archived-culture-study-visa

[shadow ibex]

does anyone know generally how much a session with a psychiatrist cost?

just found out my insurance doesnt cover mental health professionals

[fleet pelican]

Thats strange, which bundesland/versicherung are you under

[shadow ibex]

I'm still in a studienkolleg, so as far as I know I'm not liable for a public insurance yet

I'm under mawista

[fleet pelican]

ahhh it makes sense then, im sorry baby

It can be anywhere from 20-120 euros a session, also depending on your area

[shadow ibex]

I'm in Düsseldorf, so I suppose it would be on the more expensive side of things

but generally they can't go much more expensive than 200, right?

[fleet pelican]

Mhm especially if your student insurance doesn't even partly cover it

No, per hour no

My advice is just to do research, maybe even into paying for another health insurance (as it may be cheaper)

Its a very difficult situation youre in

Also be careful of extra fees that the therapist may charge

Introductory fee etc.

[shadow ibex]

oh lord

[fleet pelican]

Most good therapists will offer a probestunde

If ypu also need it on English you may have even more difficulty

Id also ask @red phoenix @glass trench @grand patio if they have a better idea since they live nearby

[shadow ibex]

I've confirmed that the psychiatrist speaks english, but, well, my problem really lies with the payment

[wise obsidian]

if you already know the psychiatrist you want to go with, can you not just ask him how much he charges? 👀

[shadow ibex]

I did, and tried asking the receptionist about it

either my german is bad or something, I didn't catch what she said at all

[wise obsidian]

could you try sending an email instead? (if they have an email)

[fleet pelican]

^

[shadow ibex]

they don't unfortunately

I suppose I'll just wait and see

[glass trench]

I doubt they have no mail address tbh 🤔

[shadow ibex]

they really don't, I've checked their website

[glass trench]

they have a website and no mail lmao ?

[shadow ibex]

yeah

I might find another psychiatrist just to have more choices, but so far this one is my priority as he specializes in ADHD

[glass trench]

would you mind sending me the link in DMs ? 🤔

[shadow ibex]

no problem, hold on

[red phoenix]

Sadly i know very little about the topic, since i've never been with a therapist myself

I'm living 30 mins away from ddorf tho so once places open again I'd be up to meet and talk or something (which doesn't replace therapy but usually goes along with it quite nicely)

[olive summit]

NRW gang 🟢 ⚪ 🔴

[shadow ibex]

NRW gang indeed 🟢 ⚪️ 🔴

[hallow oyster]

depends, but around 100 eur?

[hallow oyster]

don't be scared to phone again and ask again, to speak slowly or whatever you need

[tender canopy]

How worried should I be about my bike being stolen if I just park it in public? (given that there's a lock)

I was thinking of getting an electric bike as my main mode of transportation but I keep hearing from friends that it'll just get stolen

I'm currently looking at WGs and small shared apartments so I don't really have the option of bringing it inside.

[wise obsidian]

i imagine this depends on area but where i am people seem to be really lax about bicycles compared to where i used to live

[tender canopy]

Most likely Munich or Berlin.

Large cities generally, not rural villages

[wise obsidian]

one thing i'd do (based on exp from living in a city where a lot of bikes are stolen) - take a look at how bikes are chained up in that area

where i used to live it was at least two hefty d-locks, one connecting the bike to a solid object and one connecting one (or both) the wheels to the frame

because bikes that had anything less than that were stolen/disassembled fairly quickly.

but if all the bikes you see in the area are locked with really simple locks (or not locked at all!) then the risk of your bike being stolen isn't very high

[tender canopy]

Hmm. Well I wouldn't want to lug around two heavy locks. When I visited Amsterdam and rented a bike I was given one lock and told to loop it through the front wheel before securing it to a fence or something and that seemed to work.

But yet again there are thousands of bikes on every street so the chances of mine being stolen are pretty low I'd guess.

[wise obsidian]

the key is to make your bike unattractive to thieves compared to the other bikes around

we just kind of accepted that we had to lug around two locks to do that 😅

[tender canopy]

I think that's a bit difficult if I get an electric one. I guess I'm going to have to go with a normal bike. Riding an hour or so to and from uni every day is going to be a bit bothersome though.

Guess it's time to get fit.

[exotic barn]

Does anyone know if downloading mp3 files from youtube is considered illegal or not?

[olive summit]

I always lock my bike even if it's on the farm lol

[dry ravine]

i would avoid biking an entire hour man, you'd arrive to class sweaty and tired and unwilling to learn

[tender canopy]

1 hour total I mean. 30min ride

But yeah, summer would not be fun either way which is why I wanted an e-bike.

[olive summit]

my ride to work is 30 mins (10km), was tough at first but my body has adjusted

e bikes are great for hills

[hallow oyster]

Over night outside? Inside the ring in Berlin I'd expect it to vanish soon if it's worth anything
Bikes get stolen from backyards and common rooms

Outside of the ring, the more away from s41/42 is probably more safe
However, check per district
I think I once saw some theft rate map or something, so some data should be available

This is assuming usage of 2 u/d locks

During day even one mediocre u lock is ok, considering how many people don't lock, or use tiny cable / chain locks / with combination

Although, I went from heavy bull guard to abus bordo mid tier, to be able to lock around more things

I would seek a flat where my bike sleeps beside my bed though
Or assume buying each month a new one, put the price of a new bike in your rent/expense budget, and if it survives that month, move the money into the savings account

Yeah, I'm not optimist

Bikes are the most profitable and easy and untraceable thing to steal
Only purpose of doing the police report is to claim the money from your insurance

Yeah, you can insure it (directly or through the hausratversicherung) but check the conditions thoroughly - many won't insure if it's overnight in public

[tender canopy]

Damn. I guess I'll have to keep looking for single room apartments and get a shitty bike then.

[winter niche]

We were renting apartment near S-Bahn Warschauer Straße for a week, and host said: „Man, if u need i can give u a bike for free, no charge. Please lock it up, but even if it will get stolen, forget it, i FOUND it for free as well“ 😄

[long coral]

Is there anyone here who has done or is planning to do Studienkolleg in Germany? I'm planning to apply this year and wanted to speak to someone who's done it before. Let me know. Thank you!

[shadow ibex]

I’m doing studienkolleg this year 😊

[winter niche]

Cool! Which one if it’s mot a secret?

[shadow ibex]

studienkolleg düsseldorf

[dry ravine]

better to keep this channel for actual living questions in germany/dach

[half glade]

whoops, excuse my ignorance, didn't know what the channel name meant

[exotic barn]

can you ask people to leave packages like on your doorstep or something instead of you physically receiving it?

That's how i received all my amazon packages

They just drop it off at the doorstep

oh, did you have to like write anything special on like the notes or something?

or is that just how it works

[tight kelp]

you can write them to do so

[exotic barn]

ah, okay gotcha

thanks!

[tropic edge]

is is possible to send a Kündigung through Email as an attached PDF?

or do I have to give it in personally/ send it through mail?

[exotic barn]

Mail would be preferred.

[tropic edge]

but is it against the law tho?

would it be rejected? I kind of don't want to go to the office again

and if it must be, how long does mail like that take?

[exotic barn]

Well you can theoretically just drive there and throw it into the box lol

But I geuss 1 or 2 days

[tropic edge]

Thank you!

[exotic barn]

No problem

[orchid oyster]

Which newspaper/column should I read

To get a better understanding of lifestyle

[exotic barn]

sz.de

[fallow hornet]

what does the housing(residential i guess) market look like in germany/switzerland compared to the US, im going to move in like 6 years so i want to know how competitive it is

[next lily]

iirc Germany and europe in gerneral don't really have a housing market. Obviously there are houses but in general the average person lives in an apartment, suburbs arent a big thing over there like they are in the us

[exotic barn]

well there are a lot of houses actually but they ain't cheap, and the market can be very competitive depending on where you want to buy one

[olive summit]

suburbs arent a "big" thing as in massively sprawling like in North America but they are a common sight

[high lodge]

Can someone post in dm or here how in germany you call backing soda? or what company i should look for? I bought some speisesoda w norton but i do not think it is backing soda...

[rose crane]

@exotic barn, your message has been redirected here from #questions:

badbaby

Redirected by Syronoid

Hi I have Question can I get driver license with aufenhaltsgestattung in Germany

Mar 14, 2021, 12:08 PM

[fallow hornet]

Interesting, I figured that housing is more expensive and not as common, what about the building and construction of new houses/apartments? Is it not as existent as in the US where there is always something being built? Is it common or rare to just find empty land plots that can be built on

[hard delta]

Guys is there is Verpflichtungserklärung in austria and is it only by money

[exotic barn]

How important is having a Haftpflichtversicherung in Germany as a student?

[split eagle]

Guys from germany, what social media do most germans use do you have your own "Reddit", "4chan" and other stuff?

[jagged oasis]

Most German cities are Dauerbaustellen, permanent construction sites, there is almost always new apartment buildings or homes being built. But these are more often than not, ludicrously expensive.

East germany and the countryside are significantly cheaper to live in, by a factor of 10 or more.

[jagged oasis]

Telegram and WhatsApp for texting
eBay kleinanzeigen for selling/buying things (superior version of craigslist)
Other than that students here use the same junk as students anywhere

[tranquil stream]

Gibt es solche rechtsmissbräuchliche Formen der Klage auch in Deutschland? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLAPP

[odd bison]

Everyone should have it, mine costs 5 Euro / a month
Saves you a lot of trouble and you have to have it in case you want to rent a flat

[exotic barn]

Can I ask which one you're insured with?

I was thinking of going with ConceptIF since it seems to have a good value for money + overwhelmingly positive ratings. 4,24€ per month according to CHECK24.de.

But I don't really know what to look for in such an insurance

I've read a bunch about it but maybe you can share some of your experiences

[hallow oyster]

@high lodge natron

That's just pure soda, sodium bicarbonate

There's also backing powder, backpulver which is mix of sodium bicarbonate and something else I always forgot, but for cakes that one is used, dr oetker is one of brand that has it

[exotic barn]

Hallo! So, I know university is free for german citizens but how is it for international students, is it free too? Also, are there any other conditions of admission for international students?

(any resources are appreciated!)

[wise obsidian]

https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/studying

:)

[exotic barn]

Thank you!

[next lily]

Are there lunchables in germany? Pls answer quickly I need to know

[olive summit]

never seen them, too fake for european tastes i imagine lol

and EU regulations as well

[next lily]

Fuuuuuck

[tight kelp]

what are lunchables

[shadow ibex]

crackers, salami and cheese in a package

or sometimes comes with cookies/other stuff as well

[fleet pelican]

Imagine being an Italian who died 2000 years ago be resurrected and shown this

[dry arch]

Lmao

[tight kelp]

oh i think we had these when i was a kid

like, i remember them existing

they didn't last long because i never saw them again

[odd bison]

getsafe

[exotic barn]

anyone has experience with ubers here?

[harsh marlin]

The taxi service?

[exotic barn]

yup

[olive summit]

believe it was banned in Germany

[exotic barn]

hmm... i see

[olive summit]

combination of data security due to the leak and protecting taxi driver's jobs

[exotic barn]

alright, guess i‘ll get a taxi lol

[hazy python]

Seit dem 19. Dezember 2019 darf Uber über seine App in ganz Deutschland vorerst keine Beförderung per Mietwagen mehr anbieten. Dies entschied das Landgericht Frankfurt am Main am jenem Tage mit sofortiger Wirkung. (Az.: 3-08 O 44/19).[48] Beobachtungen zeigen, dass Uber dieses Gerichtsurteil weitestgehend ignoriert und dies auch öffentlich bekundet.[49]

it should still work 🙂

i live in Switzerland and but it still worked in Berlin when I was there some months back

[exotic barn]

ach so!

i‘m living in münchen rn so ig it should work as well, considering it‘s a big city

[hazy python]

yep its on the city list: https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/munich/ so should work

[exotic barn]

nice, thanks!

[dusky oracle]

Is it true that universities in Germany (or in Switzerland) are tuition-free? If not then what is the costs of tuition in Germany and Switzerland?

[fleet pelican]

That depends heavily on the University itself as rules have changed in recent times

Some are free, some are free conditionally, some are free with extra costs and some just ask for tuition depending on where you come from

[olive summit]

uhh no, among public universities the only "tuition" is the semester fee of around 300 euros or so billed every semester

only public institutions in Baden-Württemberg charge foreigners tuition, I don't know about Swiss universities

[dry ravine]

whats the deal with amazon needing payment revision after like 2 purchases per week

im not the only one facing this issue, and it's not a bank issue

[winter viper]

im trying to take a prep course over the summer, im taking my b2 exam next month, however im unsure as to how the applications work

im unsure if this is specific to TU berlin

if i apply to the prep course, will i also have to apply seperatley for the university semester?

[solemn pine]

anyone know of any German unis that do casual evening courses in various subjects?

[clear mantle]

Why is luxemburg not a dach country?

[stray aspen]

too small

[hidden briar]

because it doesn't want to. They want to distance themselves from German and Germany.

[clear mantle]

Ok

[mild quiver]

is there a proper person to contact for those breaking the social distance rules in germany and holding parties despite lockdown

neighbours have been at it every weekend and it's really pissing me off

[tropic edge]

Ordnungsamt and Polizei definitely

it is strafbar as far as I know

[mild quiver]

are the ordnungsamt and polizei the same number?

normally dont snitch but considering the circumstances the fact that 10-12 people are packed in a one person bedroom on the regularly every weekend i've

0 tolerance for that

[tropic edge]

I'm not sure

but you'll definitely be able to report that

[tight kelp]

no. You can look up your city hall's website for all these numbers

[rotund trellis]

What should I do after my first year in Germany, regarding my Sperrkonto? After Studienkolleg, I will enter university, and because of the work limitations for students, the r/german wiki says that "...the other half will have to come from somewhere else (savings, contributions from family, etc)", but my savings will go into this first year of Studienkolleg, and my family will not be able to finance the other half of the Sperrkonto, as far as I know. What will I have to do then?

To clarify, I'm still in my home country and only beginning to make the savings for this first year of Studienkolleg. I'm asking this more so I can plan the future ahead and consider all the options I have.

[odd bison]

eh if you work 20h/w for about 11euro/h or more you can pay any necessary expenses, however you should know, that 20h a week is a lot and you should find an appropriate work-study-life balance. i have some acquaintances whose parents cant pay for their residing & studying in Germany, its doable but it would mean that you will have to extend your studies for a certain period of time

you dont need a Sperrkonto to renew your residence permit in most cities but it really depends

idk i live in Aachen and employees of the local ABH have a positive attitude towards students & university stuff, we even have an ABH just for RWTH ppl

also you might get lucky and get a residence permit for 2 years

[rotund trellis]

you will have to extend your studies for a certain period of time
Hm, why would I need to do that? So I can work more?
you dont need a Sperrkonto to renew your residence permit in most cities but it really depends
That's good to hear! But does this also applies for student visas?
also you might get lucky and get a residence permit for 2 years
But it might be difficult after only spending one year in the country, or no?
@odd bison Thanks a lot for the response also!

[fleet pelican]

Because working and uni unless you are doing very easy bachelors is HARD, for maths/medicibe/architecture etc. you already have a low base pass rate then factor in 4 hours every work day just gone

Without commute times and all the other headaches that come from work, without exhaustion

[rotund trellis]

True. And what would you do in that case?

[fleet pelican]

Im probably taking another year out of my life for my bachelors

Its unfortunate but I was not born in a position where I can study without working, and then on top im doing physics with a base pass rate of 30%

[rotund trellis]

What do you mean by taking a year out? Like, you're exclusively working for some time, and then exclusively studying for some time afterwards? Is that right?

[fleet pelican]

No

I mean I am taking an extra year for my bachelors

4 instead of 3

[rotund trellis]

I see. Thanks!

[humble bough]

berlin ausländerbehörde gave me 3 years when I asked for 2 (presumably because they're always crazy busy and didn't want to deal with me again lmao)

[dry ravine]

@rotund trellis consider doing an internship for a semester

It helps you collect some money and gain experience in your field

Internships are allowed with a student visa I think

And honestly skip bachelor's here since it'll cost you quite a bit for living

Do a masters

[olive summit]

yeah some ABH are more lenient about certain requirements than others lol

the one near me allows Students to use part time work to supplement the financing requirement

[bold stump]

We actually had very few people finishing their msc and bsc in physics in the "standard" 10 semesters

taking 1-2 semesters longer is no problem at all

(conditions might apply 😉 there may be some scholarships that want you to meet the target duration or there might be some exams that you have to take in the first X semesters)

[rotund trellis]

Yes, but unfortunately internships, even if they are unpaid, still take away from the 120 full days or 240 half days of work allowed per year. :/ But yeah, if I can find one that's paid, I'll certainly do it, as opposed to a job outside my area.

[dry ravine]

i see

maybe your bachelor has a mandatory internship?

or even better

do a dual studies program

you work 3 months, then 3 months study, for a few years

[rotund trellis]

That sounds ideal!

I'll check that with the university, thanks!

[dry ravine]

yeah it's definitely doable tbh

[rotund trellis]

Do you happen to know the German term for that?

[dry ravine]

duales studium

[olive summit]

fair amount of bachelor programs I've seen require a completed internship by the end of your studies

lot of my coworkers are students working the job as their internship, so it's at least common where I am.

[next lily]

Are there services similar to planned parenthood in germany?

[rose crane]

@undone ridge, your message has been redirected here from #writing:

N0JRAX

Redirected by Syronoid

bevor habe ich nach Bayern reisen, wie kann ein Ausländer einem Wohnung für sich allein suchen?

Mar 24, 2021, 9:42 AM

[serene venture]

What's freedom like in germany? I'm coming from a canadian perspective, but there seem to be many things like strict camping laws, and a lot of censorship. How much does it get in the way for anyone living in germany?

[tight kelp]

How much does it get in the way for anyone living in germany?
not at all

i don't know what you mean by a lot of censorship

[tight kelp]

i don't know any detail but i know a lesbian couple who got their second son last year, so there probably is a way 👀 I wonder if it's equally available to male couples too though. If you find out anything, let me know

[serene venture]

I've heard things about innocent things getting censored online due to strict hate speech laws and also media like video games basically not being allowed to have gore. I don't really know much past a few articles i read though

[next lily]

I was wondering more for hormone services rather than adoption/surrogates. I'll have to look into it

[wise obsidian]

do you mean like transgender hormone services or contraception hormone services or IVF hormone services?

[next lily]

Trans hormone services

[exotic barn]

There's neither censorship nor any kind of strict laws that violate your freedom more than let's say the canadian laws do

[olive summit]

fishing license expensive here doe

[faint tundra]

hey guys, can onset certificate (if there's any) be used as a proof to apply to studienkolleg? i did a onset test (c-test) the other day, it was very easy. there's no speaking, writing nor hearing section, so i doubt the certificate fulfills the requirement. since Goethe is still closed here idk where to go for a test lol.

[wise obsidian]

i would assume 'no' 😉

i imagine it's gonna depend on the studienkolleg which exams they'll accept 🤔

[faint tundra]

usually all of them will do fine with goethe test result i've heard. but since goethe is still closed here, do you think they would't accept an alternative?

[wise obsidian]

there's more tests than just goethe, right

testdaf / DSH come to mind

[faint tundra]

i don't think there's any in my country

[wise obsidian]

are there exam centers offering either in your country?

if there's really no test centers you may need to just travel abrod

that's what friend of mine have had to do to get english language tests done

[faint tundra]

there's only Goethe institut that i heard of.

it's Testdaf, you

you're right*

[wise obsidian]

but i'm not an expert here, you should really contact the studienkolleg and ask what they suggest you do if goethe are closed

[faint tundra]

i am planning to, im afraid since it's germany they woulnd't budge, you know, stiff and anything.

[wise obsidian]

that's germany, alright 😅

can i ask which country you're in?

[faint tundra]

indonesia

[wise obsidian]

goethe institut website says they're doing exams?

[faint tundra]

it's been a year and Goethe still hasn't opened their damn test fml.

[faint tundra]

not the one in my country apparently

[wise obsidian]

this brochure says they've got dates in indonesia https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/pdf219/prfungsbrochre_en-11.pdf

it's possible all of them have been booked up though, in which case you might be out of luck

also, there are three other centers in indonesia doing testdaf that are showing available exams (https://www.testdaf.de/de/teilnehmende/mein-testdaf/testzentrum-finden/?region=ww):

[faint tundra]

i'll check them out. thanks.

[shadow ibex]

hey there, I'm also from Indonesia. if you are from a sprachschule usually they will accept the sprachschule certificate as long as you explain (and can prove to them) that you're of level B1

that's what happened to me, I enrolled last year and had to explain to the STKs I applied to that goethe/testdaf arent available due to the coronavirus in Indonesia

[shadow ibex]

also this isn't true, call in/whatsapp for an exam. I received a date earlier this march, however all the Q1/Q2 dates might already be full or so, considering there's probably a lot of people also taking it

[faint tundra]

my mistake, i applied for stk indonesia a while a go so i stopped looking at the website, i swear there's still none in november or december.

[shadow ibex]

yeah, they only started opening in february so that's understandable

[faint tundra]

and now i missed it lmao, i have to wait for june so it seems

[shadow ibex]

yeah, are you in a rush?

[faint tundra]

i mean it depends, i am still pretty clueless with the registration and how long it takes. the registration for winter semester usually begins in July/August if im not mistaken, would there be enough time if i took the test in June? the visa, the mailing hoschschuleabschluss to germany, etc.

[shadow ibex]

i see

have you gotten exam dates for the ANP yet?

[faint tundra]

i am considering for a lot of STK, most of the ANPs are in near end August from what i've been researched in internet

[shadow ibex]

do you have any german certificate?

[faint tundra]

i've done onset the other day, got B2.

i haven't got any certificate tho. it was part of STK indonesia ANP.

[shadow ibex]

oop, onset is definitely not a certificate

[shadow ibex]

yeah I'd say take the goethe exam

in my experience it takes a month to mail them my documents

and the exam results are out in like, two weeks or so

[faint tundra]

yeah im planning to

[faint tundra]

how about the visa?

[shadow ibex]

oh thats another beast entirely

[faint tundra]

how long did you wait for termin and till you got yours?

[shadow ibex]

asked for appointment august, got termin december, only received february

lmao

but also you need to show a zulassung first

[faint tundra]

oh ef me then (:

[shadow ibex]

so you cant apply until you get accepted in an STK

[faint tundra]

any suggestions? im a mess lmao

[shadow ibex]

who knows though, might be better this year

[shadow ibex]

formulate a step by step plan

first collect all the document deadlines and anp dates

check the embassy website to see if you're eligible to apply for a visa

call in and ask for a july appointment earliest, if you're taking the goethe exam june, because you'll need a certificate

[faint tundra]

will do! ah man you're a life saver. thanks. wish me luck haha.

[shadow ibex]

most importantly: dont panic

there's a solution to every problem and there's always other ways to do something

all you have to do is take it slow and step by step

[shadow ibex]

good luck and see you in germany!

[exotic barn]

Ndak bisa basa enggres @faint tundra @shadow ibex

[exotic barn]

Also good luck 🍀😊

[exotic barn]

Hi I have question I finished middle school(Hauptschule) until 10 grade in my country and I want ask can i start Ausbildung here in germany with Hauptschulabschluss?

BTW I’m 21

[olive summit]

depends on the Ausbildung, for quite a lot, yes

[rotund trellis]

Just to check if I got this right. The only thing that counts when applying for a Studienkolleg is how well you do in the Prüfung zur Feststellung der Hochschulreife, right? Not the notes you got back in your country.

[rose crane]

@exotic barn, your message has been redirected here from #general:

Sarita_

Redirected by Syronoid

Guten Tag, ich komme aus Spanien, aber ich bin neu in Düsseldorf. Kennen Sie eine Bar, in der sich Leute treffen, um Deutsch zu lernen? Danke

Mar 26, 2021, 8:23 PM

[exotic barn]

Im not sure about your case, but I studied outside the eu, so in my case, 50% of my original grades will be weighted against the FSP scores. You can check the daad website for more info

[rotund trellis]

Thanks! I've also studied outside the EU

[exotic barn]

I'd still recommend looking it up. It can vary from syllabus to syllabus or regions and your preferred course I think. But it's usually more or less 50-50 between your school gpa and fsp

[olive summit]

my work visa application was rejected because my employer put "Hilfskraft" even though I work full time.

now they're ordering me to leave the country

I've contacted my employer to make a new contract which accurately states my position and working hours but I dont know if this can still be appealed

[tight kelp]

oh no that sucks

good luck mate

[olive summit]

appreciate it

[tight kelp]

might be worth turning to a lawyer, it doesn't seem legal what your employer did

[olive summit]

we're on good terms, its a family company she's just disorganized I think

but will keep the option open

[tight kelp]

well then she should be on the front line helping you, even if it was in good coscience that kind of mistake can have important consequences for you. But you probably don't need a rando on the internet telling you that, sorry :D

[olive summit]

you're good I've lived here since 2019 but never been "denied" a visa so I'm open to outside opinions

[grave urchin]

Can Anyone advice me on the matter? I recently arrived in Germany and living in a friends address and I am searching for my long term accomodation. Will I be able to activate my health insurance with my friends address??

[tight kelp]

yes, you can register at a friend's house until you move

[grave urchin]

But I am living unofficially

Is that Okay??

[tight kelp]

what do you mean? 👀

[wise obsidian]

i guess they don't want to do the Anmeldung at that address? 😅

[grave urchin]

yeah My friend told me it’s not possible to do anmeldung from the current place

So What are my options?

[exotic barn]

Do u have Ausweis, pass , Id card if u don’t have u can’t activate health insurance or anything

Do u come to Germany with visa or something else

[grave urchin]

yeah I came here with study visa

[exotic barn]

I used to live in my moms friend house and I registered my name in hospital and I opened a bank acc

[grave urchin]

Oh Which means it’s not possible for me as I don’t have official permission from landlord

[exotic barn]

@grave urchin If u want to activate health insurance u need to register your address in Rathaus(
Town hall) near u For that i guess u need premission of the owner house

[grave urchin]

thank you for the info

[exotic barn]

Stay safe

[exotic barn]

Hi again i searched some web site and ask my friends I found out it wouldn’t be big problem registering with ur friend address

[daring wharf]

Hello, im new here and I have some questions regarding university applications/admissions

[solemn bay]

Feel free to ask the questions here, and most likely someone will answer once they see it.

[daring wharf]

great, I hope so.

My main question is. Im 26, high school was a while ago and I have an advanced diploma now. What marks will universities look at? Do universities really care about marks alot. im a 70%+ student but here in Canada those marks wont get you into university often

Second question: Do your studienkolleg marks work towards your university application?

[exotic barn]

depends on what field you want to get into. there are tons of courses that are NC-frei, which means no student limit. they just look at whether you graduated high school and whether it's equivalent to the german education system. if its not then youd have to do studienkolleg. i havent done it but i think once u pass that u can get into any uni as long as u meet the language requirements and any other ones like doing a pre-internship.
Courses with NC have limited study spots so only here will your grade play a role and theres a selection criteria.

I assume you're talking about uni in Germany. idk how it is in Austria or Switzerland

[daring wharf]

Great response thanks, for programs that look at marks do they look at studienkolleg marks or my university marks or high school marks?

[bold stump]

@daring wharf I'd probably pick the uni and subject first and then just ask them directly. They'll give you the most correct answer.

In general educational system is pretty much controlled at the local state level, so the answer to some of the questions (e.g. the studienkolleg one) could potentially depend on whether you wanna study in northern or southern germany 😉

[olive summit]

if your educational documents are from outside of Germany there is a high chance you'll have to apply via uni-assist, more unis use it every year

in any case like they said, check the uni + program you're after

[winter viper]

what would this mean exactly?

could i skip a 1 year prep course with just doing an exam over the summer?

and is the language only prep course a full semester? im planning tu berlin

[white summit]

Hi, does anyone knows if the IB Program can be used instead of the Abitur or The Studienkolleg to enter German Universities? Thanks

[olive summit]

isnt that just one part of your studies and educational background? I imagine they will evaluate it the same along with everything else you've done.

[grave urchin]

thanks

I recently got a room contract. Can I use my room contract to open a bank account?? It will start from April 16 though.

The thing is I need to deposit the kaution to the studentenwerk account and submit my bank account detail for automatik debit

[wise obsidian]

when i was opening a bank account (volksbank) they needed me to have the anmeldung

[tame forum]

If i move into a new residence in germany (in the same city) , i have to do an Abmeldung from my old residence and do an Anmeldung at my new residence. ?

What can i search on google in german to get more info abt the rules of my city?

[tight kelp]

just a new anmeldung for the new address

[tame forum]

Hmm

[tight kelp]

you can look up [cityname] bürgerdienste, that usually leads you to the website for the city hall

[tame forum]

Okayy. thanks berzi =)

[exotic barn]

i recently opened a Commerzbank Girokonto and they accepted my Wohnungsgeberbestätigung after i negotiated a little. maybe that will work for you?

[dry ravine]

in case you got no answer yet, IB is generally accepted in most universities I believe, i was an IB student and wanted to look into it but never got far cuz of the language requirements

[mortal escarp]

Anyone from Austria? I wonder if it's only in my city that not even Lieferando nor mjam has home delivery for mcbreakfast at the morning 😩

[tight kelp]

is today a holiday (aka you don't have to work) in germany?

[silk reef]

in most places, yes

[tight kelp]

so uhm

what do i do if i accidentally worked like normal? 😂

[silk reef]

idk?

[tight kelp]

can i like take monday off for "free"

[silk reef]

you can, theoretically.
But ask like the people at work

[tight kelp]

this is so embarrassing 😂

[silk reef]

My dad always works in his free time, don't worry

[tight kelp]

but i didn't mean to xd

[silk reef]

I mean, you just have some extra free time...

[dry ravine]

Just wondering how you work accidentally though lol

[tight kelp]

i work from home and have my own projects to work on independently so i just have to open my laptop to work xD

[heady kestrel]

remember monday is off too

[tropic edge]

Quick question, so I've been angemeldet in my apartment for a long time. Never really got around to sending that Rundfunkbeitrag letter, and I need to pay some 140 Euros or something for the past 9 months. Now I am no longer in Germany (away for a few weeks) and want to let them know that so they don't fine me right away. What do?

[fleet pelican]

They do

Mjam has mcdonalds delivery and they started breakfast shifts a year ago

[tight kelp]

yes, i know, thank you 😂

[tight kelp]

you could have paid it through the internet. Through the same site i think you can tell them that you no longer need to pay it (because you don't reside in germany anymore). I think it was something like rundfunkbeitrag.de but do a google search and you should find it

[tropic edge]

Thanks! I'll be returning soon just in May

[polar bone]

Brzrkr

[tight kelp]

hey

[exotic barn]

when you've just moved from a foreign country into germany, does the 2 week Anmeldung deadline still apply, or are there other rules for that? :/

[tight kelp]

it does apply

you need anmeldung for basically everthing else anyway so get it done asap

[restive aspen]

who's been to Lake Schrecksee, and was it very dope?

it looks almost mythical

[exotic barn]

nice, thanks

i‘ve booked a termin, so here‘s to everything going well 🤞

[tight kelp]

it's nothing to be afraid of, they'll just ask a couple questions :)

[exotic barn]

nah i just get anxious for any kind of social interaction so yeah :‘)

but thanks again for answering ^^

[shadow ibex]

hey there, anyone here tried volunteering in tafel?

I’m looking for organizations I can volunteer in, just to help out and kill time (and maybe build my CV too!)

[exotic barn]

Nah. But I did FSJ for a year in a Kindergarten.

[shadow ibex]

oh cool, but it probably needs a fluency in german huh? 😔

[olive summit]

my local tafel is always looking for volunteers, they do good work for the community

pretty welcoming folk, would be a good experience. I imagine they aren't picky about your fluency

[shadow ibex]

yeah I really want to help out

I’ll give them a call and see if they have any positions that doesnt require fluency

[olive summit]

im sure they'll take you regardless, volunteers are always welcome at these types of places

[exotic barn]

No, I only had A1 German certificate from Indonesia back then.

[exotic barn]

Good luck Oley!

[radiant mural]

Hello everyone

i want to study an additional bachelor in Germany and work if possibl

i really want to do some research projects tho

so i found out that FachHochschule system makes you somewhat practical to whatever you study

any tips or rumors about the research possibilities of schools?

i am leaning towards northernside of Germany

i kinda want to reach to baltic sea asap so...

any tips r welcome

[shadow ibex]

hey guys, super quick question

how long did it take you to extend your visas?

[olive summit]

the processing time? 2-3 months maybe

[shadow ibex]

bruh

my visa expires in may and I... dont know what to do

I've contacted them with the required documents and what not but they still havent gotten back to me

[olive summit]

try calling, as long as you're in contact with them it isnt an issue if your current visa expries while your application is ongoing

I even got a letter stating I was still legal for a certain period until I recieved my new visa, but not all ABH do that

[shadow ibex]

hoo boy

yeah I've asked around and apparently I can get something called a fiktionsbecheinigung?

but then I read the requirements for it and it needs an aufenthaltserlaubnis, which I dont have, so

[olive summit]

honestly if you've submitted all your documents I don't think it matters, they are aware of your status and are working on it

if you need to prove your legality for a job or whatever you could request something at the ABH maybe

[high lodge]

Hi, does someone here have a vast experience with dealing with Amazon?

[heady kestrel]

I order a lot from Amazon

Sadly

[high lodge]

I ordered something pricey and it was supposed to arrive tomorrow, however now I see that the delivery is cancelled because of some reason or failure and that it gets back to amazon and I am supposed to receive return of delivery cost in 5-7 days but does it mean like full order return or just fraction of transport cost?

also i see status like "delivery not possible" on my order thou yd it was still green

[heady kestrel]

I'd wait and see how much you get back or contact customer support on the app.

[high lodge]

app?

well I wanted to phone them but for some reason cant use my Austria number

[heady kestrel]

Amazon has an app where you can chat with customer support

Instead of calling

"Amazon Shopping"

[shadow ibex]

here’s the thing though, I’ve not even received a confirmation yet :(

[hallow oyster]

In my amazon experience, they always returned full amount you've paid if some mishap happens

[olive summit]

then I'd definitely try and get in contact with them to confirm everything has been recieved on their end

like I said, calling usually works best

[heady kestrel]

Yeah I've gotten refunds on things I've received too lol

Due to errors

[high lodge]

damn another thing i need to f** wait a month... just like my chair...

[hallow oyster]

I just waited a few days and things sorted themselves out

So far, in 4 years of ordering from Germany, I had contacted them only once when I didn't receive one item
Then later realised it was stuck in all those packaging papers so I've just cancelled the process

[olive summit]

think we're talking about something else

[high lodge]

and there it goes my productivity improvement...

[hallow oyster]

No I'm just mentioning various issues
That for all but one just waiting a bit was enough :)

[high lodge]

well I hope I gonna get either refund quickly or the thing i ordered...

[high lodge]

okay so the amazon weird thing continues xD, now I see they made new order and changed delivery date to be between 8th and 16th of this month XD

what happens if you miss amazon delivery tho?

[shadow ibex]

uhhh in my case they leave it in my local dhl branch

[high lodge]

uhm I dont have dhl here i believe

[shadow ibex]

did you leave instructions for them?

[high lodge]

no because I was expecting delivery this week which I can survive without leaving house but next week I dont think that can be

[shadow ibex]

oof, are you living alone?

[high lodge]

yes

[shadow ibex]

I do know that if its a big ticket item, they'll attempt a delivery again sometime

but for most items they just leave them where you tell them to

[high lodge]

fml

on 16 especially i need to leave house around 10 and might be out for like couple hours...

@shadow ibex do you know, at which hour they mostly deliver?

[shadow ibex]

well I cant say for sure

6 am to 10 pm i think

[high lodge]

well except 16th I mostly work in home from 9 am to 5:30 pm

but I do need sometimes to leave house for supplies xD so fml

@shadow ibex okay next question is, so on product page and on top of tracking package page i see that date is 16th of April, however on the tracking status chain I see delivery date between 8th-16th, which one should I consider more realistic? Like can it be truly before 16th or if it says on top it's 16th then there is no hope for quicker?

[shadow ibex]

there's definitely hope for quicker

where is it shipping from?

[tropic edge]

Dude, which Ausländerbehörde are you dealing with? The one in Berlin says on the website, as long as you have an appointment, your papers are valid until the date of the appointment. So there should be no reason to worry, besides carrying around the appointment details.

[shadow ibex]

I do not have an appointment

they told me to send my documents and ghosted me

[tropic edge]

I am assuming you only have a visa, so you still haven't got your first Aufenthaltstitel

[shadow ibex]

[tropic edge]

Can you maybe pm me which Ausländerbehörde it is?

I'll try to snoop around the website

Did you submit it all online? Is it under your name? Have you filled in all the paperwork? Do they have a processing date on their website?

I would just like to avoid you future headache as rhe deadline closes in😅

[high lodge]

@shadow ibex i do not know where it is shipped from ( i suppose Germany since it is amazon.de) but it is going to Austria (where I am actually)

and they canceled previous order because they lost package...

[grave urchin]

how does dhl packetshop means??

can anyone tell me whether I can send my documents through that shop??

[shadow ibex]

yes you can

[grave urchin]

How long in averagewill it take to send in neighbors cities??

[shadow ibex]

uhh pretty quick I think, like 1-2 workdays

dhl that is

[grave urchin]

Okay thanks

[tight kelp]

if it's just documents that can fit in a letter it's probably much cheaper to send them per regular post

[shadow ibex]

okay guys now I’m super confused

when I went to the abh for extending my visa they gave me a form for ‘ae verlängerung’

but when a classmate went they got a form for ‘ae ersterteilung’?

I know I don’t have an aufenthaltserlaubnis

should I contact them again? 🥶

[exotic barn]

What's the difference between those two?

[exotic barn]

But you do have Arbeitserlaubnis, don't you?

[shadow ibex]

I’m not working

I’m studying

[exotic barn]

Oof

[olive summit]

one is for the extension of a current visa thr latter is for the granting of a new one, i filled out both just to be certain since I was getting a new visa that wasnt my first there

the ABH said it didn't matter, as long as the info is correct, ofc this is just how my local one operates

[shadow ibex]

I tried calling them but apparently they dont accept phone calls

so now I’ll just send another email that probably will get ghosted again 🥲

[olive summit]

oof that's rough, I thought mine was hard to get a hold of

unfortunately the competence of the ABH can vary quite a lot here, when I moved to a new city I learned that the hard way

[shadow ibex]

yeah apparently it took an upperclassman of mine 7 months to extend his visa so.

we’ll see 😔

[olive summit]

in any case its very strange theres no main number

[cloud anchor]

I have a question about ausbildungs in germany

Is an ausblidung in germany considered as a highschool? I dont understand

Because for example there are 2 types of highschools in Croatia, a highschool where u have a diploma and can work in some area that u finished highschool for, and a gymnasium for which u need to go further to university for a diploma where you can work then

So what would ausbildung then be? Because if I am correct you need to finish highschool in Germany in order to make ausbildung in Germany, correct me if I'm wrong

So is ausbildung then something higher than a highschool? But still lower than a university? Something in between highschool and university?

Confused

[olive summit]

its an apprenticeship in a particular field, basically vocational training since practical work is involved alongside courses

you can do one after High School but for many you don't need an Abitur

[odd bison]

Ausbildung isnt an academic institution, so I guess it shouldn't be compared to university. It is basically apprenticeship, usually you do Ausbildung for a certain profession. It is like a practice-oriented course.

And you also get paid when doing ausbildung, because you basically work for some company while learning.

[cloud anchor]

Oof I'm so lost I honestly dont know what to do.... if anyone has any advice please let me know

So I have Schulabschluss (its Bauzeichner here I think) and Abi from Croatia (i failed math, but the rest is good), my sister has the same Schulabschluss and Abi (but she passed math tho) and she got her documents back and it was all anerkennt but she couldnt get a job as a Bauzeicnherin because most people wanted experience that she lacked, both of us have b2 so she started Ausbildung.

Once i get my documents back i will probably face the same fate, but i dont want to go to do Ausbildung and waste 3 years because i will already have it anerkennt. On the other hand I probably cant go to university as well because I failed math in my Abi.

Is it really that hard to find a job with anerkennt ausbildung but without experience?
I am left with few options:

1. Try Abi again, would probably be easier If I do it in Croatia then just bring it here, or maybe even enroll on a some kind of a program for Abi here? Not rlly sure
2. Do an ausbildung again like my sister

[bold stump]

Well... easiest is of course to ask the relevant officials. But what do you wanna work as? Vocational study and university degrees usually qualify you for rather different kinds of work.

[cloud anchor]

I have been thinking lately and I'm not 100%sure if working as a Bauzeichner is what I want, have been thinking about computer related stuff a bit more lately

But you are right, I am confused and need a professional to help me... but thought no harm in asking

[bold stump]

na, that's totally fine. But, you know, don't rely on what strangers on the internet tell you 😄

[cloud anchor]

Yeah you are right, I shouldn't, was just hoping someone here has an advice or a similar experience with this subject

[bold stump]

I would assume that it is going to be a challenge becoming a Bauzeichner without the german vocational training in the subject

there's usually tons of local regulations you need to learn and probably speak german pretty well

[cloud anchor]

I mean my sister got her documents back and its anerkennt as ausbildung, but of course without prior experience and not a 100% fluent German I doubt anyone would hire me

I took b2 test a year ago and it was pretty easy, I think I'm close to c1 with a bit more studying right now

But going to study 3 more years for a degree that I already have

I find that quite pointless

But on the other hand I cant go for university because my Abi wasnt that good

My head is gonna explode haha

[undone gyro]

anyone know how i would go about filing a police report against someone in austria

[fleet pelican]

@undone gyro that would be me

[undone gyro]

do u know how ?

[fleet pelican]

you call the police station directly bc of covid

[undone gyro]

i was just gonna email the police with a word doc attached but i think there’s a better way to do it

[fleet pelican]

you'll need to speak in german most likely

[undone gyro]

i can’t call cos abroad

my german rusty af by now 😦

[fleet pelican]

I don't know any other way but ill do a quick google

yeah, im looking and for austria there doesnt seem to be an email option

ill ask my friends

https://www.polizei.gv.at/alle/kontakt.aspx this is their main contact page with numbers in case you find someone to ccall on your behalg

behalf

@undone gyro the bf suggests calling the austrian embassy in england since they've been able to direct him in the past

[undone gyro]

good point actually

or the uk one in austria? which would be better to contact

[fleet pelican]

im an idiot, bottom of this page on the right

its possible with the emails you have on the page for the respective bundesland, I would still recc writing it in german or gettign a german speaker to write it bc as shit as it aounds, you're likely to be ignored if the wrong person is looking at it

[undone gyro]

maybe i’ll write the brief thing in german but the details in english?

i’ll decide tomorrow lol

ty for ur help hok

this bitch gonna try get some justice

[fleet pelican]

sure, or literally ask anyone here to proofread. If you don't want to share you can ask ab small snippets. I'm not trying to be pedantic its just unfortunately how things tend to go here.

[undone gyro]

ur a big babe

[hallow oyster]

@cloud anchor ausbildung isn't that much of a studying, it's basically 'apprenticeship job'
Croatia doesn't have anything remotely similar or better said, useful
'praksa' in Croatia are mostly useless from what I remember (I'm from Croatia but done my schools some time ago)
This in Germany is a real job, think it as a 'junior position' thing
So you would not 'repeat learning same thing you already know', you'd work full time plus learn something new
And best learning is happening on the job anyway :)

In short, unless your sister got a job easily with her recognised diplomas, I would err on the side of caution and say that chances for getting a job in Germany are much higher once you have ausbildung
Or better said, many German companies won't consider you if you don't have one, and is also common that you stay working for a company you did Ausbildung for anyway

Not to mention that people do here Ausbildung before going to the uni (like social worker field), and increasing their chances for getting a job later, plus getting the taste of the job before commiting to bunch of year studying

In short, don't compare it with something from Croatia, you won't find anything

Except '2 years of experience in the industry'.

Hope this helps a bit
German education system is significantly different but it actually looks more efficient in preparing folks for the job and clearing things up

Hope this helps

[cloud anchor]

That's some good info right there, so after Im done with Ausbildung I can even go to a Berufsoberschule then Studium?

And the problem is not being able to find a job with the Croatian diploma as a bauzeichner because in Croatia u mostly learn theory only which means you lack experience then. Not to mention that you switch between school and work here during the Ausbildung which gives you a lot more experience I believe

.
But yeah I am between 2 fires right now trying to decide if I want to try to redo my abitur in Croatia then come back here with it and then try to apply for a university (but it means I would somehow need to get a c1 certificate in the meanwhile as well) which is optimistic at its best

Or just go do the Ausbildung and then if I still wanna go to a university I can try after the ausbildung

But I'm afraid I will be too old... I'm 21 already

[shut prairie]

Eine Frage an den nicht-Deutschen, die schon seit einer Weile in der DACH-Region leben: hat sich euer Deutsch wesentlich verbessert?

Mein Deutsch ist nicht schlecht, aber fließend ist es auch nicht. Ich werde dieses Semester meinen Masterkurs anfangen und habe schon mit vielen Deutschen an der Uni Kontakt aufgenommen. Sie plaudern untereinander und es ist so schön, sie beim Sprechen zu hören lmao und währendessen bleibe ich da und höre und sage "hm, ja, ach". Ich frage mich, ob ich eines Tages genug Deutsch beherrschen werde, um mit Deutschen auf gleicher Ebene zu sprechen.

[high lodge]

How in Austria (or maybe even in Germany) you call catering companies? The ones that deliver you food on daily basis, and meals are specific to chosen diet?

[tight kelp]

ja, aber seit jahren fühle ich mir, dass es sich nicht mehr verbessert; ich mache immer wieder die selbe dumme fehler und muss sehr achtsam sein um neue wörter zu lernen.
Beherrschen kann man die sprache auf jeden fall, aber diese verbleibenden schritte erfolgen nicht automatisch, vielmehr braucht man sogar mehr aufwand als früher, meistens weil an diesem punkt nicht mehr ganz nötig ist, noch besser zu werden

[wise obsidian]

depends what kind of housing you're looking for, i guess? i used wg-gesucht.de and that worked fine for me

[odd bison]

same! das ding ist auch, dass deutsche auch selber dumme syntax fehler machen oder halt die endungen nicht richtig aussprechen oder sie abgekürzt schreiben, sodass man auch davon nicht wirklich lernen kann lol. und dann denkst du dir ehh muss ich mich wirklich jz noch anstrengen und versuchen noch besser zu reden, oder ist das ausreichend? ich bin ja auch an der uni und wir haben auch genug Dozenten, die halt auch Ausländer sind und sie reden überhaupt kein perfektes Deutsch. Wenn das halt im akademischen Bereich akzeptiert ist, dann ja lol who cares

[bold stump]

broken english is the lingua franca of academia

[safe egret]

Monkayes

[high lodge]

anyone knows some good catering companies? preferabely with low fodmap diet?

[vapid sorrel]

Hallo, I know there's no real answer to this as each one fits to each person's needs, but which one is better in your opinion?
Berufschule, Berufsfachschule or Fachgymnasium

I'm really confused as to what does what and basically everything

I'm thinking of going to Germany from Spain and trying to do a vocational training in an IT field

[bold stump]

@vapid sorrel A Fachgymnasium has nothing to do with vocational training. 2-3 years of school where you obtain your Abitur so you can go straight to university. (you can of course do vocational training after completing the Fachgymnasium).

Berufsschule is the thing where you go 1-2 days per week if you do vocational training and the other days you are working in the company. In contrast Berufsfachschule is school only.

I would probably recommend the first one but honestly, i have no experience with either of the three. 😉

[vapid sorrel]

Is duale-ausbildung Berufsschule?

[bold stump]

yes

[vapid sorrel]

I've been searching the whole day stuff and I'm completely lost lmao

I wish I could chat with a person that had knowledge of everything related to spanish and german education

Between berufschule, berufsfachschule, fachoberschule, berufsaufbauschule, fachschule and berufsakademie I am going crazy xD

[bold stump]

@vapid sorrel i mean, honestly, most of the time there are not that many choices in practice

a lot depends on your current educational level and what you wanna work as. Like, what do you wanna become?

[hidden briar]

@vapid sorrel it's possible, there were several Spanish guys in my Berufsschule class, but I don't have their contact information.

[vapid sorrel]

That's one of my problems lmao. I am unclear on what I want to become but I generally wanna orient myself towards the IT field, maybe some IT administrator as some factory or something like that I have no idea

[vapid sorrel]

What type of berufsschule did you?

Like what did you study

[hidden briar]

Vermessung /surveying

[vapid sorrel]

Ah nice

Another thing I have unclear is either Berufsschule or the berufsfachschule since I think berufsschule would prepare me more and give me more opportunities but I'm not sure if berufsfachschule would give me maybe a higher degree of education or something which would make me more "trained or educated"

[bold stump]

To keep it simple I would suggest Fachinformatiker für Systemintegration. Seems quite popular when you wanna become an IT administrator

For the IT field... personally I would only consider vocational training (Fachinformatiker ... short FiSi) or studying at a university / applied university

[vapid sorrel]

Alrighty, thank you very much, these days Ill search up some more and see what I can find

[wise obsidian]

completely slipped my mind until now - do i need to contact my health insurance to tell them i've left germany?

(my work set up the health insurance stff for me)

[dry arch]

wouldn't it be easier / safer to just ask them regardless of what anyone else here has to say to that because the way i see it you never know

or ask your work

you don't wanna get charged again just because you relied on what someone told you on discord

[wise obsidian]

lmao yeah that's tru

i can't believe i forgot about it anyway 🤣 i'll call them

[dry arch]

yeah and if they already cancelled it for you well then there ya go

[tropic edge]

You could technically do that for any question that gets posted on #archived-culture-study-visa . Isn't that the purpose of this channel?

[dry ravine]

You have to tell them you're leaving germany with proof of Abmeldung and flight I think

[wise obsidian]

right

i sent them a web query so we'll see what they say 🤷‍♂️

given i left almost a month ago i hope they don't charge me for that 🤣

[hallow oyster]

Afaik, with Abmeldung your KK obligations stop immediately
As the tv tax 😂

[wise obsidian]

lol yeah i deregistered from the Rundfunkbeitrag as soon as i left but i havent' heard anything from them yet

i'm fairly sure i still owe them money

[exotic barn]

Dein Deutsch ist geschrieben sehr gut! Einfach sprechen hehe

[brisk kettle]

Ich mache mit einem Freund einen Präsentation über Anglizismen und wir möchten gerne eure Meinung dazu hören. Soll man sich Sorgen über den Einfluss von Englisch (Britisch und Amerikanisches Englisch) auf der deutschen Sprache machen? Warum? Danke

[dry arch]

It‘s just my opinion. I wouldn’t personally ever use this channel instead of doing research elsewhere about things which could potentially cost me hard earned money.

[tropic edge]

I did not attack you or your opinion. To each their own, definitely. But I was asking to clear up my understanding of the channel. I would only use this channel for the very purpose you said. To ask people about things that I could be informed about on the phone so I at least know what to expect. Given that not everyone comes from similar cultures or similar bürokratische Ländern, it helps to at least know what to expect.

[dry arch]

The channel is very useful for many different topics. You can ask about nuanced aspects of culture in this channel, for example, and it you can’t lose or risk anything in that situation.

I didn’t say you attacked my opinion either, I didn’t think you did

When it comes to asking about some particular school or some particular organization, unless you find someone here who’s had a lot of experience with it, you’re better off just asking the Uni / organization itself, to avoid any confusion.

Because they all tend to have their own individual ways of doing things. Some things you can take for granted in general however, such as the fact that most German Unis don’t charges tuition, unless you’re studying to become a doctor or lawyer. But even then, you‘ll ask the actual Uni itself regardless because you still have to find out about the application process and so forth.

I went through an application process once in order to study abroad, but I still don’t remember all of it, because there was so much paperwork that there’s no way I’d remember it all, lol, so you’d be better off asking that program than you would be me

[tropic edge]

I understand what you mean when you say it's better to ask the experts since they know best. One should do that in almost all cases. But sometimes someone has a bit of information that may help you or you better be aware of. I think we could take this discussion elsewhere since it doesn't fit the purpose of this channel anymore.

[exotic barn]

How does one go about looking for a place in Deutschland? Is a WG better than a Studentenwohnheim? What are the normal prices and how does one even find a room that's not taken. There's a lot of info online but it's too overwhelming so i don't know where to start

The problem is that i want to live with a friend of mine, either in separate rooms in the same place or one big room but there's so few places that are 300€ or under for women. The dorms with a majority of guys or all guys are so cheap. What is this discrimination t.t

Anyways, any and all advice appreciated

[wise obsidian]

i had good luck finding a WG (wg-gesucht.de), you might be able to find one that has two spots free. although of course cost will differ based on the town.

[exotic barn]

Ah my friend and I did find a few places. It's just that

The rooms are of different sizes?

So one person can pay like 240 while the other is 420

18sq vs 28sq

[exotic barn]

How long did it take you to find a place though

[wise obsidian]

uh, i think i started looking on a tuesday, messaged a few places, had a call on wednesday, and had a contract by thursday...

[exotic barn]

Wow...

Oh makes sense for a single room haha

[wise obsidian]

on wg-gesucht you can filter by gender as well if that's important to you

i don't see an easy way to search for flats that have two rooms free, but if you scroll through results you can see by how many gray persons there are (as well as the genders of the people currently living there)

make sure you put effort into the intro message, though.
i did:

• a bit about me (what i study, what my hobbies are)
• why i'm in germany
• what i'm looking for out of a flat & why i applied to this posting
  and attached some pictures of me

[exotic barn]

And be aware of some Studentenverbindungen or Burschenschaften (more or less like american fraternity). They often offer rooms with attracrive price but think twice b4 u decide to join Burschenschaften

[exotic barn]

I saw some rooms with katholische Verbindungen. What does that mean though? One of them looked kinda okay i don't want to be pulled into any sort of religion or cult thing

I spent a fair amount of time on WG gesucht WG suche etc and honestly i have come to the conclusion that life is simply unfair for women. Guys can get such big rooms in the Zentrum for like 150€ or less. I can't say I'm not jealous.

I think I'm going to wait it out and look on Facebook wg groups too

I'm not quite comfortable posting all of my information on WG gesucht for everyone to see so il hold on that for a bit

Katholische Studentenverbindungen sind okay. What I meant is the proud nationalist SV

Ah i see

What does it mean if a wg is part of a katholische Verbindung though?

[exotic barn]

150€

[exotic barn]

You'll basically live in a fret / sorority house

But most of the SV are male only

Me, seeing a fully furnished room, Zentrum located, bar and gym, 20+sqm, Male only:

🤡

I feel like changing my gender or cross dressing or something

[exotic barn]

Please let it be berlin. I need a room a s a p in bearleen

It was about 160€

What city is that

It's not Berlin ha

Wait I need a moment to decide if it's okay to expose my location

I won't get stalked or something will i

Welp if i die i die

I'm in nrw

But omgomg

Where r u originally from

Some of these rooms look like places i could live my entire life

They're so cheap

And then it turns out to be guys only

I think I'll hold on that info?

Years of internet safety rules have made me very tight-lipped ig

Np

It feels weird o give out info like that but someone hELp

I'm going to go broke

Jk tho i can still afford it but i wanna spend more on food

Maybe someone here can help you. I'm not in nrw

No worries good luck apartment hunting

Would love to visit Berlin some day

I got an answer out of 15 applications in wg gesucht

Do

Do they not reply

Most of the time

Because I sent 2 messages and no one replied to me (so i just called one of them)

Some just don't care

Were literally giving them our money??😭

[exotic barn]

Did he/she answer your call?

Yeah a very nice old german lady

A little bit strict but very nice

I'm hoping it works out

So you're still in waiting list?

We havent even set up a house visit date yet

It's basically an addition hehe

How much is the rent?

The issue is

One room is 240

And the other room (x2 size) is 420

I think

She had 3 rooms free and she's rented 2

I don't know what sizes

Help.

How.

[exotic barn]

So it's 3er WG?

4 people. 1 person is still going to stay there

Ahh, I am from India and I want to get admission into German colleges. Can you guide me?

Bachelor/ master?

Bachelors.

I scored 92% in 12th if that helps.

You'd need to be fluent upto B2 or C2 depending on your major and if u need to do Studienkolleg

Ahh, what more do I need to do?

They are asking just B2 rn.

And I need to pass the language test.

https://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/schulabschluesse-mit-hochschulzugang.html#land_gewaehlt

Learn the language and then apply to the uni. They'll allocate you to a Studienkolleg

You can contact their student office directly

One more question. Can I reach B2 level in one year?

Is it too hard?

[exotic barn]

Pick India from the list. Then you'll see if your high school diploma entitles you to uni directly or you must visit 1 year of studienkolleg

[exotic barn]

It depends on your current knowledge

Mm my German is as good as Donald trump.

🥲 .

@exotic barn is 92% a good score for German colleges?

I can get LOR's too do I need it?

[exotic barn]

what's that? Ur highschool grade? Yea you're cooo

Cool

Yes

Like my class 12th marks.

[exotic barn]

you will get the lor after applying

Learn thelanguage first

At least b1

Then go to germany to apply language course visa and take b2 course here

Or better if you can make it to b2 in india

Is this a good insti?

Yes

Ahhh @exotic barn see I will be honest with you. I will not get 1L to learn German. I can take coaching for B1 and B2. But for A1 and A2 is there any free way?

1L is in rupees. It's like 1000 euros.

Maybe it'll help. Grammar summary

Thanks

[olive summit]

there are some bachelor programs in English

the main thing to worry about is if your educational credentials are viewed the same as an Abitur

[exotic barn]

It took me 5 months to get to B1. I'd say i have an average pace/ability of picking up languages. Honestly I could've covered A1 entirely by myself (just focus on the books and do some listening exercises. But A2 really lays the base for your speaking. Your Deutsch is going to go kaputt if you don't have at least some way to listen/interact/speak in german from A2 (even if it's a minimum of 3 hours a day 5 days a week) @exotic barn

[exotic barn]

Like?

I think he'd still have to do the Studienkolleg then

[olive summit]

no you don't

[exotic barn]

Mmm...no

Studienkolleg is not Mandatory.

Oh okay

I'm not sure about other majors

[olive summit]

you take a Studienkolleg if your educational background is not evaluated as on-par with a German Abitur

[exotic barn]

What is par with German abitur?

[olive summit]

https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/

[exotic barn]

Who much marks do I need?

German schooling is usually 13 years

[olive summit]

uni-assist and anabin are a good place to start with that

[exotic barn]

Mine was just 12 years so I need to do the Studienkolleg

[olive summit]

for most universities you will need to apply via uni-assist

[exotic barn]

I tried but those sites confuse me.

🥲 .

It's a lot of unis but you need to plan

Yes. That is why I am here to seek guidance.

[olive summit]

with uni-assist you should be able to fill in some basic background info and they'll tell you whether you are eligible for direct admission or you must take a Studienkolleg

[exotic barn]

I think I made my room look like a crime scene while planning and pinning up so many unis

I think you can use daad to shortlist unis

Depends on your major really

[olive summit]

https://www.uni-assist.de/en/tools/check-university-admission/
@exotic barn

[exotic barn]

I have this question.

If I do my first year of bachelors from here.

In for example say ( mechanical )

So...when I will be applying In the German colleges can I apply for CS too or I will be restricted to mechanical only?

[exotic barn]

Is maximilian uni very hard to get into..and can you suggest me some good public colleges?

[radiant raft]

We're talking about Germany right?

[exotic barn]

Yes.

@radiant raft

Sorry I have no idea about unis that are not in my targeted field

You can just go to the university page and scroll to student office contact details

. Nobody knows about Maximilian here.

They reply very soon

German unis are more or less on the same level in terms of education, so it depends on what location you want to stay in or if you've got a particular facility of a certain uni usw

Ohh.

So it doesn't matter which college I select?

Cities like munich, berlin, frankfurt etc have crazy expensive rent and high living costs

If that's a possible factor of concern for you

Like how much?

800+ euros?

A month?

I need about 80€ a month for living costs and 400€ for rent but I share stuff with my friend

Ahh, and do you do a part time job?

So if I lived alone it would take me about 500

I don't get sleep on most days what part time job 😭

Trust me there's no time for that stuff

Mm can you explain me why?

Unless you've got semester breaks maybe or if you're in your 2nd semester and used to things

Is college so hectic?

Even if you know the language, it takes a while to just adjust to living here because you have to fill up forms, set up bank account, get a sim card, register at the Bürgeramt, get your visa etc cooking etc

Especially if you've never lived alone

[olive summit]

you need proof of financing to get a student visa anyway, which is nearly 11k euros in a blocked bank account.

[exotic barn]

There's laundry, grocery shopping etc

[olive summit]

that amounts to a little over 900 a month for expenses

[exotic barn]

Just setting yourself up here will take a good few months

Oh so...9L is not that much.

Like I can use that 11k euros ryt?

Or it's like locked?

[olive summit]

yes its for you

[exotic barn]

Oh

You get a certain amount per month

Not all of it at once

[olive summit]

the ABH just needs to see it so you won't take welfare

because students aren't allowed that

for shorter exchange programs like erasmus this is waived but if you're enrolled full-time at a German uni the proof of financing is mandatory

[exotic barn]

What is like a normal college day in Germany.

11k euros is not a problem for me.

For like college fees.

There's no college fees aside from the semester contribution

100 euros ryt?

[olive summit]

living costs can be pretty cheap here honestly, i get by on less than 900 a month id say

[exotic barn]

You could look into scholarships for engineering. I'm not sure about the availability

It can go up to 300€ per semester

Food is very cheap here

Love that

I can cook on my own.

And so are cosmetics, shampoos etc. Dirt cheap

It's crazy

So...let's assume if I get time to do a part time.

Are jobs available?

There's a limit to how long you can work

20hrs a week I know

Same as USA.

It's not allowed during class hours and only during semester break maybe

[olive summit]

and with us going into another lockdown its difficult to find part time employment

[exotic barn]

There's more restrictions if I'm not wrong and it takes time to find jobs

[exotic barn]

Very true ...I am going to apply next year so it's okay.

[olive summit]

there are jobs on campus, i worked as a translator at my uni for some time

[exotic barn]

I doubt there will be much of a change by then

[olive summit]

as a minijob earned like 450 a month

[exotic barn]

Oh sweet

So...do colleges take their Studienkollage or it's like I will have to write an exam again for unis?

How long did you have to work per week?

You have to give an entrance exam after Studienkolleg. your fsp scores and school gpa decides admission

[olive summit]

it was freelance work, just had to log my hours, was supposed to work 10-20 hours i think

[exotic barn]

Oop-

I'd love to apply to be a translator

[exotic barn]

Ohhhh what do they ask in FSP?

[olive summit]

it was at some business research institute on campus, other than helping out at events it was boring translation work

[exotic barn]

I read they ask easy maths.

Fsp is the festellungsprüfung

1 oral exam

2 written i think

Or was it 3

Yes 2 written one maths and one German

[olive summit]

http://www.studienkolleg.com/types-of-studienkollegs#

[exotic barn]

If you're doing engineering, you get t kurs subjects

[olive summit]

also this is important to note

[exotic barn]

The oral one is for Chemie

[olive summit]

depending on the degree program you may need a specific course of Studienkolleg

[exotic barn]

T Kurs ryt?

How long is studeinkollage? Two SEMs?

[olive summit]

typically a year

[exotic barn]

Ahh.

It can vary 10 months to about 14 (counting semester break)

Now... I know there is no fees for college but still are there any scholarship exams?

You can shortlist you preferred unis and then check their scholarships section for that

Wow I am feeling like a typical Indian now.

[exotic barn]

After studeinkollage ryt?

You should be deciding where you'd like to apply now

To have a general idea

Then apply to several and choose wherever you get in ig

Oh,Do you know about TUM?

Yep that's pretty famous

They don't have BS courses but

🥲 .

Only masters.

@exotic barn do you have some friends there who are pursuing CS UG?

Maximilian seems nice.

I barely have friend

Actually i do know a few

But they're filthy rich and just do whatever suits their fancy

Ahhh

So i doubt they're in any rush

Where are you from originally?

Sprung from the earth

Fully formed Bärchen

Ahh what is the cost of one football match ticket there?

And do I get Full EU visa?

??

You get a student visa?

Student Id gets you lots of discounts

Can I travel with my student visa?

[olive summit]

yes but you're not entitled to the same rights as an EU citizen

[exotic barn]

Given that covid comes under control

Like?

[exotic barn]

Yes yes of course.

[olive summit]

you cant live and work anywhere in the EU, the visa is for Germany and Germany only

[exotic barn]

Oh no I have a dream that I want to complete that's all.

A schengen visa gets you anywhere in the eu but travelling for tourism purposes is currently closed

Nice...

Thanks for your help guys it's 3:38 am here I should sleep now.

Beunos noches amiogs.

[stiff pendant]

War jemand schon mal auf Sylt? Ich interessiere mich für diesen Ort, und ich möchte von eueren Erfahrungen hören.

[wise obsidian]

@exotic barn in case you haven't found it already, here's a few guides for studying in germany: https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/studying

[exotic barn]

@wise obsidian Thanks

[clever grotto]

Kann mir jemand, der sich damit auskennt, Tips geben, ob man, wenn man zur online Universität gehen will (Fernstudium) das irgendwo beantragen kann?
Weil aus eigener Tasche kann ich mir das nicht leisten.

[tropic arrow]

Soweit ich weiß kommt es auf die Fern-Uni und den Studiengang an. In manchen Fällen kann man zum Beispiel Bafög beantragen, das geht aber nicht an allen Fern-Unis

[clever grotto]

Ich würde eben gerne Physik oder Jura studieren.
Das Problem dabei ist lediglich, dass ich psychisch ziemlich kaputt bin, und auch unter anderem wegen Angst/Panikstörung nicht mal wirklich das Haus verlassen kann.
Mein Abitur habe ich mit 1,2 abgeschlossen, daran wird es nicht scheitern.
Nur das mit dem bezahlen ist so eine Sache.

@tropic arrow

[tropic arrow]

Hm klar, das ist natürlich ein Problem :/ Leider werden Fernstudiengang etwas anders gehandhabt als reguläre Studiengänge, und das betrifft auch Bafög, wenn ich mich recht erinnere

Ich kann schauen, ob ich mehr herausfinden kann

[clever grotto]

Ich hab rum geguckt ob das Bafög in Betracht käme, aber was ich jetzt raus fand, scheint es so zu sein, dass das nicht funktioniert.
Ich dachte, da ich zu 100% als Erwerbsunfähig registriert bin, das es da vielleicht Möglichkeiten gibt?
Die zuständigen Behörden geben mir natürlich nicht wirklich Informationen, obwohl sie gesetzlich dazu verpflichtet wären.

@tropic arrow

Ping mich ruhig, ich bin Admin in anderen Servern, so verpasse ich nicht wenn du antwortest.

[tropic arrow]

Wie das mit Erwerbsunfähigkeit und Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten aussieht, das weiß ich leider nicht :/ @clever grotto

[clever grotto]

[bold stump]

@clever grotto Bei Physik gibt es meistens einen gewissen Präsenzanteil. Meistens 1-2 Wochen pro Semester und die Klausuren sind auch im Fernstudium meistens vor Ort. Kommst du damit klar? 🙂

[clever grotto]

Wenn ich alleine mit einem Prof da sitzen kann würde das vermutlich gehen.
Aber da das unrealistisch ist; nein.

[bold stump]

Also es gibt meistens ein Anfängerpraktikum und Fortgeschrittenen Praktikum die in Kleingruppen bearbeitet werden (2-6 Studenten + 1 Betreuer). Vielleicht kannst du ja vorher mal nachfragen, ob man da eine Ausnahme machen könnte und das auf 1-2 Personen reduziert.

Ansonsten wäre da vielleicht sogar eher Mathe für dich interessant? Du kannst da jederzeit auch Physikvorlesungen als Wahlfach mit reinnehmen und das könnte sogar vollständig ohne Gruppenarbeit machbar sein

[clever grotto]

Nein, ich will mich im Master auf Astrophysik spezialisieren, Mathe kommt definitiv nicht infrage.

[bold stump]

Also so wenn du theoretische Astrophysik machen willst, ist der Unterschied zu reiner Mathe m.E. nicht sehr groß bzw. man hört eh nen Großteil der gleichen VL.

[clever grotto]

Es ist aber nicht das was ich gerne mache möchte.
Mathe ist außerdem um einiges tiefergehend als Physik Zahlentechnisch etc.
Mir ist zumindest nicht bekannt dass man mit einem Mathe Studium theoretischer Physiker werden kann.

Physik und Jura sind die einzigen wirklichen Optionen.

[bold stump]

Na dann. Physik ohne Präsenz mit Gruppenarbeit wird schwierig.

Aber nein, in vielen Unis haben Physiker die selben Mathevorlesungen wie die Mathematiker in den ersten zwei Semestern. Je nach Wahl des Schwerpunktes auch weiter so. Deswegen machen auch manchmal Leute sowohl den Bsc in Mathematik als auch in Physik, weil man da eh fast die gleichen Vorlesungen wählen kann.

Der Wechsel von theoretischer Physik auf Mathe und umgekehrt geht relativ problemlos. Besonders bei Astro und Teilchenphysik.

[grave urchin]

Which beer should I try in Germany, Hessen Specifically?? I am from Asia and want to taste some best german beers

[clever grotto]

Ich würde gerne die Kombi aus angewandter und theoretischer Physik machen. Mich fasziniert beides.
Vielleicht in Kombination Physik und Jura? Aber das ist glaube ich nicht machbar.

[tight kelp]

most places have their own beer (or beers, even). Find out what the local ones from your town or vicinity are and try those out

[shut prairie]

Hey gibt's jemanden hier der eSports spielt und wenn schon, was ist der Artikel von "Scrim"?

[grave urchin]

Does anyone know the meaning of i.A in the signature section??

I got a letter where i.A is written but there is no signature Is it valid

[wise obsidian]

probably im Auftrag?

could also be in Abwesenheit.

[hallow oyster]

I think I saw it used when some person writes you in the name of organisation, eg person in the name of Hausverwaltung company who is managing your flat, or them in the name of the flat owner

I think, don't hold me for it though 😂

[clever grotto]

I.A is usually used for "Im Auftrag" as far as I know.

[exotic barn]

kinda dumb question, but are non-EU citizens BAföG berechtigt?

[fleet pelican]

no i dont believe so

but there are special programs for non-eu citizens and those seeking asylum

[exotic barn]

Part 2 of apartment hunting chronicles is rather .. i don't even know what to say

I'm pretty sure I've run into about 3 scams by now (and i contacted a total of 11 people)

Somehow all of them can't "show" their apartment because they just moved to "england" for their "new job"

Is this really common? Or is it just like this for me?

All of these people have the same story somehow. Even the details are the same. Moved to england a week ago. Why england?? Why a week ago???

[digital nexus]

Yeah it's pretty common. I was having that issue a lot when I was looking for a house and the only reason i got one in the end was because I knew the person moving out and got in direct contact with the landlord

[high lodge]

oof, well I have other issue, I found mine and even met landlord and stuff but after while its hard to get contact with landlord xd

[olive summit]

@exotic barn those are all scams beware

make sure to meet in person with the people if possible

[unreal monolith]

Assume there is no COVID-19 pandemic, are there any good services for a family to tour Berlin, Germany?

[exotic barn]

Gosh. It really do be tough times huh. Honestly at this point I would just rather not move out of my current place and negotiate with the landlady to lower the rent if my friend and I move in together. I can absolutely not decide anything until I visit the place twice maybe. Slightly reassuring to know it's not just me though

[exotic barn]

I don't know if I'm abusing this channel at this point but all the scammers have the Exact same script. I literally just blocked and reported 2 people on WhatsApp and what even is this

It's literally the same thing everywhere do i look like i was born yesterday

[exotic barn]

Apologies for burying this msg

I don't know anything about tourism though

[hallow oyster]

I can recommend boat tours, I used the one that had a pick up point near the schloß Charlottenburg, forgot the name
We did several tours and day was nice so really experience, for lazy folks :)

Also, we did bus 100 route on our own

Walking for hours and listening for explanations for each and every building isn't fun for us, so we did this quick ones

Also, we went to botanical garden, then I think britz or something, we used ferry, and also did a few boat tours there
But yeah, not much guided tours

I'd do segway one, because of segways 😂 but in these 4 years I was too lazy to do it, so can't say how it is

That's 2 families, and several visits during the span of few years

[exotic barn]

oh my god i literally received a similar email a month ago from an ad on WG-gesucht :/

[tight kelp]

weird, when i was hunting for a flat some time ago i didn't stumble upon any scam. Has the situation gone downhill since then or is it because it's Berlin?

my city isn't small either tho

[exotic barn]

it's always like this or some other dumb reason they can't meet you :/

if it's sketchy, leave it

[exotic barn]

thank you, by the way, i'll look into it :)

[tight kelp]

yeah i wouldn't dream of spending a cent on a flat without being able to see it first

[exotic barn]

Oh my

The scams are always the same format ngl :/ i was going to give them points for creativity but i saw the same thing 2 more times so I just said eh whatever

[dry ravine]

@exotic barn just ignore anyone who says they are not in germany

If they sent you pics, reverse google image search

I did that and found out one scam I got since the original photos were an Airbnb in france

[tight kelp]

maybe the door is a magical spacetime portal to france

(a waste of good magic if you ask me but hey)

[tropic edge]

What exactly are you using?

These look like they are sent to you through email

Are you using wg-gesucht?

Have you tried Facebook?

Have you looked for housing companies that offer places up for students?

[shadow ibex]

hey guys super quick question

vorauszahlungen is payment in advance, ne?

[exotic barn]

That's what the word means

[exotic barn]

Sometimes people on WG/fb ask to contact through WhatsApp/email (no one ever replies to me on WG unless I shoot them a quick whatsapp msg ). I did see a bunch of legit offers that way but they weren't my thing. I'm not willing to pay any broker fees so I think I'll steer clear of housing companies. That said the scams always have the same format. Someone who's "moving out" posts on behalf of the landlord and they dip as soon as they hand you their contact. And then the landlord/landlady begins their nonsense. It's quite obvious by the 3rd exchange i suppose. I think hearing "I've moved to London for work" is just going to be a trigger phrase for me now lol its so annoying. I'm just going to ask someone else to look in behalf of me

[wise obsidian]

typo - since you're having such shitty luck i have to ask:

• are you messaging people in english or german?
• what kind of things are you including in your intro messages?

[exotic barn]

I messaged them in german and mentioned my name, the duration I'd like to stay there and asked them to contact me so we can set up a viewing date/discuss further.

Honestly all of the scammers tend to speak in english

[wise obsidian]

hm

can i recommend - maybe add a bit more about yourself in your intro message (why are you coming to germany? why did you apply for this flat? have you lived in a WG before? what do you do in your spare time?). i think having more 'personality' helps get more responses

[exotic barn]

Ah I did post name, age, study course, reason etc in the group but I think it's just that there's a lack of good offers

Some people offered to sublet and most others just didn't fit my specific requirements. It's okay though. I don't particularly need to move that badly or anything

Definitely appreciate all the advice

[tropic edge]

I did not mean those housing companies. There are lots of options for students in Berlin: house of nations, Berlinovo ( and their daughter company specifically for students), insider apartments just to name a few. Besides if you haven't registered at the Studierendenwerk, you probably should asap. To work on two fronts at the same time, put up your own looking for apartment ad on wg-gesucht. There are usually forums or groups where you could find other students looking for apartments too, so maybe there? If you have an old contact who is in Berlin, maybe they know someone in their circles and can put in a good word for you.

[grave urchin]

Hello Everyone. How are HR interviews in Germany's Like? I have never had HR interview back in my country for technical positions. What do they usually asks?

I want some tips for working student(software dev) interview as I am attending one.

[humble bough]

I'll agree with scammers generally speaking English, though there are exceptions. Someone recently tried to scam me over an apartment (said they were renting it through airbnb because they weren't in Germany 🙄 ) and the convo was in German, though they'd clearly translated it using Google translate or smth (they asked if I was a Schüler lmao)

the scams are more common on WG gesucht than for actual flat-hunting in my experience though, I got a lot more of them when I was looking for a WG

[tight kelp]

hm, makes sense that they'd use english. They target people who are more likely to be out of their element

[cold aspen]

Wenn jemand kurz Zeit, hat würde ich mich freuen, wenn sich jemand finden könnte, an dieser Umfrage teilzunehmen.
||Ich leite die Anfrage nur weiter von einer anderen Person, der diese Umfrage auf einem anderen Server veröffentlicht hat.||
https://forms.gle/Xw4p8CA73AnoG4NU7.

[exotic barn]

Lmao, i guess those who use wg-gesucht should have at least once got into contact with a scammer.
Also another common trope from these scams: the scammers somehow always explain the payment method very very meticulously. And usually bring up lawyers that's gonna handle the contract signing, and come up w weird reasons why they cannot hand the housekey themselves.

[hallow oyster]

I just stumbled upon this, maybe it helps?
https://www.gpsmycity.com/

[wise obsidian]

i've had 3-ish HR interviews and it's all bee fairly standard stuff - tell me a bit about yourself, why this company, why this position, and a few competency questions.

[signal rune]

Hi guys, any german here? I would like to ask sth, I have middle name in my name, so how do i fill in the Vorname and Nachname. Like where will my middle name go to ?

[bold stump]

right after the Vorname

[signal rune]

ohh thanks for the info xD

[shadow ibex]

guys, usually if you pay for rent with the nebenkosten (warmemiete), it includes electricity costs as well, right?

[grave urchin]

done with hr interview Thanks for info

[hallow oyster]

Unless explicitly said that it's included in nebenkosten, it isn't, and you need to get a contract on your name with electricity provider
Same with phone, internet...

[shadow ibex]

yeah it only says Heizung, I take it that’s gas and I still have to pay for electricity?

[hallow oyster]

Usually yes
Unless you have electric heating only

Which I can't say that I ever read in some ad, so unless it's explicitly said otherwise, I'd assume defaults

Like for fully furnished is usually everything included, for regular empty flats, electricity, Internet, phone is on you

For rooms it depends, it's probably some combination - main tenant probably took those contracts in their name and you spilt that bill with them, plus additional rent+nebenkosten splitting

[shadow ibex]

yeah I’m really confused rn because I read through my mietvertrag and it says that allgemeine strom is included, but a flatmate has just asked me to pay the bills

[hallow oyster]

That could be electricity for communal lights, like staircases, or elevator, doorbell, and similar things
Which ineed is part of nebenkosten
But it's not the electricity for your flat

I mean partially reading takes a big crystal ball

Like, for contract to be understood, you need to know the full context
Eg it is not the same meaning if it's under part x or part y

Same like translating the German sentence - you can do it word by word, but end result might be weird

Ideally, you'd ask your flatmate to explain it to you

But if you're suspicious, then I understand you aren't trusting

So, easiest would be to take a pic of that site in the contract, censor private data and put here (just ensure that text is sharp and actually readable) and then put your questions and someone will look at it and decipher

My bet is on staircase lights, since that's how default renting looks like :)

[shadow ibex]

yeah honestly thats my bet too

I just find it super suspicious how I’m charged for ‘Heizung’ and yet I’m still asked for ‘Strom- und Gasrechnung’