Aren’t you just sick of German success stories? They are the best at football, they are the first to go on holiday, and while the UK may face rising unemployment and huge debts, just look at the Germans. Their employment is of the highest standard and Germany is a commendable exporter. Even more surprising, Germans earn more money and work less than Britons. how did you do it?
Journalist Justin Rowlatt and writer Bee Rowlatt are tasked with uncovering the secrets of Germany’s success. They will live in Germany together with their children for some time. Yes, there’s beer and sausage, but that’s not free time. They will work, live and play… just like typical, humble Germans because their goal is to be German!
First, they need a place to stay. You have moved to Nuremberg in the heart of Bavaria. It is famous for its gingerbread, sausages, and Nazi history. You rent an apartment from Mrs. Haller. The British may have been bothered about acquiring property, but the Germans were not. More than half rent, compared to only a third of Brits.
Germans seem to love renting, and they do it for a long time. People would stay in rented homes for decades. The Germans are not in debt either. In the UK, the average household owes £53,000 including mortgages. In Germany, the average household owes less than £30,000 in debt.
Justin and Bee do quite a bit of analysis of how the average German lives. The typical German is called Muller, the most common surname in the country, living in an apartment building in the 1970s… Sabina is the most common female name. Thomas Müller is the most common male given name. Germans of course wake up very early, on average 20 minutes earlier than the British. With two preschool children, the typical German wife doesn’t go to work.
