Feierabend

"Well, I'll do it myself," said the Little Red Hen.  And she did.

Thanks El Jeffo; I don't see any need to panic!

  Hi, I've done the same and was also wondering. i'll have time to go to our Amt in a couple of weeks so if no one knows for sure I'll  get back.

Going back to the Fallout from Brexit theme I think we should be preparing like our fellow German sufferers in Blighty. There's a nice thread on the Deutsche in London forum which is playfully discussing setting up  a refugee camp in Germany for post brexit German nationals.  Serious worries about not being able to pass the integration test, or not being able to understand Bayerisch  ! http://www.deutsche-in-london.net/forum/topic/70564-brexit-flüchtling-aufnahmelager-in-deutschland/    

As RedMidge says.   Have a look at a map of Berlin. It's hard to walk down a street without tripping over a forest, lake or river!   Even the tattier areas are rapidly becoming gentrified and desirable, so old cliches don't necessarily work, e.g. Pankow which is now teeming with middle class baby buggies, cafes and bookshops and catching up with Prenzlauerberg in price. The areas with the most English speaking expats are probably still the western suburbs around Steglitz, Zehlendorf, Dahlem etc. and very nice they are too. I know family people who live in Teltow very happily. You might also consider Potsdam if you don't need to be commuting to the centre of Berlin every day, and it has an S bahn into Berlin.    Don't panic! Barlin is full of foreigners who came for a short time and surprised themselves by staying!        

Well , it seems to be stating the obvious but to go this route you need excellent German skills to get through the course and to be  accepted as a practising teacher in the public sector. It sounds like you are far from that given your comment!   I believe that for Grundschule you also have to offer two specialised subjects, and as English is now a part of the curriculum from grade one or two that would be seen as an advantage to be a native speaker. I believe that the school system here is in general fairly weak on the IT side so teachers with some nous in this would be welcome.   I stongly suggest you spend some time in schools observing. Teaching teenagers is a wildly different experience from the little ones and you might like or loathe one group or the other. Schools are going through stressful times here, particularly in the cities, and are often underfunded, in poor state of upkeep, and run very burocratically. Can't offer statisitics but I think rates of dropout and burnout are increasing.    I have heard from Lehramt sudents that I know that the training is still very academic and divorced from the practcalities of teaching.   You have to think beyond just the idea of teaching as you might imagine it and remember that you are required to be a social worker, psychologist, crowd-management expert, a diplomat in handling demanding, not infrequently crazy parents (never mind the children!)  and that the profession is an easy football to be kicked around by politicians of all persuasions. Just like it's been for years in the UK.   You might also think about doing a UK teaching degree with a view of working in the International school system after a couple of years teaching experience.   Good luck with your decisions! Teaching can be wonderful but is not a career to be entered with rosy ideas.  

As others have said, it's pretty straightforward legally. Be prepared for eyewatering Makler (estate agent) fees. With all the other fees you should reckon on 10-12% on top of the purchase price. Be prepared for a very different market, people still buy and sell much less frequently here. And any property that looks wonderfully cheap to UK eyes probably has a sitting tenant with a lot of legal security. This was a useful thread for me recently: (especially Pog and Rainydays posts)   On the Immoscout24 site there are useful summaries of the procedures and costs to expect,  but in German.   Both our property prchases here took about 4- 6 weeks. I don't think gazumping/ gazundering is prevalent here, but others may know differently!  

Dom, are you sure that's not a set of furniture assembly plans?!

There is a long thread on this subject already: This is illegal but I expect there are plenty of sharks out there willing to fleece you for a high price to do it. Why won't the current landlord supply the rental confirmation? They are legally obliged to ... unless you're already in some dodgy situation there...

Um, don't assume tuition will be free for you post Brexit. Some (all?) unis are reintroducing fees for non EU students. http://www.studying-in-germany.org/germany-will-reintroduce-tuition-fees-non-eu-students/   But perhaps you have Polish nationality?

Oooohh, with my -14 maybe I should get two pairs!!

Isn't Advil just Ibuprofen? Maybe if you asked for that it'd be cheaper and is, I think, prescription free up to a certain dosage.

Here's a link explaining the outlook for older apprentices and the legal rights (age-discrimination is in principle not allowed) https://www.azubi.de/beruf/tipps/ausbildung-ueber-30   I was listening to a news programme yesterday saying that there is a huge surplus of apprenticeship places in Berlin. Some employers are very welcoming of older starters who bring experience and life skills to the table. (Siemens were mentioned as offering top quality training) I get the impression that Germany has become more flexible in recent years.  Of course functional German is important, as there is the school side of the qualfication to cover as well as the practical training.

Thank you for your reply, books. Isn't it interesting how we humans vary and assume things about each other as being "normal." And that you've only recently discovered this!  It's a bit like people who hear music in colours and are stunned when they find out that this is rare. Perfumiers can blend smells in their imagination, some musicians can read the black dots of a new orchestral score and hear it playing,  rare people can see a complex ornamented building and come home and draw it, and so on. All imaginative skills that few have. I agree a better term is needed, as it implies a lack of something that does not seem to have impeded you in any way, and actually doesn't reflect what you describe. 

What happens when you read books, books? (not being sarky!) I can't read a novel, or a description of something, without automatically visualising and sensing the scene, in someway as if I 'm there. Does the printed word just come over to you as written facts? How do you recall places you've been, meals you have eaten? Or is it only imaginary situations you can't visualise? I can't imagine not being able to do this, fascinating!