What’s on this week?

Munich opened Germany’s first alcohol-free beer garden. Germany’s not really the sick man of Europe. I talk about tax breaks for foreigners. Which German government office is the most difficult?

Personal News & Musings

🫣 Sometimes, I’ll overshare and/or rant a bit.

⭐ The lovely Cathi Harris interviewed me about the proposed tax breaks for foreigners in Germany. Give it a read.

⭐ We’ve held various community events over the past few months. I’ll take a break from them until September to rethink their format. Stay tuned for more news on that front.

⭐ I’ve launched a referral program. All you need to do is send me more subscribers on Substack to receive a free CV or cover letter review, as well as a career coaching session.

Community News

🤝 News from our community.

⭐ This week’s featured Berlin Life guides are: How to Save Energy in Germany (& Money Too!) and How To Write A German CV That Will Get You Interviews.

⭐ If you missed it, read last week’s newsletter: Foreigners to Pay Less Taxes?! 💀 To see our past editions, explore our archives.

⭐ Take part in this week’s poll: What government office gives you the biggest headache?

Food For Thought

💡 Interesting articles about the world of work and other random things.

⭐ To keep up with Tiktok and Instagram, LinkedIn is set to launch short video posts to their India market.

⭐ Xena shares cultural competencies people need to have in tech to keep up fair DEI practices,

⭐ Software engineers should learn these three coding languages to make bank.

Companies Hiring 

🇩🇪 German companies that are hiring right now. 

⭐ Accountable (Berlin, 3 jobs, DE & EN required)

⭐ Elements Green (Mönchengladbach, Leipzig and Leer, 3 jobs, EN & DE required)

⭐ Lendis (Berlin, 1 job, EN & DE required)

⭐ Nosto (Berlin, 1 job, EN & DE required)

⭐ Personio (Berlin, Munich, & remote, 40 jobs, EN & DE required)

⭐ Redcare Pharmacy (Berlin & Cologne, 17 jobs, EN & DE required)

⭐ SPRYLAB (Berlin, 13 jobs, EN & DE required)

German startups that recently received funding.

⭐ CatalYm (€150 M) | Munich | Jobs

⭐ doinstruct (€7.6 M) | Munich | Jobs

⭐ eco2grow (€4 M) | Cologne | Jobs

⭐ Grover (€50 M) | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ HERO Software (€40 M) | Hannover | Jobs

⭐ One Data (€32 M) | Munich | Jobs

⭐ SAIZ (€2.5 M) | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ SDUI (€21 M) | Koblenz | Jobs

⭐ VARM (€5.7 M) | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ WorkerHero (€4 M) | Munich | Jobs

That’s a whopping €317 M pumped into the German economy over the past week!

ℹ️ We post new jobs on LinkedIn every single day. Follow us to learn about employment opportunities in Germany (and other bonus content). 💪​​

News in Germany

🗞️ All of the news in Germany.

⭐ In a departure from the usual ongoing “sick man in Europe” rhetoric, the IMF offers a fairly objective overview of the real problems with Germany’s economy – aging, underinvestment, and red tape. Thankfully, gas, electricity, and paper costs have finally fallen.

⭐ Germany is considering offering foreigners tax breaks in their first three years here, and we’re not the first European country to do so. Germany is also making other changes to tax laws that will affect almost everyone.

⭐ A recent study confirms the intentional increase in disinformation surrounding the EU elections, harshly reminding us to be careful about the data we consume.

⭐ An Olympic athlete from Syria who now calls Germany home shares his thoughts about improving integration. Some German states are experimenting with mandatory work programs for refugees, essentially forcing them into slave labor. In a more positive development, LGBTQ+ immigrants find Germany to be a safe haven.

⭐ In green news, Germany will develop new multiterminal hubs to feed huge amounts of solar energy into the country’s grid. In other developments, the government doled out €5B for investment into hydrogen infrastructure projects. Cold air corridors may also be explored.

⭐ You may want climate change progress, but be careful how you protest, as you could see jail time like these Last Generation activists.

⭐ A German comedian lost his job (and even angered Elon Musk!) after tweeting jokes about the assassination attempt on Trump. Meanwhile, a far-right magazine was banned in Germany due to spreading hatred.

⭐ Speaking of Musk, after being rejected entry to Berghain, he opened a “rave cave” at the Gigafactory where only employees are allowed.

⭐ Citing concerns about X’s platform not matching their values, the BVG closed its account after 13 years.

⭐ Ever behind on most things, Germany will have nationwide 5G coverage by 2025. Germany was also affected by the CrowdStrike failure, as BER canceled many flights, and two hospitals had to cancel scheduled surgeries.

⭐ Former Chancellor Angela Merkel turned 70, and people look at her legacy with mixed reviews.

⭐ Meet Germany’s young tech entrepreneurs, aka teenagers, doing cool stuff. At the same time, migrant entrepreneurs are being supported in launching their new businesses.

⭐ In a bid to boost interest in the German language, this weekend, teenagers (aged 14-17) are competing at the International German Olympics hosted by Goethe-Institut.

⭐ Germany desperately needs agricultural workers to take up farming, but youth are shying away.

⭐ “Young people under the age of 28 who live in Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate can use the Deutschlandticket to travel to Paris as part of a special deal for the Olympics.”

⭐ A German man has likely been cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant.

⭐ An alcohol-free beer garden opened up in Munich. Gin lovers in Berlin should head to these places for the best gin in the city.

⭐ Euro 2024 is over, and Germans are still feeling bittersweet. The Brits discovered what we all already knew – that German efficiency is a myth. And the giant goal from the fan mile can now be purchased for €180,000 on Kleineinzeigen.

⭐ 90mil, a community art hub in Berlin, now offers affordable art classes on subjects like sculpture and even, dance.

How We Can Help

😇 Good stuff from the Berlin Life.

⭐ Connect with like-minded professionals through our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list.

⭐ Attend one of our networking events.

⭐ Benefit from our career coaching (and other services).

⭐ Read our 50+ free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin.