Fetten Schakal

I know what a lot of you are thinking ... 'What kind of stupid question is that? ' but hear me out!

I want to look into moving from Scotland to Germany, as my job situation here isn't that great, and I fell in love with Berlin a while ago when I visited for a holiday. The problem is, my language is NOT great. Mein Deutsch ist nich zu gud!

I've heard of people simply hopping over there to live and work whilst speaking English ... is that even possible? I'd be more than willing to take language classes whilst there to learn and immerse myself in Berlin/German culture. But can a Scottish English-speaking lass simply move there and thrive?

I want ALL advice and help and pointers, please! And please tell me if I'm being utterly stupid!

Moses2013

It's possible, but what kind of work do you want to do. Unless you have some skills, low wage jobs are the only option for you and even there you need German, unless you're a tour guide for English speaking people. If you're young and just want to travel for a year (live in crappy accommodation), that's fine. Without certain skills (especially language), you'll end up worse off than back in Scotland. As always, going on holiday and living somewhere is a different story.

Fetten Schakal

I'm only skilled in customer service things; I went to University for sciences but not been able to get a job in the field (crashed out in third year. No degree for me!). I know that living and visiting are two different things; I just want to know other people's experiences. I've always heard about ex-pats in Canada and Australia and Spain, no-one ever mentions Germany! (Outside of here, of course )

Moses2013

Well there are loads of expats in Germany. Maybe Brits mainly go to OZ and Canada, because you can speak English over there and in the past it was easy to make money, especially for tradesmen (changing now). If you want to make it in Germany, you really need qualifications and if not German is essential. Berlin has definitely changed and is very international, but wages are lower compared to other cities. There won't be many options for British people without German or qualifications, so that could be the reason why you don't hear about Brits in Germany. Up until this year there was no minimum wage, so there would be no point leaving the UK for less. If you're in IT, or are an Engineer there are plenty of options for Brits without German.

Fetten Schakal

Oh dear, well, thanks for the help!

Moses2013

Don't get me wrong and it's not impossible. Germany is all about qualifications. A hairdresser in Germany would have to do a 3 year apprenticeship to actually be called a hairdresser. Germany can be a great country, but research what jobs are available to you without German. You can start learning German for a start and maybe retrain in Scotland to reach your goal.

amideislas

I second everything Moses has said, but I would open one little aperture of light and say that Berlin is a bit different than the rest of the country.

Berlin the only true "melting pot" of Germany, I'd suspect it's possible that more than half the people living there are not Germans or come from German bloodlines, and that makes it a bit more "cosmopolitan" (for lack of a better term) and more "flexible" in terms of openness to that which is not necessarily the German "norm". As an auslander without any specific placement, Berlin probably offers the best overall opportunities in the entire country.

But Moses is right. You really need to want to be in Berlin, and have something to offer it, or else, you'll likely be resigned to a low-paying job.

BritInParis

The British Embassy in Berlin occasionally has vacancies that don't require German.

https://www.gov.uk/government/world/...ut/recruitment

Other than that you'll probably be limited to working in a British/Irish pub if you don't have any German language skills.

dmu

My younger daughter tried for a job in the French Embassy in Berlin, but it was very competitive (she lived there, had French and German Degrees, and spoke German, but that wasn't sufficient....)
When she and her sister studied and looked for work to survive, they worked in a Call Centre (in French, but no doubt they need English-mother-tongue speakers, too). A thankless job (how do YOU react to cold calls?), very poorly paid, poor work conditions, but they aren't into bar culture and it was all they could hope for at the start.
Be aware that such low-paid jobs wouldn't be enough to survive (= pay for a room in a flat-share and eat) unless you have family to help out. In any case you'd need a Guarantor (usually family) to be accepted into a flat-share if you haven't got payslips to indicate your regular income.
Hope this gives you food for thought! Berlin is a fantastic city to live in, but only if you've got a decent income.....

scot47

If you have a marketable skill and speak German it might be possible. Otherwise, grief and heartache are the likely outcomes.

I lived and worked in Berlin West in 1968-1969. I earned a crust as a Language Assistant in a German school which gave me a basic income. It was tough.

Assanah

A lot of the people contributing in this forum are not living in Germany right now. Some have been away for a decade or more. They have no real clue about the current Germany. But there are a lot of expats living in Germany right now. Not only in Berlin but all over Germany. You should be talking to them. I will pm you.

Germany is like all other developed countries, without qualification and good knowledge of the language the changes of getting good jobs are low. And the low paid jobs are as shitty as they are in other countries. There are a lot of highly qualified Germans and a massive influx of highly qualified Europeans.

By the way, Berlin has a shitty job market, high unemployment, lots of low paying jobs etc. pp. If you want interesting, challenging and better paid jobs you probably have to move somewhere else where there are many more of those "inflexible" Germans. If your mind is set on Berlin maybe being self employed is the way to go. There are many people in Berlin that start their own business. Very creative city in this respect. Or you could start an apprenticeship in Germany or go to university (very cheap!).

I know people that arrived in Germany without qualifications and knowledge of German and they made it. They are well established amongst those "inflexible"Germans, speak German fluently and have decent jobs. But to get there it takes a lot (!) of effort. I am not sure about your situation or your age but if you are well established in the UK I would be hesitant to give this up for a uncertain future in Germany. You would need to have a good plan Anyhow, if you are still young you could also just see it as an adventure and move for the fun of it, try it out, experience it. Still you would need some money in the bank account

dmu

One of my daughters is still in Berlin, so I, for one, do have a clue!
It all depends on what the OP can offer. My daughters both "made it" in the end, mainly thanks to their language skills, not the subjects of their respective Degrees....

Moses2013

Have German passport, finished school in Germany, did Ausbildung in Germany, have family in Germany and deal with Germans on a daily basis, so do know a bit.