Luxembourg

Greetings

Men greeting Men –Most commonly, men greet each other by shaking hands, or in many cases even just verbally.

Women greeting Women - Most commonly, women greet woman by shaking hands, or in many cases even just verbally. Good friends or relatives may also greet each other by two or three light kisses on the cheek (alternating cheeks between each kiss).

Greetings between Men & Women – Most commonly, women and men greet by shaking hands or in many cases even just verbally. Good friends or relatives may also greet each other by two or three light kisses on the cheek (alternating cheeks between each kiss).

Communication Style

• People tend to say what they think, but mostly in a rather diplomatic way. Some “reading between the lines” may be necessary.

Personal Space & Touch

• People tend to keep their distance when communicating (an arm's length or even more). This is true in almost any context (except for intimate relations).

• There's usually no touching at all during conversations. Even handholding is very uncommon, except for intimate relationships.

• Depending on what you would like to demonstrate, friendship or sympathy, you might give a hug to somebody or touch his arm or shoulder while shaking hands. Politicians frequently do that when receiving guest from other countries.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact (without staring) is polite in order to show interest to your interlocutor.

Gestures

• You can point to objects with your index finger, but it is considered impolite to point to people with the finger. It would be better to indicate the direction with eye contact or a nod.
• To beckon someone, a small hand movement (palm directed towards oneself) is understood.
• Generally, the use of body language or symbolic gestures is rather limited. Most nonverbal communication is done by slight nods, eye contact, facial expression and intonation.

Views of Time

• In a business context, punctuality is definitely expected. Coming late to business meetings is considered unprofessional or shows a lack of respect. If a person is late even by 5 minutes, she/he is supposed to give a call to some other person invited to the same meeting.
• On large scale private meetings or invitations (8 people or more) it is appropriate to arrive up to twenty minutes or half an hour after the announced time, since this avoids people arriving all simultaneously and allows the host to welcome them individually.
• Public transports often have problems being punctual, mostly due to traffic jams (especially in Luxembourg city ).

Gender Roles

• Women are generally accepted in the work force. However, gender roles are still an issue, since some discrepancies in the average earnings persist, and while you can find women in almost any work area, it may be harder for them to access them.

Taboos

• Tapping the index finger to your forehead indicates that you think your interlocutor is deranged or stupid.
• Avoid putting your feet up on chairs and tables.

Law & Order

• Cigarettes, wine and beer may be sold to teenagers at the age of 16, spirits only to adults at the age of 18. Underage persons in possession of alcohol are not punished, however, people who make alcohol available to them are.
• Smoking is not allowed in public buildings, restaurants and bars serving food.
• Possession of illegal drugs is enforced.

Dress

• The conservativeness of the clothing depends both of the business field (banks being rather conservative) and the formality of the meetings (first meetings and meetings for contract signing requiring more conservative clothing).
• For Men - Conservative, dark or medium colored suits with shirt and tie are common in corporate settings.
• For Women - Stylish yet classic business suits or dresses/pants and blouses are appropriate in corporate settings.

Titles & Business Cards

• In contrary to our German neighbors, people in Luxembourg are not too fixed on official titles (for example Dr. titles) during spoken conversation. Mr/Mrs plus the last name usually suffices.
• You should always wait to be invited to use first names before doing so.

• There is no specific protocol surrounding the giving and receiving of business cards. It is always best to treat the card with respect.

Meetings

• Arriving on time for a meeting is important. Punctuality is valued.
• Meetings tend to begin with a bit of small talk, but you should get to the essence of the meeting after a few sentences.

Negotiations

• Honesty is appreciated, both about prices and other details.
• It is advised to stay calm and to avoid direct confrontation.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not expected for business meetings.
• If invited to someone's house, you should bring a gift for example high quality wine or chocolate/sweets for the wife. Wrapped gifts are usually opened right away.

In the Classroom

• At the university level, the winter semester usually goes from mid September to the end of January and the summer semester from mid February to the end of June. There's a Christmas and an Easter holiday (1-2 weeks).

• There is no formal dress code. Casual dressing is in order, but shorts should be avoided. More formal dress may be necessary for oral examinations.

• Grades are given from 1-20. A 10 is required in order to pass.

• Lectures are the most common form of teaching, but it also depends on subjects and the level.

Other Observations

• Closing times are rather early with many administrations and post offices closed at 5pm, most smaller shops close at 6pm or 7pm. Large supermarkets close at 9pm (on Saturdays even earlier).
• There are no night shops; if you need to buy food after 9pm, you should check for petrol stations. Shops usually don't open on Sundays (except on special occasions).
• Bars usually close at 1pm (except on special occasions where they need a permission), clubs may close at 3pm.

• Luxembourg didn't have a university until 2003, and the current University of Luxembourg has been formed on the base of three separate institutions (the “Centre Universitaire” in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg that offered some short cycles and introduction cycles of one or two years, but no complete masters, the “Institut Supérieur de Technologie” in Luxembourg-Kirchberg - an advanced technical college - and the “Institut Supérieur d'Etudes et de Recherches Pédagogiques” in Walferdange where the teachers for primary school were trained.
• The current University of Luxembourg is still spread on these three sites (a new and bigger campus being planed in Esch-Belval).
• The small size, the young age, the history and the geographical situation still have a lot of implications on today's course of studies, university organization and social life.