THE DEUTSCHE BAHN SEEKS AN EMPLOYEE WITH MAD WINDOWS 3.11 SKILLZ
What’s on this week? In yet another demonstration of how far Germany lags in technology, the Deutsche Bahn wants an employee with Windows 3.11 experience, an OS that was released in 1991! Germany is now the world’s third-biggest economy. A four-meter-long dead python was found in Berlin. Staff at Hamburg’s foreigner’s office took bribes to issue residence permits to people who didn’t meet the requirements. 💸
We cover all this and more in our 18/02/2024 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.
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Authentic Stories: Enjoy a personal touch from me with stories, rants, and reflections that make the newsletter informative and enjoyable.
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Personal News
Sometimes, I’m going to overshare.
⭐ All is well, in the grand scheme of things. I have less than two weeks left in my probation period at work. I’ve also been overworking and need to find a more sustainable work/life balance. If you have any pro tips, hmu.
General Community News
News from The Berlin Life community.
⭐ I just published the first draft of a new Berlin Life guide: The Top German Language Schools in Berlin – If you’re a foreigner seeking to learn German, peruse our list of German language schools in Berlin to find the best school for you. Atm, it’s a quick list, but I plan on enhancing the guide to include a comparison feature by price, offerings, location, and more.
⭐ To get alerts on new jobs in Germany, as well as other interesting developments about life here, be sure to follow The Berlin Life on LinkedIn.
⭐ I hosted a super fun Valentine’s dinner last week, meeting with other women professionals in Berlin and it was soooo much fun! We have the most lovely community members. Come to our next Community Mixer on Wed, March 13 @ 7 pm. Everyone is welcome. The location is TBD, but expect beers, good food, and cool people. Sign me up!
⭐ Read last week’s newsletter: Germany’s New Immigration Laws Might Not Be So Great After All – Germans are consuming less beer and will soon be paying more for meat. Your German citizenship application will be denied if you’re on social security benefits like unemployment. Berlin is having yet another election. Berlinale invited AfD members to some of their events and only disinvited them after getting publicly shamed. ➡️ If you’re new here, check out our news archives.
⭐ One of our community members, Claudio is looking for a co-founder: “After doing tons of interviews I have identified that medical billing is a very cumbersome process not made for patients but for providers & payers. By streamlining this process a US unicorn startup shows that one can save the providers & payers a lot of money which I want to bring to Europe in a somewhat similar way. If you’re interested or have further questions let’s have a chat.” Get in touch!
Food For Thought
Interesting articles about the art of looking for work, humourous memes, or other useful gems floating around the web.
⭐ I asked our community how long they’ve been searching for jobs in Germany and these were the results.
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- 7% said they found a job in less than 30 days
- 38% found a job in 1 – 3 months
- 31% found a job in 3- 6 months
- 24% said it took more than 6 months
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It’s great to hear that the majority of our community members were finding a job within 6 months! We know it’s not an easy market right now, especially in tech.
⭐ Graham Pugh, of Berlin Relo, provides an overview of the Berlin rental market right now, and it’s getting hella expensive out there. He also helps people find flats in Berlin, so get in touch if you’re currently searching.
⭐ Marat Yakupov, who runs a recruiting agency out of Munich, talks about median tenures for software developers in Germany.
German Startup News
German startups that recently received funding, were acquired, built up staff, etc., and could be good places to look for jobs.
⭐ Simplyblock (Reducing the carbon footprint of data centers) | Berlin | Jobs
⭐ Una Health (Tackling diabetes) | Berlin | Jobs
⭐ Pacifico Biolabs (Creating fish and meat alternatives) | Berlin | Jobs
News in Germany
All of the news in Germany.
⭐ 2023 figures: Berlin S-Bahn services were the most punctual in Germany
⭐ Hamburg Ausländerbehörde staff arrested on suspicion of bribery
⭐ Brandenburg Gate to be transformed into massive goal for Euro 2024
⭐ INTERVIEW: Why racism is prompting a skilled worker exodus from eastern Germany
⭐ The Joy of Concrete: The unexpected story behind Berlin’s divisive Plattenbau
⭐ Germany: Number of school dropouts is rising
⭐ Four metre tiger python found dead in Hasenheide Park
⭐ Vintage and second-hand shopping in Berlin: The ultimate guide
⭐ How honest is your average German?
⭐ CDU, Left Party and AfD make gains in Berlin’s Bundestag re-election
⭐ Germany overtakes Japan as world’s third largest economy
⭐ DB job ad mocked for seeking applicants with Windows 3.11 experience
⭐ Nickelbackplatz? Berliners put forward renaming suggestions for square
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 offer career coaching and other services and free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin. Some of our most-read guides include:
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Cheryl Howard, Founder @ The Berlin Life
Hi, I’m Cheryl. My mission is to help you move to Berlin and find work.
A Canadian in Berlin for 10+ years, I have the unique experience of moving to Berlin – not once, but twice. During my time in Berlin, I’ve had five different visas and worked as both a freelancer and a permanent employee for numerous Berlin companies. I even managed to find a new job during the pandemic and again in 2023, during Germany’s recession and massive layoffs in tech.
My day job has involved work as a hiring manager, overseeing the recruitment of countless people, as well as a team coach helping teams and individuals work better and find happiness in their careers. Through my side projects, I’ve also shared my personal experiences by publishing a series of helpful blog posts, creating a thriving community of job seekers, and hosting events to help people find work in Berlin. In 2021, I decided to put my coaching and recruiting talents to use by creating The Berlin Life, bringing my existing content and community together in one spot.
The combination of my personal and professional experience means I know exactly what it takes to move to Berlin and find work.