Staying in Germany...Visa Related

I've been gathering so much information lately that I feel like its time to write it all down. What better place to put it than here ;) weeks have gone by it seems since I wrote and I've done a lot of research.
In doing all of this I've also learned from some of my German friends some things about dealing with German people.Its definitely a different bunch and adjusting to their thinking has been a challenge for me. I'm used to seeing Germans on holiday, so its completely different!!

I started the job hunting process officially, I made that decision when I was at the Bodensee in Lindau sitting there staring at the Alps thinking 'yeah, I'd LOVE to stay here'. So I put travel on hold and have put my nose to the grind stone so to speak.

At the registration office she said (I found a nice English speaking one) that I am supposed to find work and get a job offer as soon as I can. That way I can go back to the office with the letter of intent and they begin the process of securing my visa. So all this time I thought I was supposed to wait three months then they would say okay was a TOTAL misunderstanding. When you do this, get here, go straight to work looking for a job! So far it seems it could be any job. They have a thing here called a 400 Euro job. Means that's all you get paid, its part time and they give you all the money without withholding taxes etc. Which for me would be ideal assuming I had English tours set up already. I could do both. (Karensworld=karen's own reality~usually :)
I have a list of a few more questions to ask the people just to make sure I'm covered. I did ask her about working somewhere besides where I'm registered. For example I'm registered for the residence permit in Esslingen but I could get a job in Tuebingen as long as I go back to Esslingen with the job offer. All paperwork through the same place otherwise doesn't matter the region. 
My next question will be about working on a river boat, those are contracts for a period of time and I'd want to stay here after that.

Another thing I did was I walked into the Tourist Information office and asked about walking tours (this was in Tuebingen). She says "we offer a walking tour of the city every day but not in English" so I of course say, "well how about English tours"? She looks at me and says " there is alot to learn and the people we recommend take a training class". I said "well I can learn the information, that's not a problem" but she was already not too interested. At any rate what it told me was that I'd have to really prove I was worthy for them to recommend me and also that they may not recommend me at all because I'm not high enough caliber. Sheesh. The lady in Esslingen TI was alot more friendly about the whole thing but I'd still have to learn it and then 'sell' it to them. Which I could do with time and effort and will continue to work on those ideas but I'll have to get a job in order to stay and work on that.
I will be asking the registration lady about starting a business and that counting for my visa/residence permit requirement. I'll find out and get back to  you.

I'm sorry but that's funny

I've applied for many jobs and have sent inquiry emails to a lot of other people. Since the straightforward approach seems to be too much my friends thought it would be better to write and ask if they were hiring, would they be interested, here's my quick story etc. seems to be working, they do respond to that. Rolf seemed to think that since Germans (not all) see the problem first that I should present them with their problem (example-you don't have English tours) and then give them the solution. Dani doesn't see it quite like that. She says just be specific and honest about what you're interested in and they will respond.

Either way you need to be specific. I live with big generalizations all the time. If not this, than this. That doesn't work out, oh well, moving on. Its not quite that easy for some people here. And even my being that way stresses them out. Ha! Its not their problem ya know? :)

After all was said and done I had been working on fun and unique tours in Tuebingen (because that's where I was at the time, why not start there) and then my living arrangement changed there so I had to abandon my efforts for the time being . I had a great idea to get in touch with the people at the German American Institute (not that helpful a place other than for networking) and offer to help Germans practice English if they'd follow me around and help me practice my tour. Mutually beneficial.

So most of these notes are specific to the area I'm in. Stuttgart is a big place and I don't really care much for it at this point, not in a touring perspective anyways. Its not a bad town really. But the little villages on the outskirts are where there is a lack of English tours. I think even in Esslingen if they didn't have much demand my other idea is to offer tours so that local Germans can practice English also. I mean, why not? Make it a fun event every now and then and let the people come talk to an American.

So that about sums it up. I've got an interview coming up in Cologne on June 18th. I'm really excited about it. Otherwise I'm still sending out inquiry emails to everyone I can think of. Tomorrow I'll go visit the local hostels and see if anyone is hiring. I think I'm in the wrong town for that kind of busy summer action. Stuttgart isn't top of peoples lists much.