and I lived). However, I'd like to hear from the experience of other *non-Germans* in this area.

On a totally different topic, does anyone know what the sitution is with German companies recognizing foreign college degrees? I currently have a bachelors (from America) and plan to get my PhD. If everything fails, I'll be left with a bachelors. Does anyone know what German companies think of that? If I quit, but late enough on, I will be able to exit with a masters. Same question about that. And, of course, if I finish (which I hope to!), I will have a PhD. Do German companies think that a PhD is any different than a German Doktor?

Now... Taxes. I know German taxes can be insane, however, it would be nice to see a breakdown. Does anyone have a breakdown of how much my take home pay would be if I were to make, say, 48000 euros per year? What if I made half that? Double that?

I'd also be interested in knowing how you found your job if your company didn't just move you over. Did you hear about it from a friend? Was it publically advertised?

These are all topics I'll have to start thinking about in the relatively near future, so I figure I'l go ahead and start now. (Note: Nadja and I plan to move to Freiburg, however, if we can't for whatever reaons (I don't find a job), we'd probably move to Munich).

Any thoughts are certainly welcome

Thanks,
-Michael

Re. buying a house; you're forgetting that your €300,000 slush fund will devalue in real terms. However, there are various threads discussing the pros and cons of purchasing property.

Re. your qualifications: I would do your best to finish the PhD. Germans love qualifications, and if you've already started work on it then it would seem a shame not to complete it. A Bachelor's won't get you anywhere because most students study up to Diploma level, which is one step up. So a Master's is the minimum you want really.

Re. Taxes, expect to take home about 50% of a good wage; there are also discussions about this elsewhere that a quick search will bring up.

And move to Freiburg, it's a great part of the world.

regarding job there are some offers in this site itself, just use search or else check monster.de

By the I am here with only a Bachelor's degree, successfully working since 6 years and also earning good. So try to complete your PHD thats the best thing otherwise you can still survive.

there are online links to calculate your take home salary. Also the links are posted in this site use search..

regards

50% if your single, 30% if you have dependants. Alot of young Germans are leaving Germany (112.000 last year) the bulk are moving to Switzerland lower taxes and cheaper and better health care. Germans are also long term renters it's not unusual to see someone who has lived in the same rental apartment their whole lives. Our neighbours were like that, 40 years in the same place, never bought a place. That is quite typical.

On 48,000 I wouldn't say you'd lose 50%. Maybe 40% - 45%.

Your calculation about houses is pretty correct in my opinion, and is true the world over. Unless your house goes up in value then there are better places to invest your money. Thing is that in the UK, America, Australia etc house prices have gone up very nicely in the last 50 years, so people think its crazy to rent. In these cases its true, but Germany is different and renting is really ok.

And finish the PhD. Like others have said, Germans value a piece of paper over real work experience almost 100% of the time.