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New City, new country: Relocation – do it yourself!

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This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Relocation

You got a job offer in foreign country? You are not sure to take the job, because it seems you have tons to organize beforehand, in a foreign country? There is no need for worries!! Take the job, don’t worry about relocation in the foreign country. It is a great opportunity for you. You can manage your own relocation with help of an online tool.

But first: What is relocation and what is important?
You need to ask yourself the most important questions of:

  • Where do I want to live and what is my budget?
  • What do I need to do administration-wise?
  • Are my language skills sufficient? – Where can I improve my language skills?
  • How can I build a new social life in the new city? What do I want to do in my leisure time?

As soon as you answered these questions for yourself you need to think of what to start with. Which order is best for the steps you need to take? Thinking about this is important to prevent unforeseen chaos and disappointments; some administrative steps need to be taken in a specific order. The amount of the steps you need to take depends on your profile and your personal circumstances.

Online relocation tools can support you with this. Most effective are online tools which take into account your individual facts. You just need to provide the system with information about your circumstances, status and preferences; the online tool will then provide a step-by-step path with all steps you need to take. One such online tool is Gohelp.y.

Outlook for the next part of the series: Relocation as a worker – what does this mean specifically?

New City, new country: Relocation – do it yourself!

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This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Relocation

You want to work in Berlin, Munich or Stuttgart and you are coming from an EU Member State?

When moving to Germany in order to work here, the most important question is whether your qualifications are accepted.
In the recognition procedure, the relevant competent authority will check whether your foreign professional or vocational qualification is equivalent to a German qualification. The equivalence check takes place on the basis of stipulated formal criteria such as content and duration of training. Any relevant occupational experience you may have is also taken into account. You must be able to show that you have completed a professional or vocational qualification which was not obtained in Germany.
European Centre for Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOD) had designed an European self-assessment grid for language skills and digital competence.

Online relocation tools can support you with this. Most effective are online tools which take into account your individual facts. You just need to provide the system with information about your work status, qualifications and skills; the online tool will then provide a step-by-step path with all steps you need to take. One such online tool is Gohelp.y.

Outlook for the next part of the series: Relocation with children. What is important when moving with children?

New City, new country: Relocation – do it yourself!

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This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Relocation

You want to move with your family?

First, there is a difference between moving with infants and moving with teenagers. However, no matter how old your children are, you get child benefit in Germany.
For infants it is important to join a kindergarten, after moving to a new country. This makes it easier for them to integrate and to find new friends. They learn the new language fastest while playing with children of their age.
In Germany it is compulsory for children between the age of 6 and 16 to attend school.

If you are moving with teenagers – involve them in decisions from the beginning. It will be difficult for them to leave their friends behind; therefore, they need to identify themselves with the decisions taken related to the move.

Important decisions for them are:
Which school to attend?
Where to live?
What sports to do?
Other leisure activity clubs to follow?

Your integration will be successful only, if your children feel integrated as well.

Outlook for the next part of the series: Relocation with a Blue Card EU

FIVE handy hints for a successful Relocation

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This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Relocation

Getting started in Germany to work, to study or to live here, you should think about important five things to do on your way to an immigration and successful integration to Germany

  1. Very important: paperwork, make sure you have all needed documents, starting with a valid passport and certifies copies of all certificates and diplomas…
  2. Flat hunt: make sure your new surrounding will fit with your interests.
  3. Make sure, which steps you will have to do, after moving to your new home: starting with registration, applying for residence and working permit, open a bank account etc…, it will definitely bother you to do all required administrative things.
  4. Get familiar with “DO’s and DON’Ts”
  5. Learning the language: this is the most effective way to become really integrated!!

How can you plan your move to another country professionally?

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This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Relocation

How can you plan your move to another country in order to be professionally successful over there?

Of course, first of all you need some information and Expat-Portals are perfect to gather information as well as experiences of different people. However, it takes long to find information appropriate to your case. You might have to scroll through experiences of expats, moving neither from your home country to another country nor did they move to the country you want to move to. Still, you will find people’s experiences of moving from your home country to other countries, moving from other origins to the country you want to move to or even people making the same move as you: from your home country to the country you want to move to (the ideal case for you).

And afterwards – what to do with this bulk of information and experience you gathered? There won’t be a case that fits you completely. There are always specialities to each of us, furthermore, in those portals you can find experiences only, there is no security that everything will happen to you the same way it happened to them. Rather, there is security that at least something is different. You want to live in a different part of the city, you have children, you have another budget or simply the circumstances in the town changed (because of time, supply & demand or whatsoever). Therefore, you need something more specialized, more tailor-made for your further steps like gohelpy and Xpatvisor. Expat-Portals are great to get a first or even a detailed overall impression of what to expect and what to bear in mind. However, when entering the actual planning of your move and planning your steps to your new home, do not rely on experiences of other but use the possibility to have a tailor-made path to walk along. You have special desires and demands which should be realized. The Xpatvisor does exactly this and hence adds a more personalized and specialized part to Expat-information portals.

 

Relocation – start your journey with the right way

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This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Relocation

There are many things you can do in advance to make your way to the new country easier:

When you relocate, you’ll have so many decisions to make that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Do as much research as you can before you go. Make good use of social networks, they can help you to avoid isolation that can occur when moving abroad.Learn the language from day one. Every step you take in learning the language of your host nation brings you closer to the culture.

Gather information as much as possible about the new country, city and your potential neighborhood.

Become acquainted with the culture of your host nation. Which are typical characteristics of the people? Which are the main behavioral differences between your home country and your host nation.