Not personally, but for what it's worth...

• check into work permits, business licensing, other immigration regulations, etc. for your country of choice
• look up info for taxes, VAT, etc.
• look to make contacts in the region you want to move to (grow your German contacts)
• master the language
• ask local clients/contacts if they have international offices that might need your services (you could "get your foot in the door" by doing work for companies in Europe remotely)
• save up lots and lots of money

That's off the top of my head. I'm sure others will chime in after the weekend. Hope it helps a little.

I'm not sure how it works in reverse but you can't just move here to work anymore. You have to have a viable skill that they can't fill with someone already here.

You can earn a work permit once you have been here 6 months. But you have to have come in on a Fiance's Visa or have quite a bit of money in your pocket to start a business or be sponsored by a relative.

Yeah and considering how unstable the work force is these days in all countries I may be better to just wait it out and go a few more years down the track

Unless you can find a company to sponsor you, it will be tough.
Like RKK said, unless you have a skill in demand, you're SOL.
For a long while I really wanted to go to New Zealand to live. Their rules wouldn't even let me emigrate. No one needs a print tech. Now if I was that Brain Surgeon you guys are always comparing yourselves too...

Yes I did that and it took me 14 years to get a valid work visa, although I was working (selling paintings so it was my gig) the whole time. That was Italy where everyone does whatever they want and then figures out how to legalize it. It is almost impossible to get a work visa in Europe unless you marry a European, or are hired by someone. Also, Germany is cold, overcast and rainy at least half the year, German's are notoriously unfriendly till you get to know them, which takes years... not a fun place to live. Unless you are hired by a European company it's really tricky. However, if you're willing to throw your career out the window, and just wing it chances are you'll do fine, English teaching was very popular when I was there, or working in the outdoor markets. I never regret I blew off a great inhouse job which would have made me rich and bored to live in Italy... (got to paint full time for 14 years and actually got somewhat rich, but then that's how I live my life, I don't want to die wishing I'd done something but didn't have the guts.). What we saw again and again is if you can make it through the first year you'll do fine.

Germans are norotiously unfriendly? I'm half German I think I'm pretty friendly!

ever lived in Germany? You're an aussie!

It was interesting, Italians are your best friend in like a week, but would have no problem putting a knife in your back at the drop of a hat. It took years to become friends with Germans, (not all of them, but it was the m.o. of the country), but my german friends are friends for life, and we're all still in touch... so go figure.

and actually I'm half German too... but actually I'm a NYer

Yeah I'm an Aussie, it's the parentals that are German. Or, rather, Dutch Indonesian- so being Dutch may be different all together LOL

Dutch is very different than German, at least to Europeans... In Europe it's very secular still, everyone hates first the French, and then the Germans.
Just on general principle you understand.
Dutch and everyone else is fine, except of course for the Albanians but they're E Europe so don't count.

:-)

Wow, the xenophobia is amazing.

I don't think anyone takes it seriously, (except the neo nazi's). It's just something to talk about. Now in the states it's bad, everyone at everyone else's throat and pretending not to be, cause it's not politically correct you see.
At least that's how it looks to me since I've been back.