Nothing worse than a monster who thinks he's right with God.

Mal ,'Heart Of Gold'


Natter 68: Bork Bork Bork  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


brenda m - Apr 08, 2011 4:52:37 am PDT #2297 of 30001
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

You own your house, right? I remember some sort of contingency for if you can't sell being a big deal for Cash and maybe some others around here when they had a job move.


flea - Apr 08, 2011 4:57:31 am PDT #2298 of 30001
information libertarian

Oh god, yes.


billytea - Apr 08, 2011 5:09:53 am PDT #2299 of 30001
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

You most certainly need help navigating the various systems. I would also add, some help simply in dealing with the culture shock. Something like 60% of overseas moves for work fail in the first eighteen months, and the culture shock is a large part of that.

Another issue: will they make any allowance (as in financial) for maintaining ties to America? Such as occasional trips back home (not to mention family emergencies etc). It may simply be covered by mr flea's normal salary, but it's likely to be an additional expense you don't have to deal with currently.

Another likely additional expense is taxation; rates are higher in Germany. (You may get more for it too, but it still may not be what you're used to.) Also on the subject of taxation, as I understand it, the US will still require you to file a tax return, and of course you'll need to file in Germany too, which means you'll need a tax agent (possibly two).


flea - Apr 08, 2011 5:16:30 am PDT #2300 of 30001
information libertarian

The US and German do have a reciprocal tax agreement. I am not sure what that actually means, in practice. (IIRC Aus and the US don't, or didn't - my Aus friend in graduate school always had terrible double-jeopardy-type tax woes as a result.)


hippocampus - Apr 08, 2011 5:23:57 am PDT #2301 of 30001
not your mom's socks.

flea, my DH may be able to help if you're comfortable offlining about which part of Germany. I'm going to hit your profile addy, so you have mine.


megan walker - Apr 08, 2011 5:31:09 am PDT #2302 of 30001
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

I am not sure what that actually means, in practice.

When I worked in France it meant paying French taxes (ouch!) but then filing in the US and being able to exempt all my French income from US taxes (because the upper limit was well above my salary). My dual citizenship did not impact taxes.

What have I forgotten?

Guest room for Buffistas?


flea - Apr 08, 2011 5:36:49 am PDT #2303 of 30001
information libertarian

Not if the rents I have been looking at are any indication! This is Berlin, which is a big enough city I don't mind saying! Note this is by no means a sure thing going to happen - no job offer has been made, and I am VERY wary of a company that has never done an international hire before. I had 2 years of German in college but it's quite rusty, and I've lived abroad several times (for up to a year) but always on a temporary, student basis, so I've never dealt with the legal and financial issues.


sumi - Apr 08, 2011 5:37:22 am PDT #2304 of 30001
Art Crawl!!!

You know, most of the time when various Project Runway watchers talk about the walk of one model vs. another - I totally don't notice but I was watching Berroco's show from Vogue Knitting Live and one of the models walks like her shoes are pinching her toes. It's completely distracting.


billytea - Apr 08, 2011 6:08:37 am PDT #2305 of 30001
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

When I worked in France it meant paying French taxes (ouch!) but then filing in the US and being able to exempt all my French income from US taxes (because the upper limit was well above my salary). My dual citizenship did not impact taxes.

I had the same story working in the US. I don't expect you'll be double-taxed (for the most part at least - it is possible on some kinds of investments and such like), but I think you will have to file in both countries.


Consuela - Apr 08, 2011 6:22:07 am PDT #2306 of 30001
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

Good luck with figuring the numbers, flea. Among other issues, you'd want to figure out about after-school care and other programs for the kids, I guess?

In other news, the DDOS attacks against LJ continue. One of the targets appears to be an anti-corruption blogger in Russia named Anton Navalney.

Anyway, Denise who started Dreamwidth has a very smart post about how important LJ is in Russia, and why it's important to support LJ now. [link]

So, people who grumble about "the Russians" taking over LJ should remember that in Russia, LiveJournal isn't just the top blogging platform, it's the blogging platform. It is Russia's free press. It is the tool being used to fight corruption and advance the cause of democracy. And, more practically to LJ users, the Russian-speaking sector of LJ is the reason LJ is still there at all.