Ask HN: Money or Quality of Life?

#1

Post by throwaway28419 » Sun, Apr 28, 2019, 6:08 PM UTC

I am a Backend Developer (Java/Spring ecosystem) working as a Tech Lead in Bangalore, India with 14+ years of experience. I have a salary of around 6M INR before tax (~76K EURO) which is in the higher bracket considering salaries in Bangalore.

I have an offer in a startup in Berlin, Germany as a Sr. Developer. The salary is 76K EURO + 5K EURO joining bonus, before tax which is above average considering salaries in Berlin. The company is ready to take care of relocation and visa.

I have a wife and 2 yr old daughter.

As you can see, if I move to Germany I will have to take a huge cut on my monthly savings. I am not a rich person however I am debt free with strong savings - so I can take this hit for a couple of years if not more. The key motivation for moving out of India is to get PR, settle in better city/country in Europe, get international experience, a better quality of life, good education and future opportunities for my daughter, good health care.

Is it worth it? How can I make it worth? I am doing something wrong or missing some other options?

Re: Ask HN: Money or Quality of Life?

#2

Post by frnkng » Sun, Apr 28, 2019, 8:21 PM UTC

What’s the opionion of your wife? Will she be happy there? Do you have family members or friends already living there?

Otherwise: prepare for some difficult months after arrival until you have built up network of friends. However finding new friends should be doable as you have a little daughter. Going to the Kindergarten or public play grounds is a good opportunity to meet new people and to find new friends.

Be prepared for: a) bad weather in the winter months. b) high taxes + health insurance + social security payments. c) (maybe) the requirement to downsize your life style. You can have a decent life on 75k. However ~10% of all Germans will earn more money than you.

Edit: You want to enhance the quality of life by moving to another location. May I ask what’s your personal preferences regarding quality of life? What limits the quality of life in Bangalore?

Re: Ask HN: Money or Quality of Life?

#3

Post by CyberFonic » Sun, Apr 28, 2019, 11:09 PM UTC

It is very hard to compare Berlin with Bangalore, the climate, culture, vibe, etc are very different. I have been to both cities many years ago, they are polar opposites in so many ways.

I have family who have studied and worked in Berlin. Their biggest stumbling block was learning German well enough for everyday life. Granted that in tech circles English is widely spoken, but you need good German fluency to handle everyday interactions and the bureaucracy. The laws are very strict, especially with regards to traffic.

Knowing English allows you to pick up rudimentary German quickly, but it progressively becomes very difficult. I have studied German to matriculation level and still find it difficult to carry on fluid conversations with native speakers. Reading documents takes a long time, especially unpacking the compound words.

Often people make friends among expats of their ethnicity which in turn hampers the longer term integration into German community / society. Your wife might have more difficulty in this area as she would not have a network of contacts built from work colleagues.

Echoing @frnkng, you might find the purported quality of life hampered by the limited disposable income.

Re: Ask HN: Money or Quality of Life?

#4

Post by throwaway28419 » Mon, Apr 29, 2019, 4:21 AM UTC

frnkng wrote: post #2

What’s the opionion of your wife? Will she be happy there? Do you have family members or friends already living there? Otherwise: prepare for some difficult months after arrival until you have built up network of friends. However finding new friends should be doable as you have a little daughter. Going to the Kindergarten or public play grounds is a good opportunity to meet new people and to find new friends. Be prep…

Thank you for the reply frnkng. By quality of life I mean:

1. Better education and future for my daughter. Lesser gender discriminaition.

2. Better infrastructure and government facilities for the tax paid (30% in Bangalore)

3. Free and good health care

4. Better career growth and opportunities in terms of moving to freelancing/consulting, attending conferences/meetups, working with international and bright minds

5. Less pollution

6. Less crime and relatively less corruption