The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
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The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
1–10 of 92 posts
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#2Berlin has been talked a lot about on HN, but what is the situation like now? I know for awhile it was relatively cheap which was one of the big perks, but housing costs have gone up due to people moving there. What level of experience would you need as an American programmer to move to Berlin and find work? Is it a realistic option?
An example of a past thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3221799
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#3The various sides of the immigration debate are talking past each other. This article describes a German program that takes high skill people like the architect profiled in the article, while those opposed to immigration are mainly concerned about the large numbers of low-skill people who are not interested in assimilating. The anti-immigrant folks in Britain and France aren't worried about Mr. Pinol. They're worried about the people who want to self-govern according to Sharia law inside a western country.
As for the U.S., the key difference with Germany is that our fertility rate is 1.89 (over 2.1 during the boom). Theirs is 1.36 (under 1.4 since 1990).
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#4I don't have much information about Germany apart from a couple one-week holidays, so I can't really comment on those.
On the other hand, I've moved to Britain 2 years ago (with a secured job that I'm just leaving for a new one this week) and in my experience this isn't far away from "The Land of Opportunity". The Greater London area and, to some extent, the M4 corridor is just the paradise for skilled IT workers. Heck, even some towns have almost nil unemployment in general (Reading, I'm looking at you).
Seriously, IT companies struggle to find skilled and experienced people and often hire from the rest of the EU just because it is a bigger pool and many >35 y.o. people already speak decent English so, why not?
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#5Berlin has been talked a lot about on HN, but what is the situation like now? I know for awhile it was relatively cheap which was one of the big perks, but housing costs have gone up due to people moving there. What level of experience would you need as an American programmer to move to Berlin and find work? Is it a realistic option? An example of a past thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3221799
Rent prices have definitely exploded and there are no signs that the upwards trend will stop anytime soon. Nevertheless they are still low compared to cities like London or Paris.
Furthermore software developers in Berlin are in very high demand. If you speak English fluently and are a good software developer, getting a job in Berlin should be no problem.
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#6Berlin has been talked a lot about on HN, but what is the situation like now? I know for awhile it was relatively cheap which was one of the big perks, but housing costs have gone up due to people moving there. What level of experience would you need as an American programmer to move to Berlin and find work? Is it a realistic option? An example of a past thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3221799
Rent prices have definitely exploded and there are no signs that the upwards trend will stop anytime soon. Nevertheless they are still low compared to cities like London or Paris. Furthermore software developers in Berlin are in very high demand. If you speak English fluently and are a good software developer, getting a job in Berlin should be no problem.
What are examples?
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#7What is the chance of moving to Germany from the US without a college degree, but rather with five years industry experience and a handful of certifications, plus a good grasp of the German language? Would companies generally go for that, or would German authorities allow that?
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#8Berlin has been talked a lot about on HN, but what is the situation like now? I know for awhile it was relatively cheap which was one of the big perks, but housing costs have gone up due to people moving there. What level of experience would you need as an American programmer to move to Berlin and find work? Is it a realistic option? An example of a past thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3221799
Here's a great article on what's required to get a freelance visa in Germany (i.e. you don't actually even need a German company to employ you before you move): https://medium.com/@imcatnoone/how-to-get-your-german-freela...
My impression from visiting and friends that live there is that Berlin is undergoing a true technology renaissance at the moment. Personally, if I weren't already living in a perfect location, I'd be looking to move to Berlin.
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#9It should be noted that Germany is only a land of opportunity, if you intend to study there, have a university-level education or are wealthy enough that your education becomes irrelevant.
Furthermore unless you are doing software development, research or something similarly internationally focused you will have a bad time, if you don't speak German.
Re: The new land of opportunity for immigrants is Germany
#10Berlin has been talked a lot about on HN, but what is the situation like now? I know for awhile it was relatively cheap which was one of the big perks, but housing costs have gone up due to people moving there. What level of experience would you need as an American programmer to move to Berlin and find work? Is it a realistic option? An example of a past thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3221799
If you have at least 3-4 years of experience, especially in web or mobile development you're good. I think you'd get `extra points` for being native English speaker.
Food is still pretty cheap. You can avoid buying public transit ticket if you don't mind biking to work as well.
Money is also usually not the issue while renting the flat. Your credibility is. It's best to start by renting a room in a shared flat, gather the paperwork and then try to find something better. Looking for a flat outside Ringbahn (or just outside) sharply brings prices down.
Still, you'd better start learning German right now, it really pays off.