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Life in Bavarian Alps

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Are there expats living in the Bavarian Alps that could help with some of the basics of moving to the area?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Gustavobs, In Bavaria (just outside Munich), not in the mountains but can see them most days Smile. What do you need to know? Most important thing is if you only have UK nationality is to move, or at least register, prior to 31/12/20.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Gustavobs, Wot @munich_irish said. I live just south of Munich in Würmtal, can also see the mountains on a good day. It's been 35 years since I moved over here, so was a bit more involved back then cos I needed a work permit. Right now you don't need to do much more than find a place to stay and go to the Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt) and register. It's advisable to take a copy of your rent contract with you when registering. They don't like people who come here and live under a bridge!
You will need your proof of registration for doing things like opening a Bank account, so get several copies.

Your new employer, if you have one, will (probably) want to see your qualifications / certificates, whatever you have claimed to have at interview! Something that sometimes catches Brits by surprise.
This is quite a helpful website for new arrivals
Where are you going to be staying / working?
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hi @munich_irish, thanks! I'm not European myself but OH is dual national with German citizenship so in that aspect it should not be an issue.

I'm interested to know what town would be interesting to move as close as possible to the mountains but which would still have some opportunities for work - I'm an IT worker at the moment and she's in marketing. I know Munich is quite solid for IT jobs but I'd rather somewhere closers or within the Alps. I looked Garmisch but not found really many jobs in the area other than hospitality related. Property prices seemed a bit prohibitive but would be interested whether I could afford same sort of house I have in the UK (typical 3 beds south-east England).
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi @Steilhang, at the moment it's just an idea, we have agreed to move to the Alps at some point soon and initially I did not think about Germany until found a vlog which sparked some interest.

Thanks for the tips - I certainly do not have my certificates handy, actually no clue where they are really!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@Gustavobs, Given your OH has German citizenship that should sort most issues (spouses of EU citizens have a right of residence). My experience (though it was 20 years ago) was that all you needed to open a bank account was your passport and an address (I didnt have a permanent one at the time). You will need proper health insurance as it is compulsory. You should get some advice on this as it is a bit complicated and easy to do the "wrong" thing (I guess there must be folk who offer advice to non residents coming to live in Germany, ask if you cant find anyone). Munich and its environs are the best places to be for work. However it is possible to commute from some of the mountain areas as there are good train links. Look at the line down to Garmisch, the Bayerische Oberlandbahn (BOB), the line to Kochel, even Kufstein is doable. If you are prepared to compromise a bit then look at Holzkirchen, Rosenheim maybe Wolfratshausen or Tutzing (not far from Steilhang). Given the possibility of working from home some of the time all these places would be very attractive. Whilst some proficiency in German is no doubt helpful, it is not essential initially, many jobs are in IT related sectors where the business language is English

You might find property prices come as a bit of a shock. Munich and especially the areas to the south towards the mountains are very nice places to live, just about the highest standard of living in Europe. Not only easy access to the mountains, but the lakes, cycling, landscape, social infrastructure and beer gardens Smile make this the most popular place to be in Germany and property price reflect that. Unless you have plenty of cash it would be best to forget about places like Tegernsee, Starnberg, Schliersee etc, smaller towns would offer somewhat less inflated prices. Have a look around on https://www.immobilienscout24.de/ to get an idea.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Gustavobs, Like I said I live south of Munich near Starnberg and work in Munich a couple of days a week, the rest is home office. To get to Garmisch takes me about 45 minutes depending on traffic. Munich is the place to work, although there are a few tech firms down in Rosenheim you have a load more choice here in Munich. Commuting from Garmisch is possible, I had a friend who used to commute from Mittenwald every day, but might be more than you want to do. In that area look at Penzberg and Murnau, places you might consider with reasonable train connection. At the western end of Bavaria, look into Kempten for work. You could commute from places like Immenstadt, Sonthofen or even Oberstdorf near / in the mountains. Not sure what housing prices are like over there.

Munich is expensive, but not compared to London, Zürich, Paris...
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@munich_irish, @Steilhang, thanks for the advice. Matching something like we got here seems fairly unlikely looking house prices in some of the towns you suggested.

I did find one tech company and a job in Krun and looks to be right in the mountains.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Gustavobs, Krun is beautiful and right in the mountains, but it's a village... Surprised there are tech jobs there.
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I considered Munich. Samerberg Sue worked there and lived in a valley above Rosenheim, which was easily accessible to Kufstein and Wörgl, plus about 1.5 hour's drive down here. She didn't commute daily, she worked two days a week in Munich and the rest of the week from home. There are certainly good job opportunities there, but the cost of living compared with what I was used to in the UK was rather eye-watering. I knew I would prefer to be in the mountains, it was one of the many reasons for moving, so I was lucky to find a job in Salzburg and a great apartment in Ski Amadé.

I think it's a good idea to list your priorities and have a back-up plan. My back-up plan was actually Berlin rather than Munich. It didn't tick the mountains box, but I do like the city, have friends nearby, good job opportunities and much cheaper than Munich.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I moved to Munich over 40 years ago and haven't much to add to what has already been said. One aspect, though, which hasn't been mentioned is that, when I moved there, the company I was working for helped me find accommodation (an apartment), set up bank accounts, etc. You might be lucky and find help similarly.

Another place that might be of interest is Innsbruck, quite a large town so I assume there are some IT possibilities there. It's right in the mountains. But it is in Austria, so your OH's nationality wouldn't help there.

Good luck! I haven't regretted the move.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Quote:
...
at the moment it's just an idea,


Just DO IT!
It's nice down there.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@AL9000, there are worse places Little Angel
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Steilhang, Ski in winter, golf/hike in summer .. I mean WTF is he waiting for FFS!! Little Angel
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Southern Munich.

Or just to the south of the Munich "border".

Plenty tech jobs.

Intel, BMW, etc.

Swisslike lifestyle.

Drive to the mountains in an hour or two.

But stay clear of living in central Munich.

Deteriorating fast.

Exiting Central Station feels now like a warzone.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Whitegold, which bit is deteriorating? I didn't notice.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
espri wrote:


But it is in Austria, so your OH's nationality wouldn't help there.



It is spouses of EU citizens so no issue with Austria or anywhere else in the EU (this caused issues in the UK as bizarrely spouses of UK citizens did not have the right of residence but spouses of other EU citizens did). I suspect that Austrian bureaucracy is rather more byzantine than here in Germany so possibly more hoops to jump through.

No doubt it has got more expensive to live here in the past 10 years, not food etc but the cost of houses / rent has shot up.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
munich_irish wrote:
espri wrote:


But it is in Austria, so your OH's nationality wouldn't help there.



It is spouses of EU citizens so no issue with Austria or anywhere else in the EU


Oops - I hadn't thought of that.
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queenie pretty please wrote:
I considered Munich. Samerberg Sue worked there and lived in a valley above Rosenheim, which was easily accessible to Kufstein and Wörgl, plus about 1.5 hour's drive down here. She didn't commute daily, she worked two days a week in Munich and the rest of the week from home. There are certainly good job opportunities there, but the cost of living compared with what I was used to in the UK was rather eye-watering. I knew I would prefer to be in the mountains, it was one of the many reasons for moving, so I was lucky to find a job in Salzburg and a great apartment in Ski Amadé.

I think it's a good idea to list your priorities and have a back-up plan. My back-up plan was actually Berlin rather than Munich. It didn't tick the mountains box, but I do like the city, have friends nearby, good job opportunities and much cheaper than Munich.


Yeah definitely and the driver is the The search for an alpine life! OH has close family in Bavaria (nuremberg) so it’s another plus for the area. We don’t have strong links here in the UK anymore except the fact we are well settled. I did have a good impression of Salzburg but not enough time to explore it. Do you commute everyday? How was the move to Austria?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
AL9000 wrote:
Quote:
...
at the moment it's just an idea,


Just DO IT!
It's nice down there.

Cool
I know it’s just a matter of time and won’t be long it’s just defining the plan!!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
espri wrote:
I moved to Munich over 40 years ago and haven't much to add to what has already been said. One aspect, though, which hasn't been mentioned is that, when I moved there, the company I was working for helped me find accommodation (an apartment), set up bank accounts, etc. You might be lucky and find help similarly.

Another place that might be of interest is Innsbruck, quite a large town so I assume there are some IT possibilities there. It's right in the mountains. But it is in Austria, so your OH's nationality wouldn't help there.

Good luck! I haven't regretted the move.


Innsbruck is a good shout, not sure why it didn’t feel as great as I thought Would be when I visited it last year but definitely a sensible option. No higher up but it’s on the list as well!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Innsbruck is one of the dullest places on Earth.

Munich is in a whole different league.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
From my visits I have always found Innsbruck to be a pleasant place. No doubt the location helps if you like being in the mountains, there can be few cities worldwide that have such a good location from that perspective. Perhaps the only thing missing are really high mountains, the eastern alps 3000ers dont really compare to the 4000ers found further west. Of other cities I have been to (towns like Chamonix are not really the same) the only other place with high mountains was Santiago, the skiing there is reasonable and lots of 5000m peaks nearby but not sure I would want to live there (though it is a nice place) but I could see myself living in Innsbruck. Beer is better in Munich though Very Happy (you can get Tegernseer in The Galway Bay to avoid having to drink Stiegel etc)
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Gustavobs, my commute is 75km which takes 20 mins in the car then 40 mins by fast train. I'm lucky that my place of work is quite near the main station. I only work 4 days a week plus I can choose to work one day a week from home. The train fare is also free (government tax subsidy).

The move was fine but I'm a single person without much stuff so it would of course be a bigger deal for a family. I had lots of help from local snowheads flangesax and kooky, plus the wonderful holidayloverxx let me use her apartment whilst I looked for somewhere to live. I'm very lucky to have such wonderful friends here and I'm eternally grateful to them.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Gustavobs wrote:
AL9000 wrote:
Quote:
...
at the moment it's just an idea,


Just DO IT!
It's nice down there.

Cool
I know it’s just a matter of time and won’t be long it’s just defining the plan!!


I luv it when a plan comes together snowHead

Bavarians I've met have been very cool, nice people, not stuck up.
South of Munich sounds ideal IMHO.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Quote:

Just DO IT!

that!

Not sure exactly where I'd go down that way, but would probably need to be somewhere with easy access to Oberpfaffenhofen / Weßling, cos that's where our other offices are. Plus easy access to MUC etc. and of course easy access to the mountains, but that's an obvious given Wink

I'd ignore the white one, he's the most negative troll on here, and has barely anything positive to say or suggest regarding either UK or Europe.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@andy, missed this. If Weßling is where your work is then you can do worse than live in Herrsching for easy access to A96 & Allgäuer Alpen, or just a couple of Km away in Gauting / Würmtal where I live. Better access to both A95 & A96 from Gauting... A95 for Garmisch. Würmtal is beautiful!
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