The high wage I'd been promised was cut by the high taxes' The grass isn't always greener The idea of working abroad rewarded is the exception rather "I had a good job in Scotland up in tax and insurances and you has many attractions but the than the rule. and was quite happy when the have got to allow for high rents." reality can be somewhat Jeffrey Heath and Iain Douglas President of one golf club called Jeffrey explained that in many different. Two greenkeepers both work in Germany and have and asked if I was interested. My cases the better jobs are already with experience of working in done for a number of years - long wife and I were flown over, put taken by Germans or established Germany explain some of the enough to have seen the differ- up in a posh hotel and given first British greenkeepers. The clubs pitfalls. ence the dismantling of the Berlin class treatment. with the real money tend to go to Wall has done for the united Ger- "The course had just been greenkeepers they know. or many years an accepted many's economy and the fortunes seeded and we saw it as some- "Often what happens is that a Fway of making a bit of money of British greenkeepers working thing new, an adventure and a British greenkeeper is taken on was to work abroad. Spending a in the country. chance to bring in a new golf for a short time to run the golf few years on the continent "If a young guy wants to take a course. But they didn't tell me the course and train up the local involved coping with a foreign chance and go over to Germany truth about the golf course. They greenkeepers before being kicked culture and a foreign language and maybe marry a German girl told me the greens were made of off. Make sure your contract is in and a bit of homesickness but then fine. But taking a wife and a sand soil mix but they were English so you can check it thor- after that, unless you had decided family to Germany is fraught with actually black ash from the base oughly." to stay and make your life as an difficulties," explained Jeffrey to the surface and I found out Another pitfall occurs when a ex-pat, you would have enough who has been in Germany for 20 later that the course had not been greenkeeper is given his budget experience to land a good job years and has indeed married a seeded by a professional com- and salary and is made responsi- back home and enough money to German. pany," explained Iain. ble for paying his own taxes and make your old friends a tinge Ian, and his Scottish wife, expe- "I liked what I saw when I went medical insurance. jealous. rienced some of those problems out originally so I went for it but "When he gets a lump sum That was perhaps the case a when they moved to Germany when I got there I realised that all there is a great temptation to go few years ago but now, particu- ten years ago and it was only the greens were covered in fair- out and spend it but if he gets larly in Germany times are hard their tenacity which saw them way grass and some of the black found out by the German Govern- and seeing a wanderlust well through the initial bad times. ash had come to the surface. The ment he gets thrown out of the greens were rock solid. Coupled country or sent to prison for tax with that the machinery that had evasion. I know examples of this been promised to me never happening," said Jeffrey. came." The Government is extremely Another problem which Iain strong at the moment as it encountered was his salary. needs the money after reunifica- Does your current supplier of Top Dressings, Root Zones "The high wage I'd been tion. and Sands: promised was cut by the high "I meet greenkeepers who have taxes in Germany and the high just arrived and they say they are # Own a quarry containing the highest quality rents. All these things add up. in Germany just for the money Cheshire Silica Sand? "I went to the committee and and I meet them again six months # Produce all products to BS EN ISO 9002? told them the wages I'd been later and they are beginning to promised were not working out get downhearted. What they do # Carry out hourly tests of all of the grades of sand and they said they'd solve my save they use to fly home and it's which they produce, to ensure the highest quality? problems. They got my wife a job difficult for their wives to get in a factory punching nails. This jobs," said Iain. # Test every batch of Top dressing and Root Zone to was to make up my wage and we "What we are trying to say is assure you the consistency which you require? fell for it because we are in a dif- that life is not that good in Ger- ferent system and by the time many. Since the wall came down # Have the productive capacity to produce 600 tons of we'd been drawn in we had no the country has been destroyed. Top Dressing per day, so that you will not be let choice," said Iain. Every time I go the filling station down at the busiest times of the year? "For a couple of years my wife petrol is up in price." # Use top quality hauliers to ensure that deliveries are and I were worse off than we Jeffrey and Iain would not dis- in the right place, at the right time and without a would have been at home but we courage anyone from making the decided to make a go of it and move if they are going as a step- mess? stayed." ping stone into mainland Europe If your current supplier cannot offer you all of these, we He moved on to a few other and Italy, Spain or Austria and would be delighted to. clubs before ending up at a very are prepared to accept whatever good course where there is comes along. Please call 01270 765996 for prompt service and delivery. money to spend and the club is 'Just don't do it to make a lot of prepared to invest. money and for a better way of liv- Arclid Quarry "Any married British green- ing," is their warning. Congleton Road keeper who is well established in There is one thing about which Sandbach Britain but who thinks he's going Jeffrey is adamant however. to be better off in Germany has "The best greenkeepers come Cheshire got to think very carefully," cau- from Britain because we can AD CW11 4SN tioned Jeffrey. adapt to conditions so well. We REF "You can be taken in by the fly the British flag abroad and are 543 salary but as much as 55% comes proud of the job we do abroad."