We love this week’s newsletter as there are so many positive things to share. You can now submit applications for a Blue Card online. We had a successful Ladies Networking Dinner event and have plans to do more. Engineering managers are one of the highest-paid tech jobs. Last but not least, inflation is expected to drop significantly in 2024.

We cover all this and more in our 22/10/2023 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.

Personal News

🙋‍♀️ Sometimes, I’m going to overshare.

⭐ I enjoyed a two-day conference with other coaches from my company who came to visit from different parts of Europe. It was so lovely to connect with other like-minded professionals and I actually found it inspiring (which I rarely feel about work). 💛 I’m fortunate to work with some really cool, experienced people who are doing amazing things. I came away with much to think about in terms of where I want to go with my career.

⭐ I dined out A LOT this week and there was a prevailing Asian theme. 😋 My favorite was the classic Korean spot, YamYam. Then JABE and +84 Vietnamese Kitchen. I can highly recommend giving all these restaurants a try!

⭐ Another article about travel in Germany, Photos From The Hanse Sail In Rostock, Germany. The annual Hanse Sail in Rostock is Germany’s most popular maritime festival. See our photos of tall ships and medieval entertainment.

⭐ If any of you are using Bluesky because Twitter is just the worse because of “he who shall not be named”, give me a follow. Atm, I also have one invite code to give away to anyone who’s interested. Just reply to this email for more info.

Community News

🗣️ News from The Berlin Life community.

⭐ If you missed last week’s newsletter, give it a read: The Top Ten Salaries that Pay More Than $100,000 Annually. In this issue, we dish on the top ten salaries that pay more than $100,000 annually, climate activists are having an impact on German cities committing to environmental reform, people were panic buying glitter before a micro-plastics ban came into effect, and a new night club opened at Tegel.

⭐ We just updated one of our 50+ Berlin Life Guides: ​Avoid Making These German CV Mistakes. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about applying for jobs in Germany. Let’s help you sort it out by avoiding these German CV mistakes.

⭐ We had our first “Ladies networking dinner” on Wednesday. There were about 12 of us who came together for lovely Vietnamese food, drinks, and nice talks. As it went so well, we’ll be repeating the event series! If you want to get notified of future events and other related developments, get on our mailing list. Side note: I know the name of the event is lame. I need to come up with something that sounds way cooler.

⭐ For even ways to connect with our community, be sure to add yourself to our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list, as well as join our Slack space. I’ve heard from many of you that you’ve made some solid professional connections through our connect and exchange list, so definitely go there and add yourself!

Food For Thought

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

⭐ Even in femtech, it still pays to be a male founder – “That women raise less money than men in tech is well established. But according to data obtained by Sifted, this disparity even extends to funding for femtech, one of the most female-dominated sectors in the start-up world.”

⭐ Forget fax hacks! Miracles really do happen and you can now complete your Blue Card application online. It’s an early prototype, but expect improvements to come as they get feedback and reflect on learnings. More things are expected to be digitized as well.

⭐ When it comes to attracting startups, Germany is its own worst enemy – As a foreigner, it’s really hard to establish a business in Germany.

⭐ Here’s what tech recruiters really want you to know this year – They talk about why you might not want to use AI when writing your job applications and the importance of cover letters.

⭐ These are the highest-paid tech jobs across London, Paris and Berlin in 2023 – Apparently, you need to be a manager to be paid well in any of these European capitals, with engineering managers nabbing the top spot.

⭐ I was speaking this week about how a good coach doesn’t put themself at the center of the story, but the people they actually help. I then saw this from Adam Grant on LinkedIn and it really resonated. This philosophy is one of the main things I want to ensure with The Berlin Life and our greater community. We’re here to help and lift up one another more than anything else.

Companies Hiring

🇩🇪 German companies hiring right now. ​​

⭐ Sofico (Munich)​

⭐ Paysafe (Berlin)​

⭐ Carnival Maritime (Hamburg)​

⭐ Seven Senders (Berlin)​

⭐ Docplanner (several locations in Germany)

⭐ SHARE NOW (Berlin)​

⭐ THRYVE (several locations in Germany)​

⭐ Maltego (Munich)​

⭐ Fluence (Berlin)

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. Also, tips on where NOT to work.​​​

⭐ Berlin-based play-for-purpose game Zeedz snaps €950k to raise awareness for climate change | 🚀 Careers​

⭐ Germany’s HealthCaters raises €1.2M to help people understand health risks without a doctor

⭐ Munich-based Lanes & Planes takes off with €33.2 million Series B to fuel growth in corporate travel sector | 🚀 Careers​

⭐ Berlin’s EMS, SaaS provider Circadian Technologies bags €1.25M to accelerate growth and functionality

News in Germany

🗞️  All of the news in Germany. ​

⭐ Beer in Germany will soon be more expensive and taste worse – Noooooo. I didn’t have this one on my apocalyptic Bingo card, did you?

⭐ Germany: More women join executive boards – For the first time ever, women are gaining more equal footing in what has been a white male-dominated space. While we can hail this as progress, more work needs to be done.

⭐ Why inflation could be set to drop ‘at a record pace’ in Germany – “Experts are predicting that inflation will average out at 6.1 percent in 2023 but could drop as low as 2.1 percent in 2024.” Finally, some relief is on the horizon.

⭐ Record number of learners caught cheating on German driving tests in 2023 – More than 2,700 people have been caught cheating this year alone!

⭐ Oh my gourd! Where to get the best pumpkins in Berlin – While pumpkin carving is an American tradition, more and more people are getting their pumpkin on in Germany too.

⭐ Berlin Ausländerbehörde to hire 38 employees to process non-EU skilled workers – Help is on the way, but it’s also not enough, especially with the expected surge in applications next year due to the various changes to immigration laws.

⭐ US proposes cutting down massive fee for renouncing citizenship – Rn, American citizens used to have to fork out $2,350 to renounce their citizenship. They are thinking of bringing the cost down to $450.

⭐ New club: Zita takes over the Spandau Citadel – Why are all the new clubs so far from the city center? First Tegel and now Spandau.

⭐ German parliament approves Berlin centre devoted to Nazi terror in occupied Europe – Seen as an important “memory culture project” to never forget what Nazi Germany did to people, I hope that modern-day Germany will reflect on this in relation to how far their support extends in current situations.

⭐ Taking on SpaceX: Why Germany is building its own spaceport – They are building a spaceport in the North Sea!

⭐ Stahnsdorf Cemetery: Hidden city of the dead – Have you ever visited this spooky cemetery? This one was also a filming location for Netflix’s Dark.

⭐ An average German’s evening – I am really vibing with this cute series from DW. This time, they touch on how an average person in Germany spends their evenings.

⭐ How a German island in the North Sea became a magnet for the rich and famous – Can you guess which island it is?

⭐ Germany’s new immigration law is making it easier for foreign workers to move there – These changes could see up to 60,000 more people coming to Germany each year.

⭐ “We have to deport people more often and faster” – This is a must-read interview with Olaf Scholz. Kudos to Der Spiegel for being so tough on the chancellor.

​Useful Resources​

😎 Good stuff from the Berlin Life.

⭐ Berlin Life Guides – 50+ guides about working, living, and moving to Berlin.

​⭐ Services – Career coaching, CV/cover letter reviews, and mentor hours.

⭐ ​Community – Join one of our events, connect with one another on LinkedIn, and volunteer.