Interview!

I'm still waiting for some responses from some of my interviewees.  In the meantime I thought I would give you my answers even though you may already have read about some of these things.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Jenny.  I'm a 27 year old languages teacher.  I'm trying to learn new things and find lots of new adventures.

Which countries did you move from and to and why?

I moved from England to Germany to take up a two year contract teaching English and Spanish in a secondary school.  The main reason I found this job was that I was struggling to find a permanent teaching post in England despite the supposed lack of languages teachers.  Actually, it turned out for the best though as I love it here and am currently trying to extend my contract.

What kind of expectations did you have before you moved?

I had a relatively good idea of the school system as I had worked in a German school as a languages assistant for six months during my time at university.  I think I expected things to be easier than they were at first.  I thought Germans were very organised and that things go very smoothly here.  I also read a lot about German customs and got all panicky about things like not being allowed to wash clothes on a Sunday.  I also expected the way of life here to be healthier and greener.

Did your new country live up to these expectations?

In some ways.  The authorities here are very organised in many ways but one of the biggest struggles for me and for other friends moving here has been the amount of paperwork and red tape involved in anything.  For the first three weeks of my contract, I couldn't work as they wouldn't let me sign the contract until a piece of paper from the school I used to work at got sent through.  Of course, this meant I had no income and I'm still paying of debts that I built up getting here and getting settled.


A lot of the strange sounding customs are just guidelines rather than rules so I've never had problems with washing on weekends or such things.  Also, the health benefits are definitely true.  I sold my car after living here a year and now cycle more.  I find the cost of living cheaper and we eat more healthily in general.

What was the best thing about moving?

Where to start?  It's obviously been great for my languages skills and for the lifestyle as mentioned above.  I have a relatively secure job which I love and which allows a much better work life balance than I ever had in England.  The best thing was meeting my amazing boyfriend and setting up home with him, though.

What was the worst thing?

There have been several ups and downs but the worst thing for me is being away from friends and family.  We get back to England twice a year and often have friends and family to stay but I have missed out on things that I would have liked to have seen - my niece's christening and birthdays, my nephew's birth.  Thank goodness for Skype and cheap international calls and flights.

What has been your favourite experience since you moved?

Where to start?!  Being a teacher, my days are filled with good and bad experiences, some of my favourite experiences here have to be with the kids. I love going into new classes where I'm just the crazy English lady as they don't realise that I actually speak German and they make much more effort to practice their English.


Outside of school, my best experiences have mainly been with Nico, whether it's a long summer bike ride in the country here or being made to feel welcome in his family.


I think the best experiences on the whole for me here are those when I've been made to feel welcome and at home in some way as it compensates for some of the downsides mentioned above.

What steps have you taken to accustom yourself to your new country?

The language is obviously a huge one.  Despite having a degree in German, my level had definitely gone down in the years since I left uni.  When I first got here, I couldn't follow meetings at work for more than half an hour, now I follow the whole things and even actively take part!  Getting rid of the car and buying a bike was another huge change but another positive one.

What tips would you give someone else thinking of moving abroad / to your country?

First of all, have back up.  As I mentioned, I'm still paying off debts I built up in moving here.  I can't believe quite how naive I was to pack up my car and drive here with no flat lined up, no contacts here and no back up money.  It was difficult as I only found out I got the job a month before I had to go so I didn't have much time to save, but it would have made things much easier.


Secondly, as the others have said in previous weeks, the most important thing is to make the most of the experience.  Especially if you are there for a limited time.  Say yes to everything, make new friends wherever you can.  While at uni, I spent six months in Germany and four in Spain but crammed much more into the time in Spain as I was on Erasmus and met people through that and said yes to every night out, trip, sightseeing day...everything and they are some of my best memories.  That's part of the reason I'm trying to take on so many new things here, it leaves me with amazing memories of great experiences.


I hope I haven't bored you all today with old news!