In October 2013 I got a practical training place in Germany. There were three hectic (and stressful) weeks trying to get everything sorted out before starting work. Miraculously everything worked out and I even managed to find a furnished apartment in the village (which is not easy, as apartments tend to be unfurnished, and usually stripped to bone, meaning no appliances, no kitchen or other cupboards, even no sink..). I started work at Schneider Electric Automation, in the marketing department of safety processing devices. In the office there are about 400 employees. I can speak some German, but at work I only use English.
I live in Marktheidenfeld, which is a village/town of about 11 000 inhabitants, by the river Main, about 100km. east of Frankfurt. Unfortunately the area is not very traditional, on contrary to what I expected. Most of the buildings (around 90%) were destroyed during World War 2, so it’s mainly new-built. However in the nearby towns there are still some old buildings left. The area is popular wine country, and the hill sides are often covered with vines. It seems like almost every town around has their own wine, and a brewery.
A few tips for the travelers: Most restaurants open earliest at 17, so don’t plan to eat out before that (unless you want kebab). Credit cards or foreign bank cards (debit, electron) are not accepted pretty much anywhere (only at some bigger hotels they accept a credit card). Most people use cash or a German bank card. Also drawing cash is quite expensive.
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