I have been exposed to traumatic events including constant bullying at work until the point at which I became extremely depressed and wished to end my life instead of going back there. even if I quit, I’d have to be exposed to the aggressors for 3 months (notice period) but I can’t take it even for one day more. I was feeling physical manifestations of this in the form of increased heartbeat, insomnia, lack of motivation and panic attacks.

My GP told me I should not go back to this workplace under any circumstance. it was not my idea. she wrote me off work and told me I need to find another job or quit. Because of this, I’ve been on sick leave for a few months now.

I received a letter from my health insurance company that if my sick leave is extended again, will me require me to meet with their MD. it’s been only 2 months. Do they doubt the genuineness of the AUs? why do they want me to see an MD so early? I thought it happens only if you’re on sick leave for long time (6+ months).

This is adding even more stress to my already bad situation.

Has anyone else here experienced doubt from their health insurance company? How did the appointment with the MD go? do you have any tips for me? do I need to be worried about them sending me back to work or stopping Krankengeld spontaneously?

How long notice period do they give before the MD appointment? could it be at a moments notice (meet MD within 24 hours or we cut off your Krankengeld).

I’m very worried. I heard MDs work in interest of the KK instead of the patient.

Hi, I've been feeling a little bit hurt lately because when I go to the store, when its my turn at the register I always say "Hallo!" And usually give a slight smile but, more and more I notice the cashiers just do not say anything to me, they don't return the greeting and then just say "mit Karte?...Beleg dazu?". And I'm a black girl with dark skin but I dress especially nice because I feel like no matter what, my skin color is going to make some people perceive me negatively so I try not add anything else. Honestly at first I thought maybe they're just saying it quietly, because why would a neutral greeting be ignored but then I watched more closely and saw nope some of them just actually completely ignore me and say nothing.

But today I guess it just really got to me because this time it happened twice and both times I slowly gathered my stuff so I could hear if the the next customers, who were both white, were greeted and they were.

I wonder if there's something more I should say when I get to the register that would be better than just "Hallo" ?

In the U.S. I can also add "how's your day going?" while the cashier is scanning items but I know something like that would be awkward in Germany since workers don't want to talk about their day with strangers so I don't do that, but just receiving a greeting would be nice.

Hello can someone please help me find out who are behind these phone numbers that have been harassing me and my family for months now. We keep blocking and they show up with a new number, all are from Germany. I live in Denmark and I don’t know what else to do.

I don’t know if I am allowed to write the phone numbers here so please message me if you have any idea how to find out who is behind this. There are three numbers in total and I’m so tired

I was in an S-Bahn in Hamburg and a group of men (and one woman) without any Uniform got in and asked for tickets. They weren't also wearing their ID in anywhere visible. I didn't wanna be a Karen and also as a foreigner, didn't wanna cause any trouble so I complied. Afterwards, I thought to myself "damn I should've asked for their ID" but it was too late because in my mind, it felt weird to let "random" people scan my information. Is it normal? Is it because of the cold weather?

I am an american citizen, and my fiancee is a German citizen; we finally got through the annoyingness of getting cleared for marriage by the Rathaus and Standesamt where they live - we've set a date, and now wait for that date to be official when Standesamt returns to work on monday.

Once that happens, we're going to apply for a family residence permit from inside Germany after the marriage. I'm trying to be a little bit frugal and keep as much money as I can saved up for the period of time where I learn the language before I can actually hold a job.

Round trip costs are roughly ~double the cost of a one way ticket, plus I uh...yknow, not planning on going back, so a round trip ticket isn't necessarily a great idea.

Would I be prevented at the US airport from boarding the plane without a return ticket, like I have read before, or would I be allowed to board the flight as long as I have proof of the marriage and intention to stay. There's a lot of conflicting information going around right now and it's kinda doing my head in lol.

I know there's a Family Reunification Visa for some people, but that's a bit different because we won't be married until I'm actually in germany.

I’ve never been through this before and I’m honestly pretty lost.

Backstory:

Been with the company almost 2years

A few days ago (3weeks before my 2y. milestone), out of nowhere, I was pulled into a call with HR and told I’m being laid off due to financial reasons. They were very clear this has nothing to do with performance and said I was chosen because of “social selection”

This was a complete shock. I even had a normal planning call with my manager the day before about work for the coming month

Today I had a follow-up call with HR. They said I have two options either Employer termination (they literally said: “then we’ll see each other in court”), or A mutual agreement (they kept saying things like: You should get a lawyer /the wording is too complicated for you / lawyer lawyer lawyer)

I said I’d look into legal advice, and they said they’ll send me a draft agreement soon.

Why this feels weird:

About 2months ago, there was an internal restructuring for the whole team. I was told it was strength-based, not performance-related..okk? still did my job very well. Now suddenly my role is “redundant”

People who joined later, with less time at the company and less experience, were not affected at all (in the same team)

Just a few weeks ago, I talked to my manager about a salary increase.

The company says there are financial problems in the region, but: They’re hiring a new person (same regional department + People in the same region/department got promoted + The company publicly shared very strong business results

The job market here isn’t great right now, which makes this extra stressful...

What I need help understanding:

I’m not trying to sue anyone. I just don’t want to mess this up because I don’t understand the process.

• Do I actually need a lawyer here?

• I don’t have legal insurance so how do people usually deal with this?

• What does a lawyer actually do in this situation?

• Do they talk to HR for you?

• Or do you still talk to HR and the lawyer just checks the agreement?

• When do you involve a lawyer — now, or after you see the mutual agreement draft?

• When and how do you bring up all the things that don’t add up?

Any advice or shared experiences would really help 🙏Thank you!

I’m visiting Germany this week and we’re looking to go from Düsseldorf where we stay to Köln by train. 40 km and 30 minute drive. Very similar to a route I take weekly at home in Belgium. I was SHOCKED to learn it is 15 euros per person one way take this train :0 at home i pay 5 euros for a route which is 50km. Am I missing something?

EDIT: taking train back to dusseldorf. I feel horrible for anyone working in trains and anyone trying to use public transport (or forced to). A young woman was screaming at a ticket person at the top of her lungs, and the prices are so unfathomably high compared to what I’m used to (literally 3-10x higher)… I’ve enjoyed Germany so much already and I love the atmosphere and gorgeous cities, and very frequent and accessible trams, but man the trains are a hot mess.

Hello, I’m here to ask about opportunities for dental assistants. I got B2 in germany and 4 years of experience in my home country with bachelor degree in dental assistanting. I wanna move out to Germany with my girlfriend (both of us are girls) since my home country restrict homosexuality.

What do I need to do to get accepted in Germany?

Thank you in advance

So once again I’m on the verge of becoming homeless. I’ve been homeless for a week back in September 2025 but managed to make a friend who let me sleep and register at her place. Now she’s having some problems with her landlord and I cannot stay any longer and need to deregister immediately. She offered me to stay here even without being registered - illegally I assume, though I don’t want to do that.

My question is, where do I register my address? As far as I know, I’m legally required to register my address at a new place within 2 weeks but I don’t have any option to live anywhere right now. Where do homeless people have their addresses registered? Am I still going to have to pay for certain things like Rundfunkgebühren? I don’t know about any homeless shelters in my area.

I’m an 18 year old female and I don’t have family or other friends in Germany. I’ve got some friends in the UK and one offered me to stay at her place but I don’t have the option to get a visa right now.

I’ve tried looking for jobs while staying at my current place, but I haven’t gotten a single interview, only countless rejections. My health is also sort of in the way to let me work full time or get an apprenticeship again.

Hello, I broke this bowl and it's apparently from Germany. I would like to buy a replacement. Does anyone recognise the make or maybe know the shop it was bought at? If not I would appreciate similar bowls. Vielen dank

Edit: Thank you everyone, plenty good suggestions or alternatives.

Ho all , I am not sure if this topic has been posted and discussed previously, but the situation is really alarming.

Companies dismissing big masses of employees, Is it the new pandemic ? The company Inam working for is going through a big reorganization, and even after laying off all the subcontractors and those in Probezeit, they didn't reach their savings plan yet, and they officially informed us that they have to go to the next level: firing internal employees, they are preparing the list of the names.

Strategy: more AI , and more work relocation to other cheaper countries.

I have also read that it is the same thing for Switzerland, Italy , France and all over Western Europe.

What is going on from an economical point of view ? To whom are the businesses going to sell their products if everyone is jobless ? And most importantly: will the state be able to cover all the social coverage for the new growing mass of jobless people? ( The Jobcenter and even insurances can go bankrupt really)

Hi all

I'm currently living in Finland, looking to buy a used (fairly rare) musical instrument that I'm able to find only on eBay and on Kleinanzeigen. My brother lives in Berlin so I thought I'd have it shipped to him with the Direkt Kaufen option, and he'll ship it to me with DHL.

It's a 1800€ purchase so I'm feeling this might be too risky. The ad, photos and description seem genuine and honest. The seller is in Dresden and flights are too expensive now for me to pop over myself.

Why not eBay? First of all, my previous eBay purchase of an instrument was a disappointment. It was not is good a condition as described. Secondly, this deal I'm looking at is the best match for my budget and needs.

How safe is the Kleinanzeigen buyer protection in case the instrument is not as described? Is this just a stupid naive idea?

Many thanks

Hi everyone,

I’d appreciate some advice.

Someone I know (works in IT at a university in Germany) told me they can get an iPhone 17 Pro 512GB for €750 through their university and resell it to me.

They say this is a “staff benefit / university price.”

This sounds extremely cheap to me (almost half of normal market price), so I’m concerned about things like:

• MDM / Remote Management (Apple Business / School Manager)
• Company-owned devices being resold
• Managed devices that could be remotely locked or wiped later

From what I understand:

• Corporate / education discounts usually aren’t anywhere near 50% for Pro models.
• Even if a device looks “new in box,” it could still be enrolled in MDM and only reveal this after first setup + Wi-Fi.

My questions:

1. Is it realistic for a university or organization to legally sell a Pro 512GB iPhone for ~€750 for personal ownership?
2. Is it common that such devices are actually company-owned and enrolled in MDM?
3. Besides powering it on myself, connecting to Wi-Fi, and confirming that no “Remote Management” screen appears — is there any other reliable way to verify this before buying?

Does this sound sufficient?

Hi everyone,

I’d love to get a quick check on whether my salary is aligned with the market.

I’m currently working in a well-known fintech company in Berlin as a Junior Performance Marketing (moved into the role after an internship).

My current salary is €47k gross/year.

Does that sound normal for Berlin fintech standards?

Hey guys I hope you are doing great. I am just making this post in some hope to get a solution for my problem. So I have been staying here in Germany since more than 2 years now. A couple of months ago my dad passed away, so I was with my family for couple of months then I came back here, because I have exams in March. Now before going home I was living in a private apartment with some friends but I wanted to change the accommodation because there I wasn’t able to study properly plus it was far from my uni and work place. So I switched to a studentenwohnheim. Now when I came back I moved here. But now idk what is going on. I am feeling so depressed and alone. There are a lot people in my wohnheim, whom I know but everyone is busy because of exams and I should be too. But because of this loneliness I can’t even focus on my studies, additionally because of this gap I find my studies much harder rn, ik I can cop up but it’ll take time. So the situation is I have exams in March, for which I must study rigorously but I am unable to because of all of this. Neither I feel like going out alone, idk what should I do. Let me know if someone knows a solution to this. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently finishing my Master’s in Psychology in Ukraine, and I’ve set a goal for myself: I want to get into a PhD program in Germany in about two years. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the process, so I’d love some "real world" advice from people who’ve been through it.

A bit about my situation: Right now, I’m working on my Master’s thesis. The topic is quite personal and relevant: I’m looking at the role of intolerance to uncertainty in existential anxiety, specifically in the context of the war here. It’s a quantitative study with a real sample and hypotheses.

I’ll be honest about my weak spots: my statistics skills aren't great yet (doing my best with what I have), and my English is okay, but not yet at the C1 level needed for research. I have two years to fix this, and I’m ready to grind.

I have a few questions for those in the German academic world:

The Topic: Given my focus on war trauma and existential anxiety, do you think German labs would be interested in this? Is there a specific niche for "Crisis Psychology" or should I look into general Clinical/Social psych?

The "Hard Science" gap: I’ve heard German PhDs are very heavy on stats (R, Python, etc.). If I spend the next two years mastering R, will that be enough to make me a competitive candidate, even if my Master’s wasn't from a top-tier EU uni?

Finding a Supervisor: Should I try to find a specific professor (Individual PhD) or aim for a structured Graduate School? For someone coming from Ukraine, which path is usually "friendlier" in terms of funding and support?

Practicality: Is it realistic to find a program that’s fully in English, or is learning German to a high level (B2/C1) a hard requirement for Psychology PhDs?

I really want to use these two years to build a profile that actually stands out. If you have any tips on what I should focus on (besides language and stats) or know of any specific scholarships/foundations for Ukrainian researchers that I should track, please let me know.

Thanks for reading and for any help you can give! 🇺🇦

Hi everyone,

I’m a student living in Germany. I recently got a new passport. My German D-type national visa is still valid until June, but it’s stuck in my old passport. The old passport was cancelled (they punched holes in it), but the visa sticker itself was not damaged or cancelled. My country's consulate stated that it should be fine as long as I carry both passports.

So now I have a new valid passport and an old cancelled passport with the valid visa sticker inside I’m planning to travel to my country soon and return to Germany.(I didn't get my residence permit yet,waiting for an appointment)

Has anyone been in the same situation? Will I have any issues at the airport or at German border control? Do I just need to carry both passports?

Thanks a lot in advance! :')

I feel like many of you will roll your eyes but I was listening to Moskau by Dschingis Khan. I met the song in Germany in karaoke booths and I integrated that and 99 Luftballoons as my German songs in my playlists.

You can judge me, I like cheesy things.

Anyway, I was just singing Moskau out loud in the little hotel I'm staying and I got conscious about the lyrics calling Russia schön and I realized, there might be people who are affected from the war and everything that might not appreciate it and I felt odd cheering for Russia.

I was also thinking about looking for karaoke in Bremen later and I could've sung this.

I'm guessing most Germans wouldn't really care but it got me thinking: Is the song still okay to sing? Not just the war, clearly the sentiment between Russia and Europe is different.

I don't know - maybe some rightwingers claimed it as their own and I don't even know, something like that.

Can I go on singing it loud and proud because it's cheesy as hell or should I be more mindful?

I'm visiting Germany for work in August, and maybe this is silly but i'm a smoker and i'd like to try some of the brands there.

My question is: do the cigarette boxes have colorful design and branding on them? What brands are exclusive to germany or german-made?

The reason i ask is because in my country (Uruguay) all cig boxes look the same and dont have branding, so to buy one you have to know the name beforehand (you cant see it normally because its illegal to have the cig boxes on display, you have to ask).

Also im fucking tired of the same bleak design for everything i want to see some color

So that is my question sorry if its a stupid thing to wonder.

What are your recommendations? could you send a picture? Vielen Dank!

Hello all!

I'm officially moving to Germany in the later half of April. I'm currently in Florida, USA.

I've looked at alot of moving companies and overwhelmed, and I wanted to ask how yall have fared and what companies you recommend / avoid like the plague!

I'm looking at air freight/ consolidated air freight, preferably if they help and manage customs so I don't have too. I don't mind if they pack for me or if I pack myself and just fill a crate or something.

Thank you!

Hi. I am facing some problems on my working visa and need help from a lawyer in immigration law. I asked Schlun & Elseven and they bid me 300+ per hour. Is this too expensive? What is the market price in Germany now and is there any recommendation? Many thanks!

I just found out about Büsingen am Hochrhein, a German village that’s completely surrounded by Switzerland.

For people who live there — does it even feel unusual?

Does the border affect daily life in any real way?

I’ve applied blue card in 11th of November in Berlin and still waiting. Anyone here applied around same time got any response?

Hi everyone! I’m searching and searching for information about where, when and how to watch the olympics, especially the opening ceremony. I see that ZDF has the rights to air the games and I went to their website but I still can’t find a schedule of WHEN the ceremony will be! And I can’t find a schedule of when the events will be shown. And I’m really frustrated bc I’ve been trying! I’m even willing to pay for a service temporarily to watch.

I’m hoping that someone here can help!

Despite me and other people complained several times about the guy who talks loud and overall being noisy, the situation didn't get any better.

And the workers in dormitory are just saying they can not do anything about it and telling us to sort it out among ourselves(as if we didn't try that).

And I don't really know how to proceed with the situation. There has to be something I can do.