Need advice for going to Germany

[Big Head Tech]

I accepted a position for a cyber security company doing sales and they are based out of Germany.  They are entering the US market Q1 2018 hence why I was hired along with a few others.  I will be heading to Germany for a month to train, but curious as to some things I should know working for Germans and going there.

[Crunchy Dragon]

As far as going there, don't forget to check out some of the cool/eerie things leftover from the wars(you can find all sorts of abandoned structures in the countryside) if you have some free time

 

[DanielMiddletown]

Always stay right. In traffic, office hallway, elevators, on escalator - basically everywhere. That`s the main rule of life... I live in Austria and they are twice as anal in here.

If you follow this simple rule, you are considered German.

[Big Head Tech]

5 hours ago, Keith W said:

Where about in Germany are you going?

Hanover.

[Anghammarad]

Oh "Hangover" yes I pronounce it like that... Hanover is not one of the beautiful cities in germany but one of the big fair cities... 

 

If possible and time, make a trip to hamburg up north or east to berlin... lots to see there.

 

Oh my... when visiting hanover for the first visit in germany... bad choice for a bad aftertaste. But one plus point... the germans there usually speak the most "clean" german in view of slangs. 

 

Else being 5 minutes early is usually being on time here, small talk is different, when asking someone "how are you" like the phrase you use in the US when meeting someone in public and enter a conversation will bring a totally different outcome here. a) they will think you are nosey, and give a short answer and move on, or b) they will tell you what exactly is going on in their lifes which may take some time. 

 

Else you'll see the german language isn't as hard as most say. 

 

Get a rental car and enjoy the Autobahn, on a stretch that hasn't got any speed limits  It can be quite fun going way over 200 km/h when the autobahn and your car let you. (personal record 276 km/h but the car was near it limits regarding safety at that speed) 

 

 

[r3loAded]

28 minutes ago, Anghammarad said:

It can be quite fun going way over 200 km/h when the autobahn and your car let you. (personal record 276 km/h but the car was near it limits regarding safety at that speed)

My best in a 3 doors 2005 automatic 2.0 diesel A Class was 180 km/h. I think I could've gone e little bit further but considering that the car is tall and I had 3 people and a baby in the car, I reduced the speed  

 

14 hours ago, Snaeb said:

but curious as to some things I should know working for Germans and going there

I only like Germany when in transit, and that's about it. I see germans as cold plain people but I might be very wrong.

 

Hope you enjoy your experience there.

[Teddy07]

14 hours ago, Snaeb said:

I will be heading to Germany for a month to train, but curious as to some things I should know working for Germans and going there.

 

We Germans separate our private and our work life. Don't expect them to be your friends and do activities with you in your spare time.

 

Germany is a very left-wing country and the public is divided just like the US. Be careful especially when you are a bit right leaning. Keep in mind that right is defined here very loosely. That is why I do not say my real opinion any more if I do not know the other person's opinion. To sum it up:  So talking about politics isn't a smart idea.

 

Don't get me wrong. Germany is overall very safe but theft has increased and I personally would watch my pockets and so on when being in public places like a train station. Just as a safety precaution.

[Teddy07]

3 minutes ago, r3loAded said:

I only like Germany when in transit, and that's about it. I see germans as cold plain people but I might be very wrong.

1

Yes, that is wrong. They are professional in the workplace which means not much small talk compared to the US. You come right to point. It might seem unfriendly to you but it is standard procedure in the eye of a German. 

 

For example:

You want something from a coworker and enter his office. You greet him shortly and directly ask him about the matter. You say bye and leave afterward. You can do small talk but it is not expected and no in no way seen as unfriendly. 

 

Germans are friendly when you know them better. Just like every other person. They just need a bit longer to show it.

[Anghammarad]

7 minutes ago, r3loAded said:

I only like Germany when in transit, and that's about it. I see germans as cold plain people but I might be very wrong.

 

We usually aren't. but to get us loosen up you first need to gain some trust =) 

 

Even though many carry fake facades, we are not that joyfully open to someone we don't know

[r3loAded]

17 minutes ago, Anghammarad said:

We usually aren't. but to get us loosen up you first need to gain some trust =) 

 

Even though many carry fake facades, we are not that joyfully open to someone we don't know

As I said, I might be very wrong. That was from my short experience in Germany, and I don't know, that's just how I feel now. But I bet the germans from this forum are one of the best people . Maybe I got used too much with the friendliness here in Cardiff, Wales.

[Anghammarad]

2 minutes ago, r3loAded said:

As I said, I might be very wrong. That was from my short experience in Germany, and I don't know, that's just how I feel now. But I bet the germans from this forum are one of the best people . Maybe I got used too much with the friendliness here in Cardiff, Wales.

Trying to get on my friendly side eh?

[MadyTehWolfie]

4 hours ago, Anghammarad said:

We usually aren't. but to get us loosen up you first need to gain some trust =) 

 

Even though many carry fake facades, we are not that joyfully open to someone we don't know

Think Germans need to gain other people's trust first. I won't be getting on any of their trains. We Jews learned that the hard way. Lol jk

[Anghammarad]

1 minute ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

Think Germans need to gain other people's trust first. I won't be getting on any of their trains. We Jews learned that the hard way. Lol jk

I don't ride german trains as well if I can go by car or plane =) the "Deutsche Bahn" isn't that reliable... always late... faulty air conditioning... 

 

and I know what you did there =) I'm not biting even though I got a lot on my mind reading your lines.

[Hiya!]

Perfect your grammar

[Eduard the weeb]

the beer my friend lol.

 

If your into historic stuff check out the castles ( we don't have real ones here in the US because the Americas were discovered after the kingdom era), Relics of the former crusader, and you can go check out stuff from the two world wars, like trenches or battlefields or memorials for those conflicts also.

[cluelessgenius]

well as far as work advice goes imnot sure since i dont know where it differs from other countries.

 

id say stick to the rules unless told otherwise. if its the rule its the rule.

avoid too much small talk on working hours. its not that strict but germans like to stay on point in a meeting and then small talk is for smoke / coffee brakes

collegue does not mean friend. sometimes a beer after work might be offered but thats about it. 

also try to avoid controversal topic until you know the person better. hot topics right now are:

refugees

german politics

trump

turkey

electric cars

diesel regulations

 

also im not saying germans do but some germans especially the older ones might have a slightly bad opinion of of everyone not german. germany has a lot of imigration going on. e.g. the other day i heared a guy here talk about this car accident he had on a parking lot and as soon as he noticed the guy in the other car had an accent and didnt talk perfect german he refused to talk to the guy completly and went straight for the police. this might be rather rare but still in that case whatever semi-rassist thing they say its best to just leave it be.

 

all this sounds very negative because im listing what could go wrong but in general they will be friendly and integrate you into their workflow very quickly. 

[Guest]

If someone asks you for money, it’s illegal. 

 

If you speed, the camera will take a picture of your car and immediately revoke your license. 

 

Riesenschnitzel is way bigger than you think it is. No matter how American you think you are-you cannot finish it.

 

They know you’re not German. They just do. Don’t be offended if they give you incorrect directions. 

 

They will buy you beer. No exceptions. 

 

No ketchup, or the entirety of the German state will come for you. 

 

Dont eat the skin of sausage. Ever. 

 

Colors don’t go with whites in the washing machine. 

 

No, you cannot buy food for tomorrow-it HAS TO BE FRESH!!!!

 

They will smoke and blow it into your face. No exceptions. 

 

You can have whatever beer you want, as long as it’s the cult beer of the town you’re in. 

 

It started out as help then turned into a spoof of the rules of the internet haha. Though my list may be a bit off because of the regions I’ve been to. We’ll need a German to confirm or deny what I’ve written. 

[Tcrumpen]

19 hours ago, Snaeb said:

I accepted a position for a cyber security company doing sales and they are based out of Germany.  They are entering the US market Q1 2018 hence why I was hired along with a few others.  I will be heading to Germany for a month to train, but curious as to some things I should know working for Germans and going there.

Although i've not spent any time in Germany i know people who have worked there and i'd say that German on the whole are very efficient in their work they are more likely to be zoned in doing work than having a chit chat in the kitchen from what i've heard; not to say that it's bad working in Germany; might just be a slight culture adjustment

[asus killer]

don't be late or lazy, that's about it.

[davrosG5]

Germans respect and expect punctuality.

They make good beer and some amazing baked goods - try whatever's local.

As other have said, Germans (and the Dutch as well come to think of it) can be very direct and it can appear rude to someone who is from the US or UK as we have a habit of adding waffle around what we actually want to say.

[Nup]

cool thread

[Nicnac]

The south is weird the north is cool (also weather-wise). 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

 

23 hours ago, DanielMiddletown said:

Always stay right. In traffic, office hallway, elevators, on escalator

Yes, please! Get out of my fast lane!  

 

7 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

id say stick to the rules unless told otherwise. if its the rule its the rule.

Plus, expect rules. Rules for everything, and large amounts of bureaucracy.

Germans are quite efficient at bureaucracy, and with enough luck you would barely notice it happened. If unluckily paired with an inefficient, or even ineffective, I'd say, bureaucrat, things may take an eternity. Especially when they go for "I'll completely ignore your question/letter/e-mail forever, until you/someone else asks and I'll casually answer you need to bring X", which you could have done from day 1 

 

Regarding rules, Germans make rules preemptively. It's like there is a rule for stair safety since some kid fell off the stairs in 1912 or something like that. Germans are good theorists, and rules are [seem to be] written by a guy in his desk considering all possible scenarios. If there is an alien invasion, you may not know it, but there's probably a rule written somewhere specifying what someone in your specific position should do in case of alien invasion  And they dislike ambiguity, meaning their rules will be very precise. I mean, precise to irrelevant limits. They can't just write "put the papers in a stack": they have to write "put the papers in a stack facing down in portrait orientation from your point of view", even if it serves no purpose (if you want a real life example: "count the number of booklets: make piles of 10, and count the piles" instead of "count the number of booklets", at most adding "and make sure you do it right, idiot" ).

Bottom line: instructions to do anything, especially anything that needs some standardization or that you may be accountable for, tend to be really long even for simple tasks, so don't get intimidated if you see such instructions. Just learn from a veteran what the actual task is and read it in your free time (Germans themselves won't take them that literal, or most anyway).

 

7 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

 

also im not saying germans do but some germans especially the older ones might have a slightly bad opinion of of everyone not german.

It's also stronger to the East (sorry, ossies )

 

7 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

germany has a lot of imigration going on. e.g. the other day i heared a guy here talk about this car accident he had on a parking lot and as soon as he noticed the guy in the other car had an accent and didnt talk perfect german he refused to talk to the guy completly and went straight for the police. this might be rather rare but still in that case whatever semi-rassist thing they say its best to just leave it be.

I don't know where in Germany that was, but my experience is that they are rather ultra-careful with anything that may remotely refer to racism, including things considered funny practically everywhere else. Such comment would not go by unnoticed, and certainly you wouldn't get into any trouble for reacting to it. I mean, as long as we are talking about a white-collar working environment, as OP seems to be headed to - my advice would be rather the same if this happens in a bar, having some beers while watching Bundesliga  

[SpaceGhostC2C]

I forgot: outside your job, if you know any German at all, use it. They'll recognize your horrible accent and likely reply in English, but will still appreciate the effort.

At least in big cities (or the ones I've been to).

[MadyTehWolfie]

13 hours ago, Anghammarad said:

I don't ride german trains as well if I can go by car or plane =) the "Deutsche Bahn" isn't that reliable... always late... faulty air conditioning... 

 

and I know what you did there =) I'm not biting even though I got a lot on my mind reading your lines.

Lol Was just messing with you. All fun and games here. My mom won't go to Germany because of what happened in WW2, I want to visit one day. Go to the race track, autoban etc. All good things.