Job Discussion Forums

[Smillan]

Hey, does anyone have any information about working in Munich? Thanks in advance

[Sansibar1]

Hi!

Check out this website: http://www.melta.de/

I'm sure you will be able to find some valuable info there.

Cheers!

[Smillan]

Thanks. What about some past experience about Munich though? From experiences here, is it a good place to find work? A lot of people I have spoken to mention that it is quite an expensive city. Thanks

[Sansibar1]

[Hod]

Everyday prices are the same in Munich as anywhere else in Germany. This fairy tale that old East German cities are cheaper is told by employers in Leipzig, Dresden and all those boring nondescript places that everyone (with anything about them) left in 1989. But money is not the issue here.

Munich rents are sky high, and the demand is unbelievable. But even then, viewing some 50m apartment is no mean feat when seventy odd Eriks and Brunhildes are sniffing the carpet and making sure the bog works, all at a pre-arranged time, between 17.00 and 17.25 on a Friday.

Negotiating apartment rents in Munich is never about money; it�s when can you move in. One benefit, though, amongst this Kaos is that German law is 99% in favour of the tenant � I just negotiated a very nice modern fitted kitchen, which must have cost over 5000 Euro, so join a tenants� association � few foreigners bother and then get shafted by greedy landlords who know foreigners haven�t a clue.

But back to Munich, anyone who�s spent more than a few hours there can�t have helped but wonder just what is going on with the transport. Yes, Munich�s trains are better than the UK or USA, but so what? The amount of taxes and subsidising seen by UK/USA transport companies wouldn�t keep me in beer for a week. Munich�s S-Bahns are so bloody packed that I never bothered paying. A ticket inspector would need a shoe horn to get through those sardine cans of a morning.

And my colleagues in Munich were always lauding over it. �In one hour in your car, you can be in the mountains.� Big deal. I have no car. I couldn�t afford the speeding tickets. What else? Munich restaurants are the most overrated on the planet. I honestly believe Muencheners would eat dog food as long as the restaurant toilets were nice, and the waiter told a few jokes when the bill came. Their food standards are third world! OK, the German fare is nice, but it�s the same old same old same same yawnfest. The international cuisine on offer is on a level with living in Morocco or Algeria. Yes, there are Japanese or Chinese places in Munich, for example, but anyone eating at those places and liking it, might as well stay at home with a tin of dog food. These people are so easily pleased; they have clearly never set foot outside Bavaria. Check out a German restaurant review website � the service was great; the toilets special; the coat hooks were excellent � the food is a mere side attraction. Who cares?

There is a way out of the madness. Avoid Munich and head for somewhere like Berlin. Your wallet and taste buds will be grateful.

[Sansibar1]

[Hod]

No offence at all, but could I suggest your comparison of restaurant prices is Egon Ronay�s Munich Vs normal Magdeburg. The maximum I ever paid for two in Munich was 50 Euros in a very good Italian (Friulana, near the Oktoberfest site).

Normal German fare there worked out at 20 Euros for two. I�m not doubting you could pay 80 Euros for two in Munich, but you�d pay that at any high-class place in Germany.

I�ll have to take your word for it about parking. Also not being funny, but how many teachers have cars? A huge plus for German cities is that most people don�t really need a car.

My East-is-best problem is mainly with everyday expenses. Supermarkets and utilities charge the same wherever. Munich�s accommodation is crazy, but the gist is that you�ll pay 100 to 200 Euros a month more on a place, big deal � That works out at about one Euro an hour difference on an average monthly income.

But then schools in Halle and such places go on paying 12 Euros an hour, and people still travel over to work for such crap when they would get more working at the same chain in somewhere like Bangkok.

[Sansibar1]

@Hod

You have mentioned some good points there.

You're right about the fact that language schools (not chain schools) in the eastern part of Germany pay significantly less than in other areas. That's why many teachers have to teach up to 35 hours a week to get by. The trick over here is to find employers which pay a similar rate to 'western' standards. If you can actually find such companies, life is cheaper in the 'East'.

[TexasinGermany]

@ Sans

I think I need to look for work in Magdeburg, trying to find a teaching position in Leipzig for entry level work..is like "looking for a needle in a haystack" Although, I have to admit...there may be more to do in Leipzig...(parks, kinos, disco) than Magdeburg...

Hopefully, I can secure employment in Leipzig soon..

-Texas

[scot47]

Give me Magdeburg any time. I can't stand all those "Schikimikis" in Munich !

[Sansibar1]

[TexasinGermany]

Ok you guys lost me on this one... What are "Schikimikis" ??

[Sansibar1]

'Schikimiki' is a German expression for people who think they are too beautiful, too well dressed, and much too good for this world.

So not really the ones you want to become friends with.