How to Move to Germany to Study: Personal Story and Relocation Advice

“Up to 700 people come to view a property in Germany with an ’adequate’ price,” says Valentina Vasilyeva, who moved to Bavaria as a student 10 years ago. In this interview, she talks about moving to Germany through education, building a career, and adapting to local life.

There is only one method that works when learning German — dive in and swim!

About Personal Experience of Moving to Germany

— My name is Valentina Vasilyeva, I am 33 years old, I am an entrepreneur. I have my own agency for moving and adaptation in Germany — Nemusli Consult. We provide full support for moving to Germany to anyone who wants to emigrate here: we select a program, help collect documents, consult on all issues. I myself have been living here for ten years — in the city of Bamberg, which is in Bavaria.

It all started when, after a trip to Germany as a tourist, I realized that I had fallen in love with Bavaria and would definitely move there. Besides, Bavaria is the most conservative state in Germany, and I am a person of rules. I like it when people follow them, when there is order and everything is strictly regulated. It is also not far from here to Italy, I also love it, plus there are mountains here. I go skiing, so access to the Alps was also important to me.

I knew nothing about the German education system at the time. But I found out that studying in Germany is practically free for foreigners, and I turned to a consultant who began to guide me through the process.

I decided to enroll in a bachelor’s degree in a specialty that I liked — IT management. The choice fell on the University of Bamberg, because it was the only one that suited me in all respects: it was in Bavaria, there was a specialty that was interesting to me, and the university provided language courses before the start of studies for those who did not know German. At that time, I did not know how the admissions process worked, so I simply sent the necessary set of documents to my consultant, and he did everything for me.

As for learning the language, I can say that there is only one method that works here — dive in and swim! On Wednesday, you need to dive right in: communicate with Germans, not get stuck in a Russian-speaking or English-speaking environment, translate all your gadgets into German, watch local TV and read newspapers in German. You need to constantly try to say something, even with mistakes, ask people to repeat if they didn’t understand, etc. My very first job, which I took to support myself, helped me a lot with this — I got a job as a waitress in a brewery. I was constantly surrounded by German speech, so it was already impossible not to start talking.

Each German university is an independent organization that sets its own rules.

About Available Options for Relocation to Germany

— There are now many available options for moving to Germany for residents of the CIS countries. You can get married — this will be one type of visa. There is also a freelance visa, a visa for finding a job, a visa for traveling to a volunteer program. You can come to language courses, enroll in a university or get a secondary specialized education. Also, a “blue card” is avalible — this is a work visa for highly qualified specialists. There is also a regular work visa. You can also come to work as a nanny under the Au Pair program, etc.

If we analyze relocation based on studying in Germany, I will immediately note that there are a lot of nuances. So much so that there is no single standard for documents for admission to a university. The thing is that each German university is an independent organization that sets its own rules and requirements: for admission deadlines, list of documents, certification methods, etc. That is, you need to adapt to each university to which you submit documents.

But in general, if you apply for, for example, a bachelor’s degree, you need to complete one year of study in a special educational institution — Studienkolleg — and pass final exams. This is due to the fact that in the CIS countries there are 11 grades in schools, and in Germany — 12. And, accordingly, migrants lack one academic year to apply for a bachelor’s degree.

You can also enroll in a bachelor’s degree program in your home country, study for one year, and then apply to a German university for a bachelor’s degree. However, in this case, you will have to keep your major. You can also enroll in a master’s degree program only in a related program.

A standard bachelor’s degree lasts 3–3.5 years. If you entered a master’s program, then 1.5-2 years. But each educational program at the university can be extended to an additional 2 semesters, that is, a year.

As for Ausbildung, then this is secondary specialized education. The most popular program for foreigners, where it is easiest to get a visa, is when work in the specialty and study are combined. That is, you need to find an employer willing to take you on as an “apprentice”. It turns out that you work 3 days a week and go to theory 2 days. There can be many professions — about 200. For most of these programs, it is enough to have 11 grades of school.

It is also worth remembering that German universities are not concentrated in a few large locations, but are scattered throughout the country. A small town may well have a large prestigious university with a cool student community, bars and lots of entertainment. The location and university should be selected individually. But you should keep in mind that living in large cities such as Berlin and Munich is not cheap.

If you approach the issue of finding a job seriously, you won’t have to wait long for a good offer.

About Job Search After Training and Average Salaries in Germany

— After graduating from a German university, foreigners are granted a residence permit for 18 months to find a job. You can also open a business or go freelance. After this time, you will need to change your status, that is, provide grounds for your continued stay in Germany: this could be an employment contract, a business, or you can get married. After two years of work, you can apply for permanent residence, and perhaps even citizenship — everything is individual here.

How difficult will it be? Job search in Germany will depend on a huge number of factors: what is your field, education, experience. For example, with an education in Russian literature, it is almost impossible to find a job. But for IT specialists it is easy. If a person did not take on practical projects during their studies, this will also complicate the employment process. In general, there are a lot of nuances, but in Germany there is a shortage of qualified specialists. Therefore, if you approach the issue of finding a job seriously and responsibly, you will not have to wait long for a good offer.

The average salary in the country is about 4,100 euros, but this includes everyone, including millionaires and billionaires. But the median salary in Germany is approximately 2 thousand euros.

Taxes in Germany are almost impossible to calculate due to the very complex tax system. Firstly, the tax is progressive: the more you earn, the more you pay. Secondly, there are a lot of little things: if a person lives alone, he has one tax benefit, if he has a child, he has another; if he works two jobs, he has a third. That is, it is almost impossible to calculate approximately.

When looking for a place to rent, it can be difficult to find an option for a reasonable price.

About the Cost of Living in Germany

— Now I’ll tell you a little about prices in Germany. I get my manicure done for 65 euros, but it’s a good old salon — you can find it cheaper. Internet costs around 30–40 euros. I pay 10 euros a month for my cell phone.

Depending on the city, a bus ride will cost 2-3.5 euros. To use all regional trains without limitation, you can get a monthly pass for 58 euros.

Jeans at Zara will cost around 40 euros. Lunch or dinner at a café in Bamberg for two will cost around 40 euros.

When looking for a place to rent in Germany, the most difficult thing was to find an option for a reasonable price. There is a real hunt for such ads, because few people are willing to overpay. In large cities, one apartment with a normal price tag can receive 500–700 responses. The search for our apartment took about 8 months, and we looked at 3–4 properties per month (which is not a lot). My husband and I often didn’t like the fact that they offered options with bad furniture, which you still have to buy. I also definitely needed a bathtub, and Germans often have shower cabins in their apartments — this also complicated the search.

Rental prices vary. For example, I rented a three-room apartment in the center of Bamberg for 800 euros per month, but recently, for example, I saw a beautiful two-room apartment in Munich for 3,500 euros.

— In general, there are several main types of rent in Germany, each with its own characteristics. With private rent (Privat), you communicate directly with the owner, which often makes the process more personal and flexible. If you prefer stability, you should pay attention to Indexmiete, where the rent is tied to the inflation rate — this protects against sharp increases, but may be unprofitable with high inflation.

For those looking for a wider range of options, there are company rentals (Unternehmen), although prices may be higher in popular areas. An interesting option is cooperative housing (Genossenschaft), where you become a member of a cooperative with management rights and usually lower prices, but you will have to wait your turn and make a significant down payment.

To successfully rent a home, you need to prepare an impressive package of documents. At the application stage, you will need a cover letter, a questionnaire, a SCHUFA certificate of credit history and confirmation of the absence of debts from the previous rental. For viewing, you need to bring a passport, proof of income and, possibly, a guarantor.

The thing is that landlords in Germany are looking for solvent tenants with stable jobs, so if you are a student with a part-time job, you will need to make sure that someone will vouch for you. Write a detailed cover letter, which you will send along with your response to the ad. Landlords really read them and reject those who wrote it in a template, for the sake of appearances.

Please note that if you purchase all the devices yourself or accept them from a previous tenant, you are responsible for them yourself. Repairs in such cases are not covered by the landlord.

If you don’t want to become homeless, you will never become one in Germany.

About the Pros and Cons of Living in Germany

— Over 10 years of living in Germany, my perception of this country has not changed at all — I liked it many years ago, and I like it now. The only difference is that I have integrated into society, married a German, understand the laws, the specifics of doing business here, etc. There are pros and cons in any country, but I continue to plan my life in Germany.

But of course, there are things that still surprise me here. When I arrived and encountered the German mentality, I was very surprised that they have a hard time letting people into their inner circle. In the first six months at university, I thought I had made a few friends: we spent time together all the time, cooked dinners, went to parties, etc. But when they moved to another dorm, all our communication came to naught. Many immigrants face this, and here you just need to understand that it takes Germans longer than we do to perceive someone as a friend, and not just a good acquaintance.

I am also still surprised that Germans eat a lot of dry food. If we were taught that food should be hot, that it is healthy to eat soup, etc., then even in hospitals and maternity homes for breakfast and dinner there will be some sandwiches and only for lunch they will give something hot.

One pleasant thing that surprised me was the value of the word among Germans. If you agree on a meeting that will take place in three weeks, then if no one has cancelled it, it will definitely take place. Here you don’t need to ask again a couple of days before or the day before if everything is still on. Now I’m so used to it that I’m amazed when one of my compatriots asks: “Valentina, so, is our call still on?” Why should it not be on if I didn’t warn you that I couldn’t?

Here, they will never pass by if you need help. No one will say, “Sorry, I’m in a hurry.” No, the Germans will explain, show, tell, and guide you. Even if you don’t speak German well, they will explain it to you in the simplest possible way or offer to switch to English.

— I like that there is good social support here. It may sound funny, but it is true: if you do not want to become homeless, you will never become one in Germany — they simply will not let you. The state always helps in difficult financial situations.

It is also very easy to travel from Germany, as it is the center of Europe. By car you can reach many countries in a couple of hours: the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Poland, etc. This is a big plus for me personally.

Of course, I don’t like the bureaucracy: here for every certificate you need another certificate. In some areas of medicine there is a shortage of doctors and you have to wait a long time for your turn, and the appointment will last literally 10 minutes. Well, in general, medicine here is not preventive — rather, they treat when there are already obvious problems.

— It is pleasant to note that in recent years it has not become more difficult to move to Germany. On the contrary, many laws have even been simplified. Since 2023, it has become easier to move through labor migration, and in 2024 new immigration programs have appeared again.

Therefore, for those planning to relocate to Germany, I would like to give 3 pieces of advice:

First, clearly define the goal, why do you need this emigration? During the adaptation period, difficulties are inevitable, there will probably be thoughts of giving up everything and returning, so it is very important to always keep a clear goal in mind, why did you move here?

Secondly, prepare on all fronts. Not only what documents to collect for departure, but also find out what difficulties await you on the spot. To do this, you can watch videos or follow local bloggers.

And thirdly, don’t compare Germany with your country. Everywhere will have its pros and cons, and they will change during the adaptation process. You just need to understand whether this country is comfortable for you in general.