American woman seeks job in Hamburg

Hello Hamburg!
My husband and I are moving to Hamburg from the US the first week in June for my husband's job. (Very excited!) I am currently looking for a job for myself. I have been in title insurance for many years but figure that industry is a little different than here in the states. So i'm looking for anything right now. I have alot of experience with children, from teaching tumbling classes, working at day cares, and being a nanny for a couple different families. I also have experience with animals.
Does anyone know anyone who is looking for a nanny or a pet sitter? If so please let me know. I am very reliable and excited to work. Thanks!

Does your German residence permit expressly entitle you to seek gainful employment in Germany ?

I dont have a residence permit. But my husband owns an international company, therefor i have a work permit because he own that company.

Interesting ... the U.S. Citizen Services are apparently spreading wrong/misleading information then

Listen...I dont mean to be rude...but i have read all your posts and replies to people and it seems to me that you have some strange thing against Americans. Thats ok. I wouldnt want people coming in my country taking our jobs illegally either. BUT as long as they are going about it the correct way, than what is the problem? My husband has owned an international company for some time now and he even has lawyers world wide. Because he owns this company and it makes a certain amount of profit, I, being his wife, am allowed with him over seas and work for a certain amount of time LEGALLY under his work permit.

I have to ask though...are you a lawyer? You seem to know a lot about copying and pasting. Just curious.

USA123, it's not always clear cut with these things. Is your husband American? If so, they may give you a residence permit that expressly forbids you to work for two years. Not expert advice, but I have heard that this can happen sometimes.

I'm just looking for a job. Thats why I posted this. Not any legal advice on how to work there. We will be there the first week in June, everything is in order except a job for myself. Thats all...

If you are looking for a job, people will be more interested in hiring you if you tell them what sort of work rights you have in Germany, e.g., Aufenthaltserlaubnis that allows you to work. You will run into some employers here that, since you are American, will assume you are not authorized to work unless you tell them otherwise. Since you posted above that you do not have a residence permit, it's obvious that you do not yet have a work permit regardless of what your husband owns or not, thus no one can hire you (legally, that is).

I have a work permit, through my husband. I'm not sure of any technical wording to give you at the moment. But i do know that i am LEGALLY allowed to work in Germany. But thank you for your advice.

Not in Germany or any other Schengen country ... no matter how many profitmaking international companies your husband owns and how many lawyers he has world wide

After 90 days in this country without a residence/work permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) in your own personal passport issued by the local Ausländerbehörde (Immigration Office) you´ll be an illegal alien/immigrant and treated accordingly ... due to the dire consequences nobody in his/her right mind will give you a job

oh my word, are you people serious ???
do you actually have nothing better to do with your time than to pounce on every new wall post with your ''know it all'' , nosy attititude as if you own germany!
i swear im so embarrast to be on this site when i read posts like this! its so petty, how old are you ?

@ 123USA, if you'd like to PM me , i know of an american woman here in Hamburg that might be needing someone still to look after her daughter, and also there's a new post under ''hamburg family life'' from a lady called rachel, who is needing a nanny full time ! Take a look.
im sorry you had to deal with such harshness on your first post at Toytown!! i thought your message was very sweet and i wish you lots of luck here in germany!

it seems like this site is for lonely, bored old farts with nothing better to do.
and really dont care what the response to this mail is, so dont bother dropping anymore pathetic petty remarks.

I find it rather odd that someone married to a tycoon is looking for work as a nanny, but more power to her if that's what she enjoys doing.

He is not a "tycoon" AND i never said he was a tycoon. I am merely looking for work for myself so i dont go stir crazy sitting around a strange apartment in a strange city all by my self. There now you know ALL about me. Anything else you'd like to jab at? Geez ow! I came on this site cause i am excited about moving to Germany and excited to meet new people.

Thank you Megwright for backing me up. Obviously people on here have no life and maybe i should be more realistic about things and look somewhere else. Thank you.

Just curious, but in which other countries have you been able to work based upon your husband's permission to work in those countries?

Since money isn't an object, why not take German (or other ) language courses while you are here?

They weren't having a go at you USA, they were trying to explain the burocratic systems that exist in Germany.

Relax and take the advice and do what you will with it, i have many American friends here who have found it very hard work to gain employment legally.

Hopefully a few may PM you with how they managed it.

Seriously, this "you have no life" and/or "get a life" stuff is very pathetic. "Aha, you are in my opinion being mean to me so you obviously have no life". What does that even mean? Everybody has a life if they are alive. An expectation of fluffy, lovey-dovey, huggy-wuggy responses from complete strangers is very odd as far as I am concerned. This is the same as surprise at perceived meanness.

And before anyone goes down the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" route, this is an internet discussion forum. Neither you nor I get to choose who reads and responds to our words.

I am able to work in all EU countries under my husbands work permit. I have worked in the UK for example.

This is so silly. Thanks to those of you who have given advice. I never meant for this to turn into any kind of argument.

I asked that question because I like to be at least a little informed about these types of things. Is your husband a citizen of an EU member state?

We are both American.

That's interesting- and a new one by me. Do you know what his working permit is called?

I'm not sure. I would have to ask him. The way it goes, is because he owns a company based in the EU that gives him the ok to live and work there. Since i'm his spouse i have the same permit under him. We had to wait a certain amount of time for this to come into effect though if that means anything.

If you don't mind, please ask him what it's called. I have some friends back in the US that might be interested in something like that. Sounds like he is qualifying under some business investor provision (we have the same thing in the US, BTW) but I have never heard of it being offered EU-wide- I always thought it would be country-specific.

I'll ask him tonight when he gets home.

You do not have to entitle themselves here and explain which for a permut your man possess. Even if you liked to work illegaly in Germany and are ready, is only YOURS problem and none HERE may in it be interested... Everything that is more than strange.

Welcome (soon) to Hamburg! I hope you get here in time for a little bit of summer. I came last June from St. Louis and missed it. I felt like the entire month only rained. When the sun does shine (as it has the last three weeks), Hamburg is a beautiful city with lots of great parks.

I can't be of much help for a job. My husband is also American, but I didn't automatically get a work visa. Honestly, I haven't applied now--learning German and being our family's travel agent has kept me quite busy, and we are only here temporarily. If you aren't too worried about pay, you could teach English. Native speakers are always wanted. If you want more flexibility, you could do private tutoring. There are websites you could advertise this, for example kijiji.de. Also, I've heard that the bilingual pre-schools and schools can be short on native speakers. Another possibility is volunteering for an English speaking organization.

This is not related to employment, but if you are an American living in Hamburg with a work visa, I know how you can get a "no-hassles" license regardless of which state you come from. This option is not advertised, even the embassy in Berlin did not know about it. A fellow American here mentioned to me that she got one even though her state required her to take the theory test. My husband and I pleaded with our relocation company (which swore this didn't exist), and in the end, he got a license without taking the test. Not having a work visa, I took and passed (hooray) the theory test last Friday. There is only woman that processes these "special" licenses. PM me if you need her info. (FYI--I'll be unavailable for the next two weeks--we're cruising the Baltic with a two-year-old.)

Welcome again!

Here is a link to some information for any German speakers that might be interested. It is put out by the American Chamber of Commerce:

http://www.amcham.de/fileadmin/templates/m...hsstud_31_10_05

Page 2, 3rd paragraph from the bottom, titled “Vorreiter Hamburg, Heesen und Sachsen-Anhalt – unbuerokratische, pruefungsfreie Umschreibung“ contains the info you need.

It says if you have residence here for work purposes, plus your US driver’s license for a minimum 5 years, no points in Germany (i.e., from tickets) and no accidents in Germany , then you can get a no-hassle German license. Unfortunately, it says spouses do NOT get this benefit if you live in Hamburg (it IS allowed for spouses in Sachsen, though). Be sure to ask if this has changed – you never know.

I read & re-read this post several times and was wondering what KIND of license is being written about. From rest of trail I was thing it was some kind of work license but I have a suspicion its talking about a driver's license although it does not state so in so many words...

The SEARCH facility will bring up a mine of information on subject of driver's licenses...

I would say all of your comments are strange.

BTW, no one said she had to answer anything- it's completely of her own volition. Imagine that- people sharing information. How awful!

The woman only asked: which work she in Germany to take can? She meant certainly where humans is searched? She does not asked: can I illegaly in Germany work? End all here have begun in completely different direction to discuss... I find that strange...

She does't need at all your information that she a special work-permit-eats needs

It is not unheard of for Americans who are unaware of how the visa system works here to post on TT; furthermore, she clearly stated that she did not have a residence permit, which normally means she would not have the right to work here. She clarified that she does have the right to work here and I merely asked what visa/work permit would allow her to work throughout the EU as I have not heard of an American having that sort of permission through another American. I also don't think we as a community should encourage or blithely ignore anyone working illegally (in the case of those who do).

mmmm yummy!!

Thank you Amanda214, your information has encouraged me. I appreciate all the help. I am still very excited to come to Hamburg!

Welcome to HH.

The work-visa thing might be a bit confuddled but it becomes clear enough when you go to register your work contract. I'd suggest the book Culture Shock Germany by Richard Lord, it will help you brace for the reality.

I'd suspect that you are allowed to live here because of your husbands work - naturally! When I moved here under similar circumstances I was allowed to work, but only for my not yet husband under some kind of special nepotism allowance (although we never got married so that permission was taken away).

Upon my arrival I learned that every piece of information I received from the US side was neither helpful nor accurate. Everything I learned about what I needed came from trial and error of being here. This might be why some posters are on your tail about what you believe to be true from what you've been told from over there.

Never fear! Some of us has come over here and survived the daunting trials known as German beuracracy and you will too! You'll find something to occupy your time, and the allowance to do it legally, and it's certain to be an adventure doing so.

@USA123,

I am a fellow American who moved here because of my husband's work. We've been here 15 months and we absolutely love it here. Hamburg is a beautiful city full of art, culture, local markets, amazing beer and wine, etc. I did not expect to love it here the way I do. I'm glad you guys are coming here in summertime, when Hamburg is at its best.

I have never heard of your husband's type of permit or an ability to work as an American under someone else's permit, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. I know some of the people who responded to you sounded harsh but please know that they really were trying to help. There are a lot of people on here who troll around and spit random opinions for no reason, but I don't believe they were of that kind. Finding work here can be extremely difficult and frustrating. I was promised many things regarding a work permit by my husband's company, none of which came to fruition. It took me a long time and a lot of work but I am now working legally in Hamburg, over a year later. Even after I was offered the job, I still had to get permission to be able to have it from the German government, the Arbeitsurlaubnis that was mentioned before. If you can in fact work with your husband's international company, that's great! I wish it had been that easy for me!

If you are only looking for something to keep you busy (which I do recommend!) there are plenty of jobs to be had as a nanny, babysitter, dog sitter, etc. There are always adverts here as well as on the local University's jobsite. I can try to find that for you and PM you. You can also work as a freelance English teacher at any number of Hamburg's language schools. I think that is what most people do when they want a "real" job here. If you'd like I can send you a list of possible places.

I hope that this first experience didn't scare you away from Toytown. Although there are a few vultures, this site is visited by so many nice, helpful people. It's a great tool to make friends, find a job, an apartment, and any questions you might have about living in a foreign country. Trust me, there will be plenty!

Good luck and welcome to Hamburg.
Laurel

Hi,

Check out Lingurama or Inligua. These are both language schools in Hamburg. I'm an English teacher here in Germany myself, but I have a freelance visa. However, if you are authorized to work here you could get a job tutoring at one of these schools, if you're interested in that. Hope this helps! Good luck in Hamburg, and welcome!

Joy

The best thing to do after you've settled in is go to the Ausländerbehörde - Foreigners' Office - and start the process of getting your papers in order. They are now spread all over the city according to the district you live in, so at least you won't have to line up in the middle of the night beside a busy six-lane highway like I did 10 years ago. Bring every official document you have including marriage certificate, birth certificate etc, arrive EARLY, bring something to occupy your time because you will wait for hours.

This you'll do after going to the Anwohnermeldeamt, though perhaps your husband's company will take care of that for you. That's where you register your place of residence with the authorities. You'll need it to get a library card, for example.

Or if you don't want to wait for hours and deal with grumpy government employees who refuse to speak English to you, you can visit the Hamburg Welcome Center which is a fully functioning immigration office and can help you, in English, with anything relating to your stay in Germany - regardless of which neighborhood you live in.

http://international.hamburg.de/index.do?o...38&uk=30944

They recommend making an appointment, which is always a good idea, but they've always helped me within 15 minutes of walking in. There are no long lines and long waits and the people are friendly and helpful. Send them an email, tell them what you need, they will make an appointment, send you a list of documents to bring and sort you out quickly - that's been my experience with them.

Wow, I wish something like that had been around when I first arrived! Though my German-speaking wife helped simplify my wander through the maze of bureaucracy, a bureau like that would have made it even easier. Sounds good.

I can highly recommend the Hamburg Welcome Centre. They can do a search of you in your specialist area of work or interest and give you detailed printed information.