I originally wrote this post in German on /r/de, but it has yet to be approved by the moderators. Since it appears we are required to submit posts on this subreddit in English, I will use DeepL and translate my own post into English. Original German can be read [here](https://pastebin.com/2LwbTn8D).
Hi guys,
I’m from the US and currently live in China, but I’m toying with the idea of eventually moving to Germany. This is in no small part due to the fact that it’s pretty much impossible to get citizenship in China. And even if there were no such problem, I don’t think I’d be able to cope with Chinese culture in the long term.
As for language skills, I have no problems. I will be taking a C2 exam in 2023, and I would generally estimate, even though my German is not necessarily 100% flawless and I make a few mistakes from time to time or have a slight accent, that I understand just about everything I hear or read under normal everyday circumstances and can communicate accordingly. I would have to do more research, of course, but as I understand it, it is possible to be hired as a teacher in a Gymnasium (or Realschule, etc.) even if you have not necessarily written the otherwise required state exams or even if you have not studied teaching in Germany. I am in fact working in China as a math teacher (and, if I may say, a pretty good one) at an international school. Or rather, in the international department of a public school. I have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics (and not that it means particularly much, but one year of my four-year degree was spent in Germany).
But long story short: in China it is indeed common to wear jackets indoors (i.e. inside buildings), be they light things made of fleece or real down coats, especially in winter. This is true both in the south of the country, where heating is rather weak (if it exists at all), and in the north, where heating is much stronger and more reliable.
And I think that’s a good thing, because I personally am ALWAYS cold. **I’m not here to discuss my medical history or anything like that**, but to call me a frostbite (original German: Frostbeule) would probably be an understatement. Even in America, where in most cases you can expect a room temperature of at least 20 degrees in the winter, I don’t feel comfortable until I’m wearing a lot of very warm clothing.
So I wanted to find out if it is considered rude to wear coats indoors in Germany. Back when I was a student in Germany (my God, 5 years ago!), I didn’t really care how I dressed, but if Germany is similar to the US in this aspect, then I can very well imagine that this might prepare me for problems in my professional life. In America, anyone who dares to wear a coat indoors is constantly harassed with statements like “take off your coat and stay a while!”, and there are often regulations that try to stop people from wearing coats. For example, I can still remember very clearly how students were asked to take off their coats by teachers when I was at school, and similar things often happen in offices where such behavior is considered unprofessional (unless it’s a casual dress code).
So I just wanted to ask if it’s okay if I insist on keeping the coat on in Germany. I know my writing style here may sound very funny or exaggerated, but I otherwise act relatively normal in my professional life and in the classroom. The fact that I’m even asking this is very funny to many in itself, but my clothes really are an important part of a happy life for me. Perhaps, if necessary, I could take off my coat during class and not put it back on until I get to the office? As I understand it, German teachers don’t have to dress outrageously formal.
For me, it’s mainly about professional life. Otherwise, I just do what I want. I’m not the type to go to formal dinner parties or anything often, and the vast majority of my free time is spent either alone or with my girlfriend.
Bonus question: will (has?) wearing coats inside buildings become more acceptable due to the energy crisis?
One impetus for this question was a thread I posted on /r/ChinaLife, where most people denied that wearing a coat indoors is somehow taboo in the West — except for a few people who claimed that this taboo made sense because heating systems are better in most Western countries. Specifically, I remember one user from Denmark who claimed that wearing coats indoors was extremely rude, indeed comparable to putting shoes on the table.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)