₦airaland Forum

Things to take note of by Cindino20


Another thing new students shld watch out for is the Rundfundbeitrag( Tv licence) The legality of this is nt up for question ...it has been ruled on by courts of competent jurisdiction.

According to the rule every adult in Germany is expected to contribute abt 17 euros a mth for this... the only exemption if ur income is low or u get Bafög.

So for those of u who reisde in a WG...Its actually easy.....if one person us paying in your flat ...you dont need to pay ..all you need to do is when u recieve the first letter just ask the person to write a reply for you and include you on their bill (same thing applies to those livin in private housing).

But if you reisde alone in an apartment...you ce to pay abt 54 euros every 3 mths...please do not allow this money to accumulate......I made same mistake and now ve abt 300 euros to pay


If you plan to reside here after studies dont allow this money to accumulate....you will ve to pay it someday.

I will nt advise anyone to gv them their account details of direct debit...just pay and use ur beitrag number fas reference.

All the best.

The merit/demerit of Private/Public insurance by Cindino20

For me private insurance is a bad idea....just get use to the idea of contribution...I ve been contributing for 18mths and barely visit the hospital....Dont fall for the private insurance trap.

Using govt health insurance u pay abt 80 euros a mth...if u re using private it starts with abt 35 or so and increase with time....Nothin is certain in life...u never can tell u may fall sick and need urgent medical care.....most private health insurance dont cover u fully.you dont want to start worryin abt when you can visit the hospital.

So let me paint u a scenario....you switch to private and save 40 euros a mth in a yr thats 480 euros in 2 yrs 960 euros ....we hope nothin goes wrong...but if along the line something goes wrong...u will need medical care (nothin is certain) ur private health insurance is nt a full cover u may ve to pay some of the bills...baba the bills nor nice.......thats if u ve the money at the moment...if u re broke...it becomes a debt.

My frnd in NRW use to tell me a story of a young chap who left Aok only for him to sustain an injury when playin football 3mths later .......he needed urgent surgery....surgery was done....his insurance was nt full cover...he got a bill of abt 4k euros....Till date my frnd tells me he is still tryin to pay that money.

So many pple ve ugly experiences with private insurance.....I ve heard of a case where the private insurance told the person that any surgery or major treament done within 3mths of joinin6 them will nt be paid by them.even if u re above 30 (then u pay 160 euros for govt insurance...its still a bad idea to go private)

As Nigerians the whole idea of a contributory system is still new to some of us....but to be honest its d best for u now...mind u 80 euros is a discount price for students.

Dont try to save money at the expense of ur own health

Some company will nt employ u with private insurance....eg.Amazon Rheinberg.


In summary private health insurance is penny wise pounds foolish.

All the best.

Obiwannn emphasized on the language aspect

LANGUAGE! If you sabi language u go fit work for office. If you sabi operate Computer and software (programming like my oga dolpaz) you you go see work plenty and u no go need to dey go cleen people piss or pack people poo or carry load upandan. But if you no sabi language, hw u go take write the code? Na language be the difference between Germany and other "easy" countries afterall. Plus book here hard. I never been to Canada nor UK, so no no if book simple there or not, but book simple for US... So in the end, na Language be the koko..and no free money for here. You gats work for every single penny! In the end, what I tell myself is; Its no longer if you survive Nigeria, you can survive anywhere.. Now it's if you survive Germany, you can survive anywhere in the world.
(PS: Everyone has their own definiton of suurvival. Some dont value good grades, others do). It refines your life, makes you a better person, makes you a hard worker!!! I know it might be surely boring and difficult as hell now, but I am very confident that there's a God, who sees the hardwork and dedication of man... Not necessarily whether you believe in Him or not, but the simple recognition that He exists plays a major role as the Grace to succeed will just come out of nowhere.

Life after studies by Eke40seven

My indian neighbour and his friends studied Automative Engineering in FH Aachen, and they both came to Munich in search of a job. His friend now works in BMW, (his friend told me personally) and his starting annual salary is around 46-8k, while my friend got one in Stuttgart to start very soon with a starting annual salary of 34-36k (can't remember exactly), all Bsc. and they are all.even looking for bigger offers from there.

They have one thing in common, (their German language proficiency is at least at B1-B2 and they did a STEM course. The other guy is now planning to start his process of applying for his EU blue card. These guys inspired me to go back to learning German. They said ALL their interviews were in German. However, these people don't expect you to speak like native speakers but at least be able to communicate.

I have heard about a few people that are frustrated after school without a job and the common hindering factor is that of language.

My point is that, Your proficiency in German is as important as your results and hunger for money during studies, if you finish your school and have not attained up to B1-B2 in German, then Germany MAY not work out well as a place to settle and work.

Short advice from willy2000

Language is the key to unlocking a financial stress free life in Germany.

There are loads of scholarship online which you can apply to. Try and join different groups on campus, mix with the locals and your life will never remain the same.

And for those going to bigger cities good luck, na persin wey wear shoe, know where e dey pain am

Armstrong34:
is there anyone studying in Paderborn o??...

pls how is the city in terms of students jobs o

iyke20024 view on Paderborn

Studying here no be beans especially in Uni-Paderborn. To get admission easy but come study na

One tip.. if you good and wants study IT related course - Computer Science..etc

Come here..Top school for Computer Science. Na here Hienz Nixdorf dey but take note.. must be good student or ready to learn.. because here na perfection them wants and small school dey form hard..

First semester is hectic and no time

Hopefully next semester I go take only 3 courses

I am not looking for Job..yet..

But there is many Job prospect.. Paderborn main stadt now gives 2 years.. but with condition you will come back to show your money.. Dat one na jeggy sha

Anyway.. Job here is no problem but would be more professional job if you speak German.

GottSeiDank Tipp

To all #team winter hopeful, if you have the opportunity to learn the German language please do. As you are gathering your documents and preparing to apply to different schools, it will do you well by learning the language. You will integrate well and gets better student jobs with other lots of benefits . I will advice you enroll at Goethe Institut but you can also learn on your own, there are lots of materials online. But trust me learning at the Institute is better. A1-A2 or maybe B1 will do. Make sure learning the language is part of your to-do list
Danke schön

Cindino20 tips

I would like to chip in some advise on stuffs you need..for the guys try to come with some good jeans (they re expensive in Germany) a good jean in germany will set u back with about 80 - 100 euros..even if some may refer to ours as Aba made but try to get some good ones the weather and neat environment will nt allow them to fade with time....also try to come with some nice shoes too..buyin a good sneakers for 150 euros (nike) or a boot for abt 200box (timberland) is not something you wanna do within ur first few mths ..its easier to buy these stuffs when you start workin here and earning euros rather than use ur naira converted to euros for such...

and when you arrive ..you polly gonna live in a furnished apartment but the kitchen untensils may nt be there for these visit Tedi ein euro shop. the shop is in every city just use ur google map..you can get cheap household stuffs there and also some writing materials.

For those whose German re up to scracth you can register
www.jobruf.de
https://www.studenten-vermittlung.com/home
Jonweise.de
And also check ur sch job portals to check for some jobs within ur state. These jobs dont require working permit..they re just for hrs (3 to 4 ) and the pay is 10euros pro stunde.(its legal)...

all the best.

Tipps for job hunting by Cindino20

Try Amazon....amazon.force.com select country Germany and select state.

Also join the nigeria scholar in Germany in Nrw ON facebook...u can get info from there.

Also in Germany you ve to plan things ahead...if u knew u would ve freetime u would ve applied for Mercedes jobs ahead....

If you reside close to koln....check this firm out LDZ logistics.....get their address and call them if there is vacancy.

Some reactions to what Schwartz posted

Rubber
We've all seen such posts on USA, UK, Canadian thread and the rest. He should have nailed the coffin by telling us how he madly regrets ever going to Germany. Who doesn't know over-expectation is bad? When you zoom off without plans or preparations and expect to make a million euros without hardwork , that's what's bad and thats when one would be disappointed. I doubt any smart person thinks that way. Or are you advising ode's? They barely exist on this thread. So everyone in Germany works from 4am to 2am, suffer in school, gets molested by ice block, saves only 50euro per month and ends up frustrated? I didn't know all that. People still come and drop long posts about how horrible life is in the states and blabla and people are still there making it smartly. You even get money to pay bills, come for Naija see if bill even dey for boys to pay (Shey you go get crib before you pay rent? ).

I've seen people point out challenges in nicer ways and even hint on how to overcome most. Atleast that's how we got orientation on stuffs like learning the language et al. What the dude posted from A to zett is negativity. How will that encourage anyone who's out there dreaming quietly? That there's a high chance of regretting? How are people now doing it? How did he do his own? Well I believe only a dummy would let a random post by some dude online daint their aspirations. Keep dreaming bloods, keep working hard, give your very best and always be smart about it all. Trust me you won't have regrets. Das ist alles.

Hampy
@Schwartz said "If you intend to borrow your blocked account money to come to Germany to study, forget it!” And you said he’s not discouraging anybody…I’m afraid you’re the one who’s missing the point here. If I don’t have rich parents/guardian/sponsor or someone who can finance my studies….And I have dreams of studying abroad, and I intend to raise the money by borrowing from family and friends,

@Schwartz said I SHOULD FORGET IT! That I will run into problems because of some issues some people have in Germany. What’s that? encouragement?

I’m not a weakling bro. I’m a go-getter. I don’t give up on my dreams. And I will not have any issues in Germany by the special grace of God. If that’s what you wish for me, then your wishes won’t come true. Sorry to break your heart.

Rubber reacted again
Yeah I'll learn to excel despite negativity. I'm not fiending for German fairytales. Ironically, your reaction is also a very common one in any thread, no be oga again? You've just been reading his mind since and analyzing his imaginary subliminal points. Would've made brain if he came out to discourage illegal migration, planning on going to marry some woman for passport and co. Rather his post attacked even students with good intents. I'll be waiting for someone in Germany to read it with "unclosed mind" and say going for studies in Deutschland is not really worth if afterall, that we should stay back (the nairaland buddies he mentioned inclusive)Till then

Ohaskid
My people let's us please try and have a plan before traveling just like wat rubber said. Let's keep our faith and hope alive, it's not easy anywhere my people even the so called Nigeria we are in, a lot are really suffering. We need to leave Nigeria and get expose to other things.

Kilo4sure
This story of how difficult things are abroad is on almost all travel threads and is nothing new. In my opinion I believe the advantages in the end outweigh the disadvantages. Going to Germany as a student with unrealistic expectations of a rosy life is obviously simplistic of course, especially with just Blocked account. And finally we do not know why those in Germany do not come back to comment regularly again, but most of them do make clear how difficult adapting to the new academic life is. So we can't just run to conclusions yet as to why they aren't regular. What's more? Most would begin their exam soon or have even begun. I also eagerly wait with bated breath for them to come share their experience as well.

Dam12
I just laugh when I see some posts. Some things r just common sense. Before one takes a huge decision such as moving to a foreign land it's logical to make adequate plans Whc will align with ones goals in life. Not everyone has the luxury of huge financial support from family nd relatives but sm have a dream nd a pertinacious spirit to achieve it. If such person thinks he can borrow the money nd go thru the struggle to meet up I dnt think it's a bad idea esp wen the person is focused nd has a goal. I believe some risks r worth taking wen a man knows wt he wants nd has a well defined goal with adequate plans to it backup even an angel investor will grant u loan when u have a profitable idea with a laid out nd viable plan to execute it. we all hv different experiences nd our grace differs, same thing dt some set of ppl r complaining abt is wt sm folks r finding easy esp wen God is involved. Its not easy anywhere, I see on diff threads on NL where ppl just cme nd say all sorts of hw it's not easy bla bla (like nigeria is any better) yet upon all the harsh conditions over 85% r not willing to cme back to naija it's not even among their options. The ones dt come bck even mk things difficult for folks here with only nigerian certificates cos they r given preference in the job market. Irrespective of how good or bad the picture of a place is painted, if u desire a good life for urself u hv to brace urself up nd work hard for it cos nothing good comes easy. Follow ur hrt, walk with God nd u will see hw things will fall in place. It will all end in praise

ezekuse
Lol at the waking @ 4:00am to go to work in germany when people already do that in Lagos daily without a single complain. What was the op expecting? Germany to roll out the red carpet for him when he arrived. It is tough everywhere and there are Nigerians doing well financially just as some are equally struggling in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany etc including Nigeria. I do agree with the op on the need to manage expectations but I think tips on getting and balancing work, school as well as achieving good grades would have been much more appreciated to further help applicants make informed decisions.

Eke40seven
@Schwartz, Your assertions about borrowing might be true based on location and your level of language profiency.

What i can say is this, Germany is not for the lazy bones (when you are working for 8 hours, you only have one hour break in between to chat and rest, for the working period, you will certainly be on your feet (literately or other wise)
You are certainly going to work at odd hours for some jobs.

If your heart is set towards making some money, then, DON'T go to backwater towns with little economic activities especially if you don't speak the language.

Some cities will not offer you long term extensions, as that guy mentioned, you could even get 8 months. (Luckily, Munich gives between 24-30 months at least but rent here is the highest in the country )

There are jobs here, plenty of them begging for workers but the language will restrict you in many. So, for those coming, your single most important meal ticket here is the German language, Learn, and you won't have any complaints like the majority of us here.
And men, the level of education here is on another level, if you are mediocre, make sure you pump up your energy to the power of ten, combining work and school will place some demands on your mortal flesh


Fapper
I wonder too ooo like say no b dis same germany i de dey chill and enjoy without stress in terms of jobs and study. I hv no prob at all. Well my advice b say make u sabi d city u de go wella b4 headin dere cos some can make life kinda hard bt neva d less am sure u will survive truout ur studies here in Germany so my pple stop listenin 2 all dis stuffs, i guess d guy wu posted dis is in a city dat has bin stressin him, anyway i don c pple wey don send dier block acct go 9ja finish here in berlin and i don send over 4k go house sef though my acct is still blocked with dis monthly stuff of 670euros so i work and earn without touchin ma block acctount again sef so y should u jst say make dem no borrow money enter abeg if u fyt do ritual enter sef do oo lolz jst kiddin no go de too desperate oo all i jst wanna clear is d fact dat u can return d money bck early if u r in d right city with alot of job opp .......abeg i no vex any1 oooo jst xplainin cos na same deutschland i de, lolz wat a lovely country. i hop dis motivate sum1

luv u all and stop being panic

Cahnellven
Guys , nothing has changed..... If you have the intention of coming to Germany, do so at ALL 'COSTS'.

As much as some of what Herr schwarz posted is true, it doesn't apply to me and people in my immediate circus. Life is always tough in a foreign land,so some of those things applies to US, UK CADDY etc.
Considering the situation of things, Germany is still an infinitely better choice than the UK and CANADA. (My opinion)

All thanks to God, Munich, eke40seven, seunstein and God again, I don't have to worry about bills, residence permit or anything.

If I'm to point to a major disadvantage here, it is their overly intensive education, which is a far cry from that of the UK /US.

Like eke pointed out, try to go to a major city like Munich/Berlin where you get longer rp and jobs are in abundance.

All in all , na God get power.
If some people regret coming to Germany, it's their opinion..... As for me I don't .... And I'll make the choice a thousand times over

Hampy
What exactly is your point here? That people shouldn’t pursue their dreams of studying abroad, even if it means borrowing the funds? You’ve been very informative with your post, thank you. But you’ve only succeeded in playing on people’s fears and you may have discouraged quite a few peeps in the process. You may never know. You criticised those you say come on here and paint glory pictures of Germany, while you have done exactly the same thing by painting sorry pictures of Germany. How about those that borrowed money to fund their blocked accounts, got to Germany, paid back their debts, go to school, work the regular menial jobs you say are available, make good grades and come back home with a very good certificate? It’s either those people are not in Germany or you’ve just been so unlucky not to have met them.

IF YOU HAVE DREAMS OF STUDYING IN GERMANY - DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! DO NOT LET ANYTHING STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR SUCCESS. FORGET THE STORIES THEY TELL YOU ABOUT THIS PERSON OR THAT PERSON. BE READY TO PURSUE YOUR DREAMS - EVEN IT IT MEANS “GOING TO WORK AT 4AM, COMING BACK AT 2AM, OR HAVING ICE BLOCK FALL ON YOUR HEAD”.

The boss, dolpaz
The statement below does not count undecided

"If you intend to borrow your blocked account money to come to Germany to study, forget it"

Schwarz has raised some very good and salient point. But I need to stress the fact that Its not "Rossy" everywhere. I doubt if you ever had the chance/opportunity to hustle in Nigeria, you would get my point better.

Life is all about ups and down. Nigeria has alot of negativities, yet we are surviving. Likewise in every other country. The key to surviving in Germany is the language, coupled with the energy to work and study at the same time. I believe he should have balanced the write-ups with some other advantages. You cant just come and paint the whole country as if people are not making it there. Life is not fair to everybody. You may be in a city/town where economics activities are not taking place. but some other cities are bubbling. In as much I respect your advice, you went too deep about painting the economics aspect..

If its gonna cost me to sell properties to get to my destination, am gonna do just that. The hustling spirit never give up. I can authoritatively tell you a whole lots of students borrowed money, got loans to achieve the German dreams and they still got high hopes.

I have always been positive, determined, aggressive, with the "CAN-DO" ability. As for me, I will choose Germany over alot of developed countries without thinking twice..

A Negative Thinker Sees A Difficulty In Every Opportunity.......A Positive Thinker Sees An Opportunity In Every Difficulty.

Picture this a moment for Kodak cool

Gemeinsam Sind Wir Starke !!!

The naked truth by Schwartz

If you're coming to Germany because you truly want to study that particular course and you have financial back up in Nigeria, Come! You are welcome to Germany

If you intend to borrow your blocked account money to come to Germany to study, forget it! It will take you years to pay back that loan. You will be frustrated when your debtors will start to call you except you have no conscience and don't intend to pay back as agreed.

You have seen posts of 8.50€ per hour minimum wage and 450€ per month mini job and you brought out your calculator and you totalled it to be over 100k per month! And you thought to yourself, I will hammer in Germany. Sorry.

Forget that Naija mentality where you are sure of a certain amount every month. Not here. Majority of jobs for students is 'as it comes'. Meaning today your agent may call you, tomorrow and next no work for you. Basically there's hardly any permanent job that you can depend on. You need to keep looking out for new jobs. Here, say you get an agent, they send you to clean people's homes, wash plates, carry load, packaging, baby sit, and other menial jobs (forget suit and tie), you can't even be sent to work everyday. Its against your visa rule. No company will hire you for 30 days straight (except holiday jobs during just few months of holidays)

Do you know what it means to leave your house sometimes 4am to go to work? Sometimes you return from work 2am? Be ready to work at odd hours. The cold here is brutal. Imagine entering into a deep freezer everyday. Sometimes its even colder than your freezer. During winter you can get -16°c. Brutal cold with wind and ice block falling on you from the sky. Passing through that so you can eat and pay bills.
Everything thing you make goes to expenses. Germany is a very expensive country. When you convert basic things you normally buy cheaply in Nigeria to the price in euros you will cry. Imagine buying small plastic rubber to store something in the fridge that will cost nothing more than 100 naira for 2pcs and you buy only 1pc for 1€. Everything thing is at least double the price in Naija. Some are far more expensive. It means that the high amount you make goes back to spending. Now get this, depending on the city you live in, your house rent

You will most likely eat most of what you can make. Target from 200€ for monthly rent and be ready to share kitchen, toilet and bathroom with others. I have seen students in some major cities pay 500€ monthly just for a room in a flatshare. You want self contained? Rare and far more expensive.

Then you got to pay your insurance. Don't take crappy insurance because its cheap. When you fall sick then you know what you did to yourself. Some are around 30, but also expect within 30 - 160€. Most pay around 80€. Get your calculator and start converting. Cheap city rent all bills inclusive 250€, insurance 80€, feeding(cook by yourself and pack lunches), toiletries, recharge library card, recharge internet for phone, internet for house,let's say 120€. Your city will determine your expenses but my calculation hits 400€ monthly in a moderate city maybe in the north. So you see that 450€ you were happy about, its returning to pay bills. If your school doesn't offer semester ticket or only limited ticket sorry. Transportation in Germany is unbelievably expensive! Imagine paying 2.60€ bus, 5€ train about 500 naira for very short distance. Same distance that won't cost up to 100naira in Naija.

Visa renewal: when you arrive, everything depends on your city. Many cities in Germany, when you go to extend your visa from initial 3 months they bring out calculator and check your bank balance. Depending on what you have in it they divide by 670. Many people got 8 months, some 1year. Take it as luck if your city can issue you 2 years. But keep an open mind. Some Auslander behorde are strict. Okay, you got 1year, and the following year to renew you got to have another 8,000€. Lol. You cannot have 8,000€ sitting in your account doing nothing. How much do you make to even save that amount within a year? When there are mandatory expenses to be made? Some students are running helter shelter cos of this. Some are running everywhere looking for someone to help with sponsorship letter. Hardly will you find someone willing to stand for you with that letter. There are legal implications for that should anything go wary. No one wants to mess with the law.

Getting passport though Citizens: I have travelled from north to south of Germany and I say with all sincerity that I have not been able to count up to 10 black and white couples. Generally here couples go out together a lot. They are always seen together. Why don't I see a black girl and a white guy together or a black guy and a white woman together? That is because it was in the past that it was easier to get a white into marriage. Now its harder. Don't count on coming to marry oyinbo and get passport. You may search and search, try and try but it ain't leading no where. BTW if you succeed marrying them or having a baby with them getting the passport is not automatic. Takes some years and not so straight forward as you thought. I personally know a guy who has a baby with German citizen Na when pikin don reach 10 years them finally give am passport. Just keep an open mind. Don't let anyone lie to you. Don't allow anyone paint beautiful stories. Don't be moved by pictures they snap beside fine buildings, fine cars ( not theirs), fine clothes. Don't leave your job, your business, apply for one crappy course just so you can get in. You will regret it.

My guy sends things from Germany. OK. Used things? Grade one tokunbo? Those things are for free ! People put up ads on eBay, shpock and give things they don't need for free here. Some are in really good condition. He sends it to Naija and you think, my guy don hammer. The one who comes home throwing money around as if there's no tomorrow, chances are they are into something dirty and illegal.

Bottom line is, I am not trying to scare anyone but those are the challenges of an average student plus real experiences of some nairaland guys I personally met here. No one will be abroad and want to paint this kind of picture. No one wants to be laughed at. Some come here and say something totally different from what they pass through. I know some Nairaland guys already making applications to change schools. Reasons being the course is too hard (tougher than they imagined) some because the city doesn't give them what they planned on (few jobs to hustle) and that's what most come for. Some have failed out of school. They won't come here to say all this.

Still want come? This are some of the challenges but you got to be very brave and strong in mind and body to brave the odds.

hadassaheke:
Not everything is white and black sir. You can't stay in Nigeria and do the calculations amd conclude that he is spending just 450€.
And FYI? public health insurance is 95€.

He is doing two jobs and going to school very well? Please make your findings and be sure of what you're saying. Kindly remember also that what works in city A might not work in city B.

As someone rightly said, there are some things he isn't telling you. If he is taking a gap year or taking studies slowly then it might be possible to work more, but if that's not the case then there is definitely something missing.

You can't plan to earn 10k€ in a year and still have plans of getting very good grades. One of them must definitely suffer and that's the truth.
Get your facts straight so that you don't get your hope's up for nothing. Don't let motivational speakers deceive you into setting very high and unrealistic goals.

Goodluck.

Philfit:
Hadampson you too much jor.!!!
Especially with this your referencing to old veterans it has helped a lot of people and giving insight on what to expect from Germany.
Nice effort to keep the thread going

Kuthvic contribution

You go start classes in the morning and 6pm here day don dark . The europe n russian guyz dey follow but be like say the Afri guys need 2 study n study oh as I no know if na similar curriculum wey we use for the past 4 yrs them self use o .NO TIME 4 CLUB OR PLAY O

On the area of Food, Here is what I do . I buy sliced bread and nutela and take 4 slices in my bag to school everyday. In september i spent over 200 euros on food but in october i spent less than 100. i ensure i cook . Make plenty stew n soup every weekend then boil rice or make Griess everyday morning and evening. Griess of 29 cent can be made 3x. Rice of less than 1 euro can be cooked like 3x too.


ON School Location, I got admission in schweinfurt and Hamburg. The cheapest i saw in hamburg was over 400 euro 4 shared flat and about 1 hr or so by train from school. But I took schweinfurt as the accommodation is 247 for self contain and 5 mins from my school on foot.

So, if u leave in a small city u may save more and stress less. Imagine when i have a class by 8:15 i can leave my room by 8 but if it was far i will have 2 leave by 7.

There are jobs but u must know German that is a plus to big cities though as u may get job with very low german lang.

BUT to be sincere when u wan take do u work ? when u get over 300 slides to understand or cram? u go enter lecture of 90 mins u no go fit ask question as u no even get idea of the theories when they prove?

Omo as them announce credit transfer I sharply go transfer some so that my life go easy o

Goztino:
This Hadampson, you too much.
Kudos, e be like say we go make you the course rep of this thread

Bavarian opinion on racism in Germany

There´s racism everywhere and with my own experiance, blacks that hate us treat us worse than white people. Honestly, I don´t have issues here at all & Germans are law-abiding, quite & very shy people & sometimes people mistake their reservness & shyness to racism. You see, they´re naturally not very outgoing people & not as friendly as the British but they´re honest, humble, less racist, neutral and very straight forward so you see it if they don´t like you. UNLESS! you go to premitive cities in the east or some parts of east berlin.

Munich is really ok and you can do your thing here, it´s a big time tourist & international city (although very expensive) because you have the high density of high income earners living in this city but you can feel at home a lot here with immigrants from all over the world.

Bloodeagle:
It seems Kiel is a village.
nobody seems to know anything about it here... I have been asking since last year.

Williamso personal experience in Kiel

First things first, Studium is important, and not quite easy! There are always presentations to do, articles to write, empirical studies to conduct, etc, and as a Master Student, it's expected that you already know quite a lot (screw BSc from Naija for putting me in this position ) so it's important that you study a lot. Thankfully, the results so far have been good. Generally speaking, my advice would be to study at the pace you feel most comfortable with. Some people can take more than 30 credits in a semester, some can't take more than 20. You must not finish your program in 4 (or 3) semesters; and this also applies to Bachelor students.

Secondly, language. To me, this is almost as important as the studium itself for various reasons: You're in a German speaking country, so don't expect people to pity you and speak English with you. It's their prerogative to use the language(s) they feel comfortable with so you must accept this and step up. Also, you go to your school's library for a research and you need a reference; out of 10 books on a topic, 8 are in German. Also for a successful studium, internship is necessary and when you're competing with Germans, what better way to get an edge than to have "Deutschkenntnisse"? Even for the programmers where the Language is not as important as the arts, imagine working with the German version of eclipse, of even the entire Microsoft office suite in German. Need I say more?
Learn the language from Nigeria if you can, and if you can't, make a conscious effort to learn it when you get here; I didn't know "Guten Tag" as at September last year

Thirdly, Arbeit(work). I know many people will read only this paragraph Anyway, as money is important, this must also be important. But balancing working and studying isn't easy but under strict discipline, it is doable. And yes, there are jobs; I know people here that make more than 1.500 after tax per month with little or no German knowledge (I will not talk on this as the people are taking a gap semester, or not focused on school at all). Nevertheless, German knowledge is important to get jobs: My pidgin Deutsch helped me get my job

Fourthly, Fest. Haven't seen any real "Fest" yet. Ich freue mich auf die Kielerwoche im Juni Janette help us translate this biko

Fifthly, Freund machen(making friends) Spaß(fun) and Frauen(women). My opinion is that a lot of Germans are very reserved when they're not drunk. Many things could happen when they are, or if you can string some sentences in German or both cool cool cool
Also, the weather now is really great. Great time to go to the beach or wind surfing or spazieren... many things to do, can't list them all.

Sixthly, Essen(food). I miss pounded yam and egusi soup I have had enough potatoes to last a lifetime, And I'm sure I'll be having a lot more over time. Abeg who dey enter Kiel anytime soon, I get list of things wey you go help me bring

Finally, my advice to anyone coming here: LEARN DEUTSCH!!! It's even more important than learning a programming language (and this is coming from someone with a programming/IT background). Integrate properly; don't get angry/upset/confused when things don't happen the way you're used to (*cough* dress codes *cough*), and your stay could be more enjoyable than you anticipated.

Cnwag:
Good job bro...keep it up
So what's the city of cologne like?
If you are to compare it with Berlin which is more expensive?

Raheembisi:
Wow very detailed. Thanks alot. I really appreciate.

Megadixh:
Can you please explain more as regards the jobseekers route.

Megadixh:
Getting additional 2m won’t be an issue so long the relocation process is legal. Please more details ll be appreciated.
Thanks

janettee:
Es.ist.verboten, hier. auf.Deutsch .zu .schreiben.

Be guided please .

Eke40seven gave his view concerning what Pauluche said

You have to understand that most times, lower rents could also reflect lower economic opportunities. For instance, i had a feedback from guys in the alternative city i was suppose to go to, in Saxony anhalt, my enquiries yielded that although rent could be between, 240-270 for a one room apartment all inclusive (not shared flats o) but you will be lucky to get these Turkish people that will pay you 3/4 euros per hour (even as illegal as it is)...thats way below the statutory minimum wage. But of course, cities like Munich are also an extreme case of this situation, high rents (200 euros may not rent a bathroom), but there are way more economic opportunities, especially when you dont speak the language.

The trade off will be getting somewhere that is in between, but as we all understand, we are not always spoilt with such choices. As for Many, getting one admission letter didn't come easy.

The best thing to do whichever way will be to apply for a place at the studentenwerk, as early as possible in order to get a space. Its more economic and cheaper

ookunlola:
Great job you are doing Hadampso. Keep it up sir

Raheembisi:
Please does anybody know what it's like living and schooling in Jena, Germany. Any contribution would go a long way

Pauluche opinion on Jena

I must say that ALL I read here about Jena like the city is small, the state is poor, there are no blacks, no jobs etc IS FALSE (no insult intended). In all honesty and with due respect to Nigeria the city is well organized and the serene is better than any city in Nigeria; Abj and Lag included. Well that's when comparing to 9ja. Yea the city may not have skyscrapers buh who cares about skyscrapers? For heaven's sake I'm here to study not for tourism lolz. There are tall rising buildings though. The City is small Omo no be size of city we come Germany come chop na? Read your books graduate and go anywhere you wish to. The city isn't small by the way. Because it takes me thirty-fourty minutes on tram to get to campus from where I live. Some cities in Thuringia may be poor but Jena Erfurt and some others aren't in anyway. The index of the state is computed on the performance of all the cities in the state that is why the state may of course have an average performance index.

There are no blacks.... Holy Nehemiah! Who said? Omo I have seen so many blacks as a matter of fact there are so many blacks in my class mostly from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Gambia just name it. I was shocked when I saw them. Just go to Haus auf de Mauer when you see blacks you go run.

*** There are no jobs.... ehnnn who said? Make I no hear am! My mentor asked me the second day after I arrived how I came (the funds) and if I would love to start work next week I told him I'd like to settle down at least for this term. Na there I stop.

**** Basically I know the opportunity of getting student jobs, the vibe of the city and all that mostly influence our choices at times but from an Economic point of view you also have to realize that the cost of living isn't the same. More so you get paid the same amount for the student jobs. Here, some student rooms costs less than 140 euros compared to 250 or 280 in Munich and other cities that's 140 euro difference! Cost of things are also cheaper in these cities compared to other larger cities. Take it or leave it for individuals with similar or the same spending preference (which definitely isn't possible because of the higher propensity to spend/consume in larger cities) the savings of the individual in a larger city will by far be lesser than that of the individual in an average city ceteris paribus. Bear in mind that I didn't include the issue of uni ranking because of the numerous debates it has been through here.

***** You have to make up your mind to study. School here no be beans people have said that before and the Europeans are not making it any easy. You go come class and lecturer go just de talk, de solve and then you realize se at the end na only 10% of the lecture you understand you no go even fit ask questions as the lecturer de teach because you no know where them de I mean you're practically lost! Na der u go see Europeans wey de shake head de understand and de flow with the lecturer and then you begin to ask yourself what happened to the four years you spent in the university in Nigeria. Imagine you go for just one lecture and then you go through 103 slides. How many slides will you have at the end of 12 lectures assuming the class holds just once in a week or 24 lectures assuming it holds twice a week? And then say you are offering 4 to 5 courses in the term? Guy even if you make first class na wash when you come here. I have a very sound result and I was like Omo nothing de happen no be Economics, Econometrics, Calculus and all that? Omo right now, something de happen to God!

I see some guys talking about German girls and I laugh. You get 670 euros per month and you wan waste am on partying, clubbing, drinking and on German girls abi? Ok na enjoy! Very soon if you truly came here for studies body go tell you except you came here for something else.

**** If you have someone you are betrothed to like a serious relationship or engagement or probably you're even married guy chill out naaaa easy.... Consider the other party. We know se bodi de be as e get buh you have to understand that distance makes the heart grow fonder. If you truly have a conscience and you fear God you wouldn't do that. I mean wetin de the German girls bodi? Holla to all my black sisters nothing do una joor. I mean brodaly there's no comparison naaa how e de happen pass BLACK IS GOLD

Pauluche words of advice

Let me correct this mindset with which i entered Germany and almost got worse off. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE ATTEMPT TO CONVERT YOUR EURO TO NAIRA BEFORE YOU BUY THINGS like snacks which you might need if you stay long in school, basic items in the shopping center and so on else you go put yourself for hunger and almost get high bp as you de spend and convert. You have to understand that the standard of living as well as exchange rates are not the same. I almost developed ulcer trying to yield to some of the advice given here. Just be prudent in your spending I mean 670 euros is enough to see you through in a month and you will still have something to save at least if you spend wisely. I came in here with 200 Euros it's been over two weeks now despite the buying and all that I still have change with me I never even touch blocked account money.

X36DD:
Unregistered member I had to open a new account because of you hadampson. You’re doing a good job keep it up! Please keep bringing up old posts

carbon1224:
Investing your 2 million here is a good option but this country is not moving forward.business don’t survive cos we have nothing to gain from the government ,no good road,no water,no light and no security so why wait. bro dey go Germany if you have the chance oonok

rentAcock:
Of course the field is always greener on the other side of town. Invest the 2m in Nigeria. If you run to the white man's land, who will build this country? If all the Americans, Canadians and Australians did not sacrifice millions of lives and limbs in fighting the World Wars, where will they stand today? If the white man did not rebuild after the war or after the multiple depressions, recessions and famines, will there still be a country for you to run to? I will advice you to invest that 2m in a small scale business and strive to build Nigeria. If we all run away seriously, who will remain to build it?