Why I Still Choose To Stay in Germany

[@britingermany]

Good morning. What do you value the most about Germany?

[@torstenberlin4088]

To answer your question, Benjamin - der Mensch ist ein Gewohnheitstier, and as a kraut born and raised here I simply value that it is my home country I am used to. Including a vast variety of high-quality bread, beer and sausages!😋

[@britingermany]

@@torstenberlin4088 can’t beat the bread 😉

[@torstenberlin4088]

Very wise of you, Benjamin, to agree with me!😉 Confession: I also love English crumpets (correct spelling?) and consider it sad and shameful that they are quite hard to get here.😞

[@hape3862]

Laugh at me, but I value the most that I can read and enjoy German literature, poesy and philosophy. What a joy it is to read Rilke's poems or Thomas Mann's novels!

[@DNA350ppm]

I learned so much in Germany, things that I still am inspired by and follow up, Mahler's music, alternative health/medicine, philosophers and psychologists. The phantastic hospitality and generosity!

[@bz09034]

Once again you are spot on. After 30 years in the US, I was actually hired by a bank as a Quereinsteiger. When I did my own apprenticeship decades ago as Bürokauffrau, it was unthinkable to be hired by a bank without their own apprenticeship. Now, at 52, this was possible. Times are a changing for the better.

[@britingermany]

I think so too (although many do not..)

[@gadgetvideos]

I always found the German apprenticeship system a little ridiculous especially for low-paying jobs. However I think this has nothing to do with changing attitudes in Germany. It is a just a necessaty. Companies do not have enough applicants so they had to lower their standards in last 5 years or so. I have never gone through such an apprenticeship myself and gratuated from university instead. As someoneone with a degree I also notice that you get hired for jobs even if you do not have exactly the right experience for the job. This was different 5-10 years ago.

[@publicminx]

like always there were some (rational and irrational) reasons for that. not having enough people for certain jobs is a relatively new phenomenon (it always existed in limited fields but not that spread over many jobs). there are demographical reasons (it is out of its nature difficult to find ppl in shrinking regions. Germany is here even still among the better ones due to its structure, location, history/high developed country etc. You have much less Ghost towns and/or 'next to dead' than in Italy, Spain, US, Japan, Eastern Europe etc.. Such aspects are also part of the statistics. Other aspects often not seen: while 50, 100 and >1000 years ago you had a MUCH lower job diversity and almost everyone was focus on 'substantial' jobs/things, today you have an explosion of also partly 'spam jobs/professions'. Those are part of a modern Western Civilization (most are btw. unknown to most non-Western migrants - they still focus on jobs/studies with classical substance) but also a reason why you have a reduced supply for many jobs. Its not just demographics as such. Another aspect is that Germany as one of the top world exporters/importers requires an higher amount of people which are kind of 'not just part of the inner-country market'. Anyway, you had most of the time in the past more un-employment pressure. That is what most ppl in the 20. century were grown up with. You have that still in many other European countries. Only the top-developed countries have here a higher shortage. Practica/apprenticeship has for such reasons not just cultural reasons (often still from the middle age) but also kind of pedagogical: dont let ppl just hang around without jobs, prepare and teach them something, plus: filter for companies to get better educated ppl. One can still experience in most parts of the world (also in Europe) how unprofessional/low standard many work which results very concrete in worse productivity/inefficiency. So you have a mixture of cultural habits and distrust in other cultures (in the 20. century basically all other not German-like ones. Same with the quality of studies (big debate when the 'Master' was introduced etc. - how inferior that is etc... 'one also studies for life - not just for temporary pragmatism' etc...). A mixture of rational and irrational reasons. Now, today the reality is how it is, and more flexibility is key. Die Macht des faktischen!

[@schurlbirkenbach1995]

​​​@@gadgetvideosits not as ridiculous as it seems to you. Because it guaranteed a much higher quality of craftsmanship. A bricklayer or a plumber should know their job. Originally the quality of craftsmanship in Germany was much better than in Great Britain and in the US. This was a part of the German success. Unfortunately this system is declining. That is not a good idea as can be seen by the problems, big companies like Boeing have with their poorly trained blue collar workforce.

[@zelands]

In a few days I am heading to Germany to study for a semester as a mature student. I have lived in UK for over 8 years, so I guess I will have the chance to compare.

[@OneLifeIsNotEnough-d9p]

Welcome to germany and i wish you a wonderful time. 😊

[@zelands]

@@OneLifeIsNotEnough-d9p Danke, aber der Zug fellt aus 😔

[@AltIng9154]

... fällt aus.... :-)

[@th60of]

Ah, that calm voice of reason!

[@peterboil4064]

Well, he tries his best with what he knows. That said, he's pretty knowledgeable and what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up with smarts.

[@fuerchtenichts]

Shocking news travels seven times quicker than good news on the internet. We must adjust and learn to make our decisions even more based on critical thinking.

[@britingermany]

Unfortunately I thunk your right. We are wired to pay more attention to negative/shocking headlines than optimistic ones

[@johannagarda]

@@britingermany Good news and optimistic news will be classified as nighttime stories, it will get sooooooooo boring !!!😀😀😀

[@uliwehner]

i recommend it. I figured this out as a teenager. Has served me well, even here in the US where i now live. And, to be frank, people do not really buy into the critical thinkin thing (as in look at facts, evaluate, and make informed decisons). They think watching Fox and bitching about foreigners is a form of critical thinking

[@blondkatze3547]

I agree with you , if you live in the city in Germany you don`t nessarily have to rely on a car, because you have very good connections by bus and train or you can ride a bike.🙂🌺

[@carolinireland1684]

I lived in Germany for five years and loved it! I’m retired and settled in Dublin now. There are many parallels. I don’t need a car. I’m in a great jumping off place for Europe and I avoid the gun crime and chaos of my home country, America. Good for you, choosing a place that meets your spirit.

[@DeterminantIn]

Hi Ben, you are a modern philosopher, illuminating the world from all different angles and helping so many people to find better ways through life's complicated systems: a real gem in this chaotic times. Please, keep up your great work, its a pleasure and so revealing to listen to your well balanced thoughts each week.

[@DNA350ppm]

Thank you for this thoughtful episod! I'm so glad for your relaxed and sensible content! It is about real life and not hyped drama - I do like that so much! Cheers, have a good week!

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. Enjoy your Sunday 😀

[@DNA350ppm]

@@britingermany You also!

[@cb7560]

Good video. Germany is also a beautiful country of varied landscapes and has a healthy appreciation of nature and the environment. Most of the cities, such as Frankfurt, have fantastic parks which improve the quality of life.

[@britingermany]

That is true

[@rudolfkraffzick642]

Frankfurt, Central Railway station area, is really a filthy mess and has become dangerous. Same, some quarters in other cities with a non European majority. Well, its often even worse in other western European countries. More life quality today and more relaxed people in many eastern European countries - especially Poland - than in Germany. I migrated to rural Lithuania 7 years ago.

[@HDougMatsuoka]

I've visited Leipzig in the former East Germany every June for the last three years. Another reason to live in or visit Germany is the music. My Leipzig visits were to attend the 10 day long Bachfest, the festival of Johann Sebastian Bach's music in the city where he spent the last 27 years of his life. The German government helps support 129 "Orchestras of cultural significance", four of which are in Leipzig. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the best of the face of the Earth. This past summer I also visited Hamburg where I got to visit the new (2017) Elbphilharmonie, their new symphony hall. It's a candidate for most daring (or most bizarre) architectural design ever. They hollowed out an old warehouse and perched a glass "iceberg" on top of it. The actual seats of the hall have the same acoustical signature empty as they do with a person in it so the acoustics are amazingly clear. And their NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester is of course one of the "orchestras of cultural significance." I was able to catch them in performance of Tchaikovski's 5th Symphony, but they excel also in the German classical composers and I would love to catch Bruckner or Mahler at the Elbphilharmonie. I'd love to move to Germany, but I'm kinda old for that. Plus I live in Hawaii now, and Germany has this thing called "winter" which I don't think I could get used to.

[@Fkr523]

I moved to Frankfurt from Poland one month ago and I have very mixed feelings. It’s very hard to start. To f.ex. rent and apartment, bureaucracy is terrible and some rules have no sense. You feel like you are running in a circle. Germans like old fashioned way of doing things and are not very flexible. I have also experienced incompetent employees and I had to face consequences of someone’s mistakes. System is old and doesn’t work. HOWEVER I meet extremely polite and kind people and I feel like everyday life is more calm. I have to accept imperfections but I am also accepted as I am. Expectations at workplace are clear. I totally agree that public transport (if there is no strike) works perfectly. Even driving a car is easier. Traffic is not that terrible. I have just started my journey here and I am excited, what every following day brings 😊

[@AltIng9154]

Don't worry... in some years you will become more German than the Germans... it works the last 150 years or so. :-) .Müller, Meyer Grabowski.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

What rules make no sense? All rules makes sense, that's what they exist! :P > I have also experienced incompetent employees and I had to face consequences of someone’s mistakes. Germans are humans. Humans make mistakes.

[@elfistro6717]

💯 agreed, I lived in Munich for years and loved it! As you don’t have a car… you missed a big plus for petrol heads at least, the Autobahn infrastructure! Best roads on the planet, bar none with no speed limit (on 20% of them). A culture of respect (usually), and amazing lane discipline. No speed limit, but still way safer than US highways per mile/Km traveled. And yes I agree Germans love to complain, it is a national sport!

[@Why-D]

According to the dual vocational education and training: Many companies employ also people without a certain degree in apprenticeship, for simple tasks. But sometimes you need educated employees. Selling pipes to customers is "quite" easy, but to put these pipes in place and connect them to different heating systems, is a different task, especially if you have to provide a gurantee. There you will like to have an educated plumper or sanitary and heating engeneer.

[@mikethespike7579]

We're talking about jobs that anyone with a certain degree of intelligence can do, not qualified jobs such as plumber. I used to do odd jobs such as bending pipes on a simple machine, working as a bar keeper, a bouncer or the guy who changed the data tapes in a computer centre. Try finding a training course in that type of work.

[@holger_p]

Germans always complain towards "I could imagine a better way of doing things", it's towards a fiction, and this can drive people to improve things. But this does not mean, you can improve things by moving, by "it's better in another country". Such a place is still hard to find, Switzerland or Norway is often named as competitors in quality of living. But in worldwide measure, Germany is still quiet on top of the list, gains by moving are rather small, more on the individual/special interest level. But some people forget, complaining doesn't mean "it's bad", it means "I can imagine better". Even in the best country in the world, Germans would find things to complain.

[@quarrelsound]

Nichts ist so gut, dass es sich nicht verbessern lässt.

[@holger_p]

@@quarrelsound aber alles verdient auch, gelobt zu werden, wie gut es bereits ist. Denn sonst jammern alle über den Mangel an Anerkennung.

[@antoniomaccora593]

when the good god after eating too much...too many wuerstels and beer did so much shit...It created Germany.

[@minglizhu6329]

Hallo, Benjamin, i am a chinese in german. I look for help in your films, since i am struggling with the cultural collision now and you used to face the same problems. There are so many chinese also working in german who only get contact with their chinese friends in their free time. I want to get contact with german, but this is really not easy. However your films cheer me up, i appreciate it.

[@fredbehn9287]

Another well thought out presentation. I want to make a special shout out to your comments on cooking. Eating well is a foundation piece of good health. My wife and I both love to cook. It isn't that difficult and can be accomplished within even a so called "hectic schedule" if one is organized. When my first wife past away many years ago and I was working full time and raising a teenage daughter, I always found time to cook. My wife and I now dine out only when traveling and often then find ways around it. I agree also with your comments on media drama. I watch reports from German media about us in the U.S. and our current political quagmire and other issues. At the end of the day, when you get out on the street with everyday people, in most cases it's neither as good or as bad as portrayed. Underneath the hype are lots of people living normal day to day lives.

[@bcgraham3512]

I like how tradesmen in Germany have served an apprenticeship and are properly trained and professional. Don't join the race to the bottom, keep your standards. It's why things work there. In the country where I live, anyone can call themselves a plumber, tiler, painter, even electrician. Only gas fitters are 'licensed'. The results are as you can imagine in such cases. There are good, skilled tradesmen too, but you never know which one you are getting.

[@radudanradacina9962]

I live in Germany for 30 years and I will not leave this land. Of course, the number of idiots is rising , but so is worldwide. All my German friends are super people, everyone keeps his problems to themselves, respect is the key word in relationships. I work in construction and I have a very good environment. With my income I bought a house and I can live a normal life, without “glamour” but I have everything I need. And I have my peace and privacy, without someone bothering me. And I don’t need more.

[@britingermany]

Sounds like the good life. Congrats👍🏻

[@radudanradacina9962]

@@britingermany I am a little workaholic, so everyone here loves someone who wants to do things that other prefer not to.😁

[@gireeshan-bd6hi]

Islam will conquer Germany soon 💪💪💪

[@BlackWater_49]

9:00 Selbstversorger would actually mean that you grow all your own food etc., not just that you prepare your food yourself which is standard practice for the vast, vast majority of people...

[@ChristinaMotzer]

Schön, Sie wieder zu sehen

[@britingermany]

Danke. Ich war nicht weg 😀

[@inapeter1896]

Thank you for these Komplimente. Swimm in the Sea or Walk in the Mountains. So, our Healthsystem is Not perfekt, but much more better than in other Countries. Have a nice day ❤

[@dapengu777]

Hi Benjamin, thank you very much for your thoughts. It really helps to see some outside view on Germany.

[@evelinereherreher7049]

Thank you for your so well structured comments on life in my home country. I wish my always complaining and moaning compatriots would listen.

[@AltIng9154]

Agree, our fellow Germans are always shitting in their own best!

[@AltIng9154]

damned artificial idiocy! Nest!!!

[@quarrelsound]

I'm (german) pleased to live in Germany, feeling comfortable and quite secure. My sun is living in England for 10 years and he is feeling the same there. So as always it depends on your personal situation

[@quarrelsound]

Son

[@urbanmyth1519]

Native here. I live near Frankfurt. Yupp, that is true. What bothers me is even with 25+ years of experience and excellent training you make hardly 4k a month which is 2,5k after taxes. I am 54 and never had a dime to set aside. This is crazy. There will be a huge income loss of my generation when we will go in pension from 2037. If you do not own a house or appartment live will not be possible anymore here. I pay almost 800 now in rent which might double in this time.😂 Now imagine you get 1,5k pension before tax and have to pay 1,6k for rent.😢

[@bibbiblocksberg2031]

wow, such an interesting video, thank you! As a German living abroad for a very long time this sounds really nice ;-) The training they do in Germany has literally different aspects and I can tell by working abroad that what we learn in Germany from a very young age (accuracy, punctuality etc) makes a difference in the work place. I noticed how much more overview I had in nearly every work situation abroad and how much faster I did learn things even with language difficulties during the first years. On the other hand a 3 year training in retail literally feels like nonsense. Thanks for shining a light on the self criticism in German also or should I say on the complain culture? 😉

[@Phiyedough]

I have experienced the supply and demand relationship with qualifications in UK. I had a job interview for a position where they were asking for a graduate. They described the duties and it was obvious that they only needed a lab technician. I asked why they stipulated the degree requirement and was told it was to reduce the number of applicants. They still got 50 applicants but it would likely have been 500 if they specified more realistic qualifications.

[@meisterlampe81]

Talking about the towns of southern Hessen, showing the northeast german town of Rostock ;-)

[@MHK6620]

Hello Benjamin, thank you for this one. You exactly said in English, what i've told my collegues and friends last week. Me, half french and having a lot of friends in Spain,Brasil a.s.o. can see how good and easy life is in my country. Of course we have issues, but with a somehow optimistic point of view, we are able to conquer them. You've mentioned the "dramatising" by politicians and newsfeeds, that's the reason why most people draw back into a bubble of complain. By the way, mentioning the "DB" will give you a lot of complains in the comment sector. Thank you for expressing my thoughts into English. Martin😃

[@aussiechiro]

Fantastic content and delivery.

[@wallykaspars9700]

Excellent video! I agree with your points to live in Germany. As I remember the Germans were often on edge with worry that their standard of living would plunge. However, Germany is quite efficient to deal with various social and economic problems. I like the idea of travel to various countries only hours away by train. I wish you much good luck in Germany.

[@britingermany]

Thank you Wally🤞

[@jimidando]

Very glad about your opinion and that you are staying here. Especially, should I get tired of my job in the future. May I recommend for you to become a cook. I work as a receptionist and cooks are always needed, even if it is just part time. It may also help you with writing as "service" will always provide you with good stories. I think, we the city people, should not forget about the more rural areas of Germany. They feel left behind. That's why they're voting AFD.

[@colinrenfrew48]

Fascinating stuff!

[@ageoflove1980]

Yeah that sort of over-specialization is very much a thing in The Netherlands too. The education system is so convoluted with so many branches and sub branches. Every possible niche seems to be covered by a specific degree. Plus on top of that of course the dreaded internships that may take years. By now everybody wonders if those aren't really about building necissary experience but more about exploiting young people by paying them only a fraction of what their work is actually worth. This all leads to a job market that's very rigid and it doesn't really take individual quality in to consideration. Now lots of education is of course a good thing, however taking that too far will lead to a situation where you are basically just your CV.

[@Halliwell29]

It’s nice to hear positive things about Germany from people who choose to live in this country. What stuff are you buying from Demeter? I never tried them

[@britingermany]

Vegetables (not all the time) milk and I do like the Weleda shower gel.

[@junglecat_rant]

Demeter is one of the oldest 'brands' for high quality organic food. Basically it's a congregation of grocery producers who gave themselves a very high standard to abide by, much higher than the EU-Bio label. They especially aim at very high standards considering animal rights in comparison to other labels as Tierwohl.

[@neo_kitty]

Please do not recommend Demter and so on uncritically. It may be that they abide by higher standards. But these standards include non-scientific bogus like burrying bullsh*t on their potato field and their values are based on a very questionable world view.

[@theodoroseidler7072]

Having a car in Germany seems simpler and cheaper than in the UK. The last time I was living in Germany I was commuting from Kirchheim u Teck to Stuttgart. It was a 2 hr ride with the S-Bahn for 250 euros per month. If that had been my permanent residence, I wouldn't have thought twice about buying a car. Also, you have the car during the weekend and can drive to a number of places in the Schwäbische Alp or the Schwarzwald. But, of course, if you ONLY stay in the city, public transport or a bike might be better. Food / groceries in Germany are MUCH better, more varied and cheaper than in the UK. The sheer variety of hams, cheese, wine, fruit, yogurt, etc... But of course that is all subsidised and somebody else is paying for it beside you.

[@publicminx]

food in Germany is among the best in the world, because it is actually more profound than most other food in other countries. you have profound bread. you have profound salad. you have profound beer. profound met diversity. profound rice and noodle diversity. you have profound fruit and vegetable diversity. coffee, tea, again a profound diversity. best and more profound pastry diversity (also better than France, they have a lot of non-profound spam). all kind of other things which one can combine. much better tap-water than in most parts of the world. apropos: you have in general a profound drink diversity (from all kind of waters to everything else. you have due to globalization also a lot of optons from all over the world - plus additionally newer concepts. all that on high standards, fresh, in relation for a high developed country also for reasonable prices. Berlin is the best food spot in the world. and being the dominant center of the EU/Europe and the country with most relevant borders also access to masses of other countries. and one can actually also order basically everything from all over the world. being the biggest-wealthy market in Europe again right in the center with similar wealthy neighbors you have also here a much better option diversity as in most other parts of the world. if one does not care about stereotypes but focus on relevant things than most parts of the world are food wise wasteland (also most which are often 'praised' for good food - by people without any deeper knowledge). and yes, having all components to create something is part of 'profound'. you cannot do that in countries who have no real salat diversity. or bread diversity. or rice, potatoes or noodle diversity. or grain diversity. or or or ...

[@mikethespike7579]

My British relatives asked me a few months ago what I'm now gonna do since things in Germany are falling apart. I had to ask them to explain and was astonished at all the negative stories about Germany, that the the country is in full recession, unemployment is rising, companies are leaving or going bankrupt, the government is collapsing, strikes, farmers protesting... I haven't noticed much of this, my wife hasn't and my children haven't either. In fact my son, a civil engineer, complains that he's up to his eyeballs in work and my daughter, a freshly graduated graphics designer with a masters degree, has received so many job offers that she says she's spoilt for choice. It's not all hunky dory of course, energy prices have sky rocketed and living costs have risen. And I feel I have to take out a mortgage just to go out with my wife for meal. But I don't think things are any better anywhere else.

[@britingermany]

Yeah same. A lot of negative stories in the media at the moment

[@bcgraham3512]

It's very simple, the British are engaging in Schadenfreude but getting it wrong because it's based on a lie. It's all part of the Brexit fantasists continuing desperately to kid themselves that they are "winning". They live in a parallel universe that is forever 2016, full of dreams and dominance. I assume this explanation would not have occurred to you because, for normal Europeans, Brexit is over years ago and no longer a thing.

[@barbsmart7373]

Kia ora Bro. You're a great guy, Benjamin. I sat and watched the numbers rolling on this screen especially the thumbs up. It is so easy to listen to your podcasts, because you have a voice and accent that is very beautiful and flows like the river near my land in New Zealand. This podcast was easy to keep up with. Sometimes I have to concentrate very hard to keep up with your pace. That's probably just me. I am so happy that you have so much in life that is wonderful. I was thinking about you about a week ago. It was Tony Robinson & Phil Harding again. They dug and found the site of a neolithic farming community. It was very interesting. My Wiltshire man got me interested in that stuff. Oh well, It's nearly bed time here, down under. Ata marie.

[@britingermany]

Guten Tag or maybe I should say gute Nacht. Thank you for your kind words. Sleep well💤

[@HeadsFullOfEyeballs]

It's also worth noting that GDP per capita isn't a great proxy for standard of living anyway. It (kindasorta) measures how much wealth the average person generates through their labour, but not how much of that wealth citizens actually get to enjoy as private wealth or through public spending. If the wealth all ends up in the bank accounts of a handful of billionaires, it may as well not be there from the perspective of a normal citizen.

[@paul1979uk2000]

True, in fact, GDP per capita is a poor indicator of living standards, that it doesn't really tell us much about the quality of life. You do need a reasonable high GDP per capita number but it's not as important as many like to think because many other factors are involved when it comes to quality of life. You see this on KZbin all the time when people move and live in other countries that have a lower GDP per capita and yet their quality of life is higher, it's especially the case on Americans that have lived in other modern countries for over a year that have a lower GDP per capita but they feel they've got a better quality of living. I've even heard many Americans say that living in eastern EU countries offers a better quality of living then the US, which is a surprise to me because eastern EU countries are still developing and are some way to catch up to western EU countries, but it goes to show that GDP per capita numbers don't tell us much.

[@freespirit6209]

Spot on. Excellent video. Subscribed.

[@publicminx]

regarding public transit. the regional transit is usually good and among the best in the world. the problems the Deutsche Bahn has have also a lot to do with Germany is right in the center of Europe. It is right in the most populated part of Europe with most and most relevant traffic fluctuation in Europe (direct and indirect). It has by FAR the biggest and most dense street and track infrastructure. Most traffic (also true for internet traffic = more knots and hubs - biggest in the world is in Frankfurt). All this means: a huge part of Europe and the world fluctuates through Germany - with the raising of globalization more and more. This in combination with home made mistakes (typical for high developed big countries which already a long time established infrastructure - which became over time too 'settled' and lost some dynamics) creates permanently bottleneck situations which causes chain reactions (many trains are not delayed or off because they themself were late but to avoid bottleneck problems at another spot). so you have a system which runs now under the pressure of 150-300% without a fast enough transition to restructure that. in difference to countries like China or others who just create new lines settled developed countries have to deal with much more existing infratstructures which have while being more busy to be partly redesigned/modified (also due to further urbanization). of course it was a mistake not to implement this starting earlier and faster ....

[@marinaalinescu1660]

You might want to look into how much basis there is to rely on organic food being automatically healthier and more nutritious.

[@MarshaHebrewASMR]

Thank you so much for your content ☺️ I live in Germany, but I have lived in the UK in the past, and recently every time I come back from visiting Scotland it just really breaks my heart 😭 but your reasons to stay here do make a lot of sense.

[@britingermany]

Thank you for watching :)

[@vasilepopescu6007]

You stay here gorgeous, we will not let you go😘

[@web_jar6630]

Despite all the issues currently going on, I feel that the social structure of Germany is resilient. It is a strong democracy with freedom of media and accessibility to higher education + public health services is very good. A bit of tax restructuring can incentivise workers for upskilling (increasing productivity per hour instead of increasing the number of hours). It's already a capital-intensive economy with strong infrastructure so I think this can be done. To resolve the worker's quality issue, I think openness to English speakers and quality assessments (instead of the qualification requirements) can bring a lot of value to Germany imo.

[@CactusGirl-x7f]

I hear the exact opposite from Germans

[@web_jar6630]

It's better to be critical than to be blind.@@CactusGirl-x7f

[@geraldwagner8739]

Great video 👍

[@calgarycanada248]

Hello Ben... with your excellent observations I was wondering what other European country you're familiar with that's closest in comparison to building a life in germany... i.e. lifestyle, public transport, food quality, affordability, health care ?

[@britingermany]

I would say the Netherlands are quite similar in this respect. Many people will tell you that public services such as transport are better than Germany and I think standard of living is similar. Another country is Austria. Vienna often ranks pretty high in rankings for cities with the best quality of life.

[@hothotheat3000]

I just got back from a stay in Frankfurt and had a fantastic time. Frankly, if I didn’t have obligations in America, and had to pick a place in another country to live, I’d go to Frankfurt. I found it beautiful, green, and the people treated me very kindly.

[@britingermany]

So glad to hear it. Thanks for sharing

[@LaureninGermany]

I agree with so much- and yes, I always heard that GB should do things like Germany. Germany was the standard to aim for. (I still think it is)

[@britingermany]

Oh hello Lauren! Hope you’re doing well. 😀

[@LaureninGermany]

@@britingermany been poorly sick, but better now, thanks xx

[@joebehrdenver]

I was intrigued by your statement about the QOL/financial contrast between the former East Germany and the West. I don't know if UK and European folks know this but a similar split exists here in the US. The "Old Confederacy" states have significantly inferior metrics across the board. The balance of the US has metrics similar to the EU. The Northeast and Pacific states have metrics similar to the Nordics. The US is a a very large and diverse place.

[@hariprasadvp4866]

Greetings from Aachen!! I love watching your videos.

[@britingermany]

Oh I love Aachen. Was there for the Christmas market last year. Beautiful :)

[@publicminx]

Aachen was the 'capital' (not in a modern sense) of the Frankish Empire under Karl dem Grossen (Karolus Magnus - wrongly named 'Charlemagne'!) right in the heart of 'Austrasian' (core region of the Frankish Empire). The Carolingian renaissances took place there. The Cathedral is not just for that reason one of the most interesting ones in Europe. Karl's remains were at first in a sacrosarcophagus in the Palatine Chapel nearby, later - after some forth and back between Paris and Aachen now (back in Aachen) in a Shrine. What many dont know: he got after his dead (at least partly) mummified, a technic which was not only known in Egypt but also in Europe (and other parts of the world).

[@toucan221]

Thanks very much, I have always had my eye on Germany so to speak, you have put across your values and thoughts which I can agree with, I will a couple more of them, thanks again.

[@britingermany]

Thank you for watching. I appreciate it

[@edmaximum]

Quality of life in Germany is really really good.

[@publicminx]

Germany is also interesting due to its history of the Frankish Empire and then the Holy Roman Empire (which includes also some neighbor states and regions + a wider cultural sphere which still exist today). Too many Germans (others as well but thats at least more understandable) are not aware about that. And not about the real significance and impact: almost all of the known renaissances (from the Carolingian, Ottonian to the Northern and then Southern/Italy) happened in this sphere. One important reason was also its structure which had created a lot of 'more independent city leagues' in the North (Hanseatic League as Northern Trade (Sub-) Empire and South (Venice and co) plus land trade 'highways'. This framework is often overseen as one of the main traffic for all kind of innovations, products, information). There is also a reason why the 'Blue Banana' from Northern Italy through Germany over Belgium/Amsterdam and over London to Northengland exists with 100 mio.. people! It is also for a reason the biggest industrial zone. A satellite night map of Europe should also give everyone an idea how history and today structures are connected (plus how much of history/events/decisions are not understood by not knowing about these old trade-information highways and connections). There is also a reason why most castles, most cities etc. were created in the Holy Roman Empire sphere.The history of the HRE is kind of the masterclass of European history. Complicated but necessary to get the relevant history also of all the other European countries. It is also the best Medieval MMORPG setting for such reaons!

[@alia9087]

I found having a lot of UK qualifications and job experience that I got jobs without the german requirements. I just applied for the jobs similar to what I had previously done

[@britingermany]

Yes if you have experience in a specialist field it can be easier. However if you’re fresh out of Uni it can be a bit challenging

[@rincemind8369]

Demeter products are just better than the majority of standard food. If you think about how the industry is marketing their products the claimed quality of those products is "esoteric" as well - meaning first of all motivated by marketing. Health additives like vitamines, for instance, are known to be less efficiently digested/absorbed by the human body and hence less efficient than when in natural form. Sadly, most people are being quite unaware how unfit many standard food items are for a healthy diet. Last but not least, consuming pesticided food that has been proven to contributing to the death of honey bee hive crisis (Bienensterben) seems rather insane to me, anyways. Organic is king.

[@f.d.robben159]

Thanks again! A lot of people are in constant anger and kind of disapointed ( of them self but project it on others ). Parts of media ( Springer,... ) and politics ( AFD,... ) try to amplify that, to generate an advantage for what ever reason. We need more of warmhearted critical obsevations like this, pointing out the quality of life without sugar coating.

[@publicminx]

left wings (the one with most Antisemits/Antizionists and antiwestern/antiwhite Racism) are themself the polarizer who also STARTED in the West to polarize and divide the societies! and Springer (a liberal medium) is only for left wings an enemy (since the days left wings/socialist were still more open to support all the anticapitalist/socialist dictatorships (which are the reason why parts of Central- and Eastern Europe are still behind). And lets not forget that left wings/socialist spread with Islam most Antisemitism/Antizionism around (in the tradition of all socialist dictator ships - National Socialist included which were btw. just a socialist variation). And most problems Germany/the West have are also based on left wing ideologies! (Left wings are NO liberals! and the so called 'left liberals' are just contaminated liberals which are also not true liberals (= enlightenment/science btw.))

[@VincentComet-l8e]

Interestingly, German cars (Mercedes, BMW, VW, Audi) always had a good reputation here in the UK (we’ll ignore the VW emissions scandal) but it seems in recent years there has been drastic cost-cutting and, as a result, quality & reliability has noticeably suffered. Is that view also prevalent in Germany?

[@scrambaba]

Very informative, thanks. I would just add that “Bio” (organic) foods are not only healthier for humans to eat but also generally are much better for nature in how they are produced.

[@CavHDeu]

Du bist definitiv der Brite den ich am besten verstehen kann. Wie kommt es, dass deine Betonung so entspannt und minimalistisch ist, im Vergleich zu vielen anderen Muttersprachlern? Normalerweise verstehe ich sogar den am stärksten nuschelnden Texaner besser 😅 trotz Schulenglisch wurde ich doch mehr durch amerikanisches Englisch geprägt.

[@infinite_hyperspace]

Aber ich verstehe Nordamerikanisches Englisch auch viel besser. Naja die USA und Kanada hat ja auch viel weniger regionale Dialekte

[@CavHDeu]

@@infinite_hyperspace naja das ist nicht richtig, die haben schon ne Menge

[@oskarprotzer3000]

great video, maybe I run into you at some point in FFM :D Selbstversorger, fyi, is someone who grows their own food, not just prepares it

[@britingermany]

Thank you 🤗

[@calaphos]

GDP per capita isn't that high (its not that low either TBH), but after adjusting by purchase power the gap to the US shrinks quite a bit. Cost of living is not that high after all. Germans dont work all that much either, especially compared to the US. Somewhat related to high income taxes and social security contributions on labour though.

[@xaverlustig3581]

06:00 I like the Deutschland-Ticket because it saves me money, as opposed to most green policies. But after the current government falls (and it will) the D-Ticket likely be axed, after which we'll be back with the old expensive fares - which are still in place and will be what it'll all fall back on. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems likely that's what will happen. PS in a different century in what was then West Berlin, the first and only green government there introduced a user friendly "Umwelt-Ticket" ("environmental ticket") with an affordable flat fare and the option to bring a bike. Later governments axed all the friendly features of this fare, the bike thing, then introduced a zonal fare, increased its price faster than inflation, but ironically it still has its old marketing name "Umwelt-Ticket".

[@berndhoffmann7703]

3:01 it is a bit different, so called unskilled labour has existed all the time. In periods when a sufficient amount of skilled labourer - who had gone through 3 years of qualification were available why should a company consider applicants they have to train themselves and put all the effort in? In other periods, which we had many in the past companies resorted to unskilled labourers and had set up qualification programmes.

[@Peter_Cetera]

You nailed it! 👍

[@irminschembri8263]

🖤❤🧡

[@neilfazackerley7758]

Very good video and a lot of what you say is how I feel about living in Germany. We are not in a city, but much of what you say is how we feel. We cook almost all of the time and get Bio products. We love the countryside round here, but we can also easily get into the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf for great culture.

[@britingermany]

Sounds great. I do miss the countryside at times and so it is great to be able to get out of the city within 20 minutes

[@ingwer55]

Danke!

[@stephanrobertgames]

I agree, live here since I was born. 😀

[@francisbyron-falconer]

Ben,I am a Lad of English Descent (Living in NRW) and I struggle to find and meet other English/British People. Especially in Northrhine Westphalia. Do you have any Suggestions or Ideas I can change that? Greetings and much 🫶 Yours, Francis^^

[@britingermany]

I suppose it depends on where you live. There are lots of groups that you can join. Toytowngermany was one which I used to follow but Thelocal has taken that over now. There must be some forums or meet up groups in you area. See if you can find anything

[@xelakram]

Another interesting video. I share your attitude to cooking and eating out. If the restaurant doesn't prepare a dish better - or different - than I would prepare for myself at home, why bother to go out to eat? As for calling out for food, it wouldn't even enter my head to do that. Like you, I cook my own food for myself at home, almost always from scratch. Going out for food to a fine-dining restaurant once in a while is a joyful experience. Something to look forward to; but generally, going out to eat in an ordinary restaurant or eatery leaves me cold. BTW, I understand full well why you choose to stay in Germany. Were I to be living there for ten years as you have done, I would do just the same as you do: stay put.

[@aspiringpolymath1468]

Would like to hear your take on racism in Germany.

[@publicminx]

similar to most parts of the Western word. Most people are ok. Then you have racist, antisemitic/antizionist left wings, racist, antisemitic/antizionist, homophob, female oppressing migrants (mostly Muslims just like in the rest of the world) among most totally unproblematic migrants. you have racist black activists (usually also antisemitic/antizionist) among ordinary blacks. and so on, the usual stuff ... keep in mind that real racism is a sorting and everyone without exception who keeps this sorting alive (by misusing it for everything which isnt a race) is a real racist (and anti-scientific btw.)

[@Netzjargon]

If you want to advance in your career and don't have the chance to do so in your country, you should come to Germany now. The shortage of skilled workers in Germany affects all sectors and classes and learning German is not that difficult 😉.....German-English translator with Google

[@luminouslink777]

It's not that easy just to pack and come there due to housing crisis there. On top of that in Germany you can't come on tourist visa and rent a flat for a few months.

[@holger_p]

@@luminouslink777 In the skilled worker section, meaning engeneers/physicians, with income above 70K/year it's pretty easy. You rather talk about the "nurse" workforce, but there, the employer will help. For EU citizens, there are rather no limits at all.

[@luminouslink777]

@@holger_p I am talking about non-EU citizens and professions where the language is the main tool, such as teaching, counseling professions.

[@holger_p]

@@luminouslink777 Yes, but for IT Consultants, or university professors, it's rather simplified. There is kind of "green card" program for such people. Still can take 2-3 months for paperwork, but for the first visit, you just come as a tourist.

[@luminouslink777]

@@holger_p I can't come as a tourist and stay at a hotel having a cat with me.

[@freespirit6209]

Very interesting, and i agree with most, but the omission of any reference to the massive housing costs problem is a bit glaring. And living in apartments as at least half of all Germans have to do is a nightmare (I speak from long experience!). EDIT: Sorry, I forgot that this video was intended to summarise the positives, rather than look at everything.

[@grischakugelmann2660]

So true. cheers

[@evelinereherreher7049]

Thank you for reminding me that my home country is an attractive and enjoyable part of Europe. We tend to moan and complain a lot (Jammern auf hohem Niveau). I love the Ruhr district for its many cultural assets and its surprisingly green areas. Mein Sehnsuchtsort ist Freiburg/Breisgau, weil die Stadt im Dreiländereck liegt. I am very much concerned about the AfD and the openly displayed hatred towards immigrants and persons of different faiths. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

[@luminouslink777]

Where do you recommend one to start looking for an English speaking job in Germany, in what companies, being still outside DE? My German level is A2, B1, not high enough to look for a job in my field of expertise, education.

[@yves2932]

If you're a native engslish speaker you do have a chance in education. Maybe not in the state managed schools, but there are lots of private schools. The gov managed schools are seeing a tidal retirement wave that will pull the rug under their feet and they will grow desperate pretty soon, though. That has happened before and they threw their strict requirements out of the window, employing "Quereinsteiger".

[@publicminx]

there are also websites/services for English speaking jobs in Germany ....

[@jamiearnott9669]

Great video. Did you say €49 for transport anywhere in the country of Germany?Wtf, well that is certainly an absolute advantage from my perspective here in london. My final point, London is only the most expensive city in the world relative for transport in the world!🎉

[@britingermany]

Yep 49€ a month. It's great for inner city travel but across the country it's only valid on certain trains (which are the slow ones with lots of stops) but still the option is there for those who want to use it.

[@bulenterdogan5388]

Great video. Good narrative. I wonder is it to late to immigrate to Germany at the age of 50?. I am an academic, Canadian national and have almost B1 level German. love outdoors and historic vibe.

[@urbanmyth1519]

No. What's your field?

[@bulenterdogan5388]

@@urbanmyth1519 Translation Studies/Sociology

[@urbanmyth1519]

@@bulenterdogan5388 I believe you must have a job offer fixed before immigration. But rather start soon, ageism is a big thing here in Germoney. I am 53. Also, the cost of living have exploded the last years. I would suggest you visit for holidays first to get an overall impression. NRW Dortmund etc. is an area where reasonable living at moderate costs for housing is still possible. Berlin/Munich/Frankfurt are too expensive nowadays. Just my ,02 🫡👍

[@urbanmyth1519]

​​@@bulenterdogan5388If you have more questions please feel free to ask. I will try to reply then.

[@publicminx]

the complaining about house crises is the same as in other Western countries (btw. also in Singapore etc.). But there are in reality differences. In London you can get easier than in Amsterdam or Berlin an apartment but its usually way more expensive. In Amsterdam (which is more expensive than Berlin) you get LITERALLY almost no apartment offered (which is why now many ppl/students camp outside) - similar to Berlin with its >100 m waiting queues for the rare exceptions (and in both cities a big 'better to use connection' market). This is NOT comparable to the situation in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Duesseldorf, Cologne, Dresden, Leipzig, Vienna, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw and so on ...

[@Tommusix]

Hi Ben, thank you for making these kind of videos. But after this video I've got a question in my mind. You're describing some sorts of things about Germany from a Brits perspective of course. As a German I'm wondering about cases that seems to be much better than in the UK. I've never been in the UK but when I read some statistics the UK is one of the richest country. Is the standard of living overall worse than in Germany? I don't mean London only. I've heard many times London is a very expensive city to live. But what is with villages, smaller cities and rural areas? One thing you're right. Germans should consider less but healthier food than to complain about the prices to eat more and less healthy. BUT me too. Wish you a nice sunday.

[@britingermany]

The standard is living is generally lower. If you exclude London salaries are lower in the U.K. one point to note though is that home ownership is higher in the U.K.

[@neilfazackerley7758]

I think the UK education system is better. The tripartite system is too inflexible now to meet the needs of the modern workplace.

[@yves2932]

Whatever you read in the media and what experts say, you have to take with a big grain of salt. I remember vividly how in the years of stagnation after reunification they all pushed the story it'll never get better and the good times are over forever. We're doomed buhuhu. Now contrast that with the century of growth and prosperity that followed.

[@FrikaWies]

Yes, it‘s still a great country, but we have been living off our substance for at least 10 years.

[@urtyp6596]

Give it time...

[@Matti_us_Alpe]

Listening from Switzerland about German good food and public transportation quality seems to be van oxymoron for me.

[@CarlosdeFrance]

😂

[@Kartoffelsuppe_m_Wursteinlage]

Yes. But why does it feels like a broken record here?

[@berndhofmann752]

The badest critics always come from the Germans themselves! ❤❤❤ It is so funny. I'm German, int. Management consultant, and I lived in several countries. In the moment, I stay in Germany, but I will leave again. This time to Africa. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@i86ij99]

I know more and more foreigners colleagues who are considering moving to places with higher earning power like Canada, USA or Dubai, as salaries in Germany have been stagnant but inflation is skyrocketing.

[@britingermany]

I think it depends where you come from. Americans generally earn a lot more in the US than they would in Germany…but the workplace is generally quite different there so it’s all a matter of where your priorities lie

[@CactusGirl-x7f]

@@britingermanyUS can provide different types of working environment. By the way, your working conditions depends on company’s protocol and rules. And after all, I don’t see any possibilities for Germany to keep their soft work-life balance alive with population getting older, the lack of innovation and many other problems. Regular people in Germany are not optimistic and they wouldn’t agree with your points.

[@fj8264]

@@CactusGirl-x7f Regular people in Germany also wouldn’t agree with your points. It all depends on the kind of working sector, their education, age, and contact with "non bio-germans". Overly pessimistic nay-saying won't help and isn't help-/useful for this kind of fundamental debate.

[@CactusGirl-x7f]

@@fj8264 the people I talked with, agree with me generally. Everyone

[@thomas-fischer]

Good choice my friend °⌣°

[@aegopodium13]

Selbstversorger would mean that you grow you own food

[@Cjeska]

You said in the beginning, the people who have been living here for 40+ years really notice how things went to shit.

[@britingermany]

Well not quite with those words 😉

[@yves2932]

As a native german >40 I've also noticed there's a lot of group thinking involved. We had years of stagnation after the reunification and everyone was saying the good times are over for good. It got so bad i stopped reading these media articles not to be depressed any further. That period was followed by a century of growth and prosperity, which many grew to expect as given due to the "greatness" of our engineering. Turns out, neither the good nor the bad times lasted forever.

[@junglecat_rant]

Please don't be so one-sided in your comments. Not everything gone to 'shit'. Some living conditions changed for the worst or for the better.

[@beyourself9162]

The change in my country is going with light speed. And many many people want to come to Germany. I know Americans telling me that they can live their dream of a small business here in Germany because alone the health insurance costs make it impossible to do the same in the US. And its true, one of germans usps is a special social security + healthcare system for artists. Founded after WW2. Americans cant believe that everything is covered for ø 200 bucks a month. And there are many other countries in Europe with interesting laws. Italia is well known for the law 104 here in the E.U. - helping old and disabled people, sadly often misused by the natives Italiens. There are a lot of things Europe did right, and the British now face the stupidity to leave a well working system. And btw. wait, Germany still is the powerhouse of Europe. We just need some time to integrate the fast change. Germany is 1/4 of the US population and we exactly make 1/4 of the US GDP. How can a small country be extremely effective. But mhhh …. Not everything is gold that shines.😂

[@jenshep1720]

okay im no expert, but that freelance blog job sounds very illegal. if there wasnt even a contract, thats a huge red flag, and any compensation that wasnt considered in your taxes would count as "schwarzgeld" (black money), which is also illegal.

[@Th3SilentObserver]

Its actually more a psychological thing, pointing out Germany's supposed 'Downfall', to distract from the even greater problems in other countries

[@AsifSaifuddinAuvipy]

Except die hausing crisis fur non EU skilled migrae

[@richardwills-woodward]

I do have to raise a couple of points whilst agreeing Germany is not going to crash! For almost all of history (recent as far as Germany as a state is concerned) the UK always had lower taxes and more freedom from the state. The issues we have are very recent - no more than a couple of decades old, with most issues in the last 10. The second point, the UK over many decades has had to spend on defence at the cost of not billions, but $trillions being the first line of defence in Europe since World War 2. Germany has never had to bear this cost (chosen not to) is a more realistic way of putting it. With over a trillion, the UK could have invested much further in many things domestically, but what price liberty? There is never any thanks for the UK and US without whom, Europe would not exist in its current form and your life almost certainly wouldn't in Germany. It is the public lack of awareness that serves Germany well and the UK badly. Those you help are always ungrateful and cost a lot of money; better not to bother. I honestly believe, that given my grandparents' sacrifice too, if Europe gets attacked from inside again, unless it gets beyond Germany, we should just leave them to it and let them suffer. I am frankly tired of the economic history that I am very well abreast of, and look at the money we could have spent on nice things. Regardless of the above, the UK has a very good transport system in the cities and between the cities now (when they aren't striking!) but unlike Germany and France, this does not extend to the large towns and is also very expensive compared to anywhere on the Continent! The UK's railways cost far too much. But then we come to opportunity. The UK is stuffed with far more opportunity than Germany in the current world. This is probably an accident of a planned economy (Germany) vs unplanned (UK). The dynamism of London (even though I despise the place now for said reasons of mass migration) is unmatched in Europe and most of the world. The other cities are also nowhere near the stereotype portrayed - Manchester is booming as I write this and so is the job market, but Liverpool is quietly coming up from the middle of the pack (Glasgow has a great transport system but economically the Scottish government has ruined it) but Germany does have a better spread of prosperity through its cities. This is absolutely true and is part of that planned economy model, which is also Germany's problem now. I have a international consultancy focused on the Far East and am engaged in property in various ways. If I look ahead, Germany is indeed going to have a huge jobs market shake up and the economy is about to change dramatically. This will, as you state, be great for a more dynamic economy with greater spread of sectors and enables the Germany people to breathe and create something new for the 2030's (as I call the 2020's 'The Transition Years' with decoupling from China and a spread of supply chains through Vietnam, India, Philippines, Mexico et al) but I also see by the 2030's the UK being in a dynamic position (I think the next 5 years or so are going to be awful). The place that will boom is the USA and they will lead the West again and into the 2030's. That said, their transport system is awful! So as always....horses for courses!

[@britingermany]

Thanks for your insights. That gives me something to think about

[@CarlosdeFrance]

Brilliant

[@AP-RSI]

The problem is that quality is getting worse and worse all over the world and we are slowly drifting towards a downfall. And by that I don't mean in the next 5-10 years, but in the next 50-200 years! If things continue as they are at the moment, every country will be in trouble at some point! Quality (in general, but also the quality of work and life in particular) will continue to decline in Germany!

[@hy-drenalin8211]

Please let us hear your german!

[@britingermany]

I have already done a few videos in German. You can find them on my channel 😉

[@hy-drenalin8211]

@@britingermany Ok sir, than I will find it, thank you!