Moving to the US From Germany – Is It Good to Do It or Not?

Yes. You read it right. I am moving to the U.S. from Germany! Sounds crazy, I know. I also feel that way. This is a personal post about why we are moving to the U.S., how long we plan to be there, and what will happen to this blog.

The background

I have been living in Germany now for 12 years. I went from being a student to becoming an employee. Then, I became a wife, a mother, a homeowner, an investor, an entrepreneur… Even though I live in Germany for one-third of my life now, I still remember how hard it was when I first moved to Germany.

The language barrier, the difficulty of finding a job here, the paperwork, and all the cultural shock I had…

After going through so much in Germany, I cannot say that I know everything. But I do know a lot about Germany and how things work here. There is only one thing that I have not experienced yet: moving out of Germany.

Remember one of my blog posts about moving back home after living abroad? I mentioned in the post that even though I loved it so much about Germany, I couldn’t say for sure that I would stay in Germany forever. Maybe I would move back home one day, or maybe I would move to a completely different country. Who knows?

And now, this is happening. No. I am not moving back to Hong Kong.

I am moving to the U.S!

Ok, I know. I know. I have always said that Germany is a much better place to live and work. And honestly, I have never thought that I would move to the U.S.

But…never say never! That is what I always say.

You never know what will happen. This is life.

I still love Germany. And I still believe that Germany is one of the best places in the world to live and work. But sometimes, I am feeling a bit too comfortable here in Germany.

I mean, it is very stable. Some people work for the same company for their whole life. Others work for the same company for 10 years before they consider changing a job.

Job security is high and social welfare is good. I don’t have to worry too much about losing my job. However, the rise in salary is slow. The opportunity for promotion is limited.

For some people, these are really great things. Especially for those who just want to have a stable life and spend a lot of private time with their families.

Too comfortable?

For some others, this can get too comfortable and maybe a bit boring. Especially for young people (or people who feel young). Sometimes, I ask myself: “Is that it? Am I going to live like this for the rest of my life? Will there ever be another adventure?”

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I am an adventurous person. That’s why I quit my job in Hong Kong and moved to Germany back then.

Then, this opportunity came. The kind of “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.

My husband got a super offer to move to the U.S. for work.

Since my husband and I work in the same company, to make our move more attractive, I was also offered a job in the U.S. at the same time!

Should we really move to the U.S. from Germany?

Honestly, in the beginning, we were skeptical. With two small kids and our properties, our move becomes very complicated.

It is completely different than 12 years ago when I moved to Germany. Back then, I was alone and carefree.

Now, there is a lot more to think about:

• Will my children adapt?
• What to do with our properties?
• What are the tax implications?

Moving to the U.S. also means giving up a lot of benefits from Germany: the child allowance, our job security, many tax benefits, healthcare benefits, our vacation days, and sick leave…

Oh yea, in the U.S. there is no sick leave. So, we need to take our vacation days in case we are sick…

Why did we decide to move to the U.S. from Germany?

A super opportunity

This chance of moving to the U.S. is a super opportunity that may not come again. We were both offered nice jobs in the U.S. at the same time. Our company will provide all the help and assistance for our move.

A big adventure

After living in Germany for so many years,  I am in this “stable state” for too long and almost forget the feeling of adventure. Any adventure involves risk. Otherwise, it is not called an adventure. But that is what makes it exciting and interesting.

The potential

In my opinion, the U.S. is a place full of opportunities. Yes, we will for sure need to work a lot. A lot more than we do in Germany. But it opens the doors for us.

The opportunities are unlimited. No matter for people who want to have a good career, or for those who want to start a new business. Our CV is going to look better.

For our kids

Last but not least is the international exposure for our kids. Our kids are already multilingual because we are speaking both Chinese and German at home. Moving to the U.S. means that they are going to speak English as well.

For sure, it won’t be easy for them at the beginning. But I am confident that they will soon master it. The experience will widen their horizon. They can be immersed in a diverse culture and learn to adapt to new environments fast.

How long will we stay in the U.S.?

We plan for 3-5 years. As I said, I love Germany and it is really the place I want to be in for the long term. However, we want to move to the U.S. for the experience.

We will have to see how things go after moving to the U.S. from Germany. And we will look for an opportunity to move back in a few years.

What will happen to this blog?

Don’t worry! I am still going to run this blog, no matter where I am.

I started this blog because I want to help other people who are like me, who want to move to Germany, or who struggle with their new life in Germany. This is the ultimate goal of this blog. I want it to be helpful for you guys.

Over the years, I have already written many useful guides about studying, working, and living in Germany.

Unfortunately, my ideas are unlimited and my time is limited. I have lots of blog post ideas piling up and I am always behind in catching up.

With that said, I still have many topics that I would like to write about.

I mean, I have spent 12 years in Germany (one-third of my life!).

I have got enough to share.

Will I forget about Germany?

We are going to visit Germany regularly. My husband’s family members are all living in Germany.

Our kids need to see their grandparents. At the moment, we are planning to spend 2-3 months in Germany every year. Probably during the summertime. And we are going to work remotely for our bosses in the U.S. during that time.

Besides, we still have three rental properties in Germany that we need to take care of.

So, no, I will not forget about Germany.

How can my experience help with this blog?

In fact, I think my experience of moving to the U.S. can help to enrich the content of this blog. Moving out of Germany is a topic that I have never written about.

Why? Because I normally only want to share tips and tricks on things that I have personal experience with.

Now, I am planning everything about the move. And I realize how much work that is. This actually helps me to feel closer to you guys. I am reminded again of the feeling of moving abroad.

I have a checklist and timeline of everything about our move, e.g. deregistration, informing different insurance and government bodies, etc.

We don’t want to do something wrong or miss anything.

Once I have all these through, I am going to write a detailed guide about all you need to know if you are moving out of Germany. With first-hand experience and personal tips 🙂

Thank you all for your support!

I would like to take this chance to thank all of you, my dear readers.

I cannot run my blog for that long without your support.

From time to time, I am getting notes from your guys in the comment or per email. Some of you thanked me for my informative articles and told me how they changed your life.

It really warmed me up and motivated me.

It reminded me why I started this blog in the first place.

This is a reminder that I am helping other people and my time spent on this blog is worth it.

So, please let me know your opinion on this blog.

Anything you think is good, or things that need to be improved so that I can help you better.

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It means a lot to me 🙂

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