Sun-shiny dreams, concrete reality

Many of you know that I'm moving to Germany in a few weeks. My general plan was to move to Berlin, study for a few months and see if I could find a job. A bit of research has shown that plan to be hopeful at best, and I'll probably be back in London by April.

It all boils down to work and income, effectively. My savings won't stretch that far if I'm not earning, and there is pretty much zero chance of me getting a job in Germany before my money runs out. Actually, the chance of me getting a job in Germany at all — especially Berlin — is pretty much zero. They seem to care even more deeply about paper qualifications than the British, and unemployment is rife. (About 17% of Berlin is out of work compared to London's 7%.)

(According to an article in the Telegraph, turning down a job in any industry is grounds for cutting someone's unemployment benefit — even the sex industry.)

The courses I'm looking at are offered in both Berlin and Munich, at much the same prices.