Frankfurt - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
Morale is pretty bad here due to everyone working and living together. There are a lot of Americans so it will feel a little bit like home. - Jun 2024
The Consulate community seems to have low morale. - Aug 2023
The expat community is rather large, and many people enjoy that bubble. - Oct 2022
It's huge and morale fluxes greatly. The families with small children seem to have it better because activities seem primarily organized for families with small children. COVID really drove a wedge between people when it exposed who didn't care to take things seriously, especially the part about following host country guidelines, and who does take things seriously. - Feb 2022
Large community at post, but because they are from all over the Federal Gov spectrum, and I feel one should expect them to be more insular than at other diplomatic missions. Some people hate their time in Frankfurt and treat the tour like a deployment but those who are willing to "try the German way" tend to love it. - Oct 2021
The Expat community is huge here in Frankfurt. Morale is all over the board. This post is what you make of it! - Mar 2020
Enormous. Over 500 live on the Siedlung. You live together, stand at the bus stop together, work together. It's a lot. Morale is mixed. The military folks seem to do better than the State Department folks. We feel like we moved to Germany but live in America, in housing that doesn't even compare to what we had in college. - Mar 2020
There are tens of thousands of expats in Frankfurt. It is an international banking and transit hub. - Feb 2020
Very large and at least average morale, maybe above. Frankfurt is a very comfortable city. - Sep 2019
There are many many expats from all over the world in Frankfurt. I think the mood is generally good. Some folks assigned to the Consulate have never been assigned overseas before, so that can have an impact on their ability to adjust. But for those with some overseas experience, they mostly recognize that it's good living. - Apr 2019
HUGE - morale swings like a pendulum - it depends on who is in charge at post. - Sep 2017
Huge. Morale is surprisingly middling. A lot of not-so-nice people choose this post for some reason. Some never leave the compound and only go to the US base on weekends. They are the most unhappy and take it out on those of us who travel. - Jan 2017
Quite large. Frankfurt has a lot of expats from the various multinational companies, the European Central Bank, etc. I think morale varies depending on the specific circumstances. The consulate is a strange place, with a lot of people TDY for regional duties more than 50% of the time and a lot of agencies (i.e. TSA, GSA) that aren't usually overseas, which causes some interesting dynamics and different expectations of what life overseas with the U.S. government should be like. - Aug 2016
Huge. Morale is good. Frankfurt is an easy place to live, work and play. - Feb 2016
Huge community, morale varies. This community is not as close knit because of the size and many people are either traveling regionally for work or traveling on the weekends with their family. It is a different vibe than any post I have been at. It's not really a bad thing, just different and bothers some people. Many expat families at the international schools too. - Dec 2015
GIGANTIC! There are many Americans married to Germans who stay here forever. There are a lot that work in the Consulate as Local Hire Staff and a lot of those have HUGE chips on their shoulders about having an FSO boss when "I have worked here for 14 years>>>>blah blah blah". Most don't have the education to join the Department of State as a Direct Hire and/or don't want to leave Germany to travel around the world...but they will complain endlessly about the benefits FSO's get ("free housing, free schools"). Meanwhile they get three years off for maternity leave as well as unlimited sick leave....So it is an issue. For FSO's, it is great to be able to live in Europe so those that see the glass as half full will love it here and the pessimists will not. - Mar 2014
Very large expat community. Morale at post is low. - Nov 2013
Huge. - Apr 2012
Huge. - Mar 2012
Very large. - Oct 2011
Huge. - Jul 2010
Huge! - Jul 2008
Large. - Feb 2008
Large. - Jan 2008
