Is moving from Munich to Bielefeld a good idea?

HI,

I got a new Job offer from the Bielefeld area. So I would like to know you advises or your own feelings about the idea.

Strong reasons are higher pay package, and also good Job role.

Draw backs are Munich is big and bielefeld is small and far away from Stuttgart, Munich were I have lot of my friends.

What would you do in this situation ?

You should take into consideration that quite possibly Bielefeld doesn't exist:

Germany's Latest Conspiracy Theory

I would avoid double-posting ... to begin with

Advice on moving to the Bielefeld area

Good one Tom,

"a beast which will wake on the Dec. 24, 2011"

If at all I move there, I will make sure I am out before the said time .

Its true miwild,

But the problem is many Munich readers have set filters and do not read the posts from the NRW region, and thats why this thread which make sense as I am involving both parties.

I hope you dont mind !

are you seriously planning to base your decision on the "expert opinion" of the odd "munich reader" ... instead of taking your family to Bielefeld, renting a car and inspecting the city/region/overall situation for a couple of days ... for instance ?

I highly doubt anyone who asks a question on this forum uses it as their only resource in making a decision.

That's quite a silly assumption.

miwild, as ER mentioned not seriously. I have my own wishList to fulfill before moving out there. But some times how great your checklist be, there might be one or two important things missing. And asking some one on a forum helps to cross check the list as the people write their own opinions,

Like for example, tom mentioned above an article, which I could not read it before, but then I had a strange feeling initially that if it is one of top 20 cities in Germany and me staying in Germany for the past six years haven't met any one from this place nor heard of any news from this place.

Its not that it is important but an interesting fact!

I always think of people from Bielefeld being very clumsy as I stopped to eat there once when I passing that way on the autobahn. Well we where sitting in the terrace of a restaurant and I couldn’t help noticing how blasé and carefree this waitress was behaving. Anyway on one pass she had a plate in each hand and she was swinging her arms so much that the pizza on one plate just flew off sideways and landed on a patron’s table. I know it is wrong to generalize but first impressions do count.

well ... Wikipedia and Google are your friends

At the moment I appear to be the only forumite who is familiar with Bielefeld ... because incidentally I´m originally from nearby Münster/W., another big city in Westphalia

Believe me ... Bielefeld does exist, it is one of the 20 biggest German cities, its inhabitants are real people, the surrounding region (Westphalia, Teutoburg Forest) is as attractive as any other German region.

"Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among variations. Every decision making process produces a final choice. It can be an action or an opinion. It begins when we need to do something but we do not know what. Therefore, decision making is a reasoning process which can be rational or irrational, and can be based on explicit assumptions or tacit assumptions ... " (from Wikipedia)

Well as I said, I have done all the technical research!,

The only thing I miss is the personal touch which I can get only through people living there or associated with that place.

As u mentioned Teutoburg Forest, which is great.

By the way do u have any idea if Brackwede is a nice place to live (like family friendly and so on.). A tram line is passing though this area and so it is well connected with the main center.

Family, I hope, you will always have.

It boils down to a choice between career or friends. If you're happy in the job you have - and with your friends, stay. If you're unhappy with both or either, what have you got to lose?

BB,

I would not count on that, but good to know that you passed by this City.

Silty1, thats true family is with me.

But one more interesting thing is the geographical location, like its convenient to visit Denmark, Hamburg and Berlin all these places which are nice to visit with a car., compared from Munich.

I had a look at the immobilienscout24.de for searching houses and availability, and the rent seems to be less but the search items were too low only some 60 or so adverts. But just imagine how many u get if u search for a house in Munich.

May be the locals use other website like quoka.de to put their adverts.

I have never lived in Brackwede ... looks like one of those peaceful suburbs with a lot of schools

There are four differences between (Ost-) Westfalen and Bavaria/ Munich, that come to my mind immedeately:

Schützenfest vs. Oktoberfest, that is 40 0,2l glasses of Pils per day, which is stronger than the bavarian pee on Oktoberfest, vs. 6 Maß,

there is no Schickeria and bussi bussi Gesellschaft in Bielefeld, but rather down to earth people,

Westfalen have no "mir san mir"-attitude, which makes every Preiß'n or other non-Bavarian feel like an alien,

Bayern vs. Arminia.

Das Westfalenlied ... anyone for an English translation ?

Ihr mögt den Rhein, den stolzen, preisen,
Der in dem Schoß der Reben liegt,
Wo in den Bergen liegt das Eisen,
Da hat die Mutter mich gewiegt.
Hoch auf dem Fels die Tannen steh'n,
Im grünen Tal die Herden geh'n,
Als Wächter an des Hofes Saum
Reckt sich empor der Eichenbaum,

|: Da ist's, wo meine Wiege stand,
O grüß dich Gott, Westfalenland! :|

Wir haben keine süßen Reden
Und schöner Worte Überfluss
Und haben nicht so bald für jeden
Den Brudergruß und Bruderkuss.
Wenn Du uns willst willkommen sein,
So schau auf's Herz, nicht auf den Schein,
Und schau uns grad hinein ins Aug', ... (staring Germans !)
Gradaus, das ist Westfalenbrauch!

|: Es fragen nicht nach Spiel und Tand
Die Männer aus Westfalenland. :|

Und unsre Frauen, unsre Mädchen,
Mit Augen, blau wie Himmelsgrund,
Sie spinnen nicht die Liebesfädchen
Zum Scherze für die müß'ge Stund'.
Ein frommer Engel Tag und Nacht
Hält tief in ihrer Seele Wacht,
Und treu in Wonne, treu in Schmerz
Bleibt bis zum Tod ein liebend Herz.

|: Glückselig, wessen Arm umspannt
Ein Mädchen aus Westfalenland. :|

Behüt' dich Gott, du rote Erde,
Du Land von Wittekind und Teut,
Bis ich zu Staub und Asche werde,
Mein Herz sich seiner Heimat freut!
Du Land Westfalen, Land der Mark,
Wie deine Eichenbäume stark,
Dich segnet noch der blasse Mund
Im Sterben, in der letzten Stund'!

|: Land zwischen Rhein und Weserstrand,
behüt' dich Gott, Westfalenland! :|

Emil Rittershaus (1834-1897)

besides:

It was the Westphalians/Cherusci/Saxons who defeated the Romans in 9 A.D. ... when the Bavarians didn´t even exist as a tribe/nation

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest

sorry, pils vs helles... no need to explain. (who wants baby glasses anyway)


munich has down to earth people. having schickeria is actually fun. watching them on their saturday shopping outing can be quite amusing. (i recommend the area around Fünf Höfe)


as a 'mir san mir' person, i think it's great. we are trying to be nice to the preißn or non-bavarians but it's not our fault we cannot understand you


that's easy too... Bayern


planetmoni

I was in Bielefeld for 6 years before coming to Munich. It was said at the time to be the suicide capital of Germany. Having said that I still have a lot of friends up there, and none of them have topped themselves... so far. But... I wouldn't move back.

And I am an Armenia fan.

me too ...

Armenia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia

Alright smartarse, I don't often make spelling mistakes. But, after 3 days hard travel with D-Bahn, I should be allowed one character out of place.