mlynn

  Thank you for the suggestions! 

  I REALLY want to go to the Harz area! Your comment is so helpful! I appreciate the town suggestions. That is so helpful. The area sounds like a dream to me. 

  Thanks! I will look it up. It sounds beautiful!   Budget will depend on a few circumstances so right budget isn't a factor. Once I have that sorted out and a list of a handful of places I will look into that part.

  Can I ask about what "better climate" means to you? I hate hot weather (over 80 or 85 degrees F) and definitely prefer a cooler climate. Though I know temps in the 80s are not entirely unavoidable. But if such a place exists where those temps are less common, I'm all for it!

Right now we're researching parts of Germany and cities we might want to live in. I'm looking for recommendations for cities that are in a forest area, near a forest area (within 30 minutes), or in/near mountains with a population between say 70,000 and 500,000. I've found a couple but I'm curious what places other people recommend. Population could be slightly smaller or larger, but I prefer to be in a place that isn't super small.    Thanks!!!

Thank you for the info! I do have a few questions about the Ausbildung. I’m going to send you a message. 

I forgot to mention I’m not opposed to obtaining the German qualifications. 

Thank you! This is helpful!    I’ll definitely be looking at bilingual schools. I do speak German and am taking courses to become fluent.    That pay isn’t too terrible. I made less than that working full time (full time was considered over 32 hours in this school)  in a similar job here in the US. It’s certainly not a job you go into for the money!    Thank you for the advice! 

Thanks! That is really helpful! I have about a year. I’m around B1/B2 and am taking courses to improve that. 

As the time gets closer to our move (in at most a year, could be less depending on the job situation) I want to start looking for jobs. I have two degrees in design but I have been working in education since 2013 with a couple years gap while being home with my children. My experience is in nursery, preschools, and most recently as an educational assistant in a kindergarten. So ages 12 months to about 6 years are the ages my experience has mostly been with.    I want to work in a kindergarten (the German version, I know it's different than in the US) in Germany. I've of course been looking at jobs, looking at requirements, etc.    So I have a couple questions.   What has been your experience trying to find jobs in this area?    Will my lack of degree in this field be a problem? I know some positions want you to have an ausbildung but not all require it and I've certainly seen other posts of people who have gotten this or a similar job without the ausbildung.    For reference, I'm not opposed to getting an ausbildung but would prefer to find a job without this or find a job where I can simultaneously get this qualification.   Are there any websites that you like best for job searching in Germany?     

  That is really interesting though! I have always assumed that where one country borders another there may be a different common language, just as there are very different dialects in different parts of Germany. I'm sure they are great places to live. I don't doubt that.   If you are trying to convince me on Italy, I just don't know enough about it to consider moving there. 

  I'm so happy to read about your positive experience! I've heard this from a couple other people (not on here) as well. So it's encouraging now to have a handful of positive experiences to look to.      It's also encouraging to hear that these meetings, even if only occasionally, continued. In my own experience in the US we have one official meeting at the beginning of the school year to discuss any areas where my son my need support. From there the only meetings that take place are if I request one or if my sons needs were to suddenly drastically change, which hasn't happened.  Otherwise you might get an occasional email if it's important or something happened that might need to be addressed but that was pretty rare.    I'm happy to hear about your positive experience though! 

  Thank you! That's really helpful. Those are really difficult experiences, I'm sure. Thank you for sharing the area these instances occurred so we can be aware. Niedersachsen isn't an area we are currently considering moving to. But still, it's good to know so we don't arrive entirely unaware! 

  Is this based on personal experience? I'm just curious if you can elaborate some more or if this is just a general opinion of the school system. I have seen the comments on some negative experiences. I've also received multiple messages of support and encouragement with information that is helpful in guiding us to find a city to live in that will be great for us. 

  This is not out of the question but we would definitely prioritize going to Germany. I do not know any details about Austria beyond the language though so it would depend heavily on what living in Austria looks like.