As someone who lives in Italy, trust me, French bureaucracy is far more efficient than you'd think. Italian bureaucratic offices had barely discovered the computer before the pandemic forced them to abandon their constant requests for paper copies and actually join the 21st Century.
Italy is a bit strange in their love for papers and bureaucracy on the one end and a strong anarchistic streak on the other. But with that food, culture and history... And the landscape... I often feel Italians don't see how beautiful Italy really is.
@@Jk-qx7gm No but it has great cheese and bread...and administration might be computerized but even computers will tell you NO😅 so italian old paper burocracy might actually be better.
Thats a thing of privacy, less Goverment controll in your Freedom, like they can close your bank accout depending on crimem so with Paper money your safe for that. Also for that we have the quote : Nur Bares ist Wahres/Only cash is true But i also pay alot with card but still alot of peole espacilly the older ones are against it + against more Cash Restrictions or Digital €@@ronald3836
"The dutch language is like a mix of english and german but you have also a potato in your mouth" is the best description of Dutch I've ever heard. I will only use that from now on.
The 49 Euro ticket in Germany is not just for one trip, it's a monthly ticket and you can do as many trips across the country as you want, just not with the long distance trains. I think, the most underrated obstacle to settle in in any country in Europe is language. As long as you don't speak the language of your selected country at least at B2, preferably C1 level, you will always have a very difficult time to find a job or friends, and to become an accepted member of your local community, especially outside of the large cities.
One thing that I see on the internet when people give their opinion on a certain country is that they say that the people in that country are "cold, unfriendly" and while it might be true that some cultures are friendlier than others, a lot of times the problem is that you don't speak the language. Even if the people you interact can speak english they would still prefer to make friends in their language so your social life is going to be pretty surface level.
As a Frenchwoman, I'd like to add that no one will judge you if you buy a baguette at the supermarket. Because most French people buy it themselves in a supermarket. In fact, in some supermarkets, the bread is better than in some boulangeries. And there are many French people who have never eaten a snail in their lives and find it disgusting. Fun fact: I've only eaten them once, and that was in Spain, in a paella
I had my first snail in Paris when I visited and... I was very happy. The flavor of the sauce they were cooked in was excellent and the snail itself was pretty pleasant just a little chewy!
Les baguettes sont, en général, bien meilleures dans les boulangeries (et j'en ai gouté beaucoup dans différents supermarchés !) Baguettes are, in general, much better in bakeries (and I tasted a lot in different supermarkets!
@@mariembalo3076 There are a few bad bakeries that don't make good baguette, but most bakeries are good. Yet baguettes in supermarkets generally aren't bad either, just not especially good.
The train system as a first con! XD That's so on point! We have saying: The German Railway got only four problems - spring, summer, autumn and winter! Greetings from a german. :D
Once she said what you guys do at winter time. All I could think of was when the polish railway lady boss said in an interview as to why are trains stuck in winter: "no sorry taki mamy klimat", "sorry that's just our climate"
znam to, ale o 00:30 babeczka na infolinii (Hut ab, ze o tej porze pracuje:))mowi, ze Autobus zastepczy do Salzwedel I dalej,,moze przyjedzie‘. Spozniony, ale przyjechal. Wooow
As a German, I can confirm these issues with our trains. It worked for almost 200 years perfectly and then, the people decided to make it a private company because a private company would be more efficient than a governmental company. The privatisation stopped at the point where DB became a shareholder company led by managers but the government never sold the shares because they realised that privatization doesn't work. The main issue is that many tracks are so unprofitable that any private company would cut them but there has to be infrastructure. So, the government had to pay for these tracks. Also, the DB still fails with getting even the bigger track profitable. The only success the Deutsche Bahn ever made was buying truck companies and combining them under DB Cargo. The main business of our railroad company is cargo delivery by trucks on the road now. It turned out that you shouldn't listen to economic liberalists and highly corrupt politicians when they praise privatization as a solution for everything. It didn't work in France, and even in Japan, where it seems to work, many lines are still in public hand and others were cut while the quality and infrastructure in the provinced dropped due to profitability. At the same time, working conditions at the railroad companies went from 'preem to hell in no time. Do we wanna talk about the accident of Amagasaki? Punctually done by inhuman terrorization of employees. Profitability on the backs of the people. 107 fatalities.
Same here in the Netherlands, making such companies somewhat private(weird construction were the government is the only shareholder) also in Hospitals and things like the post office. Now a select group of people make a lot of money, and it's not cheaper at all. Not to begin about quality...
Oh it is not run more efficiently when you hand off the enterprise to your political buddy buddy and their aimless progeny is left with running the show. Shocking! "Private"
Same here in the UK, except instead of one private train company, we have dozens, and the tracks are owned by a different company to the trains, and then the stations those railways run through are owned by different companies too. In my city, you have to go to a station owned by EMR to get on a train owned by Northern and ride on tracks owned by Network Rail to get to your destination station probably owned by some other provider you’ve never even ridden with. Unsurprisingly, this results in every single journey being as impractical and tedious as possible, but hey… at least we got rid of all that parliamentary bureaucracy… except for how the government still overlooks routes and prices, completely destroying the entire point of privatisation.
By the way, the compensation for trains is an EU-wide rule: you get 25% back if your journey is delayed by 1 hour, 50% if it's 2 hours or more. You are also entitled to food and drink in proportion to the delay. Anyway, some companies may have even better rules (for example, RENFE in Spain offers 50% discount if your AVE high speed train is 15 minutes late and 100% if it's 30 minutes late. Deutsche Bahn would go bankrupt with that rule).
About the French rudeness, this stereotype comes from Paris and it is kinda true FOR PARIS. I cannot stress enough how different Paris and the rest of the country are, it is true for Paris but not for the rest of the country
@@Jk-qx7gm Paris is an incredible city. If you can afford spending a bit of time to get out of the usual 5 days tourist trail, you need to get lost in the city, be curious, you will find that Paris is unique. I'm from the country side in France and it took me some time to love Paris, it's an acquired taste. I'm talking about the vibe the people and culture. The architecture its instantly beautiful, no acquired taste here. After 20 years in Paris I'm still discovering some new beautiful stuff (that I didn't know about) some secret places etc... About the rudeness, Parisians come from all over France, and all over the world, ...therefore I don't think they are more rude. But it's a big vibrant city, and people behave like they are in a hurry (not as much as in New York but kinda) The drawback with Paris : housing is very expensive (almost as expensive as London)
@@Jk-qx7gm To be honest you won’t, by hearing everyone say that Parisians are rude, you will realize that it's not that bad in reality. From my own experience I have almost never had a problem with Parisians, they are quite normal actually 🤷
Honestly, I find it's ONLY TRUE in the subway 😂😂😂 that's the only time people are grumpy, cause it's crowded, but usually it's fine. I was about to get into it with this African lady on there, but we both chilled out 😅
No it's not just true for Paris, unless all the tourists from France I met were from Paris. Honestly, French people live up to the stereotype, plus they travel and never learn a word of English or the local language. It's ridiculous and they're quite unliked as tourists, same goes for Italians. It's mind blowing how adult French people manage not to know the very basics of English these days.
Depends on the fact WHERE in France you are. Try to speak ANY language in Strasbourg with a German accent, a lot of people (luckily not everyone) start to be extremely rude. I hadn't this experience somewhere else in Grand-Est but there. In Mulhouse they were nice, in Sarregemuines they were polite, even in Luxembourg City the French-speaking waiters were more polite than the Strasbourg guys.
I've lived in France, Sweden and Germany, and I have never had problems making friends in them, with the least successful being Sweden (probably because it was for the shortest time). The problem is finding good friends. That always takes more time.
in Sweden, even the old lady in the supermarket had no problem conversing in English, small towns are here charming . and French intercity buses are really cheap
I have lived in NL since last century and was surprised to find that one of the largest supermarkets here wanted Dutch, German and English to work on the tills. Admittedly, this town is only 6km from the German border, but it is very different to requirements for till-workers in UK where in big cities their english is often very poor.
@@bluur101 Quite often, the Dutch and Scandinavians speak better English than native English, sadly. We are generally lazy when it comes to speaking foreign languages. for obvious reasons.
@@dandare1001 I (a Swede) got a shock first time I heard that. British people saying that my English was better than many natives. I feel that my English is rusty so how can it be better than people speaking it every day.
@@reineh3477 Lots of people simply don't bother to learn English properly at school, or hang around others who have a limited vocabulary, and watch the wrong things on TV, so they never get particularly proficient. I don't know about Swedes because I don't speak Swedish, but I speak German, and I meet lots of Germans who speak German poorly. My German isn't great, yet I have corrected quite a few on their grammar, so I assume Swedes are the same. Aren't they?
I think the best way to explain Austria is: even tho Viena is the electet many times as the best city to live in, they are kinda proud of the fact that they are also one of the unfriendliest countries in Europe. Greetings from Austria! I had to laugh many times because your Opiniens about Austria are very spot on.
As a Czech, I was hearing about Vienna beying the best city in the world for my entire life, when I arrived there, first what welcomed me was ugly patched sidewalk like from 90s and rest of city didn't look better, people were rude and we were cheated in caffé. And only people who spoke English were muslim sellers in their little shops, native Viennese people were answering in German only and people say that we are bad in languages. 😀 I hope I offended everyone from Vienna. 😀
@@PidalinMost austrians hate people from vienna. They are entitled and think to highly of themselfes. You probably have something simular in czechia where people from big cities are view differently than people from the land. It's like that all over the world, in the US they hate people from NY and LA, in germany it's berlin and in other parts of the world it's no different. People from bigger cities just tend to be bigger assholes. But that you haven't found a nice spot in vienna can't be a serious claim if you were anywhere near the center. Even tho the people aren't the best the city is still very beautiful.
@@kommdegaya753 Yes, it's the same here, but I am born in Prague, so I know that people from smaller cities and villages spread mostly absolute nonsenses about people from Prague, so maybe it's the same even with Vienna. I spent most of my life out of Prague in many different places, so I know how life looks in other places and what nonsenses people believe about capital city. In fact - standard of living in Prague is worse than in smaller cities because of crazy prices of housing and people are actually more friendly in Prague than in small towns. When I am in Prague and then I return to this sh*thole, I am always very sad and I really want to return to Prague, but with today prices of housing, it's sci-fi to return there. I still have permanent adress in Prague, so when I go to some hotel and they see my ID card, it's higly probable that I will be cheated because they hate people from Prague and they think they are rich for some reason, it happened to me several times, like when I stayed in pension in Moravia region, they were counting more beers than I actually had in their restaurant, this happens all the time when someone thinks you are from Prague, so you must be rich, but these villagers are super rich compared to how average Praguer look, they own houses and big cars, in Prague you own max 4 chairs and TV.
@@Pidalin Yeah it's def a rant with a comedic undertone. People are quick to judge everyone not core austrian, so people from germany(preißn) or even the traditionlly distant viennese people, but not in a particularely hatefull way. The core traditions of austria are mostly in Styria, Tyrol, Salzburg and lower Upper-Austria. The viennese kinda have their own thing going and are def a bit more entitled. The thing is that austrians are in general quite cold(not as much as germans but still) and the language is mostly spoken with a comedic and slightly insulting undertone which can be seen as rude by an outsider.
Not willing to do small talk is not being rude, it’s just how it is here. For most Europeans it’s weird to talk to a stranger for no reason, or to open your mouth if you have nothing to say.
Erika, your video is very well investigated and nicely presented. I laughed about your national changes in flags and clothing. Well done and funny to see. Thanks
I am an American (Los Angeles, California ;w;) , and for reasons people might understand, I kinda wanna move to another country. Whether or not I end up in Europe, this video was really helpful for me! I learned a lot, so thank you Erika and comments section.
American here, also from California - I've been living and working in Switzerland for the past 5 years, so it is definitely possible if you put your mind to it. No regrets here 😊
srr, I see you might be somewhat into Anime? Seen Flanders no inu already? It's 1 of the most known anime within Japan btw. I would say, it's nice to live in, however, other than that, unless you like great food, old buildings/architecture and beer, it tends to be quite boring. Belgians came up with the Big bang theory, the BMI calculation, the internet (Mundaneum in 1910) and so on. Even though a Belgian came up with asfalt, it's not clear when you look at the state of some of the roads, (which might be bc they have a lot of them).
I am currently in Germany on holidays from Australia and as my first time overseas, all I can say is the culture is so different and there's so much history in Europe. I'm not sure whether I would want to live here because I miss Australia already but I might settle for Holidays to Europe every couple of years until I've explored enough. I would love to do the Netherlands in a few years and then Scandinavia. Love your videos cheers :)
German people from the north struggle to understand dialects. But I really can’t understand how they don’t. Maybe it’s because I grew up with different dialects around me, but northern Germans really are ridiculously bad at this. And they can’t even roll their Rs. Just very… Inflexible. In my experience they struggle more with accents and dialects in general. Even outside of Germany.
@@Кгволыыдыы Basically. The north also has regional dialects that differ much from Hochdeutsch, but sadly the dialects in the north are kinda dying out. Many people there can just speak Hochdeutsch and at best understand their regional dialect. In the south and Middle Germany dialects survived more often than in the north. But it also differs from region to region how many people are able to speak a dialect and how many of them still do regulary. What you will have everywhere are accents though. Even though people don't really speak their dialect they often still have an accent of the region they are coming from. Meeting a German with a perfect High German pronounciation is actually really rare.
Hello from Sweden! Really great video! Most of the things are true and very well explained. I don't really know how it works in other cities in other cities but atleast where I live (Gothenburg) all types of doctor checkups are free due to something called närhälsan (Nearby Health) which is a doctor checkup area in most major neighbourhoods. This thing gives free checkups and the queue is normally really fast! Introvert life in sweden is so real and honestly sometimes a bit relaxing. Sweden is kind of built (socially and infrastructurally) to be very tranquilising and calm which might be a turn off for some people but really good for others. Even bars and other party areas are still relatively calm and relaxing even during happy hour (most of the time). Personally I love it but it's really up to the person. Again really good video! keep it up :)
@@carlosvazquez3678 I have heard that gang violence has been a problem that exists in sweden and there have been new regulations that the government is rapidly putting up to fix it. For myself and my city I have not witnessed anything. I think it matters on what city you live in. I feel pretty safe here and nothing has directly attacked that idea. It is no way near "the most dangerous countries in the world" (far from it, I don't know where you got that assumption from? #26 in peace, #11 in Safety and Security, #72nd in Murder Rate, and 4.7/10 in the criminality score following with a 7.46 government resilience score) but there are problems which are being rapidly fixed! Hope that answers your question :)
@geranienbaum I see. I thought that military forces had to help police to control the mafia installed in Sweden since this country open the borders to immigration. Apparently, crimes are related to rapes. Like the girl 9 years old raped by a guy from Algeria. Sweden is not even included in the top 10 safe countries in the world. I never been to Sweden maybe media exagerates this.
@@carlosvazquez3678 Some places are real bad, most of the country less so. There is a simple way of estimating whether you are in one of the former or the latter, and all Swedes know how to figure that out. However, I will not state it, for reasons.
Here in Portugal, we have so many Golden Visas, tourism, immigration, local tourist accomodation, that Portuguese people either have to: - Pay 300.000 euros for a "new" apartment. - Pay 800 euros monthly rent for a one room apartment. - Pay 400 to share an apartment with 5 other people. - Live with your parents. - Move to a village. - Be homeless. Life's good, never have I thought that living in a car would be so luxurious and cheap.
There is no country in the world where living is more affordable, you can pay a monthly rent of 800€ with your 1.600€ salary in Portugal, or pay 400€ with your 800€ salary in Bulgaria, or pay 200€ with your 400€ salary in Albania, or pay 100€ with your 200€ salary in Algeria, or pay 50€ with your 100€ salary in Senegal, or pay 25€ with your 50€ salary in Ghana, or pay 12.5€ with your 25€ salary in Gambia, or pay 1€ from your 2€ salary in Uganda... You chose where you would rather live and what to do with the rest of your salary.
Spaniard living in edgy and techno Berlin. The video is very precise. I really liked it. I would add that the public transport inside of Berlin works really really well. About the kitchens on rented flats, it is changing now also and getting better. The thing in Germany is that there is a huge lack of flats so landlords know that the flat will be rented even without a kitchen. Burocracy, I think, is getting better now and more digitalized. Income tax is easy to do online with private companies software who make everything very easy. Most people don't use elster but these programms or online apps. It is true that Germany is very affordable and at the same time it has high salaries. And yes, the big con is the language. It is stereotypical to say it, but yes, German language is difficult and needs time and constant motivation. I still recommend Germany a lot.
excellent video, the Lidl Jubileum shirt just killed me :) if you decide on part 2, may I suggest picking from Balkans, Eastern and SW Europe? to have a mix of places. cheers
The thing about southern German/Austrian "Unfriendliness" is rather that we are quick to criticise something. We even got a word for that (granteln as a Verb or Grantler as a noun). And also: the most unfriendly people are in cities like Vienna or Munich (Munich got some contagious toxicity in the mood, ngl), but in smaller cities like Regensburg in Germany or Salzburg in Austria, people are pretty nice.
except "granteln" is not German but Bavarian/Austro-Bavarian, which is the language spoken in Bavaria and Austria. Please don't call it German, thanks.@@arottedfruit
I can confirm that people in Vienna are very unfriendly, only people who were kind to us were muslims for some reason. Here in Czechia, I would say it's vice versa, people in small cities are very rude, but in Prague, everyone is chilling. But there is a difference between classic oldschool villagers (who can be kind, but they almost don't exist anymore) and small town peolpe who are extremely rude and agressive, especially when you don't belong to their social bubble. When I go to Prague, I am always shocked that people talk to me in shops and they are helping me when I am asking something or have some small talks, here in small town, everyone just jumps to a car and disapears, so there is noone you could talk to, because there is noone outside, you see people only in their stupid cars and behind their 3m tall walls and fences. I thought Vienna will be similar case as Prague that people mostly lie about Viennese people because they just hate capital city as here in Czechia, but when I arrived to Vienna, pretty much everything negative I heard about Vienna was confirmed in first 2 days - people are rude, when you ask something, they don't help or answer something in German and walk away, we were cheated in caffé (they printed two breakfasts to our bill instead of just 2 coffees which we actually had) and city looked very damaged - like patched asphalf sidewalks, graffiti everywhere, everything covered under stickers...very weird experience, I didn't expect it that Vienna is that ugly, people here complain about Prague because they hate capital city, but they should be glad that we have what we have. In Lisbon, it was vice versa, people were that helpful, that it was really annoying, they were helping even without asking for help which is another extreme, I don't know what is more annoying. 😀
@@Pidalin There's nothing to excuse about the cafe thing. That's just bad. As for unfriendlyness: I worked in vienna for a little over 10 years and i can't say the same. The real viennese i worked with have never been unfirendly. It's just not part of the austrian culture to start talking to a stranger for no particular reason other than to start a conversation. I have seen that being counted as unfriendliness, but that's a misconception about the word friendliness in my opinion. Two more things: the viennese pronounciation of words sounds more grumpy than the one in Salzburg for example. So there's instances where the same thing said by someone from the west of austria and from vienna sounds more unfriendly from the viennese even though that's not the intention behind it. And secondly: i don't know in which language you conversed with the people in vienna, but i would guess english? -> "thanks" to there being so many germans, any hollywood movie and tv show broadcasted in austria since both are a thing, is dubbed in german. (if the audience is big enough, that has been done and so the swiss and austrian "benefit" and add to the numbers of potential german speaking audience.) That means that there's a huge shift in the population between generations in their english language abilities. (as the most spoken second language) Most people from the age of 40 downwards (thanks to schools and the internet) can speak english, but with most it's not on the same level as the czechs, slovaks, polish... Above that age, language skills are rare. So if you encounter austrians of the age of 60 for example your chances of talking to them if you don't speak german are slim. Then it's down to hand guestures and facial expressions...
for me it is mind-blowing that just now you have found shops with more milk options like 2023, It is not a bad thing it was just a culture shock for me since I took it for granted
The weather in the Netherlands is changing rapidly towards hotter climate. We had drought and summers above 30 degrees for the last 5-8 years, like the rest of Europe
As a Midwestern American, it sounds like your climate is moving to be more like ours, which sucks. I've visited a few different areas in Europe in the summer a decade ago, and summers are just beautiful across the whole continent as far as I can tell.
Except this year in early Aug this year when I was there It was very green whilst in London UK the grass was a lot drier and browner. Though even here this year has been wetter than usual.
@@Yosh-wt4lg Not actually true the northern latitudes are the places that will see the biggest temperature difference. This is why when all these nonsense predictions about coral reefs being wiped out most of the time don't happen. As the tropics and southern hemisphere would warm as much. And what causes coral bleaching it rapid temperature rises during a short time period rather than higher sea temps.
Your use of 'doozy' was perfect! And your sense of humor is absolutely hilarious; I was giggling the whole time I was watching. Thank you for this informative video!
Another excellent video!!!! I spend Christmas in the Netherlands almost every year with my family that lives there and love it! We also visit Berlin frequently as some of the family is based there… Despite the winter weather, I love those countries ❤
Biking in the rain is such a universal Dutch experience. I love it. It's not fun in the moment but when you're home with a cup of tea it's the best feeling!
I want to thank you so thoroughly for making this video. So well-informed. I'm considering 1 of at least 3 of the countries you mentioned and you gave such a comprehensive firsthand view.
Ugh... I needed this. I'm a chinese American considering moving to either DE or NL. Social connections, maybe a different professional route... IDK Also, love how smugly sarcastic you are lol. If we lived in the same city I would definitely organize a party with you
erika describing the netherlands, germany, etc: accurate, reliable information either coming from personal personal experience or well-done research erika talking about france: stereotype, stereotype, stereotype
Church Tax is not mandatory. And even if you opted in accidentally in some way getting out is easy, just go to a local administration office and sign the paperwork. My experience with this is: Easiest appointment I ever had there and also the 2nd lowest fee I have ever paid. I think it was 30€. (about 8 years ago) Wish getting out of GEZ was that easy.
I went to Amsterdam at the middle of september this year. the weather was lovely. I have some Dutch friends and everytime we went out to eat, it was not Dutch food, as none of them wanted to eat it.
Same in Norway, but that is mostly because we prefer our more traditional foods homemade. Some of that food is rather.... "Exotic" for todays standards, like Smalahove/Cooked Sheep Head. Almost nobody eats that anymore for obvious reasons and the people I know who have eaten that, I can count on one hand. I have family in rural West Norway and Komle is very popular among them.
About the winter in Austria: In Vienna or Lower Austria (i.e. not the mountains) winters aren't that cold anymore. Which means sadly barely any snow anymore in winter. Only a few days in November with a bit snow and a few days last week with a dusting of snow this season here in that area of Austria. Also inflation here was higher than in Germany the last few years. Like drive over the border and the stores might have cheaper prices for the same stuff in the same store chain.
I'm from germany and I think I'll move to spain at some point in the future. The weather here is just so bad all the time and I just love the chill spanish attitude that people have.
@@Vanillevirus I am german and I think we complain about the wheather all the time. Changing from too wet to too dry and from too hot to too cold according to the situation.
Probably the best option to live in Europe would be southern Europe with the support of foreign income (preferably from countries such as Germany, England or Sweden) not only about the weather but also the people, the food, the cheap prices, the housing (with the income you get you can afford same quality housing as in northern europe with more options like a swimming pool and ac) and the beaches and touristic hotspots. Its not for nothing a lot of Germans, English, French,... Are doing it especially in the Iberian Peninsula. From a Person who is now living in Portugal and used to live in France, I can guarantee its worth the move but it can be struggling if there's nothing to back your stay. Generally because of people coming here to live and the mass amount of migration flowing within the nation (can also be true for Spain or Italy) housing prices have been unbearable for the native people's low incomes. But overall if you stay outside of the big towns in small sized towns you will have a great life around! Another positive trait to Spain is their free highways, the large quantity of products mostly food but also electricity and gas tends to be cheaper than the rest of europe as of now. (PS: most things are also already in English and it wont be hard for you to find fellow Germans).
@@eskipoI illegal mirgation si def a huge disadvnatage resulting in bad safety...i rppabaly would do it ,llater in my life. maybe settle in portugal and open an resturant or something
What a great video! I live in Enschede right now to study at UT but only as an exchange student for a year with the Erasmus program. And I find the cultural difference you mentioned to be so true :D Originally I study in Hamburg.
Interesting and well presented. I like your relaxed style! One small point to help: a *demanding* job is difficult, challenging. A job that is *in demand* means that lots of employers want you.
I've also lived in Germany for 1.5 years now, in a suburb town right outside Cologne. None of the doctors I met spoke English 😂 And due to my mom's illness I had to go to a few of them even at the time when I didn't speak German at all. Man that was a motivational thing for me. I even made a habit of just going to various doctors with other Ukrainians just to help with translation. Dentists are the toughest to understand so far😁
Were these all old doctors? I can't imagine a 40-50 year old well educated person in Germany that doesn't speak English. Most of all outside the former eastern bloc 😮
@@DenzelPF-jl4lj no, middle-aged as well! And yes, whether in ophthalmology, ortho, urology or neurology - noone, literally noone spoke English. Turkish - yes, but otherwise - only German. That's why there is a segment of Russian-speaking doctors, but the waiting times are extra long and I find them very dismissive: one of them just prescribed my mom a cream, when a German orthopedist performed a surgery. And don't get me started on receptionists: to make an appointment you've got to speak German. That's why I learned it in 1 year and now I even got a job in German in my field (marketing)
@@MrFahrenheit9I am a doctor and a native Turkish speaker and I have C1 level English and b1 level Ukrainian, do you think I could find a job easily in Germany? If yes I would like to start learning German. Russian is on demand bcs there is no doctor who can speak Ukrainian or some people from Ukraine only know Russian? What do you think?
As a German I can say Germany does not have universal health care. But we have a mandatory health insurance system. Our health care system is not financed by the government but by some kind of health insurances. Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) functions in accordance with the solidarity principle. The individual insurance fees are based on the financial performance of the members, the health services are the same for everyone. For anyone who plans to work, study, live in Germany for a longer term, it is essential to understand our German national health system. You can get into great trouble in Germany without a German health insurance. If you don't have a valid health insurance you will be billed with around 750€ each month you forgot to apply for a statutory health insurance. As a short-term tourist you do not have to deal with this but especially as a self-employed "digital nomad" you have take care. Without a health insurance you cannot get medical care without paying yourself for it. Around 100,000 people in Germany don't have access to the German health system.
Es ist kein Hexenwerk! Man kann sich freiwillig versichern lassen bei einer gesetzlichen Krankenkasse oder man kann alternativ eine private Versicherung abschließen unter solchen komplizierten Arbeitsumständen
Yes, and I dislike the way it is unfair. If you call a doctor for an appointment, they tend to give you an appointment a few days or even more than a week later. Yet as soon as you tell them you are privately insured, you get an appointment on the same day. I always ended up paying the bills myself. It reeks of corruption. As a comparison, a German friend of mine was in the UK last year and had a small accident. He was accepted in a hospital, treated, and they never asked to see any sort of medical insurance card, and didn't even ask for his address. He didn't even have to pay for anything. That is more like universal healthcare.
@@almerindaromeira8352 If you earn above average, this may not be a real problem. But for average migrants, there's a lot of bureaucracy to contend with. The legal obligations in the German social security system are very strict. Not paying taxes in Germany is less dangerous than not paying compulsory health insurance. Ordinary German employees are only allowed to leave the statutory health insurance if they earn more than 69,300 euros a year. The average annual income of an employee in Germany is only €49,260. In most cases, migrants in Germany earn significantly less than EU citizens.
@@jorgruthschilling you keep telling me how dangerous it is, yet you never mention the actual process, which as a migrant myself, I know well. That means you just want others to have fear of some mystical paper forms. A) If you get a new job, you have 15 days to register with a new Krankenkasse or you can change yours, if you so choose. Just tell your employer and HR does everything. B) you can go to a gesetzliche Krankenkasse and request a voluntary status (freiwillige Versicherung). Based on your income statements you will have to pay the insurance yourself every month. It's pretty good if you are self-employed. C) you may go to any private insurance company and register yourself with them. It's cheap if you're healthy, later in life you might regret it, who knows. Voilà, you are now insured!
@@almerindaromeira8352 As a foreigner, you may not be aware that most employees in Germany are not allowed to withdraw from statutory health insurance (GKV). This option is not available to most migrants. Most Germans are not free to choose between statutory insurance (GKV) and private insurance (PKV). For most normal families, private health insurance is significantly more expensive than statutory health insurance. Your advices could cause serious harm to migrants coming to Germany. "C) you may go to any private insurance company and register yourself with them. It's cheap if you're healthy, later in life you might regret it, who knows. Voilà, you are now insured!" "That means you just want others to have fear of some mystical paper forms." You don't understand that you can get into very serious legal and financial problems if you do not adhere to the social insurance laws in Germany. We have a very famous German saying that describes our German approach to organizing our society. "Von der Wiege bis zur Bahre, Formulare, Formulare!" “From the cradle to the grave, paper forms, paper forms!” Nobody needs to be afraid of the enormous bureaucracy in Germany, but you cannot ignore these things in Germany as a migrant. BTW, 3,541 Euros was the median monthly wage of full-time employees with German citizenship who were subject to statutory health insurance in 2020. Median wage means that half of the employees earn a higher salary, the other half a lower one. With an average of 2,638 Euros, foreigners in Germany earn significantly less than German citizens. You can opt out of the statutory health insurance in Germany only if you earn more than 5,500 Euros each month.
one more thing is in france is internal public transport is great like most moderately sized towns have like a bus system that just goes within the town so theres that on top of the cross-town public transport
One should also mention, that it's common for doctors not to put their opening hours on the internet in germany Germanys premade food is abundand and significantly more affordable than Dutchland It's true that German efficiency has succumbed to Bureaucracy! Even ppl born, raised in germany, speaking german fluently no problem have big trouble deciphering what the heck the >insert institution< is writing you by letter. Yes... letters are very common here.....
Austrian here specifically living in Dornbirn aswell. Well one thing important to mention on housing prices is that they are very dependent on the state you live in. For example Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg are known for their horendous housing prices and very big coorprate housing markets. Vienna on the other side has one of the most affordable housing in the whole of europe specifically for a big city! One rule of thumb is that the more east you go the cheaper austria gets!
@@CoughFee Burgenland has the lowest cost of living of all of the states but comes with the disadvantage of not so saturated job market and general lower household income
Sweden was very accurate! The one thing I'd add to cons is that we're currently being overwhelmed by an unprecedented spike in crime. So if safety is a concern, parts of Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö are incredibly unsafe today.
It is very true that transportation in France can be expensive. SNCF is not a public service anymore, so it is forced to make a profit or die (which I think is silly for many reasons). Regional trains are subsidies by the administrative regions but the TGV is not and the fare system is based on yeild management like airline travel, so the prices get quite expensive the more you wait to pick your seat. There are also no TGV subscription, which sucks for recurrent travelers that use the service to commute to Paris. But the regional trains are really good, and cheap with a fixed price per km.
Funny video, I quite like it! Also, it's funny to hear what you call innovations in the NL. All listed things are available for already literally years in Poland :) If you proceed with p.2 I would be really keen to hear about Iceland, GB, Italy, one of Baltic countries and one of Balkan countries. Cheers and good luck with your laptop!
Great video! I’m a Brit living in Amsterdam and I agree that the sentiment in the last 5-8 years has changed towards internationals.. and is increasingly negative. The tide will eventually turn but not for a while.
Very nice! I'm close to getting my degree and was actually thinking to move abroad for some time for my first job (I'm from Germany). Very difficult decision, as there are so many interesting places to go ... if you care to make a 2nd part, maybe you could include countries like Denmark, Italy or Czech :)
On Germany: Yes, there is a lot of bureaucracy, and I hated it while living there, but at least it works. I'm now living in Portugal and miss "German bureaucracy". At least, if you submit a form, it will be handled. You can call the tax office or health insurance, and speak to a person. You can make appointments and they will be honored (if you're on time). And btw. doing taxes in Germany is pretty easy IMO, elster is really good and has explanations for literally every field.
You're just misinformed, as a foreigner living in Portugal all of this exists also here. You can chat with a person on the tax agency website and call also a number. It's very easy.
In Denmark, train travel from Copenhagen to either Aarhus or Aalborg can cost up to 100 Euro. Typically, tickets range from 50-100 Euro. Booking three months ahead offers significant discounts, but a ticket purchased just five days prior can be 70-80 Euro. Interestingly, flying the same distance can be equally or even more affordable.
oh wow thats really different. in the netherlands the ticket will always be the same price, even 1 hour before the train leaves. so it depends on what you like more
Great video. It would be nice if you put an icon in the menu so people can support your channel financially. I’ve seen other UA-camrs do that. That would reduce the time it takes to go to a webpage. And I would love to see other videos on this topic :) Tschüss 👋
For France, I would like to add a few things : For trains, you can also get reimburse pretty easily, but if you know the specific website. The train has to be late for more than 30 minutes, and you can get fully reimbursed above 4h or something. For the living areas being badly isolated and stuff, while there’s indeed a problem in France, in the past few years, there has been a pretty big policy from the government to pay for the insulation of homes and apartments, so thousands and thousands of homes are being renovated each months, so the problem is slowly disappearing. As for the cost of transportation, the TGV (high speed train) and the toll for Autoroutes is pretty high, but the rest is relatively inexpensive. Then, I think the idea of french being rude is pretty related to French always saying no. I think, as a cultural thing, many foreigners are surprised by french people saying no, and might think this is rude. Otherwise, as a french living in Germany, I honestly don’t think there’s more rude people in France than Germany for exemple. Small tip, if someone is saying no to you, try again a few more time. If they still say no after that, then try someone else. But you will be surprised of the amont of time where asking a few more times in a roundabout way can actually work. And that also work when it comes to the administration! If you are stuck in an infinite loop of things that need to be done for the others to work, people might find a way to get things done. As a french, so my experience might be very different from foreigners that just came in France, I actually find the German administration to be more confusing. But that’s maybe because being a French citizen, I don’t have to go through as many paperworks as foreigners to get things done.
Totally agree, I'd like to add that the condition of homes is I think mostly in Paris and maybe some big cities, but after living in the UK and Ireland, this is a whole new world of shitty, at least continental homes are well built and last for long, and if the previous tenant too care of it, it will stay in good condition, even if some pipes are visible. Also for insulation I never really experienced it, but I'm from south of france and older homes had very thick walls so insulation was great. When it comes to the rudeness, I agree with the bonjour thing, for the language, we are very very conscious about grammar and pronunciation (we even correct each other between french people, it's not rude, it's just to help), but it is often considered rude to come to a country and not learn a bit of the language, so if you talk to a french, start with a basic "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" and they will likely do the effort to speak in english (if they know it), since you made the effort to speak in french. Now on the trains, I agree it can get expensive, but nowhere as high as German prices I saw a few years back, and you can usually find low cost high speeds. You would usually pay between 20€ and 100€ for a one way ticket from Paris to Avignon with Ouigo. Otherwise you can do a blablacar (car-pooling). The administration is complicated, nothing to say about it, but on the cost of living, you can often get help from the government to help you pay your rent (la CAF), or if you have kids to pay for food, bus etc.
I'm french, but lived and or worked in many different countries in Europe (Germany, Italy, Ireland England, Belgium, Germany) and also in Canada and America. I think french people can be indeed quite rude if I compare them to Canadians and Americans for example. But if you have a good contact (smile, jokes etc...) then surprisingly people start to be much nicer. The culture of "NO" (administration but not only) is totally true and I find it really annoying. In comparaison, a canadian hotline person (booking a flight for ex) will do anything in its power to help you, be nice and joke with you, will not finish before you are happy and you found exactly what you're looking for. That said, there are some good things too, unlike in northern america the french don't act, they don't feel obliged to be nice, so when they are it's genuine and not commercial 😆 Compared to Germany, I don't find the french more rude, it's more ore less the same. It's mostly in comparison to the northern american service industry that the difference is noticable..
this is pretty much how it is! People inside the countries does not know how they are. Only but as an outstander you can compare and observe. And also well done video. Now that you have this understanding - there are many more countries to understand and evaluate.. Maybe you one day, get the understanding of our origns.. Realation between Germanic Slavic Roman ...
Always wanted this kind of video. I would love to see more videos like this with more countries and more points (like engineering skills, design philosophy and architecture, startup scene) to compare even if the video is long (or in multiple parts). Also Erika, could you tell us more about the dutch healthcare system and how it compares to other countries. Btw love the IKEA hat in the Swedish segment 😂😂
Here are some perspective on France from a Frenchman. Home : Most of what is listed is certainly true, but that bit about having no second bathroom had me confused because I've never found myself wanting for more than one and most people I know have the same mindset. It's nice if you have the space and money to have a second one, but really that's just seen as extra luxury. Language : I think anyone would be more comfortable speaking in their native tongue, not just the French and that someone cannot hope to "settle in" long term in a country without learning the language. Putting it backward I don't think a French person moving to the U.S.A. would be seen kindly if he was hellbent on speaking in French and expecting locals to accommodate him. Saying no : From what I gather it's not true in services, like changing your flight would be dependent on the terms and opening a bank account is just an easy task. There might be some red tape complication associated with certain endeavors though and for individuals it can be true, in Paris especially people are subjected to a lot of solicitation, from charity association, from beggar, from tourist its like spam on your mail account but IRL so some Parisian have the default mindset of saying "no!", because they've had enough. Little veggies option : That's downright wrong, because France is a country with excellent agricultural yield and a great food culture you will find a lot of veggie option, that is lots of vegetables, what you won't find easily are veggies products trying to look like meat. It's probably because of the food and cooking culture : when most people know how to cook to some extent they don't need "veggies friendly product", they just buy vegetables and cook themselves a meal. Personally I find it hypocrite, if one want to forgo meat because of ones conviction then they should not need an ersatz of meat. Rudeness : I think that is mostly a matter of cultural difference, indeed on the reverse side a number of thing typically normal for an American can be seen as supremely rude by French people, just like both are bound to make insulting mistake in the eye of a Japanese and so on. On the side of service in particular France have not the concept of "above and beyond" the American way. You are expected to be professional, nothing more and nothing less because as it was said earlier in the video : "French works to live, they don't live to work", which also means that "customers is always right" doesn't apply either.
@@witold7154 It actually makes sense though. Granted a lot more French people might speak (kinda) English than the reverse but you should absolutely not assume that to be the case and that's the point he is trying to get across.
Are there vegetarian dishes in restaurants/cafes? How common are they? If I walk in to any restaurant, how easy is it to order a meal with no meat? By that I mean a main dish, not just a side or a salad.
@@dyld921 To my knowledge, and I'm not a specialist, yes there are vegetarian dishes and if you're in a somewhat big city, you'll find one. However I think it's not common enough for you to walk into a random restaurant and you're better off looking it up online. Now that isn't because these dishes don't exist.but the demand isn't as widespread and we tend to add things with vegetables. So I cannot guarantee every restaurant but you should find them. Otherwise yeah just cook it yourself, that's what most people would do.
@@dyld921 My rant (sorry about it) Is maybe shortsighted. Because of the pictures shown in the background I though the point was about veggie product you can buy in store and thus did not consider the very pertinent question of restaurant. In big city a lot of restaurant have vegetarian dishes and indicate them clearly on the menu, granted it is far from universal. In samller town it is more of a gamble.
I'm from the States, so you know, there's that. I've been to all these countries and a few more to spare in Europe and have found people to be almost universally lovely. Yes, even in France. Yes, even in Paris. But then, I've also found people in New York City to be friendly and welcoming, so maybe I'm just very lucky. Or, perhaps, if you treat people with respect, most of them will return the favor? I'm so tempted by these places, but unfortunately, I don't have highly in-demand skills. I actually preferred Belgium over the Netherlands (GASP!!!), though admittedly, I didn't spend as much time in The Netherlands. Same with Denmark over Sweden. Though in all those cases, the lack of daylight/seasonal depression thing worries me. After spending time in Lyon, France, I thought a lot about possibly living there, but I have a nearly pathological inability to speak or understand French. Since I have a hard time making friends in a place where I do speak the local language, I imagine it would be extra difficult in another country. Still, if my wife ever decides it's time to move to Europe, my bags are packed. Though I suspect I'm too old, and the fact that we don't have children would make us less attractive as immigrants.
❤🎉 thanks for that! I totally agree. These stereotypes about unfriendliness are just so silly, objective and often untrue. I think you're have the perfect mindset about that and wish everyone would understand this
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I'm french. Despite the usual clichés about americans (obnoxious tourists... assume that the world revolve around America etc...not the best skills at understanding/being open to cultural differences etc..) I love americans. I think they are often fun and have a positive attitude, nothing is ever impossible. Every culture has its plus and cons though. It's not easy to fit in in France if you don't speak the language well. But it's not impossible. The best way for americans is to come with a business project (much easier than come and look for a job) If you start a business here you get a residence card (carte de séjour)
One thing I want to mention since people are talking about climate: Preferences differ *a lot*. I live in NRW and compared to my childhood, Germany has just become too hot for me in the summers (and I do miss Winter, proper Winter). I can't take the heat and I can't sleep properly, it's terrible. If I were to move South, I would probably die. My best friend is the opposite, she'd prefer to live at the equator, probably. Another friend (from Mexico) said that the summers in Sweden are getting too hot for her :D Another thing I find funny is people saying that the weather e.g. in Münster is terrible and it's raining all the time. 1 in 3 days is not all the time to me, it's variety. And given our recent droughts, I'm glad for every drop of rain I see 😅
Agreed. Weather is changing (for bad IMO). North-west Italy here. It changed a lot here in the latest decades. Summers became too hot and too long. Winters keep shrinking and are way less cold compared to what they used to be 50, 40 or even 20 years ago. Snow has already almost completely disappeared from our winters. Dry periods are getting longer and drought is a constant risk. Hard times ...
the Czech Republic is a paradise in a bubble separated from the rest of the world. that is the answer. I am not from there, have no ancestry there, so I have no biases. it's only based on what I've experienced. good day
Going from Enschede to Amsterdam by car is not cheaper unless you plan on staying there shorter than the length of the drive. Parking in Amsterdam will quickly sum up to higher than the train fare.
I am German, living in Italy for 25 years now and from a holiday in Paris I remember the rudeness of everybody there. Even the person that rented her flat to us seemed unhappy about the fact that she was renting out her flat. I did not find this rudeness anywhere else. Germany, U.K., Italy, Netherlands, Spain.....never found all those rude people in a short time.
Can i add something? As you talked about the dutch liking using self checkouts and "plastic money". I think it should be said that both germany and austria are less into both of them. There are self checkouts, but people prefer a normal cashier. Easy reason: why should you do the job of the cashier and pay the same? (You don't get a discount for doing the job o fthe cashier yourself) If the cashier does the work you get the same price and a person has an actual job and pays taxes themselves. And the other thing is that people here are weary of banks and the state "knowing" all your purchases. It's a historical thing where we famously had a "government" that wasn't very trustworthy in the late 30's and first half of the 40's. And that sentiment of the state not needing to have control over the finances of the inhabitants is one reason for people liking cash. And for why austris had to give up the "Bankgeheimnis" only due to pressure of the EU. (Bankgeheimnis =bank secret meant that the bank you had your account at was not allowed to tell anyone about your money, where it came from, where it goes, etc. Not even the state, and not even easily if there was suspicion of a crime.)
I used to work as a cashier. If you don't value your time, sure, stand in line and go to the cashier. Oops, the person in front of you hasn't weighed their vegetables, or they forgot something and make everyone wait while they run and grab their missing item. Ah, they're paying by cheque? you need to wait for the manager to come and sign off on it. Eh, they're paying by cash but they can't count. Eh hang on, they want to redeem coupons, but they're out of date, but they think you're being smart, and so you have to call the manager so they can repeat to the customer what the cashier just told them. And on and on the list goes. Or you could go to self checkout and be out of there in no time.
@@TheDrunkDragon Last year i had it happen that, when buying groceries the supermarket, all cashier checkouts were closed and only the "self checkouts" were open. It took me longer than the normal 20 people line they had at other times. Because the whole system with several customers takes way longer than a single well trained person. Then there were several malfunctions in the system where it didn't recognize items or claimed you smuggled an item even though you scanned that exact item and it should know it by the weight where you put the scanned ones... Then there was the long and heated discussion with the employee that had the duty of helping people who struggled with the self checkout. Which was everybody on all 4 of those self checkouts. And while the line behind the self checkouts lenghtened they opened a chashiers checkout. 10 of the people there were out of the market before me. Even though i had only 8 things and started that self checkout minutes before the cashier opened his line. If they ever do that again, i'll put the stuff back and leave without buying anything. Also: there's no paying with cheques here. Last time i have seen a cheque was when i was a child. And i am over 40 now. Sure occasionally there are people who are a pita to wait behind. But they aren't the majority here. (Most supermarkets here have an additional scale at the cashiers so there's 1: a check if the person weighed their fruit/veggie correct and put the correct sticker on it and 2 there's not much time lost if the person was too stupid or made a mistake.) And my argument still stands: why should i pay the same money when i have to do someone elses work? Do they pay me what my hour is worth? (well if they had to, they would yeet the self checkouts pretty fast!) If a cashier is paid, it means a person gets an income and pays taxes. With only self checkouts fewer people have jobs, less taxes paid and the profit of the supermarkets grows. I's rather finance a person working than some deskjockey who tries to replace people by shitty computer systems for his own greed.
As someone who lives in Italy, trust me, French bureaucracy is far more efficient than you'd think. Italian bureaucratic offices had barely discovered the computer before the pandemic forced them to abandon their constant requests for paper copies and actually join the 21st Century.
Sounds like Germany and electronic payments.
Italy is a bit strange in their love for papers and bureaucracy on the one end and a strong anarchistic streak on the other. But with that food, culture and history... And the landscape... I often feel Italians don't see how beautiful Italy really is.
@@Jk-qx7gm No but it has great cheese and bread...and administration might be computerized but even computers will tell you NO😅 so italian old paper burocracy might actually be better.
You people over there also still use fax machines? Speaking from germany and we do lmao :D
Thats a thing of privacy, less Goverment controll in your Freedom, like they can close your bank accout depending on crimem so with Paper money your safe for that.
Also for that we have the quote : Nur Bares ist Wahres/Only cash is true
But i also pay alot with card but still alot of peole espacilly the older ones are against it + against more Cash Restrictions or Digital €@@ronald3836
"The dutch language is like a mix of english and german but you have also a potato in your mouth" is the best description of Dutch I've ever heard. I will only use that from now on.
so danish but understandable?
yea@@jan_Mamu
To learn dutch, listen carefully to a coffee machine gurgling and rattling. This goes a long way to practice those Gs and Chs.
Dutch was invented by drunk German sailors who were trying to speak English.
That's *literally* how my dutch uncle described the language to me!
The 49 Euro ticket in Germany is not just for one trip, it's a monthly ticket and you can do as many trips across the country as you want, just not with the long distance trains.
I think, the most underrated obstacle to settle in in any country in Europe is language. As long as you don't speak the language of your selected country at least at B2, preferably C1 level, you will always have a very difficult time to find a job or friends, and to become an accepted member of your local community, especially outside of the large cities.
Eastern Ukraine.
I agree 100%
And if you make an effort to learn the language fast, people will appreciate that.
One thing that I see on the internet when people give their opinion on a certain country is that they say that the people in that country are "cold, unfriendly" and while it might be true that some cultures are friendlier than others, a lot of times the problem is that you don't speak the language. Even if the people you interact can speak english they would still prefer to make friends in their language so your social life is going to be pretty surface level.
Language is ez, noob.
@@jeffersonaraujoelcristiano Half of the world just speaks one.
As a Frenchwoman, I'd like to add that no one will judge you if you buy a baguette at the supermarket. Because most French people buy it themselves in a supermarket. In fact, in some supermarkets, the bread is better than in some boulangeries. And there are many French people who have never eaten a snail in their lives and find it disgusting. Fun fact: I've only eaten them once, and that was in Spain, in a paella
I had my first snail in Paris when I visited and... I was very happy. The flavor of the sauce they were cooked in was excellent and the snail itself was pretty pleasant just a little chewy!
Les baguettes sont, en général, bien meilleures dans les boulangeries (et j'en ai gouté beaucoup dans différents supermarchés !)
Baguettes are, in general, much better in bakeries (and I tasted a lot in different supermarkets!
And snails don't belong in a paella. At least not in a typical Valencian one.
@@mariembalo3076 There are a few bad bakeries that don't make good baguette, but most bakeries are good. Yet baguettes in supermarkets generally aren't bad either, just not especially good.
@@hannofranz7973. Yes, they do! In Valencia: rabbit and snails are definitely in their paella!
The train system as a first con! XD That's so on point! We have saying: The German Railway got only four problems - spring, summer, autumn and winter! Greetings from a german. :D
Once she said what you guys do at winter time.
All I could think of was when the polish railway lady boss said in an interview as to why are trains stuck in winter: "no sorry taki mamy klimat", "sorry that's just our climate"
znam to, ale o 00:30 babeczka na infolinii (Hut ab, ze o tej porze pracuje:))mowi, ze Autobus zastepczy do Salzwedel I dalej,,moze przyjedzie‘. Spozniony, ale przyjechal. Wooow
Jaa so besonders wenn man mit RE/RB mit paar mal umsteigen fährt und die Anschlüsse nicht stimmen xdd
*the car lobbyism and its consequences got four problems
stop victim blaming
As a German, I can confirm these issues with our trains. It worked for almost 200 years perfectly and then, the people decided to make it a private company because a private company would be more efficient than a governmental company. The privatisation stopped at the point where DB became a shareholder company led by managers but the government never sold the shares because they realised that privatization doesn't work. The main issue is that many tracks are so unprofitable that any private company would cut them but there has to be infrastructure. So, the government had to pay for these tracks. Also, the DB still fails with getting even the bigger track profitable. The only success the Deutsche Bahn ever made was buying truck companies and combining them under DB Cargo. The main business of our railroad company is cargo delivery by trucks on the road now. It turned out that you shouldn't listen to economic liberalists and highly corrupt politicians when they praise privatization as a solution for everything. It didn't work in France, and even in Japan, where it seems to work, many lines are still in public hand and others were cut while the quality and infrastructure in the provinced dropped due to profitability. At the same time, working conditions at the railroad companies went from 'preem to hell in no time. Do we wanna talk about the accident of Amagasaki? Punctually done by inhuman terrorization of employees. Profitability on the backs of the people. 107 fatalities.
Same here in the Netherlands, making such companies somewhat private(weird construction were the government is the only shareholder) also in Hospitals and things like the post office. Now a select group of people make a lot of money, and it's not cheaper at all. Not to begin about quality...
Oh it is not run more efficiently when you hand off the enterprise to your political buddy buddy and their aimless progeny is left with running the show. Shocking! "Private"
UK 😭
Same here in the UK, except instead of one private train company, we have dozens, and the tracks are owned by a different company to the trains, and then the stations those railways run through are owned by different companies too.
In my city, you have to go to a station owned by EMR to get on a train owned by Northern and ride on tracks owned by Network Rail to get to your destination station probably owned by some other provider you’ve never even ridden with.
Unsurprisingly, this results in every single journey being as impractical and tedious as possible, but hey… at least we got rid of all that parliamentary bureaucracy… except for how the government still overlooks routes and prices, completely destroying the entire point of privatisation.
funny because in sitzerland exactly that works highly effiecient
The video is so good, that is worth doing a part 2 with maybe: Italy, Iceland, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Norway and Luxembourg.
i think belgium is a perfect starter country for many people too
@@nuf242Every job listing I’ve seen requires you to speak French, Dutch & English though 😭
I was thinking of Portugal, since that’s where my dads side was from, and also it’s GORGEOUS there!
@@nuf242 "starter country" mf speaking like its hoi4
Switzerland be the goat 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅
By the way, the compensation for trains is an EU-wide rule: you get 25% back if your journey is delayed by 1 hour, 50% if it's 2 hours or more. You are also entitled to food and drink in proportion to the delay. Anyway, some companies may have even better rules (for example, RENFE in Spain offers 50% discount if your AVE high speed train is 15 minutes late and 100% if it's 30 minutes late. Deutsche Bahn would go bankrupt with that rule).
So that’s the real reason the UK wanted to leave the EU…
I remember it's (or was?) 100% money back when your train is half an hour late in the Netherlands.
damn, spain must have a well timed high speed rail network
@@Helperbot-2000….it doesn’t not unfortunately💀
@@veroxx32 well then it must have a very EXPENSIVE high speed rail network XO
About the French rudeness, this stereotype comes from Paris and it is kinda true FOR PARIS. I cannot stress enough how different Paris and the rest of the country are, it is true for Paris but not for the rest of the country
@@Jk-qx7gm Paris is an incredible city. If you can afford spending a bit of time to get out of the usual 5 days tourist trail, you need to get lost in the city, be curious, you will find that Paris is unique.
I'm from the country side in France and it took me some time to love Paris, it's an acquired taste. I'm talking about the vibe the people and culture. The architecture its instantly beautiful, no acquired taste here.
After 20 years in Paris I'm still discovering some new beautiful stuff (that I didn't know about) some secret places etc...
About the rudeness, Parisians come from all over France, and all over the world, ...therefore I don't think they are more rude.
But it's a big vibrant city, and people behave like they are in a hurry (not as much as in New York but kinda)
The drawback with Paris : housing is very expensive (almost as expensive as London)
@@Jk-qx7gm To be honest you won’t, by hearing everyone say that Parisians are rude, you will realize that it's not that bad in reality. From my own experience I have almost never had a problem with Parisians, they are quite normal actually 🤷
Honestly, I find it's ONLY TRUE in the subway 😂😂😂 that's the only time people are grumpy, cause it's crowded, but usually it's fine.
I was about to get into it with this African lady on there, but we both chilled out 😅
No it's not just true for Paris, unless all the tourists from France I met were from Paris. Honestly, French people live up to the stereotype, plus they travel and never learn a word of English or the local language. It's ridiculous and they're quite unliked as tourists, same goes for Italians.
It's mind blowing how adult French people manage not to know the very basics of English these days.
Depends on the fact WHERE in France you are. Try to speak ANY language in Strasbourg with a German accent, a lot of people (luckily not everyone) start to be extremely rude. I hadn't this experience somewhere else in Grand-Est but there. In Mulhouse they were nice, in Sarregemuines they were polite, even in Luxembourg City the French-speaking waiters were more polite than the Strasbourg guys.
I've lived in France, Sweden and Germany, and I have never had problems making friends in them, with the least successful being Sweden (probably because it was for the shortest time). The problem is finding good friends. That always takes more time.
in Sweden, even the old lady in the supermarket had no problem conversing in English, small towns are here charming . and French intercity buses are really cheap
I have lived in NL since last century and was surprised to find that one of the largest supermarkets here wanted Dutch, German and English to work on the tills. Admittedly, this town is only 6km from the German border, but it is very different to requirements for till-workers in UK where in big cities their english is often very poor.
@@bluur101 Quite often, the Dutch and Scandinavians speak better English than native English, sadly.
We are generally lazy when it comes to speaking foreign languages. for obvious reasons.
@@dandare1001 I (a Swede) got a shock first time I heard that. British people saying that my English was better than many natives. I feel that my English is rusty so how can it be better than people speaking it every day.
@@reineh3477 Lots of people simply don't bother to learn English properly at school, or hang around others who have a limited vocabulary, and watch the wrong things on TV, so they never get particularly proficient.
I don't know about Swedes because I don't speak Swedish, but I speak German, and I meet lots of Germans who speak German poorly. My German isn't great, yet I have corrected quite a few on their grammar, so I assume Swedes are the same. Aren't they?
I think the best way to explain Austria is: even tho Viena is the electet many times as the best city to live in, they are kinda proud of the fact that they are also one of the unfriendliest countries in Europe. Greetings from Austria! I had to laugh many times because your Opiniens about Austria are very spot on.
Vienna is going to have you disappeared cos of cocaine.
As a Czech, I was hearing about Vienna beying the best city in the world for my entire life, when I arrived there, first what welcomed me was ugly patched sidewalk like from 90s and rest of city didn't look better, people were rude and we were cheated in caffé. And only people who spoke English were muslim sellers in their little shops, native Viennese people were answering in German only and people say that we are bad in languages. 😀 I hope I offended everyone from Vienna. 😀
@@PidalinMost austrians hate people from vienna. They are entitled and think to highly of themselfes. You probably have something simular in czechia where people from big cities are view differently than people from the land. It's like that all over the world, in the US they hate people from NY and LA, in germany it's berlin and in other parts of the world it's no different. People from bigger cities just tend to be bigger assholes. But that you haven't found a nice spot in vienna can't be a serious claim if you were anywhere near the center. Even tho the people aren't the best the city is still very beautiful.
@@kommdegaya753 Yes, it's the same here, but I am born in Prague, so I know that people from smaller cities and villages spread mostly absolute nonsenses about people from Prague, so maybe it's the same even with Vienna. I spent most of my life out of Prague in many different places, so I know how life looks in other places and what nonsenses people believe about capital city.
In fact - standard of living in Prague is worse than in smaller cities because of crazy prices of housing and people are actually more friendly in Prague than in small towns. When I am in Prague and then I return to this sh*thole, I am always very sad and I really want to return to Prague, but with today prices of housing, it's sci-fi to return there. I still have permanent adress in Prague, so when I go to some hotel and they see my ID card, it's higly probable that I will be cheated because they hate people from Prague and they think they are rich for some reason, it happened to me several times, like when I stayed in pension in Moravia region, they were counting more beers than I actually had in their restaurant, this happens all the time when someone thinks you are from Prague, so you must be rich, but these villagers are super rich compared to how average Praguer look, they own houses and big cars, in Prague you own max 4 chairs and TV.
@@Pidalin Yeah it's def a rant with a comedic undertone. People are quick to judge everyone not core austrian, so people from germany(preißn) or even the traditionlly distant viennese people, but not in a particularely hatefull way. The core traditions of austria are mostly in Styria, Tyrol, Salzburg and lower Upper-Austria. The viennese kinda have their own thing going and are def a bit more entitled. The thing is that austrians are in general quite cold(not as much as germans but still) and the language is mostly spoken with a comedic and slightly insulting undertone which can be seen as rude by an outsider.
Not willing to do small talk is not being rude, it’s just how it is here. For most Europeans it’s weird to talk to a stranger for no reason, or to open your mouth if you have nothing to say.
No just Scandinavians because they are weird. Great Brits, Slavs and Latins are way more open and friendly.
@@Peglegkickboxermy friend is slovak and was shocked to hear i chat to strangers on trains lol
I think your research is SPOT ON! Regards from Sweden...
Erika, your video is very well investigated and nicely presented. I laughed about your national changes in flags and clothing. Well done and funny to see. Thanks
I am an American (Los Angeles, California ;w;) , and for reasons people might understand, I kinda wanna move to another country. Whether or not I end up in Europe, this video was really helpful for me! I learned a lot, so thank you Erika and comments section.
I wanna move to America from my third world shithole country, so I can't understand you at all, lol. What bothers you most in your country?
American here, also from California - I've been living and working in Switzerland for the past 5 years, so it is definitely possible if you put your mind to it. No regrets here 😊
srr, I see you might be somewhat into Anime?
Seen Flanders no inu already?
It's 1 of the most known anime within Japan btw.
I would say, it's nice to live in,
however, other than that,
unless you like great food, old buildings/architecture and beer,
it tends to be quite boring.
Belgians came up with the Big bang theory, the BMI calculation, the internet (Mundaneum in 1910) and so on.
Even though a Belgian came up with asfalt, it's not clear when you look at the state of some of the roads, (which might be bc they have a lot of them).
Here's a docu about Belgium btw.
ua-cam.com/video/B31Vgqytoa4/v-deo.htmlsi=PuETjbeFifuQ59Y7
@@Shadowguy456234 Are you learning the local language?
I am currently in Germany on holidays from Australia and as my first time overseas, all I can say is the culture is so different and there's so much history in Europe. I'm not sure whether I would want to live here because I miss Australia already but I might settle for Holidays to Europe every couple of years until I've explored enough. I would love to do the Netherlands in a few years and then Scandinavia. Love your videos cheers :)
I'd love to know some cultural differences you've noticed!
German people from the north struggle to understand dialects. But I really can’t understand how they don’t. Maybe it’s because I grew up with different dialects around me, but northern Germans really are ridiculously bad at this. And they can’t even roll their Rs. Just very… Inflexible. In my experience they struggle more with accents and dialects in general. Even outside of Germany.
Australia don't have much history cuz the continent was colonized only in 1800s. aborigines had rich history though, they were exploited.
@@Кгволыыдыы Basically. The north also has regional dialects that differ much from Hochdeutsch, but sadly the dialects in the north are kinda dying out. Many people there can just speak Hochdeutsch and at best understand their regional dialect. In the south and Middle Germany dialects survived more often than in the north. But it also differs from region to region how many people are able to speak a dialect and how many of them still do regulary. What you will have everywhere are accents though. Even though people don't really speak their dialect they often still have an accent of the region they are coming from. Meeting a German with a perfect High German pronounciation is actually really rare.
@@ubermut1379 "And they can’t even roll their Rs" because they don't roll their Rs in their dialects???
Hello from Sweden! Really great video! Most of the things are true and very well explained. I don't really know how it works in other cities in other cities but atleast where I live (Gothenburg) all types of doctor checkups are free due to something called närhälsan (Nearby Health) which is a doctor checkup area in most major neighbourhoods. This thing gives free checkups and the queue is normally really fast!
Introvert life in sweden is so real and honestly sometimes a bit relaxing. Sweden is kind of built (socially and infrastructurally) to be very tranquilising and calm which might be a turn off for some people but really good for others. Even bars and other party areas are still relatively calm and relaxing even during happy hour (most of the time). Personally I love it but it's really up to the person.
Again really good video! keep it up :)
Wow. Relaxing. I thought Sweden was one of the most dangerous countries in the world. In Europe for sure. No offence but is this true?
@@carlosvazquez3678 I have heard that gang violence has been a problem that exists in sweden and there have been new regulations that the government is rapidly putting up to fix it. For myself and my city I have not witnessed anything. I think it matters on what city you live in. I feel pretty safe here and nothing has directly attacked that idea. It is no way near "the most dangerous countries in the world" (far from it, I don't know where you got that assumption from? #26 in peace, #11 in Safety and Security, #72nd in Murder Rate, and 4.7/10 in the criminality score following with a 7.46 government resilience score) but there are problems which are being rapidly fixed! Hope that answers your question :)
@geranienbaum I see. I thought that military forces had to help police to control the mafia installed in Sweden since this country open the borders to immigration. Apparently, crimes are related to rapes. Like the girl 9 years old raped by a guy from Algeria. Sweden is not even included in the top 10 safe countries in the world. I never been to Sweden maybe media exagerates this.
@@carlosvazquez3678 Some places are real bad, most of the country less so. There is a simple way of estimating whether you are in one of the former or the latter, and all Swedes know how to figure that out. However, I will not state it, for reasons.
Unfortunately Sweden is on a downward spiral and there's no escaping that spiral any time soon. It's a train crash in slow motion. It's sad.
Here in Portugal, we have so many Golden Visas, tourism, immigration, local tourist accomodation, that Portuguese people either have to:
- Pay 300.000 euros for a "new" apartment.
- Pay 800 euros monthly rent for a one room apartment.
- Pay 400 to share an apartment with 5 other people.
- Live with your parents.
- Move to a village.
- Be homeless.
Life's good, never have I thought that living in a car would be so luxurious and cheap.
same in Sweden but mostly because of immigration
There is no country in the world where living is more affordable, you can pay a monthly rent of 800€ with your 1.600€ salary in Portugal, or pay 400€ with your 800€ salary in Bulgaria, or pay 200€ with your 400€ salary in Albania, or pay 100€ with your 200€ salary in Algeria, or pay 50€ with your 100€ salary in Senegal, or pay 25€ with your 50€ salary in Ghana, or pay 12.5€ with your 25€ salary in Gambia, or pay 1€ from your 2€ salary in Uganda... You chose where you would rather live and what to do with the rest of your salary.
Best comment ever 🤣
Tell me more about living in a car haha
This is the same basically in all Europe.
Spaniard living in edgy and techno Berlin. The video is very precise. I really liked it. I would add that the public transport inside of Berlin works really really well. About the kitchens on rented flats, it is changing now also and getting better. The thing in Germany is that there is a huge lack of flats so landlords know that the flat will be rented even without a kitchen. Burocracy, I think, is getting better now and more digitalized. Income tax is easy to do online with private companies software who make everything very easy. Most people don't use elster but these programms or online apps. It is true that Germany is very affordable and at the same time it has high salaries. And yes, the big con is the language. It is stereotypical to say it, but yes, German language is difficult and needs time and constant motivation. I still recommend Germany a lot.
Graçias!
Great work-life-balance, paternal leave shoudl also be mentioned for Germany.
Nice video!
excellent video, the Lidl Jubileum shirt just killed me :) if you decide on part 2, may I suggest picking from Balkans, Eastern and SW Europe? to have a mix of places. cheers
don't know why but you seem to have a kind of charm on me. I tend to be more relaxed while watching you speak.
yea she cute
Nice video, as an American who wants to get out these are fun. Next places scheduled to visit: DE and AT. Nice!
Have fun, from an austrian
Erika, great job. Loved this information!
The style changes are amazing 😅
“Going to the dentist in Sweden can be very expensive. A single filler can cost up to €150”
Me: *Painfully laughs in American*
Americans go to Mexico for dental care
@@pionieresvizzero2224 Or y'know... make twice as much as Europeans and can afford super expensive healthcare
@@blazedone2583enjoy the free days😁
@@pionieresvizzero2224 I typically don't trust their doctors. Besides, if there was any sort of malpractice, who would be held accountable?
@@blazedone2583 Since when? News to me. Still poor af over here. 😅
The thing about southern German/Austrian "Unfriendliness" is rather that we are quick to criticise something. We even got a word for that (granteln as a Verb or Grantler as a noun). And also: the most unfriendly people are in cities like Vienna or Munich (Munich got some contagious toxicity in the mood, ngl), but in smaller cities like Regensburg in Germany or Salzburg in Austria, people are pretty nice.
@@arottedfruit that's impossible!
except "granteln" is not German but Bavarian/Austro-Bavarian, which is the language spoken in Bavaria and Austria. Please don't call it German, thanks.@@arottedfruit
@@arottedfruit we actually have a word for that too.....
I can confirm that people in Vienna are very unfriendly, only people who were kind to us were muslims for some reason.
Here in Czechia, I would say it's vice versa, people in small cities are very rude, but in Prague, everyone is chilling. But there is a difference between classic oldschool villagers (who can be kind, but they almost don't exist anymore) and small town peolpe who are extremely rude and agressive, especially when you don't belong to their social bubble. When I go to Prague, I am always shocked that people talk to me in shops and they are helping me when I am asking something or have some small talks, here in small town, everyone just jumps to a car and disapears, so there is noone you could talk to, because there is noone outside, you see people only in their stupid cars and behind their 3m tall walls and fences. I thought Vienna will be similar case as Prague that people mostly lie about Viennese people because they just hate capital city as here in Czechia, but when I arrived to Vienna, pretty much everything negative I heard about Vienna was confirmed in first 2 days - people are rude, when you ask something, they don't help or answer something in German and walk away, we were cheated in caffé (they printed two breakfasts to our bill instead of just 2 coffees which we actually had) and city looked very damaged - like patched asphalf sidewalks, graffiti everywhere, everything covered under stickers...very weird experience, I didn't expect it that Vienna is that ugly, people here complain about Prague because they hate capital city, but they should be glad that we have what we have.
In Lisbon, it was vice versa, people were that helpful, that it was really annoying, they were helping even without asking for help which is another extreme, I don't know what is more annoying. 😀
@@Pidalin There's nothing to excuse about the cafe thing. That's just bad. As for unfriendlyness: I worked in vienna for a little over 10 years and i can't say the same. The real viennese i worked with have never been unfirendly. It's just not part of the austrian culture to start talking to a stranger for no particular reason other than to start a conversation. I have seen that being counted as unfriendliness, but that's a misconception about the word friendliness in my opinion.
Two more things: the viennese pronounciation of words sounds more grumpy than the one in Salzburg for example. So there's instances where the same thing said by someone from the west of austria and from vienna sounds more unfriendly from the viennese even though that's not the intention behind it.
And secondly: i don't know in which language you conversed with the people in vienna, but i would guess english?
-> "thanks" to there being so many germans, any hollywood movie and tv show broadcasted in austria since both are a thing, is dubbed in german. (if the audience is big enough, that has been done and so the swiss and austrian "benefit" and add to the numbers of potential german speaking audience.) That means that there's a huge shift in the population between generations in their english language abilities. (as the most spoken second language)
Most people from the age of 40 downwards (thanks to schools and the internet) can speak english, but with most it's not on the same level as the czechs, slovaks, polish...
Above that age, language skills are rare. So if you encounter austrians of the age of 60 for example your chances of talking to them if you don't speak german are slim. Then it's down to hand guestures and facial expressions...
for me it is mind-blowing that just now you have found shops with more milk options like 2023, It is not a bad thing it was just a culture shock for me since I took it for granted
The weather in the Netherlands is changing rapidly towards hotter climate. We had drought and summers above 30 degrees for the last 5-8 years, like the rest of Europe
looks like nice weather.
it's still extremely cloudy and cold , dont forget that all of the world is changing like this, so the gap between countries stays the same
As a Midwestern American, it sounds like your climate is moving to be more like ours, which sucks. I've visited a few different areas in Europe in the summer a decade ago, and summers are just beautiful across the whole continent as far as I can tell.
Except this year in early Aug this year when I was there It was very green whilst in London UK the grass was a lot drier and browner. Though even here this year has been wetter than usual.
@@Yosh-wt4lg Not actually true the northern latitudes are the places that will see the biggest temperature difference. This is why when all these nonsense predictions about coral reefs being wiped out most of the time don't happen. As the tropics and southern hemisphere would warm as much. And what causes coral bleaching it rapid temperature rises during a short time period rather than higher sea temps.
Your use of 'doozy' was perfect! And your sense of humor is absolutely hilarious; I was giggling the whole time I was watching. Thank you for this informative video!
This is genius! I live in the NL and everything is totally true. Thanks for the amazing content ❤
@@Кгволыыдыы yeah ethnic Dutch food like kebab
Another excellent video!!!! I spend Christmas in the Netherlands almost every year with my family that lives there and love it! We also visit Berlin frequently as some of the family is based there… Despite the winter weather, I love those countries ❤
Biking in the rain is such a universal Dutch experience. I love it. It's not fun in the moment but when you're home with a cup of tea it's the best feeling!
i fully agree
yes its great. rain is great in general
This is the spirit of UA-cam. great work !
I want to thank you so thoroughly for making this video. So well-informed. I'm considering 1 of at least 3 of the countries you mentioned and you gave such a comprehensive firsthand view.
Omg this is probably the best video I have seen in a while comparing countries in Europe! Also, I loved the vibe of the video, thanks Erika! 😊
Ugh... I needed this. I'm a chinese American considering moving to either DE or NL. Social connections, maybe a different professional route... IDK
Also, love how smugly sarcastic you are lol. If we lived in the same city I would definitely organize a party with you
Who are you ?
@@jozette-pierce Who are we?
@@jozette-pierce Why are we?
I didn't watch your whole video yet, but your map of France at 0:15 includes the French speaking parts of Belgium and Switzerland 😁
a very common mistake i see, because it’s the top image you see when you search “france flag map png” or something
The fact that you thought about mentioning the train subscription for a discount means you are truly part Dutch! Goed gedaan!
erika describing the netherlands, germany, etc: accurate, reliable information either coming from personal personal experience or well-done research
erika talking about france: stereotype, stereotype, stereotype
Great video!! Now please make one video where you compare - every - single - country in the world. Please :)
Church Tax is not mandatory. And even if you opted in accidentally in some way getting out is easy, just go to a local administration office and sign the paperwork.
My experience with this is:
Easiest appointment I ever had there and also the 2nd lowest fee I have ever paid. I think it was 30€. (about 8 years ago)
Wish getting out of GEZ was that easy.
I went to Amsterdam at the middle of september this year. the weather was lovely. I have some Dutch friends and everytime we went out to eat, it was not Dutch food, as none of them wanted to eat it.
liberal self hate
Same in Norway, but that is mostly because we prefer our more traditional foods homemade. Some of that food is rather.... "Exotic" for todays standards, like Smalahove/Cooked Sheep Head. Almost nobody eats that anymore for obvious reasons and the people I know who have eaten that, I can count on one hand.
I have family in rural West Norway and Komle is very popular among them.
Love a place chosen for recording the video! It definetely creates cozyness 😌
About the winter in Austria: In Vienna or Lower Austria (i.e. not the mountains) winters aren't that cold anymore. Which means sadly barely any snow anymore in winter. Only a few days in November with a bit snow and a few days last week with a dusting of snow this season here in that area of Austria.
Also inflation here was higher than in Germany the last few years. Like drive over the border and the stores might have cheaper prices for the same stuff in the same store chain.
I'm from germany and I think I'll move to spain at some point in the future. The weather here is just so bad all the time and I just love the chill spanish attitude that people have.
Eastern Ukraine.
Are you an Urdeutscher really? Never heard a German complaining about the weather. 😃
@@Vanillevirus I am german and I think we complain about the wheather all the time. Changing from too wet to too dry and from too hot to too cold according to the situation.
Probably the best option to live in Europe would be southern Europe with the support of foreign income (preferably from countries such as Germany, England or Sweden) not only about the weather but also the people, the food, the cheap prices, the housing (with the income you get you can afford same quality housing as in northern europe with more options like a swimming pool and ac) and the beaches and touristic hotspots. Its not for nothing a lot of Germans, English, French,... Are doing it especially in the Iberian Peninsula. From a Person who is now living in Portugal and used to live in France, I can guarantee its worth the move but it can be struggling if there's nothing to back your stay. Generally because of people coming here to live and the mass amount of migration flowing within the nation (can also be true for Spain or Italy) housing prices have been unbearable for the native people's low incomes. But overall if you stay outside of the big towns in small sized towns you will have a great life around! Another positive trait to Spain is their free highways, the large quantity of products mostly food but also electricity and gas tends to be cheaper than the rest of europe as of now. (PS: most things are also already in English and it wont be hard for you to find fellow Germans).
@@eskipoI illegal mirgation si def a huge disadvnatage resulting in bad safety...i rppabaly would do it ,llater in my life. maybe settle in portugal and open an resturant or something
What a great video! I live in Enschede right now to study at UT but only as an exchange student for a year with the Erasmus program. And I find the cultural difference you mentioned to be so true :D Originally I study in Hamburg.
was studierst du ?
I just Found this video at 5am and I couldn’t be happier. I love your personality and style. Please make more of these. 😊
Interesting and well presented. I like your relaxed style! One small point to help: a *demanding* job is difficult, challenging. A job that is *in demand* means that lots of employers want you.
As a frenchman, i find your pro/cons very well balanced and mostly true.
I've also lived in Germany for 1.5 years now, in a suburb town right outside Cologne. None of the doctors I met spoke English 😂 And due to my mom's illness I had to go to a few of them even at the time when I didn't speak German at all. Man that was a motivational thing for me. I even made a habit of just going to various doctors with other Ukrainians just to help with translation. Dentists are the toughest to understand so far😁
Did you go to the doctor in Cologne or in the suburb?
Were these all old doctors? I can't imagine a 40-50 year old well educated person in Germany that doesn't speak English. Most of all outside the former eastern bloc 😮
@@jan-lukas suburb, because it was easier to get appointments
@@DenzelPF-jl4lj no, middle-aged as well! And yes, whether in ophthalmology, ortho, urology or neurology - noone, literally noone spoke English. Turkish - yes, but otherwise - only German. That's why there is a segment of Russian-speaking doctors, but the waiting times are extra long and I find them very dismissive: one of them just prescribed my mom a cream, when a German orthopedist performed a surgery.
And don't get me started on receptionists: to make an appointment you've got to speak German.
That's why I learned it in 1 year and now I even got a job in German in my field (marketing)
@@MrFahrenheit9I am a doctor and a native Turkish speaker and I have C1 level English and b1 level Ukrainian, do you think I could find a job easily in Germany? If yes I would like to start learning German. Russian is on demand bcs there is no doctor who can speak Ukrainian or some people from Ukraine only know Russian? What do you think?
As a German I can say Germany does not have universal health care. But we have a mandatory health insurance system. Our health care system is not financed by the government but by some kind of health insurances. Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) functions in accordance with the solidarity principle. The individual insurance fees are based on the financial performance of the members, the health services are the same for everyone.
For anyone who plans to work, study, live in Germany for a longer term, it is essential to understand our German national health system. You can get into great trouble in Germany without a German health insurance. If you don't have a valid health insurance you will be billed with around 750€ each month you forgot to apply for a statutory health insurance.
As a short-term tourist you do not have to deal with this but especially as a self-employed "digital nomad" you have take care. Without a health insurance you cannot get medical care without paying yourself for it. Around 100,000 people in Germany don't have access to the German health system.
Es ist kein Hexenwerk! Man kann sich freiwillig versichern lassen bei einer gesetzlichen Krankenkasse oder man kann alternativ eine private Versicherung abschließen unter solchen komplizierten Arbeitsumständen
Yes, and I dislike the way it is unfair. If you call a doctor for an appointment, they tend to give you an appointment a few days or even more than a week later. Yet as soon as you tell them you are privately insured, you get an appointment on the same day. I always ended up paying the bills myself. It reeks of corruption.
As a comparison, a German friend of mine was in the UK last year and had a small accident. He was accepted in a hospital, treated, and they never asked to see any sort of medical insurance card, and didn't even ask for his address. He didn't even have to pay for anything. That is more like universal healthcare.
@@almerindaromeira8352
If you earn above average, this may not be a real problem.
But for average migrants, there's a lot of bureaucracy to contend with. The legal obligations in the German social security system are very strict. Not paying taxes in Germany is less dangerous than not paying compulsory health insurance.
Ordinary German employees are only allowed to leave the statutory health insurance if they earn more than 69,300 euros a year. The average annual income of an employee in Germany is only €49,260. In most cases, migrants in Germany earn significantly less than EU citizens.
@@jorgruthschilling you keep telling me how dangerous it is, yet you never mention the actual process, which as a migrant myself, I know well. That means you just want others to have fear of some mystical paper forms.
A) If you get a new job, you have 15 days to register with a new Krankenkasse or you can change yours, if you so choose. Just tell your employer and HR does everything.
B) you can go to a gesetzliche Krankenkasse and request a voluntary status (freiwillige Versicherung). Based on your income statements you will have to pay the insurance yourself every month. It's pretty good if you are self-employed.
C) you may go to any private insurance company and register yourself with them. It's cheap if you're healthy, later in life you might regret it, who knows.
Voilà, you are now insured!
@@almerindaromeira8352 As a foreigner, you may not be aware that most employees in Germany are not allowed to withdraw from statutory health insurance (GKV). This option is not available to most migrants.
Most Germans are not free to choose between statutory insurance (GKV) and private insurance (PKV). For most normal families, private health insurance is significantly more expensive than statutory health insurance.
Your advices could cause serious harm to migrants coming to Germany. "C) you may go to any private insurance company and register yourself with them. It's cheap if you're healthy, later in life you might regret it, who knows. Voilà, you are now insured!"
"That means you just want others to have fear of some mystical paper forms."
You don't understand that you can get into very serious legal and financial problems if you do not adhere to the social insurance laws in Germany.
We have a very famous German saying that describes our German approach to organizing our society.
"Von der Wiege bis zur Bahre, Formulare, Formulare!"
“From the cradle to the grave, paper forms, paper forms!”
Nobody needs to be afraid of the enormous bureaucracy in Germany, but you cannot ignore these things in Germany as a migrant.
BTW, 3,541 Euros was the median monthly wage of full-time employees with German citizenship who were subject to statutory health insurance in 2020. Median wage means that half of the employees earn a higher salary, the other half a lower one.
With an average of 2,638 Euros, foreigners in Germany earn significantly less than German citizens. You can opt out of the statutory health insurance in Germany only if you earn more than 5,500 Euros each month.
one more thing is in france is internal public transport is great like most moderately sized towns have like a bus system that just goes within the town so theres that on top of the cross-town public transport
Dude, I have the feeling people put more heart into UA-cam videos than school presentations 😂. Nice work 🙌 It’s a very interesting topic
This is a great overview. Exactly the type of summarising I was looking for. Great video
Yoo, I find the dutch language charming (am german)! And you have funny words
"Pindakaas"
"Schoonmaker"
and ofc
"GEKOLONISEERD" :D
One should also mention, that it's common for doctors not to put their opening hours on the internet in germany
Germanys premade food is abundand and significantly more affordable than Dutchland
It's true that German efficiency has succumbed to Bureaucracy! Even ppl born, raised in germany, speaking german fluently no problem have big trouble deciphering what the heck the
>insert institution< is writing you by letter. Yes... letters are very common here.....
Austrian here specifically living in Dornbirn aswell. Well one thing important to mention on housing prices is that they are very dependent on the state you live in. For example Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg are known for their horendous housing prices and very big coorprate housing markets. Vienna on the other side has one of the most affordable housing in the whole of europe specifically for a big city! One rule of thumb is that the more east you go the cheaper austria gets!
Ok. That's fantastic information. Thank you for sharing. I'm thinking about moving to the Austrian state of Burgenland.
@@CoughFee Burgenland has the lowest cost of living of all of the states but comes with the disadvantage of not so saturated job market and general lower household income
Sweden was very accurate! The one thing I'd add to cons is that we're currently being overwhelmed by an unprecedented spike in crime. So if safety is a concern, parts of Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö are incredibly unsafe today.
Why am I just discovering this channel just now. An easy subscribe!
It was quite fun watching. So detailed too. Indeed no country is perfect
It is very true that transportation in France can be expensive. SNCF is not a public service anymore, so it is forced to make a profit or die (which I think is silly for many reasons). Regional trains are subsidies by the administrative regions but the TGV is not and the fare system is based on yeild management like airline travel, so the prices get quite expensive the more you wait to pick your seat. There are also no TGV subscription, which sucks for recurrent travelers that use the service to commute to Paris. But the regional trains are really good, and cheap with a fixed price per km.
I love how you wore an IKEA hat for Sweden 😂❤
Funny video, I quite like it! Also, it's funny to hear what you call innovations in the NL. All listed things are available for already literally years in Poland :)
If you proceed with p.2 I would be really keen to hear about Iceland, GB, Italy, one of Baltic countries and one of Balkan countries. Cheers and good luck with your laptop!
Hello from Slovakia, liked this video, thank you.
Great video! I’m a Brit living in Amsterdam and I agree that the sentiment in the last 5-8 years has changed towards internationals.. and is increasingly negative. The tide will eventually turn but not for a while.
Makes sense when we can't even house or own. I don't mean that as a slight towards immigrants of any sort though, I blame the government
Very nice! I'm close to getting my degree and was actually thinking to move abroad for some time for my first job (I'm from Germany). Very difficult decision, as there are so many interesting places to go ... if you care to make a 2nd part, maybe you could include countries like Denmark, Italy or Czech :)
czech is a language
was hast du studiert ?
@@marvin2678 Ya Czech Rep
Produktdesign
I don't recommend Italy lol
As a french that's a great video. But, "maybe" you exchanged the french state map with the francophone map. 😅
On Germany:
Yes, there is a lot of bureaucracy, and I hated it while living there, but at least it works. I'm now living in Portugal and miss "German bureaucracy".
At least, if you submit a form, it will be handled. You can call the tax office or health insurance, and speak to a person. You can make appointments and they will be honored (if you're on time).
And btw. doing taxes in Germany is pretty easy IMO, elster is really good and has explanations for literally every field.
Who's elster
@@meetimian3383 that's the tax software
The german online tax website
please i have a question is it true that german citizen who move to another country to live there should pay taxes to germany for 10 years ?
You're just misinformed, as a foreigner living in Portugal all of this exists also here. You can chat with a person on the tax agency website and call also a number. It's very easy.
You are v engaging w your content. Amazing
As a swiss I‘m a little sad you didn‘t talk about Switzerland 😅
Switzerland is too pricey even for Europe.
In Denmark, train travel from Copenhagen to either Aarhus or Aalborg can cost up to 100 Euro. Typically, tickets range from 50-100 Euro. Booking three months ahead offers significant discounts, but a ticket purchased just five days prior can be 70-80 Euro. Interestingly, flying the same distance can be equally or even more affordable.
oh wow thats really different. in the netherlands the ticket will always be the same price, even 1 hour before the train leaves. so it depends on what you like more
One could buy a interrail pass and use the 2 in country journeys and would end up cheapee that way lol
Great video. It would be nice if you put an icon in the menu so people can support your channel financially. I’ve seen other UA-camrs do that. That would reduce the time it takes to go to a webpage. And I would love to see other videos on this topic :) Tschüss 👋
Okay, raining, sun and meatballs I believe, but tornado's in the Netherlands? EXTREMELY rare.
Thank you so much ! The video is so informative and might help people who are intending to relocate !
-lived in germany for 1½ years
-2 minutes of pros
-5 minutes of cons
Yup, seems accurate
For France, I would like to add a few things :
For trains, you can also get reimburse pretty easily, but if you know the specific website. The train has to be late for more than 30 minutes, and you can get fully reimbursed above 4h or something. For the living areas being badly isolated and stuff, while there’s indeed a problem in France, in the past few years, there has been a pretty big policy from the government to pay for the insulation of homes and apartments, so thousands and thousands of homes are being renovated each months, so the problem is slowly disappearing. As for the cost of transportation, the TGV (high speed train) and the toll for Autoroutes is pretty high, but the rest is relatively inexpensive. Then, I think the idea of french being rude is pretty related to French always saying no. I think, as a cultural thing, many foreigners are surprised by french people saying no, and might think this is rude. Otherwise, as a french living in Germany, I honestly don’t think there’s more rude people in France than Germany for exemple. Small tip, if someone is saying no to you, try again a few more time. If they still say no after that, then try someone else. But you will be surprised of the amont of time where asking a few more times in a roundabout way can actually work. And that also work when it comes to the administration! If you are stuck in an infinite loop of things that need to be done for the others to work, people might find a way to get things done. As a french, so my experience might be very different from foreigners that just came in France, I actually find the German administration to be more confusing. But that’s maybe because being a French citizen, I don’t have to go through as many paperworks as foreigners to get things done.
Totally agree, I'd like to add that the condition of homes is I think mostly in Paris and maybe some big cities, but after living in the UK and Ireland, this is a whole new world of shitty, at least continental homes are well built and last for long, and if the previous tenant too care of it, it will stay in good condition, even if some pipes are visible. Also for insulation I never really experienced it, but I'm from south of france and older homes had very thick walls so insulation was great.
When it comes to the rudeness, I agree with the bonjour thing, for the language, we are very very conscious about grammar and pronunciation (we even correct each other between french people, it's not rude, it's just to help), but it is often considered rude to come to a country and not learn a bit of the language, so if you talk to a french, start with a basic "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" and they will likely do the effort to speak in english (if they know it), since you made the effort to speak in french.
Now on the trains, I agree it can get expensive, but nowhere as high as German prices I saw a few years back, and you can usually find low cost high speeds. You would usually pay between 20€ and 100€ for a one way ticket from Paris to Avignon with Ouigo. Otherwise you can do a blablacar (car-pooling).
The administration is complicated, nothing to say about it, but on the cost of living, you can often get help from the government to help you pay your rent (la CAF), or if you have kids to pay for food, bus etc.
@@maxxie84 i did not mention CAF, APLs or other aids, as I don’t really know what the conditions are for foreigners to apply to them ;)
Very valid point :)@@vizender
I'm french, but lived and or worked in many different countries in Europe (Germany, Italy, Ireland England, Belgium, Germany) and also in Canada and America.
I think french people can be indeed quite rude if I compare them to Canadians and Americans for example. But if you have a good contact (smile, jokes etc...) then surprisingly people start to be much nicer.
The culture of "NO" (administration but not only) is totally true and I find it really annoying.
In comparaison, a canadian hotline person (booking a flight for ex) will do anything in its power to help you, be nice and joke with you, will not finish before you are happy and you found exactly what you're looking for.
That said, there are some good things too, unlike in northern america the french don't act, they don't feel obliged to be nice, so when they are it's genuine and not commercial 😆
Compared to Germany, I don't find the french more rude, it's more ore less the same.
It's mostly in comparison to the northern american service industry that the difference is noticable..
As a Swede coming back from trips abroad, the calm and silence is what strikes me the most
You are awesome and really funny! Good Job!
Europe is crap to live in. I’d only live in USA.
Strong work Erika! Very comprehensive analysis with Pros and Cons!
this is pretty much how it is! People inside the countries does not know how they are. Only but as an outstander you can compare and observe. And also well done video. Now that you have this understanding - there are many more countries to understand and evaluate.. Maybe you one day, get the understanding of our origns.. Realation between Germanic Slavic Roman ...
I think one of the negative aspects of France is a subpar job market.
At least compared to the countries you cited.
Always wanted this kind of video. I would love to see more videos like this with more countries and more points (like engineering skills, design philosophy and architecture, startup scene) to compare even if the video is long (or in multiple parts). Also Erika, could you tell us more about the dutch healthcare system and how it compares to other countries. Btw love the IKEA hat in the Swedish segment 😂😂
Your introduction is so great 🎉
The amount of work you put into this is wild. Very impressive
Here are some perspective on France from a Frenchman.
Home : Most of what is listed is certainly true, but that bit about having no second bathroom had me confused because I've never found myself wanting for more than one and most people I know have the same mindset. It's nice if you have the space and money to have a second one, but really that's just seen as extra luxury.
Language : I think anyone would be more comfortable speaking in their native tongue, not just the French and that someone cannot hope to "settle in" long term in a country without learning the language. Putting it backward I don't think a French person moving to the U.S.A. would be seen kindly if he was hellbent on speaking in French and expecting locals to accommodate him.
Saying no : From what I gather it's not true in services, like changing your flight would be dependent on the terms and opening a bank account is just an easy task. There might be some red tape complication associated with certain endeavors though and for individuals it can be true, in Paris especially people are subjected to a lot of solicitation, from charity association, from beggar, from tourist its like spam on your mail account but IRL so some Parisian have the default mindset of saying "no!", because they've had enough.
Little veggies option : That's downright wrong, because France is a country with excellent agricultural yield and a great food culture you will find a lot of veggie option, that is lots of vegetables, what you won't find easily are veggies products trying to look like meat. It's probably because of the food and cooking culture : when most people know how to cook to some extent they don't need "veggies friendly product", they just buy vegetables and cook themselves a meal. Personally I find it hypocrite, if one want to forgo meat because of ones conviction then they should not need an ersatz of meat.
Rudeness : I think that is mostly a matter of cultural difference, indeed on the reverse side a number of thing typically normal for an American can be seen as supremely rude by French people, just like both are bound to make insulting mistake in the eye of a Japanese and so on. On the side of service in particular France have not the concept of "above and beyond" the American way. You are expected to be professional, nothing more and nothing less because as it was said earlier in the video : "French works to live, they don't live to work", which also means that "customers is always right" doesn't apply either.
It is very French of you to assume that speaking French in the USA is the same as speaking English in France.
@@witold7154 It actually makes sense though. Granted a lot more French people might speak (kinda) English than the reverse but you should absolutely not assume that to be the case and that's the point he is trying to get across.
Are there vegetarian dishes in restaurants/cafes? How common are they? If I walk in to any restaurant, how easy is it to order a meal with no meat? By that I mean a main dish, not just a side or a salad.
@@dyld921 To my knowledge, and I'm not a specialist, yes there are vegetarian dishes and if you're in a somewhat big city, you'll find one. However I think it's not common enough for you to walk into a random restaurant and you're better off looking it up online. Now that isn't because these dishes don't exist.but the demand isn't as widespread and we tend to add things with vegetables.
So I cannot guarantee every restaurant but you should find them. Otherwise yeah just cook it yourself, that's what most people would do.
@@dyld921 My rant (sorry about it) Is maybe shortsighted. Because of the pictures shown in the background I though the point was about veggie product you can buy in store and thus did not consider the very pertinent question of restaurant.
In big city a lot of restaurant have vegetarian dishes and indicate them clearly on the menu, granted it is far from universal. In samller town it is more of a gamble.
I'm from the States, so you know, there's that.
I've been to all these countries and a few more to spare in Europe and have found people to be almost universally lovely. Yes, even in France. Yes, even in Paris. But then, I've also found people in New York City to be friendly and welcoming, so maybe I'm just very lucky. Or, perhaps, if you treat people with respect, most of them will return the favor?
I'm so tempted by these places, but unfortunately, I don't have highly in-demand skills. I actually preferred Belgium over the Netherlands (GASP!!!), though admittedly, I didn't spend as much time in The Netherlands. Same with Denmark over Sweden. Though in all those cases, the lack of daylight/seasonal depression thing worries me. After spending time in Lyon, France, I thought a lot about possibly living there, but I have a nearly pathological inability to speak or understand French.
Since I have a hard time making friends in a place where I do speak the local language, I imagine it would be extra difficult in another country. Still, if my wife ever decides it's time to move to Europe, my bags are packed. Though I suspect I'm too old, and the fact that we don't have children would make us less attractive as immigrants.
❤🎉 thanks for that! I totally agree. These stereotypes about unfriendliness are just so silly, objective and often untrue. I think you're have the perfect mindset about that and wish everyone would understand this
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I'm french. Despite the usual clichés about americans (obnoxious tourists... assume that the world revolve around America etc...not the best skills at understanding/being open to cultural differences etc..) I love americans. I think they are often fun and have a positive attitude, nothing is ever impossible.
Every culture has its plus and cons though.
It's not easy to fit in in France if you don't speak the language well. But it's not impossible.
The best way for americans is to come with a business project (much easier than come and look for a job)
If you start a business here you get a residence card (carte de séjour)
My mother now in Enschede as a refugee. Thank you for your kindness!
I absolutely agree with you, when you pointed at Belarus on the preview
I like, love you, this is like, a bible, the outfits, the attention to detail, chefs kiss
One thing I want to mention since people are talking about climate:
Preferences differ *a lot*. I live in NRW and compared to my childhood, Germany has just become too hot for me in the summers (and I do miss Winter, proper Winter). I can't take the heat and I can't sleep properly, it's terrible.
If I were to move South, I would probably die. My best friend is the opposite, she'd prefer to live at the equator, probably. Another friend (from Mexico) said that the summers in Sweden are getting too hot for her :D
Another thing I find funny is people saying that the weather e.g. in Münster is terrible and it's raining all the time. 1 in 3 days is not all the time to me, it's variety. And given our recent droughts, I'm glad for every drop of rain I see 😅
Agreed.
Weather is changing (for bad IMO).
North-west Italy here.
It changed a lot here in the latest decades.
Summers became too hot and too long.
Winters keep shrinking and are way less cold compared to what they used to be 50, 40 or even 20 years ago.
Snow has already almost completely disappeared from our winters.
Dry periods are getting longer and drought is a constant risk.
Hard times ...
@@emiliomorello9419Damn, you got some nice weather there in Italy. I'd love to exchange my winter to yours
@@JGSM_JuvenileGeryon If relaxing in beach weather is more important to you than crop yields 🤷
@@MellonVegan Shouldn't rain cover that problem? Has Italy become Sahara?
As a Swede I remember when it used to snow more during winter.
the Czech Republic is a paradise in a bubble separated from the rest of the world. that is the answer. I am not from there, have no ancestry there, so I have no biases. it's only based on what I've experienced. good day
Its not all sunshine and rainbows... but definitely jack of all trades of the EU.
Czechia is the best country in Europe
Going from Enschede to Amsterdam by car is not cheaper unless you plan on staying there shorter than the length of the drive. Parking in Amsterdam will quickly sum up to higher than the train fare.
I m from Dornbirn too. Nice to hear that you liked it there :)
Thank you for sharing this information and your experiences
I am German, living in Italy for 25 years now and from a holiday in Paris I remember the rudeness of everybody there. Even the person that rented her flat to us seemed unhappy about the fact that she was renting out her flat. I did not find this rudeness anywhere else. Germany, U.K., Italy, Netherlands, Spain.....never found all those rude people in a short time.
people in paris are rude, people outside paris in France are friendly.
@@benefiet Les allemands en France n'ont pas laissé de très bons souvenirs en 1870, en 1914 et 1939 !!!! 😅
What’s up with you 🤣 the peak mindset wideness
@@nickduf Well...... I didn't show my passport in restaurants or shops....and they were just as rude to my Italian husband.
exactly our experience.
I live in Germany for 37 year and NEVER have I seen a Hobo. Maybe in Hamburg or Berlin, but not in smaller cities.
come to Aachen or Mönchengladbach
Excellent video! Thank you
Dude I love your voice, thanks for this vid
Can i add something? As you talked about the dutch liking using self checkouts and "plastic money". I think it should be said that both germany and austria are less into both of them.
There are self checkouts, but people prefer a normal cashier. Easy reason: why should you do the job of the cashier and pay the same?
(You don't get a discount for doing the job o fthe cashier yourself)
If the cashier does the work you get the same price and a person has an actual job and pays taxes themselves.
And the other thing is that people here are weary of banks and the state "knowing" all your purchases.
It's a historical thing where we famously had a "government" that wasn't very trustworthy in the late 30's and first half of the 40's. And that sentiment of the state not needing to have control over the finances of the inhabitants is one reason for people liking cash. And for why austris had to give up the "Bankgeheimnis" only due to pressure of the EU. (Bankgeheimnis =bank secret meant that the bank you had your account at was not allowed to tell anyone about your money, where it came from, where it goes, etc. Not even the state, and not even easily if there was suspicion of a crime.)
I used to work as a cashier.
If you don't value your time, sure, stand in line and go to the cashier.
Oops, the person in front of you hasn't weighed their vegetables,
or they forgot something and make everyone wait while they run and grab their missing item.
Ah, they're paying by cheque? you need to wait for the manager to come and sign off on it.
Eh, they're paying by cash but they can't count.
Eh hang on, they want to redeem coupons, but they're out of date, but they think you're being smart, and so you have to call the manager so they can repeat to the customer what the cashier just told them.
And on and on the list goes.
Or you could go to self checkout and be out of there in no time.
@@TheDrunkDragon Last year i had it happen that, when buying groceries the supermarket, all cashier checkouts were closed and only the "self checkouts" were open.
It took me longer than the normal 20 people line they had at other times.
Because the whole system with several customers takes way longer than a single well trained person.
Then there were several malfunctions in the system where it didn't recognize items or claimed you smuggled an item even though you scanned that exact item and it should know it by the weight where you put the scanned ones...
Then there was the long and heated discussion with the employee that had the duty of helping people who struggled with the self checkout.
Which was everybody on all 4 of those self checkouts.
And while the line behind the self checkouts lenghtened they opened a chashiers checkout. 10 of the people there were out of the market before me.
Even though i had only 8 things and started that self checkout minutes before the cashier opened his line.
If they ever do that again, i'll put the stuff back and leave without buying anything.
Also: there's no paying with cheques here. Last time i have seen a cheque was when i was a child. And i am over 40 now.
Sure occasionally there are people who are a pita to wait behind.
But they aren't the majority here.
(Most supermarkets here have an additional scale at the cashiers so there's 1: a check if the person weighed their fruit/veggie correct and put the correct sticker on it and 2 there's not much time lost if the person was too stupid or made a mistake.)
And my argument still stands: why should i pay the same money when i have to do someone elses work?
Do they pay me what my hour is worth?
(well if they had to, they would yeet the self checkouts pretty fast!)
If a cashier is paid, it means a person gets an income and pays taxes.
With only self checkouts fewer people have jobs, less taxes paid and the profit of the supermarkets grows.
I's rather finance a person working than some deskjockey who tries to replace people by shitty computer systems for his own greed.
how about your home country Erika? we would like to know more about it.