As you’ve probably read by now, we moved back to the U.S. in October 2013. It was a rather major decision for us, and one that was spawned by many things. But in the back of our minds, we always thought about returning to America. We absolutely loved our time in Germany and had many great experiences along the way — but for our businesses and our family, we knew we needed to be back in the States.
As it turned out, 2013 was the perfect year for that to happen, and once we made the decision to come back, it seemed like the stars aligned for us. When we moved to Germany in 2001, we thought it would be for only 2 or 3 years. Of course, it turned out to be 12 years; most of which we spent in Frankfurt am Main and then a short but wonderful 16 months in Berlin. But at some point, the winters started to bring us down, Mackenzie was reaching an age where she would be starting school, and we needed to be in the US to take our businesses to the next level. As fate would have it, our farmhouse sold right on schedule, we found the most amazing international moving company and we found a place to live in Florida, that was not only a great price, but also mostly furnished. Yes, it seemed like the world was leading us back to Florida and we couldn’t be happier about the change.
Our decision
One of the biggest factors of our move was that we would become completely self-employed, relying on our full-service marketing company, Arma Communications. While setting off on your own can be scary, we weren’t totally new to the concept. I’ve been working for myself for many years, building websites and bringing new customers through the door for my clients around the world.
The transition
Many people go through a time of adjustment and transitioning when they return to the US, better known as culture shock. While we had a bit of that, we mostly were celebrating the fact that it wasn’t going to be snowing any time soon. Our town is an amazing city, not only wildly beautiful with it’s lush tropical landscaping and amazing homes, but also because the people here are incredibly friendly. Sure you run into people every now and then who are having a bad day, but for the most part people are happy, kind and easy to work with – which makes life here even more enjoyable.
So thankfully, the last few months have gone amazingly smooth and we have made a ton of great contacts for our marketing. And we’re just so blessed to be making new connections all the time and helping others to achieve their own goals and dreams.
Where we belong
At times, we have wondered if this was where we were supposed to be all along since things have been going so well. But at the same time, we really appreciated the time we were able to spend overseas, traveling, meeting new people and living our own lives. Our experiences have made us more independent and we have quite a story to tell now, which also makes us appreciate everything that Florida has to offer all the more.
So you can expect to read more in the future about our new home that we love so much — and if you decide to come visit, I hope you’ll let me know! I’d love to fill you in on all the best things to do in Florida and show you around!
Been living in Homestead fl for 24 years and have visited Marco Island and Naples on many occasions and hoping one day to settle there.
Nice. One of our favorite places to visit when we are in your area is Robert is Here. My husband and I met while at the U of Miami. That area will always hold a special place in our hearts. ๐
Hi, Just found your site and it is an interesting read for someone contemplating a move to Germany. You said you wanted to start your own businesses so a move back to the States made sense – is it hard to be self-employed over in Germany or is it just that you wanted to work specifically in Florida realty? Also regarding your daughter going back to school, what do you think of the German schooling system? Is it good? Is there a reason you preferred for her to study in the US? We are really thinking of whether we should move to Germany for the social benefits that families get – especially with the birth of a baby and maternity care. Did you enjoy those benefits while you were there and do you miss that now that you are back? Thanks.
Hi Vanessa,
It can be difficult to be self-employed in Germany — it’s really a question of the industry. Many trade jobs require a license and official training (construction to baking) so starting up in cottage industries like you have in the US is not always a possibility. I actually run a marketing business which has been my primary business for the last 9 years. Running a business like that is not really highly regulated although you need to give a lot of consideration to what type of legal entity you form with it and where it will be based.
There are many good schools in Germany, but public and private. The system is a little more complicated than I can explain here. ๐
We were above of the income bracket required to get most of the social benefits. Preschool is reasonably priced and in places like Berlin free for the 3 years before kids enter school. But the general cost of living is higher in many cases versus living in the US which is something you definitely need to consider. If you live in a major city like Frankfurt or Munich, living is quite expensive. Plus the Euro is stronger than the Dollar, making it tricky if you plan to earn income in Dollars along the way. Take a look at sites like immoscout24.de to get a feel for rent prices in the cities you are looking at to get a feel for expenses.
Hope this helps and best of luck. Feel free to contact me with more questions.
Tiffany, I just found your blog. And I am so glad I did! I have been living in Germany for the past 10 years. It has bee a good experience in terms of always having a good job and some benefits like a year of maternity leave with each of my two kids. But, as you, in the back of my mind I always think about going back to the US, I miss the entrepreneurial spirit, the good mornings, his and smiles, and the openess in society. Without talking about not having regulations all over the place…. but sometimes my husband is too scare to leave his steady high paying jobs here to go to the US and struggle to find a job. I plan to grow my own company that I already own, but I have limited opportunities for it to growth here in Germany. Besides the market been more difficult to reach here, I have no more energy to go through all the bureucratic processes. And.. I also miss the weather in the South! .. how was the transition for you? How long did it take you to take this decision? any comment is much appreciated… Thanks again for sharing your wonderful experiences!.. Maria