Working in Germany for 6 Months | Better than USA?

My name is Sean Huggins, an American who moved to Germany and has been working here for over 6 months now. Today I share my experience working in Germany compared to my experience working in America.

[dnocturn]

You can't get 3 weeks of paid vacation in Germany. That's illegal. The minimum by law is 22 days for someone who works 5 days per week. If you got that, it might be, because you're not employed for a full year yet and your employer is only granting you the vacation days for the rest of the year. But next year you should be at four weeks minimum.

[uutdiegodzilla]

Another German here, hearing "I have 3 weeks of paid leave", and instantly having the urge to say: "Wait - what? That's wrong!"
But since so many people already explained it, I won't do it anymore..😉

[spiritualanarchist]

I'm Dutch and had a job in Florida in my late twenties. I remember being happily surprised with the higher salary. My employer did call me all hours of the day, but fine. I was young, lived at the beach.Had a good time. . And then ...Boom. First time in my life i had an accident . Couldn't work. Got fired, No healthcare, ( because i never needed healthcare before at that age ) . So long story short, it's all relative. E.U pays less, but has your ass covered. U.S is great and you make more money when things go as planned.

[dnocturn]

Getting a well paid job in Germany is very hard, when you're not fluent in German. Jobs like this exist, but they are pretty rare. And your qualifications often only count, when they're accepted by German standards. There is a lot that German companies (and German law) don't accept as a qualification.

[MellonVegan]

The median salary in Germany is actually higher than the median salary in the US (by quite a bit) but the average is higher in the US bc of more well-earning outliers there and of course this will vary by field.

[simantovUUU]

12, 50 is the legal minimum they have to pay you. most jobs pay better. 4 weeks vaccation a year is standart.

[nikomangelmann]

comparing all the state given benefits in germany (and thats the minimum you get in thouse type of jobs) to the higher payment in the usa without any benifts, in the end you got more mony in germany, cause you dont have to pay everything extra. and dont forget the job life balance got a very hight value too in germany.

[mirnesnuhanovic]

I come from Bosnia and applied for a visa in Germany. In the beginning I will work in a low paid job. I speak German probably A2 nivo. Between the USA and Germany, I choose Germany because it comes closer to my European mentality. The US is also really far away from Bosnia. Germany is more social state where people are better off.

[viderethevaccinatorfromhol]

The standards are even a bit higher in the Netherlands. Especially social security. 20 - 25 days payed vacation days. But Germany ris absolutely awesome to live. Our beloved neighbors,

[committransaction]

Hi Sean, if you are looking for a tech job, one way might be to join Meetups in the area of your expertise. It is really hard to find tech staff, just ask the people there if they know of some open positions. If the company is small, this kind of first contact might help you get kickstarted into a good position. Most developer teams are quite international, so being a native English speaker would be an advantage. Good luck!

[roaxeskhadil]

You repeatedly mentioned that jobs in Germany generally pay less ... but then you are working (literally) minimum wage. Just as a reminder: minimum wage in the US starts at 7.25 ... with the purchasing power of Dollar vs. Euro being basically on par, and not counting the other benefits you mention factored in.
And speaking of the high end: honestly i don't think I would earn as much in my job in the US as I do here, either. At my daily rate of, my 30 days of yearly vacation alone skew the calculation so much that I barely need to think about housing cost, health care, working hours, job security, etc. to depreciate the potential US pay for a comparable job to a level where it's just not worth it.

[alexandergebremichael]

damn this video is really good for someone with 200 sub keep up the quality content my guy

[Jelkartin]

Hey Sean, in which field did you work in the US? You used some clips that suggest programming/IT. If so: my company is urgently looking for Software Developers from Junior to Senior Level, no German required. I would be happy to help you getting in touch.

[arnodobler]

5:30 A year or so ago, I heard a story from a candle factory in the US: there was a tornado (or hurricane) warning for the region. The workforce wanted to get home to their families and houses. The manager said something like, "Everyone who leaves loses their job!" Most stayed. There were several deaths at the plant from the storm!
In another US factory there was heavy smoke from a fire - people had to keep working! Nobody died, but Holy Moly you hear something like that from Bangladesh or something!

[hinzuzufugen]

3 weeks annual paid leave? The legal minimum is 4 weeks. For your 4-day working week it's then 4x4. Combine that with legal (national/Bundesland) holidays (10/11), that adds up to 6 1/2 weeks.

[kevinblankenburg]

Me, like most German had to pause after the three weeks paid vacation. That's just illegal. Most of the workers/ employees get 28 to 30 days of paid vacation.

[raman]

Robert Bosch (founder of Bosch about a 100 years ago) once said "I dont pay my employees so well because im rich. I am rich because i pay my employees so well."
And this is the main difference here in germany i think and part of a success. The boss treats u well and takes care and in return the employees give loyalty and productivity. Ofc, this has changed somehow over the past 40 years or so (more greedy people on all levels) but still its kind of how it works here - especially small and medium businesses.

[SterlingSigurdsen]

You kind of forgot to mentioned how much your rent, food, utilities, and transportation. I lived two years in Norway, and it was amazing, and I do plan on going back again.

[konrad.]

6:45 well said bro!
There's a lot of Germans complaining about everything. That doesn't mean everything is great but it's just not to bad to work here.👍🏿

[muddyfeet]

The real difference between America and Germany is the good education here in Germany. In the United States you will only be trained in your new job for 2-3 months - then you will be let loose on the customers. In Germany, training lasts between 2 and 4 years (including vocational school). After training, you will be a trained specialist and not an unskilled worker.
I lived in the USA for 4 years and most of my friends had already done 5 different things - for example: first they were in construction, then in a real estate agent's office, then at Amazon and now automobile sales. There is simply no such thing in Germany. You do an apprenticeship and if the company doesn't go bankrupt, you work there until you retire (with an increasing salary).