Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a long while since we’ve landed in your inbox. As we have so much to catch up on, this newsletter is way more packed than usual. I suggest sitting down with a coffee and settling in for some good reads. 🙌

What’s on this week? We’re launching an exciting new online learning platform. Dual citizenship laws may finally pass this month. 🤞 Life in Germany is about to get a lot more expensive. Other important changes in 2024 that you need to know about.

We cover all this and more in our 07/01/2024 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.

Personal News

Sometimes, I’m going to overshare.

⭐ I spent part of December in Canada on what was a pretty low-key visit. Flying with Iceland Air was great as the view flying into the country is always spectacular! It was wonderful being with friendly people again and being given free water when dining out. On the other hand, the cost of living in Toronto felt shockingly high and by the end of my visit, small talk with strangers started to get annoying. I guess I’ve been in Berlin for too long now. 😂 I also had an extraordinarily uncomfortable yet hilarious experience watching Napoleon. 🫠

⭐ I was home in Berlin over the holidays and enjoyed a quiet Christmas and NYE (see my video of the fireworks popping over the TV tower), binge-watching Netflix and eating good food. It was a very welcome break!

⭐ Workwise, I obtained a new certification and am now a “Certified Scrum Product Owner”. Imho, I think certifications are overrated. Organizations rob you blind and charge you a lot of money for little effort on your part, just so you can display a badge on your LinkedIn profile. Certifications don’t make you better at your job, but they help when you’re looking for work and make you appear “legit”. Gosh, I sound like a grumpy boomer. 🤭

⭐ As a year-end surprise, my company awarded all employees with a generous bonus. I share this not to brag, but to reassure you that it’s not all doom and gloom in the market right now. Yes, a lot of German companies are laying people off and cutting back on hiring plans, but there are still organizations seeking new talent and treating their employees well.

General Community News

News from The Berlin Life community.

⭐ It’s still in the making, but I’m super excited to announce the pending launch of my new pet project, Career Boost Germany. It’s an online learning portal where you can enroll in affordable mini-courses to learn about how to find work in Germany. Think cover letters 101, CVs 101, interviewing tips, help with negotiating fair compensation, and more. Get a sneak peek.

⭐ I asked for volunteers last year, but unfortunately, the submitted data was lost, so let’s try again. 😭 I’m looking for two people to make the community bigger and better – someone to handle event management and another to handle community management. If you’re interested, see this form for details and submit your application. I’ll make a final decision in the next 1-2 weeks.

⭐ Our first meetup for 2024 is set. Join us for our next community mixer on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, @ 19:00. Everyone is welcome! The venue is TBD, but sign up now to meet other newbies in Berlin. The event will be limited to a maximum of 25 participants to make it easier to make connections and have good conversations in a casual, no-fuss setting.

⭐ I used my time off to write a couple of new Berlin Life guides:

• • • • • ​Everything You Need to Know About Probation Periods in Germany – Before starting work in Germany, become familiar with employment practices and learn all you need to know about probation periods in Germany.
        • ​These Are The Berlin Public Holidays In 2024 – 2024 is upon us and it’s time to start planning your holidays for the year. Use this list of Berlin public holidays to get started.

⭐ Our shop is open again, in case you need help preparing for a job interview or spicing up your cover letters or CV. Check out our services page.

⭐ If you want to get caught up, read our final newsletter of 2023: Our Last Newsletter … of the Year! If you’re new here, you can read some of our past newsletters in our archives.

⭐ If you like (or love!) what we do, support us by giving us a follow on LinkedIn. We not only post our new content there, but advertise new jobs in Berlin, alerts as to what companies are hiring, and more.

Food For Thought

Interesting articles about the art of looking for work, humourous memes, or other useful gems floating around the web.

⭐ Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder this time of year. Headspace has some great tips for how to cope with the long dark winter days.

⭐ Blinkist recently highlighted some solidly excellent workplace DEI recommendations you can find in their app.

⭐ Tarik Boumahdi of Get In Expat offers some really sound insight for those who are thinking about making Germany their home in terms of cost of living and salaries.

⭐ So funny, it’s true.

Companies Hiring

German companies hiring right now.​​

⭐ helpcheck | Düsseldorf

⭐ Yara International | Various locations across Germany

⭐ Digital Turbine | Berlin

⭐ VOIDS | Hamburg

⭐ Lovehoney Group | Berlin

⭐ Cofinpro | Frankfurt

⭐ Proton | Berlin

⭐ Parkdepot | Munich

Be sure to check out our complete list of Berlin companies hiring.

 German Startup News

German startups that recently received funding, were acquired, built up staff, etc., and could be good places to look for jobs.

Note: This section isn’t usually soooo long, but there were A LOT of funding announcements when we were off and we don’t want you to miss out on any potential job opportunities. Another noteworthy item is that it’s not just Berlin seeing so much investment, but Munich.

⭐ Blickfeld | Munich | Jobs​

⭐ Evum Motors | Munich | Jobs​

⭐ Scalable Capital | Munich | Jobs​

⭐ montamo | Berlin | Jobs​

⭐ NeoCarbon | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ Urban Sports Club | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ Metycle | Cologne | Jobs​

⭐ Vectoflow | Gilching | Jobs

⭐ Suena | Hamburg | Jobs

⭐ Ultihash | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ German Bionic | Augsburg | Jobs​

⭐ ​Layla | Berlin | Jobs​

⭐ RYVER.AI | Munich | Jobs​

⭐ nuvo | Hamburg | Jobs​

⭐ Unchained Robotics | Paderborn | Jobs​

⭐ ​Banxware | Berlin | Jobs​

⭐ QuantumDiamonds | Munich | Jobs​

⭐ Milano Vice | Berlin | Jobs​

⭐ Floy | Munich | Jobs​

News in Germany

All of the news in Germany.

Note: This section is not always such an exhaustive list either, but there’s been so much going on over the past month, that we naturally have to share it here too.

General living in Germany news:

⭐ German court makes landmark ruling on tenants’ right to Sublet Apartments​

⭐ Berlin Bürgeramt voted second-best in Germany​

⭐ Looking for an allotment in Berlin? Now might be your chance!​

⭐ Alcohol consumption is falling in Germany, says Health Ministry​

⭐ 2024 in Germany: All of the changes you need to know about​

⭐ War, inflation, flooding: Germans’ negative outlook on 2024​

⭐ Scholz encourages Germans to have confidence in the future​

Transportation news:

⭐ Berlin Hbf ranked third-best European train station, while Bremen comes in last​

⭐ First German city opts out of the 49-euro ticket scheme​

⭐ Buses, Bahns and bikes: A guide to getting around Berlin​

⭐ North-South S-Bahn tunnel closed for six week maintenance​

German economic news:

⭐ “Price shock” expected as Germany plans to raise VAT for restaurants and cafes​

⭐ Germany to scrap energy price cap from 2024​

⭐ What is Germany’s budget crisis and how might it affect you?​

⭐ Flights to shampoo: How life will get more expensive in Germany in 2024​

​⭐ Germany’s economy set for rough ride in 2024​

News affecting students in Germany:

⭐ Berlin named second-best city in the world for students​

⭐ 29-euro Deutschlandticket announced for students in Germany​

⭐ German schools perform worse than ever in PISA assessment​

Cultural news:

⭐ The best English bookstores in Berlin​

⭐ Who wants to own a Berlin Späti?​

⭐ 10 Reasons to Love Germany’s Saarland Region​

⭐ 2023: The Berlin year in pictures​

⭐ What’s going on this January? Your guide to the first month of the year​

⭐ Berlin concerts: The best live music for January 2024​

⭐ Berlin’s best restaurants: 101 places to eat right now​

⭐ The most embarrassing Berliner of the year: 2023 edition​

⭐ 10 reasons to love Brandenburg​

Developments in the labor market:

⭐ Germany: A new scheme to fill the skilled labor gap​

⭐ How to negotiate your salary in Germany: A guide for expats– However, we think our guide is better.

⭐ What is bullying in the workplace and what can you do about it?​

⭐ What’s the outlook for the German job market in 2024? (paywall)

German immigration news:

⭐ New naturalization law​

⭐ German dual citizenship law could pass in January, say coalition​

⭐ Am I eligible for German citizenship? Berlin launches online questionnaire​

⭐ German immigration policy: What’s changing in 2024?​

How We Can Help

Some of the good stuff offered by the Berlin Life.

⭐ Get connected with other like-minded professionals in our community by adding yourself to our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list.

⭐ Chat with others in our Facebook and Slack community spaces. 🗣️

We also offer career coaching and other services, as well as free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin. Be sure to check us out!