As the title says, for those who moved to Germany and have been living here for a while: do you see yourself getting old here? Why? Why not?
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Absolutely not! Take a look at the comments section here: https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/ygh3h5/how\_do\_elderly\_people\_in\_germany\_survive\_with/
Absolutely not. I am fine with living in Germany for the time being but the endless burocracy, impractical rules, casual xenophobia and lack of a social life make spending a lifetime in Germany feel very very depressing for me. I’m tired of walking on eggshells with every move I make and I’ve come to realise that, no matter how perfect my German is or how much I culturally integrate, I will never be made to feel welcomed in this country, only “tolerated” if I’m lucky. It’s not all doom and gloom of course, Germany has many great upsides but for me, not for the long long term.
Where in the world isnt filled endless bureacracy and casual xenophobia?
Try southern Europe, people are super friendly there.
Yes, it’s good
Hey there. There are many good things in Germany. Definitely a good country to live in as a young person. But as I get older I would not like to fall in poverty because of the low pensions and the decaying pension system. A and let’s not forget the horrendous weather. Would you enjoy living the last years of your life in such a horrible weather ?
While most people do prefer warm weather, let’s not forget that weather is a subjective thing. There are people who prefer cold and don’t mind lack of sun (like me).
Decaying pension system is a valid point but I am able to save quite a bit in ETFs working in DE so don’t see that as the biggest issue.
Decaying pension system is a valid point but I am able to save quite a bit in ETFs working in DE so don’t see that as the biggest issue.
But you would be able to save a lot more for your own retirement if you didn’t have to contribute to the bankrupt Ponzi system. In addition, 25% of the total tax intakes are used to subsidize the pension system, at the cost of investment in the country.
I might be paranoid, but the way the confiscatory government behaves, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some flat tax in the future on people that have saved wisely (in ETFs or whatever). All in the name of SoLiDaRiTy of course.
I dont even see myself getting old at all.
Yes. I moved here to live here, permanently. For me, immigrating wasn’t intended to be a temporary thing. Now, as I retire, I may not be here all the time. We intended to get a camper and roam around Europe. But Germany is my home and has been permanently since 2010.
No, because i like in UK
I can’t answer to Germany, but next door in Austria where I immigrated to, a resounding yes! And if for some reason I could not, I would choose next door in Germany and not back home in the US, where I sure as hell don’t want to be old in!
No. I will most likely leave some time after getting citizenship. I’ve been here for 2+ years now.
Bankrupt Pensions – I don’t want to pay my whole career into this state-sponsored Ponzi scheme. No private options like a 401k because that’s tax money that the greedy government would lose out on. Too many old people and not enough young folks. Also, while mass migration from the Middle East and Africa will continue (at least while Germany sticks to these heavily outdated asylum laws), I have very little faith it will qualitatively improve the demographic situation in the next 20-30 years. Compare the number of blue card arrivals every year to the number of asylum seekers - that will tell you exactly who Germany is attractive for.
Deteriorating Healthcare – Voluntarily on the public insurance, purely because I knew if I retired here, I would be fucked with private premiums. Immense wait times for doctors compared to private. Also, the system will be under even more strain soon as the boomers retire, so it will approach an NHS-state where they save you if you’re dying but that’s about it. Ideally a minimum wage person should have the same access to health care as someone with a high income. Conversely with a collapsing health system, someone like me paying the maximum premium of 500 EUR a month is in the same miserable boat as someone who’s never paid a dime into the system. Hooray for solidarity, I guess.
Also worth keeping in mind when making a decision to move - as a hard-working skilled immigrant, I know I will be first in the line of fire for tax / social contribution hikes to “improve” the above two systems (not to mention increasing welfare benefits and Germany’s endless social charity for the world). The general attitude of the political class to the salaried middle class is atrocious, which leads to a general “work must be punished” culture in Germany. This is something that I believe will only get worse in the future.
Why do you want the citizenship if you don’t plan to stay long-term? It’s quite a hassle to get it.
Because I have a terrible passport and would want to get EU citizenship for travel freedom and more importantly, the right to work in Switzerland. The hassle is just waiting for the endless processing by the bureaucracy, the application itself is relatively straightforward.
Everything OP says here. Living in Germany for almost 4 years and currently trying to get out.
At first I was going to wait until my partner can get his German passport but after knowing the time it requires to process the naturalization we decide to try to move asap. Waiting times at LEA has been exacerbated by covid and ukraine war (no this is not an assumption, this was an excuse they told me) and there is no sign of it getting better.
I came from a third world country and my parents used to tell me that in western welfare states, everyone is proud of their job and do it excellently. My experience has been the contrary. Consistency in bad customer service can be seen in courier/delivery service, hospital, luxury department stores, airport etc.
People don’t celebrate other people’s success here. The country is great for old money crowd or people in challenging situation (disabled, unemployed, 1 income with a non working spouse and many children, terminal illness) but not for upper middle class trying to climb up the ladder.
I agree 100 %. Germany is a trap for ambitious educated foreigners. For me, the biggest shock was the extent of xenophobia/racism (at work, in offices, etc.) that I and my international friends faced in this country.
No lmao I’m moving to Denmark or Norway as soon as I can
Living in Berlin almost a decade now, originally from Ireland.
No I can’t see myself growing old here, that’s a realisation that came on strong since Covid. But unlike many you meet here in Berlin, I don’t have the strong dislike many people seem to acquire for Germany. Infact, I think it’s a very good country, I struggle to think of many other countries where life is better. The DACH region has a perfect mix of strong state, low corruption, good summers and nature etc, if I was with kids I’d probably stay.
But I’m about to enter my 30’s, and while Berlin was a incredible place to live for my 20s, I want to head south and start afresh there. Despite much lower salaries, poorer state services etc. I just need more sunshine and a slightly more lively culture
Came here in 87. Always thought I’d work until I have enough money, head back to Canada and buy a cabin. Now I’m mid-50 and have realised for a long time now how good I have it here. Family, career and Europe at my feet. Why would I return to the tundra of Manitoba? So, yes, I’m staying.
But friend, don’t you miss the Swan River Rodeo? The muddy waters of the Forks? The Brandon Agricultural Tradeshow? The satisfying scratches following mosquito bites? The international airport that connects you to at least two major US cities? Manitoba has a lot to offer. Why would anyone leave? :-)
As a quasi-German (I’m Dutch by passport but have spent about as much of my younger life in Germany as in the Netherlands), I would not. Never considered it, which is why I left a couple of decades ago. To put it in a nutshell: rude, confrontational, self-righteous, xenophobic, anti-capitalist, in love with pie-in-the-sky but increasingly dysfunctional yet convinced of its superior ways. That’s Germany for me. This is of course a gross generalization. There are many good things I could also say about Germany, and not all Germans are alike. But that’s the summary of why I wouldn’t want to grow old there.
BTW, pissing on Germany is a Dutch national sport. Which I detest and never participated in while I was there (either side of the border). My opinion was formed through actually living in Germany, and came together slowly, over the years. My opinion of “my own” country is only oh-so-slightly better than that of Germany.
I lived in NL and DE (I’m Canadian). I preferred NL. It was just easier to get along with people. Nobody cares if your spoken Dutch is pathetic, whereas in Germany I get sour looks for mispronouncing bread names at the bakery.
Haha, yeah, I can imagine.
Yes, Netherlands sucks as well.
Totally.
German here from Berlin. I have lived in many countries on all continents (based in Hong Kong at the moment). I asked myself this question when my first child was born (due to making a will and having to figure out where I want to be buried) and came to a definite yes as an answer. I know there are many things that one can complain about but the more places I see in the world the more I see how good I had it in Berlin. Wouldn’t want to grow old in other parts of Germany, but Berlin, hell yeah:)
Yes. I love my life in Germany. I want to eventually have a dual passport (if I am able to) and retire here. I don’t buy into the doom and gloom of many of these comments. Copy and paste the complaints for any country in the western world. I could list triple the negative complaints about the US and my disagreement with healthcare, education, guns, shitty infrastructure and more. It’s relative.