I've just been offered a job in Munich, which means living there (obviously), so if anyone has any advice on moving to Germany for the first time (red tape etc), or dubious areas to avoid in Munich when looking for an apartment etc, etc, then it'll be greatly appreciated.

No advice on Munich, just lots of encouragement on the idea of living abroad. What a great experience! Have fun, get to know lots of locals, seek out new things, and enjoy being right in the middle of Europe. I've been in Prague for a while, and I wouldn't trade my last six years for anything.

For accommodation you will have to go through an Agency where they will give you a list of adresses of apartments to rent, it is then up to your self to contact the Landlord. The name of the Agency I used is called "Mitwohnzentrale an der Uni" which is located in the Underground station at the main University. Generally I found the natives quite rude and obnoxious but Munich is a beautiful city with lots of sites to visit but I suppose living there is a different story!! If you intend on staying for longer than six months then you will have to register as a foreigner with the local police --even if you are an EU citizen, I found this process degrading especially since I am an EU citizen and Germans dont have to register in my country. Anyway, Goodluck!!

Chris, <BR> <BR>Lucky you! I lived near Munich for 3 years and have often dreamed of getting a job there and making that my home. It is my favorite city and unlike the other person who responded, I found the locals very friendly. I have traveled extensively and found Bavaria my favorite area of the world. Although most Munchners will know English, I highly recommend you enroll yourself in a German languane course right away. Once you get outside of the city, you can't count on people speaking English, (hey, it's Germany!)

One more thing, when I was there (10 years ago) there was an English magazine called "Munich Found". This is an excellent resource and can be found for free in the main train station (hauptbahnhof).

Hallo Chris, <BR>I don´t know Munich very well but what I´m sure about is to avoid Bogenhausen and Schwabing when your are looking for an apartment. Both are very expensive locations. Bogenhausen is where all the famous people, like Boris Becker are living and Schwabing is very popular among people who like to live in the city and are "hip". It also depends on where you are working, it can take you about an hour to cross the city in rush-hour. If you give me more information where your working location is and if you like to live in the city or in a suburb I will be able to provide further help. <BR> <BR>Regards <BR> <BR>Miriam

Thanks for all the advice posted so far! In response to Miriam's words,my place of work is only about 5 minutes walk from the Hauptbahnhof (going away from Marienplatz) on Bayerstrasse. As for where I want to live, I'm not to fussy; it'll be more dictated by the cost! But I obviously don't want to be too far out of the centre. <BR> <BR>In response to a couple of the others, I already speak German (it was fluent when I lived in Vienna five years ago, but I'm a bit out of practice now). And as I'll be working for the European Patent Office, fortunately I won't have to register as an alien. But my fiancee will be coming out to Munich after me - have you any advice on where to look for possible employment opportunities for her? (She has a degree in business information technology). <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR> <BR>Chris <BR>

Hi Chris, <BR>as I´ve already mentioned I´m not very familiar with Munich, but since we have an office in Munich I´ll ask some colleagues what will be suitable for you. <BR>Concerning your wife she´ll be very lucky with the location. A lot of the big IT-companies are located in Munich: Compaq, Intel, Microsoft, 3Com, Siemens, Compuserve, Viag Interkom(British Telecom) and many others. <BR>I can definitely help her since I´m in Headhunting specialised in IT and Telecommunications. I would suggest, that for that matter you should get in contact with me by mailing me directly. <BR> <BR> <BR>Kind regards <BR> <BR>Miriam

Thanks very much for the offer of your expertise Miriam - we'll be in touch with you directly a bit nearer the time, and when my fiancee has updated her CV! <BR> <BR>Chris

Hello Chris, <BR> <BR>when looking for an apartment, keep in mind that Munich has a superefficient and clean subway system; you might find less costly and more "gemuetlich" accomodations away from the centre, and the "U-bahn" makes the commute relatively painless (it can get crowded during rush hour). <BR> <BR>The area around the train station can get pretty seedy, but there are some beautiful neighborhoods near the Theresienwiese not far away from there. <BR> <BR>Good luck! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

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I lived for 9 months in Munich. It is a beautiful city. People are very friendly. It's a great place to raise kids and I think if you are not a big city fan, love nature and are not a single person, it can be great. I found it provincial and was happy to leave after 9 months. But I did love my time there and miss it. The beer gardens are wonderful as is the food. Finding an apartment is hard as the market is tight. I recommend living in town, at least at first. I enjoyed living in Au/Haidhausen, just across the river from where you will be workign. Great area. Bogenhausen is quite residential and boring and Swabing is over-rated and not as central. Try to get a book called Munich in Your Pocket, especially for foreigners living there. Munich Found magazine is also helpful, hopefully, it is still around. If you can't find the book, mail me your address and I'll send you my copy. Good luck and send mail if you have any specific questions.

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