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Seven golden rules for moving abroad with children

Starting a new life abroad is daunting at any age. And for children, who might not have a say in the big move, there is lots of excitement and anxiety about the new place they will soon call home.

Published: 29 April 2019 05:47 CEST
Updated: 4 September 2023 15:18 CEST
Seven golden rules for moving abroad with children
Photo: maximkabbDepositphotos

Here’s what you need to know in advance of your move plus some tips to get the kids fired up to pack their bags.

Do your homework

Making a move overseas with your family in tow is a huge commitment. Be sure to know just what you are letting yourself in for by doing your homework. HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey is a good place to start as it ranks countries based on economics, experience and family. The leading European countries ranked are Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

Find out how AXA’s health plans can help protect your family overseas

Discover the benefits for expat families

Another useful survey is the Internations.org Family Life Index, which ranks 45 countries according to childcare and education options. Sweden, Denmark and Norway all feature in the top five for family life. For example, in Sweden, there are 480 days of paid parental leave as well as compensation by the social services system if you need to take a day off work to look after your child if they are ill.  The Family Life Index also ranked the three Scandinavian countries, as well as France, Spain and Germany, for having affordable childcare and education.

Look after your health

With so much to sort out when you move, figuring out how the healthcare system works in your newly-adopted home might not be at the top of your list. But if you’ve got children, it’s worth doing your research. The Nordic countries, as well as France, are famed for their state-subsidised health systems where children get treated for free. Communication is vital when your child is ill, but finding a doctor who speaks English may not always be possible. As with most of AXA’s global health plans, you can use the virtual doctor service to speak to a medic in your own language around the clock over the phone or via video call.

Make them feel involved

Whatever your reason for moving abroad, whether it’s for a new job or simply for a change of scenery, making your children feel involved in the process is vital. Show them pictures of their new surroundings and emphasise the positives. Take a virtual tour on Google Maps and point out some of the landmarks and fun places to discover.

Get a quote for one of AXA’s global health plans

Photo: Sai De Silva/Unsplash

Learn funny new words

Let’s face it, grasping a new language as an adult is not easy. Fortunately, children are fast learners and numerous scientific studies have shown that children who learn two languages have a higher IQ. Apps such as Babbel and Memrise make language learning enjoyable for the whole family. And of course, there are lots of amusing words to have a chuckle at (like the Swedish word for speed bumps).

Plan new ‘firsts’

Wherever you and your family pitch up, there are going to be lots of new places to check out. Planning activities and new ‘firsts’ like a trip to a football match or concert will help the transition process. And of course there will be lots of restaurants to sample the local cuisine so garner their interest by suggesting a quirky local dish. Anyone for German classic Toast Hawaii?

Retain stability

Children thrive on routines and maintaining them will make it easier for them to adapt to their new country. So carry on with the Friday evening trip to the sweet shop and pick up a few new strange looking local treats, make time for Saturday morning family breakfasts along with movie Sundays. Whilst your surroundings may have been altered, children will respond well to the change if familiar family life is retained.  

With AXA’s global health cover, you and your family are protected at every stage of expat life. Find out more about how AXA’s international health insurance can help you live the expat life you’d always hoped for.

Presented by AXA.

AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited. Registered in Ireland number 630468. Registered Office: Wolfe Tone House, Wolfe Tone Street, Dublin 1. AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited. Registered in England (No. 03039521). Registered Office: 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG, United Kingdom. AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

 

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HEALTH

How to find available therapists in Germany

It’s no secret that mental health care can be particularly tricky to access in Germany. Here are some helpful tips for anyone who is struggling to book an appointment for therapy.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:55 CEST
How to find available therapists in Germany

The process to find psychotherapy in Germany’s urban centres is arduous – licensed therapists often have impossibly long wait times, and private practices don’t accept public health insurance.

A major reason that public insurance funded mental health care is hard to find in Germany comes down to regulations. Specifically the ‘coverage plan’ (Bedarfsplanung) that basically limits the number of licences available for publicly insured therapists in a region.

Germany’s maddening bureaucracy probably won’t be fixed any time soon. So residents in need of therapy will need to find a way through the system as it is.

So here are a few helpful tips for finding therapists, as well as how publicly insured patients can have private practice therapy costs reimbursed.

Look for therapists enrolled at academies

You’ll probably have a better chance getting an appointment with therapists who are currently in training, because not everyone knows that this option exists.

You can search for “Akademie für Psychotherapie”, to find one in your location. The Berliner Akademie für Psychotherapie, is one in the capital city, for example.

If you arrange an appointment this way, you can expect to be connected with a grad student therapist in training who needs to complete their supervised practice hours. In this case, you would see your therapist as usual, and they will be going through your session with an experienced therapist afterward.

The main advantages to seeking a therapist in training is that it may be cheaper and you can probably more readily find an appointment. A potential disadvantage is that the therapist you’ll be seeing is less experienced. 

But according to a Stockholm University study, student therapists who receive regular feedback from supervisors may be just as effective as licensed therapists at treating patients.

How to get reimbursed for going to a private practice

As mentioned above, therapists covered by public health insurance are few and far between, especially in many urban centres, and therefore regularly come with long wait times. But for those willing to do battle with the bureaucracy, there is an option to have your costs reimbursed for seeing a private practice therapist.

Specifically, public insurance providers are obligated to provide full reimbursement of costs in the event of a “supply emergency”. 

Waiting times of more than three months are considered unreasonable. So generally, patients can claim a supply emergency if they have contacted several therapists, and none of them offered available appointments within that time frame.

But you’ll want to make sure that your process is properly documented so that you won’t be stuck with the out-of-pocket costs.

First, you’ll need to document your need for psychotherapy. To get this, make an appointment for a psychotherapeutic consultation with a practice in your area, and be sure to collect a written recommendation for treatment (a PTV 11 form). 

If you don’t know where to start with this, look to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) for a database of therapists. You can also call 116 117 or use the 116 117 App.

After you’ve got your PTV 11 certificate, you’ll need to document your futile search for a licensed therapist. To do this, contact at least three to five therapists that have public health insurance approval. Keep a list of the names of therapists you contacted, as well as dates and times of contact and how long the waiting list for treatment is. 

Additionally, you should try to arrange treatment through the aforementioned Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and receive confirmation if it’s not possible. So you’ll need to call 116 117, or use the 116 117 App again. But this time go through the process to have them try to find you placement with a therapist. This should take a maximum of four weeks, but rarely happens.

Finally, if you have documented all of the above and have still not found a readily available therapist, then you can seek out a private practice. You’ll need to enroll as a self-paying patient initially, but then you can submit an application for an outpatient reimbursement (Kostenerstattungsverfahren) along with the previously collected certificates and proof of your search. Private practice therapists are usually familiar with this process, and may be able to help you with the application as well.

READ ALSO: What are the main reasons internationals in Germany turn to therapy?

Free phone consultations for students

Students in Berlin can also take advantage of a free 50-minute conversation with a therapist through StudierendenWERK.

For students elsewhere, it’s worth checking what kind of mental health support services your school offers. Many German universities offer mental health support to some extent, and if school counsellors can’t provide the care that you need, they may be able to offer helpful information about where such services are available in your area.

READ ALSO: Here’s how you can get mental health help in English in Germany

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