F e a t u r e s
CultureShock M
y name is Sgt Mark O’Brien, I am 40 years old and am married with two daughters
aged nine and four. I have been in the RAF for twenty-two years and have previously served overseas at Bruggen (single) and Brunssum (married/accompanied). Posted from Waddington to HQ 1(UK) Armoured Division at Herford in Germany last August I share my experience of the pitfalls of a Service move abroad in an attempt to warn others…
I was fortunate to visit Herford two months before my posting to undertake a handover with my predecessor and begin to prepare for our move. Despite this, the process of moving to a new unit, a new country and in most respects a new Service, has at times been ‘emotional’. Apart from the unavoidable stress and chaos of physically moving house, the financial impact of the move was the area that was felt most.
It began with our shock to discover disturbance allowance had hardly changed in the four years since our previous move and we knew immediately that it would be not be enough to meet the costs of our foreign move.
On leaving the UK, most utility companies were very accommodating, however, the need to settle all utility bills at the same time was a severe drain on resources. We wrongly assumed our mobile telephone contract would be easy to transfer as it was with T-Mobile. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and we ended up completing the remaining months of the contract as it was cheaper than cancelling it early.
On arriving in Germany our cars consumed finances and a great deal of our time. The need to purchase, and then have professionally fitted, continental headlights, warning triangles, jerry cans and first aid kits were all additional costs. Vehicle insurance and breakdown cover were considerably more than in the UK, as it was for the house. The process of opening a bank account brought further costs as did getting telephone and internet connectivity to our new home.
14 Summer 2010
Discovering that not all UK telephones are compatible with the German telephone network was just one of the minor problems we encountered.
If I thought I would get respite at work from the seemingly endless time spent in the process of handing over money for little visible gain, I was mistaken. On registering for membership of the Sergeants’ Mess I was presented with a bill for nearly £200. I was informed that it was common practice in the Army to pay for the Christmas function and draw tickets over the course of the year and I was in arrears! I was also informed that my monthly bill would be four times that which I was used to paying. Compulsory Mess and Branch charges now cost me between £50 and £60 a month.
There is a great deal of information available to personnel and families moving abroad, but it doesn’t help the fact that the initial outlay is approximately £3,000. The following is a list of additional information both me and my work colleagues would have found valuable during our moves.
Preparing to Move Mobile Phones: Even though we were with T-Mobile (German telecom) we couldn’t transfer our contract to Germany. We ended up paying the remaining three months on the contract rather than the cancellation fee which was larger. We discovered that we can still use our ‘free’ texts by sending them via the Internet.
Utilities: Most companies were helpful and understanding but some did enforce charges for breaching fixed-term contracts. This process took many calls to 0845 numbers, numerous letters and a great deal of patience. Paying all outstanding bills was another significant drain on funds.
Insurances: Insurances cannot be moved from one country to another, even if you intend to stay with the same company. Household possessions had to be insured when in transit between homes. We didn’t go with the suggested policy that came with the moving documents. By shopping
Car: Ensure you get proof of ‘no claims’ entitlement as your new insurer will require this. Via the internet and telephone we arranged insurance with a German insurer prior to our move. Cover started on the day we left the UK and payments didn’t start until we had a local bank account. Despite shopping around our premiums were still nearly double what we paid in the UK.
For those with personalised number plates, be aware that you could lose them. Advice from the DVLA and the BFG registrations department has been inconsistent and at times contradictory. People with personalised plates are at times being told there is no guarantee they will still own them on their return to UK. This was regardless of how much they had paid or how long they had owned them.
Moving: The MoD provides flights from Birmingham to Germany. Our new quarter is ten miles from the garrison so we needed to keep both our cars. As a result we were unable to use the MoD option so travelled by ferry. Some of the travel expenses can be claimed back but the majority, including the ferry costs and pet passports, cannot. European breakdown and insurance cover were unavoidable expenses incurred here.
Once in Germany Telephones: Arriving in Germany, we found our house telephone wasn’t compatible with the German network – we ended up buying a new set of phones.
German Telephone/Internet. Usual connection fees required, up to €200 and we found the standard monthly costs slightly higher. However, internet speeds are far superior to those we had in Lincolnshire.
Pets: Not an area that affected us, but passports, insurance and jabs are a significant unavoidable expense.
Medical: For family members with existing medical issues the continuance of
www.raf-ff.org.uk
Sergeant Mark O’Brien shares his experience of a move to an Army base in Germany and provides invaluable advice to others contemplating a tour in Europe.
around we found we could get better cover for considerably less.
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