Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [689]
German women are quite outspoken and emancipated. There’s no need to be afraid of initiating a conversation, not even with men. Unless you’re overtly coquettish, this most likely won’t be interpreted as a sexual advance. It’s quite normal to split dinner bills, even on dates, or for a woman to start talking to a man. Going alone to cafes and restaurants is perfectly acceptable, even at night, although how comfortable you feel doing so depends entirely on you. In bars and nightclubs, solo women are likely to attract some attention, but if you don’t want company, most men will respect a firm ‘no, thank you’. If you feel threatened, protesting loudly will often make the offender slink away with embarrassment – or at least spur other people to come to your defence. Unfortunately, drinks spiked with so-called ‘date-rape drugs’ can be a problem in some bars and clubs, so don’t leave your drink unattended.
If assaulted, call the police ( 110) or contact a women’s crisis hotline (selected numbers follow). They can help you deal with the emotional trauma and make referrals to medical, legal and social-service providers. For a complete list, see www.frauennotrufe.de (click to ‘Hilfsangebote’) or call 030-3229 9500. They’re not staffed around the clock, but don’t get discouraged – try again later or leave a message and someone will call you back.
Berlin ( 030-216 8888)
Cologne ( 0221-562 035)
Frankfurt am Main ( 069-709 494)
Hamburg ( 040-255 566)
Hanover ( 0511-332 112)
Leipzig ( 0341-391 1199)
Mainz ( 06131-221 213)
Munich ( 089-763 737)
Nuremberg ( 0911-284 400)
Stuttgart ( 0711-285 9002)
WORK
Non-EU citizens cannot work legally in Germany without a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) and a work permit (Arbeitserlaubnis). EU citizens don’t need a work permit but they must have a residence permit, although obtaining one is a mere formality. Since regulations change from time to time, it’s best to contact the German embassy in your country for the latest information.
Because of fairly high unemployment, finding skilled work in Germany can be a full-time job in itself. A good place to start is at the local employment office (Arbeitsamt), which maintain job banks of vacancies. The classified sections of the daily papers are another source, as are private placement and temp agencies such as Randstad (www.randstad.de), Adecco (www.adecco.de) and Persona (www.persona.de). All have comprehensive websites (in German) that allow you to search for job openings. Computer specialists might want to visit www.computerjobs24.de, a data bank that allows you to search for jobs or list your services at no cost. Obviously, the better your German, the greater your chances.
If you’re not in the market for a full-time job but simply need some cash to replenish your travel budget, consider babysitting, house cleaning, English tutoring, operating tours, bartending, yoga teaching, donating sperm or perhaps nude modelling for art classes. You won’t get rich, but neither will you need a high skill level, much training, or fluent German. Start by placing a classified ad in a local newspaper or listings guide. Other places to advertise include noticeboards at universities, photocopy shops and supermarkets.
Au pair work is relatively easy to find and can be done legally even by non-EU citizens. Fluent German is not expected, although you should have some basic language skills. For the full story, get Lonely Planet’s The Big Trip, or the latest edition of The Au Pair and Nanny’s Guide to Working Abroad by Susan Griffith and Sharon Legg. The website www.au-pair-agenturen.de (in German) has links to numerous agencies in Germany.
Citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong between the ages of 18 and 30 may apply for a Working Holiday Visa, which entitles them to work in Germany for up to 90 days in a 12-month period. A similar scheme is available for Canadians up to age 35. Contact the German embassy in your country for details.
Also check out the ‘Living & Working Abroad