Germany

German universities can compete with the best universities in the world. Since the vast majority of the universities are state-owned, studying in Germany is usually very cheap 50-700 Euros/semester, but keep in mind that the costs to make your living are quite high for example Tübingen: around 350-400€ rent per month for a 1-room apartment + living expenses with rent being the major factor. Because of this, most students either share a flat or live in a dormitory. Dormitories also often consider the financial situation of the applicants and decide accordingly.Access to universities is easy for EU nationals, non-EU foreigners may face some bureaucratic hurdles and may be asked to provide proof that they can cover their own expenses. There are very few scholarships available, work-study jobs rarely exist, and student-loans are rare. In addition, Germany universities rarely provide the discounted and high quality amenities that other universities do. Some German universities do not have a coherent campus and opening hours can be short so check carefully.

German universities are now changing their traditional course system to Master/Bachelor programmes. In general the courses become more structured and school-like with a higher workload. Nevertheless more self-initiative is expected at German Universities than in many other places. Help with problems is not "automatic" and newcomers may feel a little left alone in the beginning. The same applies to "Fachhochschulen" describing themselves as "Universities of Applied Sciences", the only difference being their cooperation with large corporations.

German Academic Exchange Service (http://www.daad.de/)

Goethe-Institut (http://www.goethe-institut.de/) offers German language courses

Germany offers virtually every activity you can imagine. Most Germans are members of a sports club and visit cultural events less often. Due to the federal structure every region has its own specific activities.

While the official unemployment rate in Germany is at around 6,1% realistic figures might be much higher since only registered unemployment is counted and many German part-time workers are desperately wishing to work full-time, there are jobs for those with the right qualifications or connections. Non-EU foreigners wishing to work in Germany should make sure they secure the proper permits. Since this can mean extended acts of distinctly German bureaucracy especially for non-EU citizens, it is likely not a good method to help your travelling budget.

Non-EU students are permitted to work on their residence permits, but there is a limitation of 90 full more than four hours worked days per year or 180 half days under 4 hours worked without special authorization. Working through one's university, though, does not require a special permit.

Citizens of some non-EU countries Australia, Canada, Japan, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea and the US can apply for a residence title with a work permit during their 90 day visa-free stay in Germany, however, they may not work without a visa/authorisation. Other nationals require a work visa before entering the country, which they need to exchange into a residence title after entry. For more information, see the 'Entry requirements' subsection of the 'Get in' section above.

Illicit work is rather common in Germany about 4.1% of the German GDP and virtually the only way to avoid the German bureaucracy. Being caught, however, can mean time in jail, and you are liable to your employer to almost the same extent as if you worked legally.

If you want to stay in Germany for an extended period of time, but do not speak German, your best bets are large multinational companies in the banking, tourism or high-tech industries. Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich and of course Hamburg and Berlin are likely the best places to start looking. A good knowledge of German is usually expected, but not always a prerequisite. English speakers who are certified teachers in their home countries might be able to secure work at American or British international schools. English teaching without these qualifications is not lucrative in Germany.

During the asparagus season April to June farmers are usually looking for temporary workers, but this means really hard work and miserable pay. The main advantage of these jobs is that knowledge of German shall not be required.

Applying for a job in Germany is different from many other countries. As in nearly every country there are some peculiarities that every applicant should know.

cultural events

Germany has world class opera houses especially Berlin, Bayreuth, and Munich and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (http://www.berliner-philh...) is known as one of the Top3 orchestras in the world. Several theatres in bigger cities play outstanding classical and contemporary plays. Germanys prides itself in the wide varierty of cultural events and every city works out a cultural agenda.

sports

Germany is crazy about football and the German Football Association DFB (http://www.dfb.de/index.p...) is the biggest FA association in the world with 6.35 million members 8% of the German population in more than 25,000 clubs. Every village has a club and the games are the main social event on weekends. Participation is strongly encouraged.

In the winter many people go skiing in the Alps in Bavaria close to Munich.

Almost every middle-size German city has a spa often called Therme with swimming pools, water slides, hot tubs, saunas, steam baths, sun roofs etc. The sauna areas are coed and people are nude there.

Seacoasts

Germany's north has coasts to the north sea and the baltic sea. the landscape, especially along the north sea shore is very flat, the climate is rough with strong winds and mild, chilly temperatures. due to the south-easterly winds that press water into the german bight, tidal variations are exceptionally high, creating the unesco's world heritage wadden sea "wattenmeer": vast areas of the seabed are uncovered twice a day, allowing one to walk from one of the numerous islands to another. the north sea islands just off the coast are very picturesque, although mostly visited by the germans themselves. most of the north sea islands are free of car traffic and guarantee a silent holiday. out in the german bight lies the country's only off-shore island, helgoland. thanks to the strong winds, wind-surfing is possible all year round. do not expect hawaiian temperatures, though.

Forests

Germans are fanatical about their forests. while they are much smaller now than they used to be in medieval times, they are still huge compared to forests in other, especially western and southern european countries and only thinly populated. among others, the black forest and the bavarian forest have been declared national heritage and will, over the course of the next centuries, slowly return into a wild state. although germans love to go for long walks and hikes in these dark and humid woods, there's space enough for everyone to get lost. if you take one of the smaller paths you may not meet another person for the rest of the day this in a country of 230 people per square kilometre. especially the more remote areas are of an almost mythical beauty. it is no wonder the brothers grimm could collect all those fairytales among the dark canopies, and a large part of the german poetry circles around trees, fog and those lonely mountain tops. even goethe sent his faust to the brocken for his most fantastic scene. today, wild animals, although they abound, are mostly very shy, so you might not get to see many. while a few wolves in saxony and a bear in bavaria have been sighted, their immigration from eastern europe caused quite a stir. in the course of events, "bruno" the bear was shot, and while the wolves are under heavy protection local hunters have been suspected of killing them illegally. the most dangerous animal in germany's forests is by far the wild boar; in particular, sows leading young are nothing to joke about. wild boar are used to humans, since they often plunder trash cans in villages and suburbs, and their teeth can rip big wounds. if you see one, run.

Lake Constance

Lying along the country's south-western border with switzerland and austria, lake constance is germany's largest fresh-water lake. the area around the lake and up the lower rhine valley has a very mild, amenable climate and fertile grounds, making it the country's most important area for wine and fruit growing.

The

Romantic road itinerary: is the most famous scenic route in germany. it starts in würzburg and ends in füssen. most important points to visit on the romantic road are the cities: würzburg, harburg, donauwörth, rothenburg ob der tauber definitely recommended--the best preserved medieval city in germany by far, with its original, complete city walls and no modern construction--if you can stand the crowds of tourists that have taken over the town, see this city. some areas of the old city are less picturesque but very residential in character, including the high street. be aware that the city closes extremely early, and the last triains leave around 20:00, or 8pm, landsberg am lech and augsburg. most notable wider areas are: taubertal, nördlinger ries and lechrain. for cyclists there's a special route available called "radwanderweg romantische straße".

 

Bertha Benz Memorial Route Itinerary: This tourist route follows the tracks of the world's first long-distance journey by automobile in the year 1888, performed by Bertha Benz, the wife of Dr. Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile. It starts and ends in Mannheim. Important cities along Bertha Benz Memorial Route are: Heidelberg, Wiesloch with the world's first filling station, a pharmacy, Pforzheim, Bretten, Hockenheim and Schwetzingen. Important landscapes: Rhine Valley, Odenwald and Black Forest.