This is an evolving document which we change over time and we find out more and personal experiences.
Germany
For
- Good job situation there are lots of companies that need people who do embedded software, most of the automotive sector jobs though are in Munich which doesn’t appeal to us.
- We haven’t had any issues there and they feel relatively tolerant (will update when I chat to people who already live there).
- The laid back outdoor drinking culture feels much more comfortable and relaxed so we could actually go out for drinks and I would feel comfortable (something I’ve not been able to do for years as loud crowds in UK pubs fire off my anxiety).
- Is in the middle of Europe so we can travel easily without flying.
Against
- I would need a VISA and my partner will need to wait until her Irish citizenship is processed. This is not a massive problem for us as I would be elligible as a skilled worker (IT professional) and it will be sometime before we are in a position to move.
- From my research so far we would need to be married for my partner to be covered by state health insurance as she doesn’t work (See Marriage Issues below).
- Need to research the situation for gender recognition when it comes to immigrants although we have updated our name and gender on our passport, I will have trouble updating my birth certificate before leaving. Need to research how this will affect things. Currently it looks like we can correctly be gendered in corespondance ‘eg Frau Louise’ and day to day situations with what we have.
- Although we now a little German we would probably need help registering our address and interacting with the autharities (need to research the reality of this more) until our German improves.
- Not sure the situation on the far right in Germany, although we haven’t felt unsafe anywhere we have been so far.
- Need to research more about the situation regarding photo’s on CVs as this seems to be a thing. I’m a little worried about how this might open us up to casual transphobia in hiring situations.
- We need to improve our German. This is not a problem for us as it’s something at least I want to do as we enjoy travelling to Germany but may be a consideration for others.
Ireland
This has been something we have spent less time so far researching as Germany has been our initial plan for some time.
For
- Relaxed regulations when it comes to gender recognition with self-ID. This already covers my partner even for Germany as she qualifies for Irish citizenship though descent. We would be able to easily change our birth certificates and changing name is easy via deed-poll (we are unlikely too but may be a consideration for others).
- Ireland sounds as tolerant and far less burecratic than Germany from the ground it looks like we would have no issues with overt transphobia (though currently this is the case with Cambs in the UK).
- It looks like there is Jobs in Ireland so I could find employment there in my current field of work.
- Moving is relatively easy as it is much nearer.
Against
- Smaller population and much worse transport then both UK & Germany. We would probably still need to use the car for commuting and driving to social events. Also fewer social events, this is a big issue for us as it’s one of the big problems we have with our current location (rural Cambridgeshire).
- Travelling to mainland Europe via land without travelling through the UK is hard/impossible so we would need to fly.
Marriage Issues in the UK
From our research we may need to be married before moving to German if that is the option we pursue. As we both do not have gender recognition in the UK getting married without being misgendered in England and Wales does not look like it is possible. It looks like the legal advice the government are relying on is incorrect but that doesn’t really help us as court cases are long and expensive ( More information ).
There are however a few options for around this that we have found so far:
- Get married in Scotland as the Scottish marriage act does not prescibe the words Man / Wife in marriage vows (need to check this further).
- Get married in Ireland for the same reason ( we need to research this ).
- Get married in Denmark for the same reason. This also has the advantage of getting an wedding certificate which is written in German/Danish and English. Sadly with Coronavirus around atm this looks like the hardest option.
Nexts steps I need to do
- Find out about marriage laws hopefully some of the registry offices are open for enquires atm.
- Find out more about laws in Germany.
- Visit Ireland and more parts of Germany when lockdown eases.