Why Is Talent Fleeing Germany?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
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Germany is not only a wealthy country but also famous for running like a Swiss watch and manufacturing high-quality goods. Thanks to this, Germany has experienced one of the greatest economic miracles in history in recent decades. However, Germany faces a severe problem: the need for more skilled labor.
Despite being a prosperous country with plenty of jobs and seemingly the opportunity to build great careers, Germany could be more attractive for highly skilled workers. The question is, why? How big is the problem? In this video, we tell you all the details about the latest #crisis in #Germany.
From my own experience and many others i asked (germans and foreigners), i have to say the so-called "labor-shortage" is mostly a problem companies complain about rather than doing anything against it. When i finished my apprenticeship as a Lab Technician, it took me 7 months to find a job, even though there are dozens of job ads. The application process takes a month or longer and as a beginner, nobody wants to hire you. This contradiction makes me so angry: Companies complaining all the time and at the same time are too fucking lazy to just train a beginner (which can be a benefit for them btw). Also the working conditions and the salaries still suck in many branches, but hey, crying is easier than actually solving the problem. Welcome to Germany!
yes, they treat you like shit, they pay you shit but then complain ppl ain't wanna work for them. applied for a part time job recently that called "feedback" a benefit. i still laugh about that one. that said, ironically not that true for many BWL-like jobs it seems. have multiple friends with "meh" assests being hired, trained and supported massively, the same kind of people who then later tell you how great capitalism is in their manager position, while you finish your master of science at university to earn less than them eventually, but they fail to see that germany's economy can't survive with BWL alone lol
PS: often companies don't even bother writing a rejection letter, and god forbid you actually want to be paid accordingly to your skill
100% this. Sadly, the video didn't talk about the brain drain at all, just immigration politics that wouldn't cause domestic talent to leave. To put it simply: The german idustry has become increasingly greedy and demanding. Other places just have better job offers in general.
You said it. Perfectly. Even switching careers if fucking awful cause while you may have years of experience doing something else, you're treated as a worthless newbie cause you don't have the right degree or didn't have the right job; no matter how willing and able you are to learn what you need to. It's fucking frustrating.
100% like this and I live in France. You don't want to give people their chance ? Then they flee. I don't care about taxes, language or bureaucracy. I just want consideration
So true. Im german and have the same Problem... still looking for a Job...even with some experience and Masters degree...
German IT Professional here. Left Germany as it no longer makes sense to fork up close to 50% of your salary to a system that is not working for you but against you.
Moved to Switzerland and the salary is twice as high while living cost increased by about 40%. And everything works. Trains are on time, people greet you on the street, almost everyone is friendly, low crime, good service and infrastructure.
The swiss fairy tale... Might be right for you. But when youve got a degree in Humanities and/or are working in an underpaid occupation, tax system is even worse than in Germany. I have a vocational training as educator, 6 years of job practice and a degree in Political Science, currently working in precarious academic mid-level and I have to pay almost 33 % in taxes, which is 10 % more than I had to pay, when I was still working in Germany. Truth is, emmigration to Switzerland is only paying off for people in IT, engineering or high-level medical sector and is extremely unfair to low earning people.
U😅😊 ::8?
So essentially white fleet but in Europe?
Switzerland 🇨🇭, my dad used to work in Switzerland for over a decade. The banks are incompetent there every Swiss idiot works there, they make so much mistakes. Closed an account by mistake. Can you imagine ? You earn more but life in General is much much more expensive too. Schools are all privat for the rich and properties are impossible to buy. It you rent the apartment goes first to a Swiss. Even if you are able to apply for Swiss passport after so many years the neighborhood has a say as well if you should get it 😫. The nature is amazing though. I worked once in Lausanne, they worked soo much earlier like 8 am till 7 pm. Much more than in uk. They work much slower though.
so i was thinking to move to germany as many people from Pakistan, are I'm a cyber security professional with 16 years of experience, and I'm trying for visa sponsorship...any advice for me.
I've graduated from a German uni and have been working here for almost four years now - I speak German and hold permanent residence - but am considering returning to the US. To put it bluntly, yes, economically Germany wants skilled immigration, but socially it doesn't.
Mein Ziehvater war Amerikaner aus Boston, der jahrzehntelang in den USA Deutsch unterrichtet hat. Und selbst er hatte Probleme. Die Ursache hierfür nennt sich Zweiter Weltkrieg - deutlich erkennbar an Innenstädten moderner Bauart (amerikanisch/britische Flächenbombardements). Es ist in Europa Realität, dass die Bruchlinien an der Vergangenheit verlaufen und das trifft auch auf Deutsche zu. Als Deutscher in Spanien (Franco) oder der Türkei (alliierte Mittelmacht im Ersten Weltkrieg) - kein Problem. Als Deutscher in ehemaligen Feindstaaten wie Griechenland - großes Problem.
USA is good for businessmen not for workers
In today's informed world that simply means that Germany doesn't really want immigrants
Not only that. The salaries are a joke if you really consider what you'll get after taxes and insurance premiums. Especially if you count in the costs of living, the salaries should be double what they are.
You explained the whole thing in a simple parragraph, thanks.
I am a doctor with an European Diploma so it is „Automatically“ recognized in Germany. I just had to pass a language test. To get an appointment for that test sometimes you have to wait for a year. When I arrived it was in the middle of the biggest Covid waves that Germany had known. At that time I passed my test and had a Document to prove it but I still had to wait for The recognition process to complete (Which was basically an employee putting a stamp on a paper that has my name on it). I went to the immigration office and had to stand in line every day at 6 am to maybe get in if the workers there in that day were nice because there are no available appointments for the next 6 months. Anyway one day I got lucky and got to the office and could speak to an employee. I explained my situation and asked for a permit to work in the COVID vaccination centres in one of the villages where they had shortages of doctors meaning people waiting months to get an appointment to get a vaccine. I wanted to help and make some money since I was Jobless waiting for the damn document. The employee at the immigration office told me “This is a great idea! That would be solving so many problems. But this is not how we do it here so you won’t be able to help people getting vaccines. You will have to wait for that document then get an appointment at an other office to get another document then get an appointment with us again to give you the permission to work that you will get in a letter 8 weeks after the last appointment”….. Germany is shooting it self in the foot with all these meaningless burocratic mazes they invent every time.
The Germans and their government criticise China everyday, but don't think about their own problems. They even complaine that the Chinese government is too efficient and always have a long-term plan. They should recognise themselves in some ways are stupid!
😅 Luke Evers Western society you need Dokuments what did you expect? Covid short Route to doctor just because oft you? Nope 🎉
The problem is that these offices attract lazy and anxious people and pay quite well.
Es ist gewollt
So you were gagging to give people the Clot shot.Shame on you
My wife as a pharmacist technician from Poland has moved to Germany and wanted keep working here in a pharmacy. Even though she learned German, took a 1 year barely paid internship, waited for governments to allow her to work - long story short… a 10.000€ crash course was offered for a job that pays 1.500€ after taxes approximately. Germany is hurting herself with all of that weird bureaucracy that does not make sense… a horrible way to treat young talented people.
how did she work the internship if she didn't know German ?
@@millevenon5853 speaking In English to work there! Y not? Germany is not only one language!
She learned German and took the required B2 test
the rents though....
Does she work as an PTA? This is sadly an underpaid Job category .. and the mentioned 1.5k are net imcome
I am from Latin America and have been living in Germany for the past 10 years. I completed my engineering master’s degree in here, I speak the language fluently and never committed any crime. Finding a job is still extremely difficult, even if I have 8 years of experience in R&D. German companies will choose you always second to locals even if you are more qualified, then the high positions are mostly only for Germans so your career is basically stalled. Without IG Metall you won’t easily receive a salary increase as a foreigner.
Despite all of this, the working conditions and the quality of life are great. I built a life in here so I decided to apply for the nationality and I have been waiting almost 2 years to get it. Refugees and other unskilled immigrants get it way faster than me.
I am slowly getting tired…I am thinking about leaving because even with a good salary I can’t buy a simple apartment and I am not developing professionally.
[edit] Another thing that bothers me the most is how German companies want to hire foreigners as long as they are outsourced so they can pay them less. Outsourcing is a cancer in the job market.
Huh, thought that glass ceiling for foreigners was just in Japan...
My friend they will not make space for you, you need to create your own space. Not saying to leave Germany but you have to recognise you are not in the in-group. Build a business and start moving at that level.
Andrew, Go where you are treated best. Maybe time to look at the UK, Denmark, Canada or the U.S.
@@jamesbarajas5260 thanks man! I will give it a try in here for a couple of years. Just got a new job after applying to approximately 40 positions. I wanna see where this is going career wise.
In my life in here I have met wonderful Germans. Generally speaking they treat foreigners good. The main problem is corporate life and how they are willing to hire foreigners as long as they are outsourced so they can pay them less.
@@jamesbarajas5260 I left Denmark and moved to Germany, Danish is way more difficult to learn than German.
Can we talk about the elephant in the room? Salaries are pretty low in a lot of industries. Even for skilled workers. Why should I go to Germany as a tech engineer, when I get nearly double the salary in other countries?
Like France or Italy for example?
Add in the apartment rents in most cities where you would actually find jobs from employers open to hiring foreigners - and after taxes, rent and all the other mandatory expenses, - you basically have the same amount left in the end as if you lived with your parents wherever you come from, working the same job with the same qualifications.
Good example: Salary as a chef in germany (doesent matter how many hours you work but usually around the 60 mark, cause your not on a hourly rate) income: 1400€- 1800€ after tax
Wages for chefs in New Zealand: around $30-45/ HOUR for a less stressful 40H week and you are paid weekly plus overhours are paid extra, holidays are paid double wage a lot of times.
Yes there are worse places to live then germany thats very very true BUT, if you have the choice.....there are also a lot more places much better then germany.
Because the other Elephant in the room needs to be adressed too: Germans are racists still, open in public, in peoples faces, nasty racists. Especially in east germany. Big Citys like Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Cologne are different yes. But germans are generally pretty closed and distant towards each other already, even more so with foreigners/migrants.
You can come to support the german social system
@@dezafinado LOL you forgot Romania and Portugal (I'm Italian)
I am a German entrepreneur and after decades suffering from growing bureaucratic threatening and as somebody else stated here "paying 50 % of your income to a system which works against you" I left with my family and my company to Sweden. Life is so much easier here and digital. Now I have to watch my home country falling down.
What makes it fall? The lack of skilled labor? Bureaucracy and laws? Or unnecessary/ unskilled labor/ weak migration? Curious here
@@Ric419 the combination of bureaucracy and lack of high tech/ digital services...( like online payments/ online job applications/ government bureaucracy)
Many daily procedures are not automated or digitalised,which is causing a lot of delays and make it difficult to innovate.
On the other hand Germany is very innovative in some Technology sectors( mostly industrial hardware and automation)
Yes, life in Sweden is good . Folk här gnäller, men de vet inte hur det ser ut i andra länder.
@@baardagaam Online payment is possible anywhere on the Internet^^ Other than that you'll be very sorry once cash is gone!
@@Ric419 migration is a actually a big issue for germans cause we basically only take trash while highly educated people avoid germany for something like the US or London.
I'm German and have a master of science in mechanical engineering. I left the country because nobody wanted to employ me after I graduated. German companies are very picky when choosing employees. Personally I don't see any demand for engineers in Germany.
Living in Switzerland for 2.5 years now and it seems impossible to find a job at home that pays a little more than half of what I earn here.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing
I had the same issue, I am also a mechanical engineer, I guess the market was not so good for them, am now working in SAP consulting and there, demand is pretty high and companies will give you much better responses, however, Switzerland is pretty great to make tons of money
the market is flooded with mechanical engineers. way too many people graduated in this field in the past century
Als ein lediger Mann, kann man in Schweiz mehr Geld sparen als in Deutschland? Außerdem kann man langfristig mehr Vermögen dort aufbauen? Ich bin ein Ausländer, der in DE momentan studiert. Mein Englisch- und Deutschkenntnisse sind hervorragend, allerdings finde ich , dass ledige Menschen hier zu vielen Steuern abgeben müssen. Ich möchte im Bereich von Unternehmensberatung arbeiten.
@@hey-go4dg Als lediger Mann wirst du in der Schweiz besser wegkommen. Ich bin auch dabei in die Schweiz abzuhauen. Nicht nur kannst du effektiver Vermögen aufbauen. Die Schweiz hat ein funktionierendes Rentensystem. Nur wenn Kinder im Spiel sind wird die Schweiz teuer. Es gibt in der Schweiz auch die Heiratsstrafe^^
As a former German self-employer I can tell you the reasons for my burnout a few years ago: 90 % of the time for my innovative business projects I had to Invest in bureaucracy, money organizing, laywers, envious neighbours and anything else but the productive work itself. Germany is still worth a solid education, but so hopelessly overregulated and self-strangulating, that one should definitely go elsewhere to become creative or innovative.
Ich empfehle Bulgarien als Firmenstandort.
The solid education is slowly fading. I see that when I have a look at what my daughter is learning in the 7th grade. As the rest of the western world, Germany prefers rainbow ideologies and language nuances over what's important. When I went to school, it wasn't as awful as it currently is.
@@g.f.w.6402 Yep, I am also in Bulgaria. Best place for running a company. Germany is terrible.
@@semaph0re perfekt! Zumindest bestens geeignet für Online-Geschäfte. Wo in Bulgarien bist du?
@@g.f.w.6402 Yes, it is perfect for an IT business. I am in Sofia 🙂
From personal experience, I've worked for 3 years in a German company with 3D animation for the automotive industry. They've been doing things in the most outdated and inefficient way possible for many years. Every time I came up with a faster and better approach I got the same answer: "Yeah this looks good and we need that, but that's not how we do things". Plus in 3 years I barely talked to my coworkers as they were all very introspective and most conversations were awkward in a way. I hear the exact same thing from every foreign friend in the tech industry in Germany. I recently gave up and I'm working for a Canadian game company, earning more than double (yes, I more than doubled my salary just by moving to another remote job outside of Germany) and that actually embraces effective workflows when needed.
I can completely Inderstand you! Same experience with Germany and Germans here. It is all how they think something is done and how it should be done. But in nowadays world they can't compete with anyone.
Exactly the same in Austria. In a company who claims being modern and very up to date.
Luis: Rip off their Technology then incorporate in Ukraine. Start a Consulting Firm from Lviv and offer your services back to them !
I am a native German. I got sick of the red tape, limitless political stupidity in government & with voters and the out of control taxation and regulation. The micromanagement of peoples lives as well as the breathtaking deterioration of law and order in this country is simply stunning, so I left this sh!t hole country with the first opportunity that presented itself to me. Been a world champion tax payer there while not getting anything in exchange is not really my thing. I'm am surely glad I no longer get exploited there by lame industry and tax collectors. However I do miss my parents, my friends and the (still) GMO free food. Perhaps once a year I visit but I can't stand been there for too long, getting exposed to the blatant propaganda on mainstream TV and dumb uneducated locals parroting the same.
I'm glad to have obtained a second citizenship and residency outside the EU. A true life saver as it allows me to escape the madness over there in Germany at any time.
Don't get me wrong, Germany is the best country on earth, particularly for independently wealthy people but for anyone else, especially native Germans, this place is hell on earth.
If you can manage, look elsewhere outside the EU to find a future for yourself.
@@billspencer8540 What a troll.
I left Germany two months ago, my top reasons:
1. High taxes
2. Complicated and very bureocratic cost of business
3. Prices skyrocketing out of proportion after the pandemic
4. Nearly impossible to buy a home with the prices and interest rates at the moment
perhaps but the beer and booze is cheap , in Gaynada its 3 x more
@@derekkras If that's your line of thinking you'll fit right in.
@@artyomsherwin648 lmao
could you share your experience with running a business there?
point 3 is a direct result of the covid measures. It introduced inflation and sky high cost-of-living.
The larger story is the lack of professionals worldwide. Industries are competing over fewer and fewer professionals each year. So only the very very best are served. Companies need to start working with lower-skilled workers and teach them, like it used to be done.
But no, companies want only the very best and want to offer as little as possible.
Agree with you whole heartedly, companies these days don't want to train workers, and the longer they continue down this road the more it will affect them down the line.
There is a lot more to tech now than there was 30+ years ago.
Back when those that are skilled in their field today were thought they were being thought things that were completely new and the workers largely thought themselves how to do it over 30+ years working in the same company.
No company 30 years ago would have chosen to train someone themselves either if they thought that person would quit 5 years later or they could have hired someone with the experience already.
The benchmark today is much higher and you must expect anyone you hire to quit before you finish teaching them.
"Companies need to start working with lower-skilled workers and teach them, like it used to be done." they weren't doing that by choice, they were doing that because they had no choice.
Nobody wants to train anyone, nobody ever did, but the work environment 30 years ago forced it to be.
Many set ridiculously high prerequisite requirements well beyond what is actually needed. My friend's daughter once applied for a part time job at a major car rental agency. She was told she needed at least an under grad degree.... this was to be a counter clerk serving people renting cars mind you, not an executive.
She was in fact, attending university in her third year but all they would offer her was a job cleaning the cars. I've since heard that this same company now expects their prospects to come armed with a graduate degree.... to be a goddam rental clerk!!!
And it's these very same companies who'll bellyache to the government unendingly that there's a worker shortage.
@@hughjass1044 And if it was as common to have a degree 30 years ago that would have been a demand back then as well.
They are making those silly demands now because they know there are a bunch of people with degrees looking for jobs and at least if you have a university degree they can be fairly certain you are willing to work hard and be competent.
Despite the degree itself having no relevance to the job.
They aren't after the qualification itself at all.
It is actually more harmful to them than useful as your friends daughter will likely look for a better job as soon as possible.
But companies doesn't and never did plan long term, they go with whatever seems like the most cost efficient plan for next financial report, someone that comes in, is able to manage themselves well from the start and then quits in half a year looks better on the quarterly reports than someone that takes a few months to get going but stays for 30 years.
Companies are stupid.
@@freedomfighter22222 While there may be more to tech than there was 30 years ago, most jobs requires less of a learning curve than it did 30 years ago. Thirty years ago when I was first working with Linux I had to compile the kernel to add a new application. And fifty years ago, people were expected to be able to do minor repairs to their own cars. I am thinking many new "tech" jobs really do not need that much in the way of advance training/education unless it is developing new technology.
In some ways you are right about companies not training, in the sense of formal training. Then, as now, much of the training was on-the-job training that came with a promotion.
As a German who is just leaving the country with his family, I have a more differentiated view. Currently, 300,000 highly qualified Germans leave the country every year. Most of them go to Switzerland, where wages are 2-3 times higher and taxes 70% lower. In Germany, the income for simple professions is now not much higher than there would be social benefits from the state - it doesn't pay to work here. In addition, crime is rising here at an insane rate and the government is screwing up everything it tackles.
Every time I spoke to Swiss IT recruiters they were offering only a bit more than I get in Germany, but when I factor in costs of living (in Germany I own my place, in Switzerland I'd have to rent) it makes no sense and that's before the hassle of Swiss permits. Plus Switzerland is a miniscule market: if something goes wrong your company might be in trouble.
I was living there 10 years ago in Wurzburg. Decided to go back to my country,get degree and return but I see that is not the dame country as it was before and it's a shame 😔
The housing shortage could have been prevented if government intervened 5 - 10 years ago. Now it's way too late, so in Berlin it's almost impossible to find a flat.
As a German myself the only reason to stay here is 1. My love for family/friends. And 2. My love for my country and my unwillingness to "give up" and to moove somewhere else. There are zero other reasons to come or stay here. Bureaucracy is killing the country. Politics is killing the culture and country and taxes is killing the economy and the country. It is truly sad to see.
Interesting comment Daniel. I'm a Brit (Welsh) and I recognise all of those issues. My wife is Spanish and it's the same story. It's the same all over Europe along with the major issue of demographic decline. The U.K. delivered Brexit but it has the same problems as all European countries.
@@welshtoro3256It’s like most of Europe gave up. 😬
Born in such times is really a burden.
As a Canadian expat in Germany, the paper bureaucracy is one of the worse aspects to living here. However, the positives outweigh the negatives.
@@davidlynch9049 Better then Canada ?
Really? Wow this is sad
It seems everyone wants to leave every nation for a better life....and every other nation is hoping to do the same in the other direction.
Either everyone has a false sense of how things are in every other nation or we're at the point where things suck everywhere....maybe both
Then they build back their third world nation within that new nation they've just settled in. AKA : A scam
Western nations are still the freest places in the world. Just because a subset of extremists in America have made it out to be awful, it is not, not even close. They are just ungrateful for what they have and envy others with success.
When you import a bunch of people from places that suck; your home will also begin to suck.
@@sergpie Successful countries end up being a big pile of red tape crap. Many of so called third countries got better in spite of losing many of their citizens who emigrated. I believe the moment a country is too successful, they just cannot abstain from looking in the mirror and think they are the greatest and they don't need to adapt and cut red tape, among other things. On top of that you combine democracy with pensions/retirement and you have the recipe of certain decline. Look at Japan, the country who has a hard time blaming the immigrants for their problems because they barely have any: they are heavily overworked and I think the society is going to collapse there at some point. Then we will have a new axis between AfD, perhaps leaded by a guy who talks loud in public, and some new imperialistic movement in Japan, both blaming others for their mistakes.
@@sergpie yeah sure, but where do you find people that doesn't think their home country suck?
I live in Norway and see comments in news paper saying we are a poor and authoritarian state, literally worst place to live in the West according to some of them.
People just have no clue.
As an engineer from Poland I have two problems why Germany isn't on my list of countries I want to emigrate to:
1. Fluent German at a get go. Every job offer for mechanical engineer I've seen requires fluent German. For example in Poland, Norway or Iceland a lot of job offers require English and then "willingness to learn [put native language here]".
So why would I go to Germany if I can go to Norway, Iceland or any English speaking country?
2. In Iceland or Norway I will earn more than in Germany and I won't be treated as a third class citizen (for example Tesla Gigafactory and their stategy to hire "cheap" Polish workers - in other words to pay us less than what Tesla would have to pay Germans for the same job)
Can you tell me more what it's like to work in Poland? Both socially and professionally? I've visited Poland a couple of times and i could absolutely imagine myself moving.😊
Well thats a Tesla Problem not a German Problem, they do the same with the American Gigafactory,nthey hope for Mexicans to work there for a fraction of the salary a US citizen would work.
@@dartharagon9129 It's a little bit different. European Union citizens working in Germany shouldn't be treated as such. Also that was only an example. From my anecdotal evidence (many Polish people work in Germany) I've heard that even Volkswagen Group offers lower salaries for Polish people. But I'm not 100% sure if it's true. It's just what my friend told me (thus anecdotal). At the same time I've never heard from any people that in Norway, Sweden or Iceland this problem occurs so maybe there's truth to that
@@dariusz.9119 Well norway, iceland or sweden are not anywehre close to any "low income" country (of course poland is not an actual low income country but in comparison to sweden or germany it is) so there is no real point in offering different wages because noone would travel from poland to iceland for less money than icelandic people earn. But since teslas factory is like 50 or 100km away from poland they may try to do that. But again its not really germanys fault, tesla is an american company and they apply the american "work spirit" of who ever does the job for the smallest amount of money get's the job and if you can lower the wages of polish workers and they still work there then tesla will do that. You see, german people are also offered less money than swiss people when working in switzerland because switzerland is a more expensive country to live in and germans are a "cheap" work force there. Same thing with Luxemburg etc.
@@pirategirl94best Depends where you're from 😊. It's a long post but hey, you've asked 😉:
Poland has a really good labour law. Every overhour needs to be compansated (whether you get an hour off or you will be paid for that hour). If you're an office worker an hour of overtime should be 150% of your hourly base wage during the week (Monday - Friday) and 200% on the weekends. After 6 months of work (with permanent contract) at the company you are eligible to 26+ days of paid holidays. After 3 months you are eligible to sick-leave, whenever you are sick and your doctor signed it, paid 80% of your base wage.
When it comes to professional interactions: It's just like in any other place. Depends on the people you work with 😉. When there is a non-polish speaking person then everyone switches to English. And so all emails, chat messages and meetings will be in English so that everyone can attend and understand what's going on. The rule of thumb is: basically everyone under the age of 40 speaks English (especially in corporations and big companies).
It's a little bit different in social interactions though. When it comes to us - Poles - we are mostly not woke (excluding big tech corporation workers in Warsaw and Cracov), most of us (just like most of Europe) are cetro-conservative so from time to time (not a lot though) you might hear jokes that may be considered "inappropriate" or "racist" or "insensitive" in California/London but definitely not here. Everyone here understand they are just jokes and they don't represent ones values or beliefs.
Working and living in Poland can be a hit-or-miss. People are understanding and open towards foreigners so you can make mistakes and you will be easily forgiven. Salaries are not that bad but are definitely not comparable to salaries in other western countries. If you're an engineer then you can get a job that starts with 6k-8k/month gross. 6k a month is enough to live a normal life in Poland. You won't have to worry about money at the end of the month and you can save some without trying very hard (just be mindful of how much you spend)
As a German mechanical engineer, I emigrated from Germany in 2004. I now live in Indonesia and was able to realize my "American dream". Germany is encrusted, highly bureaucratic, you need an extra permit for every crap. Yes, as a highly qualified worker or employee you can live well in Germany, but as a less qualified person it is not easy in Germany.
I pay 4% tax on my self-employment income in Indonesia. Even if Indonesia is generally regarded as a developing country, many things work much better and faster here than in Germany. For many years I have been able to make my transfers over the phone and two seconds later it is booked by the recipient. Online school during the pandemic, without any problems.
The quality of life and the friendliness of the people are significantly higher here. Personally, I find Germany to be stuffy, boring and over-organized.
I chose a developing country because I can still develop and build something there. Germany only administers itself and will sooner or later choke on its bureaucratic structures.
I have achieved more in Indonesia than I could ever have achieved in Germany. Can I build a house in Germany for 30,000 euros? I can't even build a garage for that.
Here I have several hectares of land, a total of 3 houses, a factory, machines, trucks and my own coffee plantation as well as timber plantations which generate a good passive side income. Medical care is good, as is the infrastructure. Here self-initiative is desired, in Germany self-initiative is perceived as disruptive.
I arrived in Indonesia with 7,000 euros in my pocket and was able to build all this up in almost 20 years. Germans work with the prospect of retirement and are happy if they can afford a long-distance trip once a year. I live where others vacation and that's wonderful. I live in the mountains, the beach is less than an hour away. What more do I want in life?
I didn't intend to go back to Germany.
👍
Did you by any chance go to a German school in Jakarta?
@@hendrx Never been there, I know Jakarta a little due to some projects there.
Why Indonesia? Why not Australia 🌏?
@@paulfri1569 why even compare those
German tech entrepreneur here, recently left and moved to Canada. Few entrepreneur friends also left for USA, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, and elsewhere. Germany is fine if you’re a ‘worker’ and need social support, but not great for higher income earners, tech workers, and entrepreneurs. They’re just so slow to change, and they’re now feeling the pinch.
Do you see any of serious benefits in Canada comparing to DE?
That's actually bs. Germany sucks very hard if you're a low class worker just like most places in the world. As long as we don't provide fair wages for actual system relevant jobs and overpay many artificially relevant sectors instead we're done for. Tbf, it's nothing new, wouldn't be the first revolution in history.
Just a digusting divide in humanity overall where many "educated" people think they're worth more than possibly more capable human beings that got unlucky with the cards they were dealt.
The majority of well earning capitalism people went for the principle "We finally built the Tornment Nexus from the sci-fi novel "Don't build the Tornment Nexus!" Just thinking about how to get themselves and their close ones ahead while indirectly fucking over the majority of humanity, the planet we live on and only seeing the imminent future like they are completely incapable of thinking more than 1 year ahead in time. And definitely not further than the next election dates.
You probably are completely detached from what it means to live a low income life.
@@NullTypeError Canadians are MUCH friendlier than Germans.
I'm an American ex-pat living in Austria, Germany's little brother to the south, and here we have almost the exact same situation and challenges facing Germany, which isn't surprising given the very close cultural, linguistic, ethnic and historical ties between the two countries. Through years of observation, I've come to identify many of the reasons for the lack of skilled labor immigration as well as the brain drain affecting Germany/Austria.
1. The social-welfare system: Unlike the American constitution with its promises of freedom from the state and the individual pursuit of happiness, the very first paragraph of the German and Austrian constitutions guarantee their citizens a "dignified existence", and the courts have consistently interpreted the word "dignified" to mean a life free of deprivation, financial risks and poverty. As can be imagined, this requires the state to maintain an all-inclusive social welfare system available to EVERYONE on demand. The benefits are obvious: the social welfare state enables the people of Austria and Germany to lead relatively secure, comfortable, risk-free lives without having to worry about healthcare or housing costs, etc. There is, however, a dark side to such a comprehensive social welfare system - perspective migrants are able to contrast and compare the various social welfare systems across Europe and come to a rational conclusion on which country offers the most welfare benefits in exchange for the least amount of effort on their part. In other words, Europe has unwittingly created a SOCIAL WELFARE MARKET, and countries like Germany, Austria and Sweden consistently rank at the top of the list of desirable locations for future migrants as they offer the most welfare benefits without having to perform a single day of work. As a result, these countries tend to attract POOR and UNSKILLED migrants looking forward to a long and prosperous career as welfare recipients. Because of the constitutional guarantee of a "dignified existence", it's almost impossible to exclude these migrants from the social welfare system. In other words, Germany and Austria have become victims of their own social welfare success, and welfare migrants KNOW THIS. The United States, by contrast, has a law that excludes all newly arrived immigrants from the social welfare system for their first five years in the country (remember: the US constitution guarantees freedom, not dignity). This creates a strong DISINCENTIVE for welfare migrants, while at the same time acting as a strong INCENTIVE for migrants willing to work - the EXACT OPPOSITE of the situation in Europe.
2. Low salaries: Another big reason why skilled migrants avoid Germany and Austria is that they traditionally pay far lower than their competitors like the UK and USA. Case in point: a friend of mine is a senior emergency room surgeon here in Vienna and earns about 80K euros a year, which is considered a VERY HIGH salary in Austria. In return for this unprecedented level of wealth, he is required to hand over HALF his salary to the Austrian state in the form of taxes. Compare this to the starting salary for an emergency room physician in the US of $250K/year at a 35% tax rate. Another case: a South African nurse I know lives in Vienna but commutes each week to London for work, leaving every Sunday and returning the following Friday. Her London employer pays THREE TIMES what she would have earned in Austria in addition to paying her travel expenses as well as providing a small apartment. In other words, why should an Indian IT engineer relocate to Austria or Germany for a 50K/year average salary when he can move to the US and earn 150K?
3. Bureaucracy: As stated in the video, the bureaucracy here can be stifling. Asian IT engineers want to move to a country that offers not only high salaries, but where they can buy big, ghetto fabulous houses and have an easy and uncomplicated path to citizenship, for them AND their families. And this is where European countries are at a huge disadvantage in comparison to the US. Here in Austria the path to citizenship is very long and very expensive. You have to prove mastery of the German language, you have to pay hefty 4-figure sums for "processing fees", and after all is said and done, you have to give up your previous citizenship as Austria does NOT TOLERATE double citizenship. For prospective skilled immigrants, this is just too much. Why go through all that trouble moving to Austria or Germany where you're badly paid and have to jump through so many loops to secure citizenship, when you can move to the US, earn a buttload of money and after 5 years they basically hand out US citizenship to you, your spouse and your children without any fuss? As to houses, they're priced so high here that they're out of reach for all but multi-millionaires. A basic two bedroom house here in Vienna starts at 800K, in Munich, over a million euros. Compare this to the average price for a sprawling 5 bedroom house in Austin, Texas with central AC, swimming pool, large back yard for the kids, etc. for 250K. Plus thanks to very strict laws, it's IMPOSSIBLE to get home financing unless you have 20% down payment plus 3% for taxes and other fees here in Austria. Not only that, but foreigners must apply for permission from the state before they're allowed to buy real estate, and approval is by no means a certainty. No such restrictions exist in the USA - if you have a decent paying job, regardless of your origin, language or citizenship, banks will be lining up to finance your new home without any unnecessary complications.
4. The tax regime: No matter how much or how long or how hard you work in Austria or Germany, you will NEVER amass a decent fortune. The tax system is designed to "ausgleichen", that's a German word difficult to translate, but it means something like "to equalize by adding or subtracting". This means if your income is too low, the tax system "adds" to it, thereby lifting you up into the middle class. If your income is too high, the tax system "subtracts" from it, thereby lowering you down into the middle class. The goal is to keep as many people as possible firmly anchored in the middle class. Woe be unto any overly ambitious individual, however, who insists on striking it rich á la Bill Gates or Steve Jobs! They will be promptly "equalized" back down into the middle class (where they belong) accompanied by a stern lecture for good measure. This tax regime is great for promoting equality and alleviating poverty, but it has DEVASTATING effects on innovation and entrepreneurship, which is precisely why this world will never see a German Apple or Austrian Microsoft. Innovative Europeans love their countries of birth, but they know that only in America can they pitch and develop their ideas while making unlimited amounts of money in the process.
Great comment.
this summs it up even better than the video. I say this as a german.
Austria, Germany, and much of Europe excel in terms of security and quality of life compared to the United States. This can be observed by simply looking at the news. Daily commuting is often a never-ending nightmare in the U.S., particularly for those residing in the suburbs where owning a car is a necessity due to the lack of reliable public transportation, particularly in rural areas. American schools also face significant security issues and higher levels of violence. Given these factors, one might reconsider immigrating to the U.S. solely for the purpose of pursuing higher wages.
You are not an ex-pat. You are an immigrant
@@jorgeantao28bullshit
I'm a highly skilled professional who emigrated to Germany. The issues with the language and bureaucracy exist, but I wouldn't say that they are at the top of my mind. The first problem is huge taxes. They are already high and keep growing. Second, housing costs. Even being among top earners I can't afford my own apartment, even with mortgage. Third, general economic decline and devastatingly bad energy policy (Atomausstieg is a crime) leave very little hope for improvement of 1 and 2.
Also to me it's strange that the politicians are going for short-term solutions (immigration) rather than long-term: birth rate and education.
Update: lol, now the Government considers not to pay people like me parental vacation benefit, because "they already have too much". Only pay taxes, don't get anything back.
Ja du triffst den Nagel auf den Kopf
you can't influence the birth rate
Birth rate is no longer a solution. And hasn't been for some years now. Whoever will be working in the next 20 years is already born.
That's it, really. They build a system where educated people can't afford to procreate and try to fill in the gaps with people from backwards (in every sense) countries.
How about not demoralising people with over regulation, bureaucracy, bullshit decisions and constantly declining standard of living? surely would help with birth rates
Azerbaijani living in Germany for the past 6 years. I gotta say the so-called "labor shortage" in Germany is exaggerated. Finding a good job is not an easy task here. Many big cities have housing crisis, and if you are lucky to find a good job in those cities, good luck with finding an apartment. Don't even think about buying a property here either. A horrible social life is a cherry on top of the cake.
social-what???🤣 welcome to Germany
@@sebastians.8991YUP ICE COLD FACES SPECIALLY WOMEN NO SMILE WHEN EYE CONTACT NO CONVERSATIONS IN PUBLIC MOST PEOPLE WALK TO WORK LIKE ZOMBIES ITS SAD JUST WORKING TO PAY BILLS AND HAVE LIL MONEY FOR FOOD LEFT WHILE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOTHING
Hm sounds like you will leave Germany and make space for the Germans?
@@amph3 With pleasure
@@ruslan-pe3wx ♥️
As a German I saw it coming, that the unnecessarily complex language *combined* with mountains of paperwork one has to go through to life here were gonna be major factors in this video. The language they speak in said paperwork is undecipherable, even for natives 😢
Brain drain in Germany? This seems like a pretty tough crisis honestly
Bro. This is exactly socialism. Next phase is high unemployment, famine and a populist leader
@@visitante-pc5zcI hope for a conservative right wing populist who might save the country
@@arturow2686really? Populist is a populist, no matter which side of the isle.
do you know what ppulist mean? why is that bad?@@violentfox
„Modern educational classrooms“. 😂 as a German i can tell you our infrastructure is from last decade, it’s broken and not working at all. Streets, mobile and fiber networks, schools, military, it’s all a mess. The loans go down, prices go up, highest taxes in the world, most bureaucracy in the world, living and especially working here gets worse and worse with every new election. Germany is done.
Overhead Projektor
Yeah...rightly said. Plus millions of refugees draining on the social system
As sad as it is - I have to agree with your last point! At least atm I don’t see a way out of this. Bureaucracy is one of the largest problems and our government is incapable to address this issue, amongst all others
As a young Turkish expat working in Munich, I have also had the opportunity to live in the USA, Canada, Singapore, Dubai, and the UK. I work in digitalization, with experience in companies such as Accenture and the Boston Consulting Group, among others. While Germany faces various challenges, personally, I find the most relevant issue to be social integration and how German society appears closed and skeptical toward expats from third-world countries compared to other places I have lived. I acknowledge that I am generalizing based on my anecdotal experiences, but it often feels like I am merely 'tolerated' for my skills rather than genuinely 'welcomed'
That's interesting Kendi. I think that might be an issue in other quite desirable countries too. I'm Welsh but have close connections with Spain and Italy. We all want to live in those countries right? They are welcoming and great to live in but you will be an 'outsider.' That has to be accepted to some degree and when you do you it becomes easier. I think the problem of free EU movement is that great people like you move around but other undesirable elements take advantage of the system too. Folk get upset and everyone gets tarnished with the same brush (British expression). There's so much movement that locals become unsettled by different cultural behaviours.
I'm aware that I sound like some reactionary type but actually I live in the most ethnically diverse neighbourhood in the U.K and Europe. It's normal where I am but it's not in much of Europe. I can see from your cv that you have the skills to move around with international companies and your experience is replicated by many. I have a close friend that held a senior position with Accenture in Singapore. His experience was one of total racism. Any foreigner, regardless of ethnicity, was a second class citizen. Countries have to work on their acceptance of us and we have to adapt to their way of life too. WT
You're the problem mate 😂😂
Agree most people are telling the same they are tolerated but not integrated… and this is beyond language skills usually you end up with best friends from other countries rather having local ones
akpli dayilar gibi oldu biraz, hem yasiyorsun hem de koyuluyorsun. Turkiyede suriyelilere hos mu davraniyorlar sanki?
@@welshtoro3256 This is always relative. Being a software expert and also the holder of the EUs highest ranked university degree type (German Diploma / Full TU Master) I am also puzzled ... in Italy and partially Spain I basically would have to appeal to the local workers or job council guild to certify me before being allowed to "code". The system is exploitative ... I'd bet that the typical headcount leasing companies have streamlined the workflow ...
It took me over a year and over 250 applications to get a job. There's constantly stories around that Germany needs more workers, but the reality is a lot more difficult. I'm not sure how much being a foreigner is part of it, but it was painful and something that surely others have experienced and given up on.
@@idinv5641 Germany needs skilled workers, but they look at the diplomas instead of the actual skills of the workers.
I'm a german and I can testify that my father wrote several hundreds of job applications when he last changed jobs - that's often the case for highly qualified (university degree and lots of job experience) people... As someone already pointed out, the real lack of workers isn't with university graduates but for example healthcare professionals like nurses etc (actually doctors, too, in this specific case) or bus drivers or to a certain extent machinists, mechanics etc, so industry professionals... You have to keep in mind though, you can't just start working in those jobs but you need to complete a 2-3 year long Ausbildung/apprenticeship before you become an acknowledged professional in your craft. A system like that is very rare around the world which makes it hard to recruit skilled migrants for these jobs (bus driver is kind of an exception there because you don't need year long training, but I wanted to mention it, because they're in very high demand) as there are only very few people with such degrees that are acknowledged in germany... Amd that is what german lawmakers are working on
These "problems" are actually good for Germania, as they deter most of the foreigners from immigrating to the fatherland, taking jobs that rightfully belong to the natives and eventually replacing them demographically.
@@ViIgax and who will work then? Bottoms in carehomes won’t wipe themselves. Buses won’t drive themselves either - just yet at least.
As far as I know the sector where it’s easier to get a job is healthcare: nurses and radiologists above all.
What you forgot to mention is that even native Germans are leaving Germany.
German is my mother tounge and I have a masters degree in space technology. Last year I tried to find a job in Germany, but could could not find any jobs that fit my expertise and have a reasonable salary.
So I decided to do a PhD in Finland.
I don't understand how it is possible to have at the same time a supposed "shortage of qualified personel" but at the same time applicants are being told they are applicant number 35 for one and the same position or that their salary after taxes will be 2400€ per month.
I'm sorry but if the companies actually would be serious about needing more qualified workers, they simply have to provide better wages and better working conditions.
I don't know if I can return to my home country.
We let in millions of unskilled people who then live on welfare, but for educated people Germany has become more and more unattractive.
Germany should stop let unskilled people in. The demographics is about to change. So many immigrant people around (unskilled) !!
Exactly. This channel is basically cognitive dissonance galore full of german middle class propaganda aka stupid bullshit.
If welfare were to be given to those satisfying the requirements of the nation (Putting aside Germans by birth and DNA heritage) it could be a step towards solving the brain drain problem.
As an eastern european, I would kill for that saalry though... and our living costs are not even cheaper like WTF
Thats the problem maybe that peple like you find no job. Fresh from university and therefore not experienced and not a big help in the company, you want a salary like an expert. And on top working from home and more than 30 days of vacancy per year…?
I wonder if you get this conditions anywhere else.
I'm a Brit living in Germany, I have a great job working in software development and was excited to move to Germany. I've been here for a couple of years and have given up learning German simply because I have an eye on leaving for somewhere else in Europe. The culture, taxes, and housing are driving reasons for considering leaving
Yep more or less same boat for me. I'll probably go back to the UK eventually just for the real ale 🤣
@@aikighost A colleague of mine is from South Africa. He is having issues with his visa to work in Germany and is now returning to South Africa and working remotely for a company based in the Netherlands. Germany doesn't accommodate foreigners and foreign workers well at all and the increased support for the AfD is definitely cause for concern.
@@jamconsi590 I agree that Germany doesn't accommodate foreigners and foreign workers well at all, but as I see it the AfD are actually a good thing, they may actually force some change away from the archaic ultra bureaucratic way of doing business Germany is stuck in.
Bye 🤝
What is it about the culture that turns people off? I heard that quite a few times in the video
I left Germany when I was 19. There were many reasons.
1. I didn't see the possibility to ever own real estate, the prices in Munich are crazy.
2. Getting things done usually took forever.
3. Nobody embraces the change, it made me feel like everything would stay forever as it was. Germany had many inspiring projects and ideas when I was young, but all of them were shattered because "they were too expensive and the existing solution works, so why should we change anything?" After witnessing those situations, i thought my life would be the same. Always pulled down by the rest instead of inspired to do and create something.
So much this! I left 5 years ago and really agree with your points 2. and 3. The germans' ability to resist change at all costs never ceases to amaze me.
Yeah the crazy amount of people desperate to close nuclear plants already shows signs of rise in Idiocracy in Germany. Lord knows what's gonna happen to this crazy society
I am thinking of leaving. 22 years to go until retirement. No way owning a house. So I am thinking of taking my savings somewhere where it is possible for me to have something left after a working live.
@adi2xcl when was it? I am currently feeling the same and hoping sth gonna change in the next 3 years..
@@mith_3872 It was 12 years ago. My tip would be, take yourself time, develop some skills and see afterwards if this idea still comes to your mind. From my experience, places where you do vacation aren't necessarily the same when you have to live and work there, but it is always great to try out and can provide some great memories.
I'm a Dutch national currently living in Germany. My neighbor, who is a chemical engineer from Iran (who is also a Christian) tells me he has huge trouble in Germany getting his university diploma recognized. As a result, he can not enter a skilled job in Germany. He's currently training to be a nurse. This is how German bureaucracy stands in the way of getting skilled workers.
I understand that it could be a problem if he wants to further his education and the university won't admit him for a post-graduate course or something similar because he needs verified prior education for that. However, why should this be an issue when looking for a job? Why would companies care if his diploma is recognized by the government or not? They should assess his experience during the hiring process. Or do chemical engineers need a government-issued license?
@@peterjanvereijken4460 Totaal mee eens, I couldn't agree more. That is how a Dutchman would argue. Unfortunately, Germans are hampered here by their own morbid regard for rules and procedures. If some government publishes ridiculous rules or guidelines, then Germans by nature are wired in such a way that they WANT to follow those rules/guidelines to the letter, even if those rules make no sense. There are almost no German companies that have the mindset of hiring experienced people regardless of officially recognized diplomas. It's simply not the way how Germans think. To a German, the guideline is that an engineer should have a diploma that is recognized by the German state. What I mean to say is that IMO the core problem lies with the way of thinking of the Germans themselves, not with the German state. The state does exactly what the German people want, namely to create rules and guidelines.
@@mmneander1316 I agree with your sentiment, and hope I can add a touch of anecdotal perspective.
I'm an American who moved to Germany this year with my wife. She completed a Bachelor's in the US, whereas I finished an apprenticeship for Heating/Cooling systems.
Since my wife attended a university which was recognized in the German govt's database, she received a letter of recognition almost immediately after her application was sent. On the other hand, even though I completed a 5 year state recognized apprenticeship plus another 3 years experience, the Handwerkskammer notified me that none of this training is recognized as valid in Germany; all because my theoretical knowledge came from classes which took place after work (rather than the German system which sends apprentices to school for 2 days a week).
I am welcome, however, to begin a new apprenticeship for the same profession here in Germany.
Often times I've found the struggle in Germany is more about which Ansprechspartner you find. Some are more flexible than others.
Ein iranischer Abschluss würde in den meisten westlichen Staaten NICHT anerkannt werden. Das hat auch nicht nur etwas mit Deutschland zu tun, sondern mit internationalen Abkommen (Lissaboner Konvention) und den Zuständen vor Ort. Ukrainische und russische Abschlüsse werden z.B. auch nicht einfach anerkannt, aufgrund der Korruption vor Ort.
@@g.f.w.6402 Wenn du dich mit dem Abschluss bewirbst und genommen wirst spielt es keine Rolle was vom Staat "anerkannt" wird.
Being a German living in Germany I can say that many things need to change! Among them are:
- English language proficiency should be accepted for (almost) every job and German language should be more of a “nice to have” factor
- tax rates need to be reduced (ideally by firing or not employing as many bureaucratic state employees who only work for the state & re-employing them in the industry ; this will force state employees to work more efficiently and set labor free for the industry)
- the state should start and incentivize more programs where immigrants are trained the most needed skills and should incentivize also companies for hiring them (they could reduce taxes for the companies which hire a certain quote of immigrants and train them etc.)
- nuclear power plants should be activated again and potentially even more of them should be build to reduce the costs of electricity + the Russian pipelines for gas and oil should be opened again and Germany should stop their war mongering and rather negotiate with both sides of the war and try to make a peace treaty happen
- And most importantly: politicians should stop wasting their time with stupid and unnecessary laws like the “heating act” or discussing if there are 2 or 3 genders…
This country is going to shit if we don’t drastically change…
As a 30-years-old-german I tell you exactly why we SUCK:
- people above 50 years everywhere, no young people.
- everyone's cold and unfriendly
- companies stuck in the 90's (technological and mindset, damn it we still use FAX!!)
- most areas still have slow Internet connection
- catastrophic mobile connection (and still paying like 30€ for unusable 10 GB, not flat rate)
- school system stuck in the 19th century, pupils getting Burnout, Teachers quitting
- a society that doesnt know how to use modern devices
- bureaucracy still 90% offline
- our english skills just suck, really.
- taxes everywhere and on everything
- with an average salary you're paying 2/3 just for your rent
- your real skills are irrelevant. Show me your Diploma or stfu.
- Pensioners have to collect returnable bottles on the streets to afford their lives
- extremely dogged for rules (even if It's nonsense) and closed-minded in every aspect.
- in a lot of cases public transportation is more expensive than driving by car - and takes 5 times longer
- companies complaining about lack of talents but still hesitate to give benefis like home office or >2% salary raise
- The only leisure activity in this country is drinking alcohol, going to eat, drinking more alcohol, drinking in a beer-garden, drinking on some vineyards, going to the cinema or shopping. In case It's not closed on sundays, because everything is closed on the holy german sunday. Your neighbours will call the police if you hear loud music or use the lawn mower on their holy quiet sunday.
Especially if you're young you just HAVE to leave Germany. So will my whole family :)
Well that’s disappointing I’m on my B2 level learning german😢
@@Yourunclestoenail well we'd call this "verkackt" :>
And where’s the school system better? It’s shit everywhere … Where do old people live a better live? Where is public transport cheaper? Where do people speak better English? (Germany was number 15 or so in the world in English skills a few years ago)
There will be not more than 5 countries left where you can go, wonder where this country will be :)
Switzerland? Norway? (rich because of oil and gas) Maybe Denmark? That’s it …
And I‘m not German.
I absolutely agree with you. When i went there on vacation, i was surprised at just how many old people there were. No young people. And everyone i met were so cold and unfriendly, not welcoming AT ALL. Compared to Latin America where everyone on the street and in shops waves and says hi to you and starts conversations like its nothing. and the weather was also unpleasant lol.
@@patrick.771 Maybe you should travel more and see the world. Just saying.
I just finished my apprenticeship in germany as a warehouse logistics specialist and during my work school days the teachers kept telling us there is a labor shortage and all companies are desperately looking for employees. And still my company didnt even want to employ me as a regular employee after the apprenticeship even tho i had perfect grades and did well during work. Simply because they knew i would require more expenses after the apprenticeship.
Move to the nordics! That's what many germans with industrial/warehouse/logistics and also vocational backgrounds are doing today.
Both norway and sweden are full of them 😂 I myself am a product of the first wave when schengen became a thing, as I'm half german and half norwegian 😂
German companies get rid of specialists and then complain about their shortage and look for them again. Logic worthy of congratulations. A specialist won't come to work for €1,000 and with C2 level language skills. Too many demands and there is no one to pay decent salaries. Germanistan.
Yeah that's the real reason the oh-so-great German apprenticeship system must be kept alive at all costs, even if it's growing more and more incompatible with corporate expectations, high school graduates' priorities and the rest of the world in general. Cheap labor.
@@tknode3065 so you are a cross breed.
Oh yeah i've seen that so much in a media and tech company. They went bankrupt but tried to survive for years by heavily relying on university internships but never taking people in afterwards because there was no money. The higher ups knew their immenent collapse so early and still tried to pretend everything was reasonably fine for months, until they basically dropped the bombshell one morning and the finance department literally locked all their office doors to not get overrun by angry employees. As they wouldn't sign me after my internship they kept hiring me as a freelancer for specific projects and ended up cheating me for about 4000€s in the end.
I then later checked out the low class sector for a bit over a year, working in an organic foodstore simply because i wanted to interact with people. And the degree to which that class is exploited compared to even low paying IT jobs with loads of imposters is insane to me. And don't even get me started on incompetent middle managment people.
Well, even as a kid i already knew i really really didn't like it here and the behaviour of the average german. Due to family never had the guts to leave though. Maybe it's finally time.
Germans are very rigid. Joining a relatively closed club is much harder than joining an open stadium like Britain.
Finally! An honest evaluation of living in Germany. My first experience living in Germany started in 1967 in Berlin. I spent about fifteen years in Berlin and in the Heidelberg region (I have visited often since then).
1. I still thank my lucky stars that I worked almost all that time for the American military as a college professor (long story) and in the marketing of services for military families. Across the board, the people in the American system--both Americans and Germans--were far more flexible and easier to work with than Germans in German organizations (I worked in German settings too). There were wonderful exceptions, of course, but in general, the American mentality is easier to work with (even for Germans) than the German mentality. Germans too often decry new ideas ("We've never done it that way before") while Americans are usually ready to try something new.
2. Outside of work, the general feeling in German life is too often too close to frigid. In the States, for example, you can easily strike up a conversation with someone in a grocery store, or in line at Starbucks, or in other informal places. In Germany, it's virtually impossible. You can go all day talking to no one. Even at a bus stop, for instance, it's basically taboo to talk to a stranger (again, there are warm-hearted exceptions).
3. As others have mentioned, the bureaucracy is impenetrable. All Germans are bureaucrats. It's in their blood. (And again--there are exceptional bureaucrats who are quite helpful). Over and over again, officials in various offices (public and private) lied to me rather than help me out even when I was doing things right. In the States, at least where I live, it's actually a pleasure to deal with local officials. In Germany, it's prolonged agony (once again: there are exceptions). One excellent thing about German bureaucracy, however: Once you've jumped through the hoops to get something done, it's done, and often quite well. But on the whole, German red tape is a major nuisance in many sectors of life.
4. Yes, taxes are high. The taxes I paid in my last job (television announcer) took over fifty percent of my salary. But please note that if you stick with the bureaucracy, as I did, and fill out the forms, you can get astounding amounts of money refunded (I recovered about ninety percent of my taxes). On top of that, in Germany you get far more for your taxes than in the US (eg, safe cities; great subway systems; roads without potholes; intelligent, friendly, and helpful police officers; and on and on and on). Please note too that in the States, you must consider all the taxes you pay: sales tax, local tax, state tax, and federal tax. In Germany, there is no sales tax (turnover tax is included in prices; no surprises); and in my experience you only pay federal taxes (no state and local taxes). I'm no expert here, but I would stick to the point that German taxes are in fact not much worse than American taxes when you consider what you get in return for your payments. (Just think of the fantastic ability to walk through a German city without being shot.)
5. On balance, when you consider moving to Germany, take into account the subtext to life, i.e. the general feel of daily life. You'll encounter a great deal of coolness (to put it mildly) from regular people, and you'll quickly come to detest the stunning level of bureaucracy. On balance, I wish the States had Germany's public infrastructure but I also wish most heartily that Germans would learn how to smile even when there's no official reason to stop frowning and smile at a stranger.
This is 100% accurate description of Finland. Both countries nurture similar miserable approach to life.
I live abroad, but when I visit Germany I feel the Germans are very friendly and like to chat. I speak perfectly German. Just strike up a conversation with them, they will open up. Yes, Europeans could smile more, be less serious.
@harrydeanbrown6166 :
Hello there...
Let me share my opinion...
I personally believe that every country has it pros and cons with their own advantages and disadvantages. There's no perfect country actually.
No country is paradise just like nobody is perfect, including Germany.
Whereever you move, there will always be some things that you don't like from that place!
I have watched a lot of videos about the "dark side" of living in UK, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, France, Japan, USA, and many more.
Also there are some videos entitled "Why living in USA sucks" and many American people on their comments said that they pretty much AGREE about that!
I also have watched a lot of videos about "How has Germany changed me to be better person" which made by expats who come and lived in Germany from various country like UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, and of course USA!
The conclusion is "It's not about how can a country guarantee your satisfaction and happiness but how should you response, react, and adjust to your new environment in smart ways."
Your life isn't determined by your situation, but it's obviously determined by the way you act in those circumstances! :))
@@andreasindrasanjaya3480 I disagree. While no country is perfect, your point, Germany and Nordic countries do fail at very core aspects of life that will determine significantly their capacity to attract and retain foreign talent. I mean, I’m an Engineer that sees more opportunities to work and thrive in Germany but I will never go there due to its reputation. There are plenty of alternatives to Germany where I could, not only develop as a professional, but thrive also in society, making connections.
@arcabuz :
Can you name one country that 100% positive and 0% negative?
If there's a country like that, everyone have already moved and lived there! :))
Boosting immigration rather improving quality of life and making people want to have children will only ever end poorly. Immigration is great, but without being a country worthy of children, everything will still fall apart.
For real, the only reason why Syrians are ok with a lower quality of life in germany is because they are used to a low quality of life back in Syria...but germany will just end up being syria 2.0...wth is the point?!
But Germany has an extremely high quality of life.
@@rehabwales for who? The 10% climate profiteers of the Green Party and their associated billionaire class?
@@rehabwales depends on how you measure quality of life. There are many institutions available for free, but for someone new to the country and not speaking the language that's not very useful.
There is no reliable method of increasing birth rates in a developed country. The Western world is soon finished.
'The question now is : would YOU consider living in germany? ' - No, and i currently live there, although im in the process of leaving. Your video is well researched as always, but i feel it falls short on one part in regards to already present talent leaving in particular, and that is age.
Our country is for all intents and purposes a gerontocracy, with a political system that focuses on the needs of old people first and foremost. In adressing the shortage of age care workers, the head of state (not chancellor, a guy called steinmeier) has not long ago proposed a law that would have made young people effectively medieval serfs to 'give a year back to society', conscripting them to work in retirement homes. The reaction to that was : ..... nothing. No political outrage, no opposition parties rallying against it, no demonstrations. If you have the audacityto be born here after 1990 this country straight up sees you as cattle to be taxed to hell and bled for all your worth, then discard you, and the entire political system and culture is set up to reinforce this. Combine that with a real estate market that ensure we will never own property, an average wage that hasnt kept up with cost of living increases for the better part of 30 years and no realistic hope for political change, theres simply no future for us here
I generally like an analogy : germany is a car, very slowly driving towards a cliff, packed with a bunch of old farts and one young guy. All can see the cliff, but the young guy is stuffed so far back in the luggage compartment that he will never realisticly reach the wheel (which the old guys would actively prevent anyways), and the old dudes are perfectly fine with knowing they will die a natural death before the car reaches the cliff (they have to deal with the consequences), so the only thing left for the young guy is to bail out.
I'm reading these comments and it sounds awful. I'm sorry you had to see your own country do that. Where are you considering moving to?
Very well put
Even if the main argument/sentiment (Germany is a gerontocracy) is defensible, the exemple you provide is a dramatic misrepresentation. The "guy called steinmeier" is actually the president of the German Federal Republic. What he proposed was not a "yearly serfdom of young people", but a - misjudged, granted - attempt to come up with something to close the gap in volunteers after the abolition of the military service. The conscription ended in 2011, and since then there is a huge shortage of volunteers in the public sector (as the majority of conscripted people opted for "Zivildienst" instead of "Wehrdienst", i.e. the civil equivalent), nor is there a sensible proposal of closing this gap with actual employees (which is another big problem related to labour shortages and the enormous low-wage sector in Germany). Getting all young people to serve for a year for the community (not as part/in lieu of the military service, but in general and for all, women too) was proposed as a solution and quickly dismissed as unrealistic/undesired.
I've often thought this about most Western democracies with aging populations. The elderly make up the largest voting block and so will protect their interests at the expense of the younger generations.
this so much this
Lots of qualified personnel exists, but nobody is willing to pay for it. I'm in a position myself where I should, in theory, be highly sought after according to my qualifications in an allegedly desperate-for-talent labor market, but struggle to find a job that pays accordingly. In other cases, e.g. if I wanted to change professions completely to fill the existing lack of, let's say, teachers, I find myself in a bureaucratic hellhole and possibly year-long limbo despite checking all boxes.
You can always move to US
@johnjensen7571
But it benefits those countries and their citizens
@@baha3alshamari152 at the cost of your own, would you starve your family to feed your neighbor?
I'm an EU citizen and tried to move to Germany to work in Server management, there is a lot of bureaucracy and taxes are high, while I was in Germany I got a job in Portugal that pays about the same I would in Germany for a more entry level position. Now I pay much less in literally everything and here there is much less bureaucracy so settling in is easy in comparison
The weather is probably a lot nicer too.
@@marcv2648 Overall yes it's better but lately the summer is so hot you will melt without an air conditioning
oh how is the healthcare or education system and the costs of living?
@caroskaffee3052 I only have experience with private health care and the plan is 50€ monthly it's pretty good but to be honest I've only used it twice for checkups. Education up to high-school is not as good as in Germany for sure but at least most universities are well recognized. For the cost of living in Braga is about 700€ monthly for a 2 bedroom apartment and 170 of groceries if you only eat at home, my tip is to go to a smaller town other than Lisbon or Porto, for example Coimbra and Aveiro are Beautiful and more affordable
and nicer and better quality of life in portugal
From my own experience as an international student in Germany, i´d say that integrating into the society is extremely hard. You have to basically speak perfect German to be accepted into a German friend group. My German is not bad at all, I´d actually say it´s pretty good. However I feel like most Germans would prefer to befriend another German than a foreigner who still makes some mistakes while speaking. At University the segregation is brutal, even though classes are in German and everyone speaks at least C1 German. You either see Germans hanging out only with other Germans or inmigrants with other inmigrants. That´s absoutely not what expected.
thats because germans are very private in general. Im a german native, and its hard to make friends even as a native. the only way to do it is knowing someone who introduces you to other people. its just part of the culture, and comes from germany having a history of being a police state for centuries, from the middle ages right up until modern times, where poeple tried to be a private as possible beause getting noticed could easily result in dealth, societal exclusion or incarceration. in communist east german, which existed up unitil 1990, a third of the population worked in some way for the government to spy on other people, meaning that in every family statistically there was at least one spy. its not hard to figure out how this causes people to become very private and cautious around strangers, and even though times have changes, parents passed on the subconscious mannerisms to their successive generations.
that being said, I plan on leaving Germany after I graduate because of the high taxes and insane cost and barriers to start a business. also the laws are hostile to small busisness. a lot of service employees are notoriously unfriendly to customers because the nature of the laws surrounding work contracts make it impossible for them to be fired unless they break a clearly defined aspect of the contract that they signed. so employees can be very rude and lazy because they cant be fired like that. Germany is good for getting free education and getting fed by the state for being lazy. if you have nothing,the government gives you everything for free, but the moment you want to be productive and have stuff for yourself, it takes everything you produce.
@@sshreddderr9409 yeah thats not it though... It's exactly the same in Switzerland and what you say doesn't apply to us, so there must be something else (culturally).
Fully agree! I was in Germany doing my Erasmus exchange, having classes both in German and in English. What I saw is that in general Germans do not want to integrate anyone in their society. You have immigrants from middle east who might be living there for 3 generations and still they do not feel german. I saw also that the difference in treatment when I was speaking english (with american accent) and german (and my german was quite good but with eastern europe accent - and as a result the treatment was IMMEDIATELY MUCH WORSE). No, it’s not immigrants that do not want to integrate. It’s German people being maybe politically correct, but not accepting anyone else in their own society.
I work in Sweden for last year and half. Sweden is like that even to Swedes
This is even worse in the netherlands.
As somebody who hung out with a lot of foreigners for the first 4 semesters I can tell you its tiring.
Each semester you have to meet and befirend new people. Even if they study longer than 1 semester they usually want to go back to their country after they graduate and you still have language barrier, different culture etc.
Sometimes you just want to hang out with people in your mother language (speaking as you wish not constantly being stuck in translation), you want to be able to make references to your own culture/society and you want others to get them.
In highschool or among my german freinds I am a really funny guy bt with foreigners im just a nice dude (or maybe its german humour and people just think im unfunny, i dont know)
The more you hang out with foreigners the more you want to hang out with people from your country.
I live in Germany and there is only thing on my mind: I gotta leave. I was born and raised here by my parents, Danish-German, and I just want to get the hell out of this country as soon as I finish my eng. bachelor, Germany has nothing to offer to me, our politics is aboslute bs, infrastructre is shitty, yes we have the Autobahn but you can only rarely drive 200 and even then people drive like idiots and the fuel consumption is at a rate of 2 oceans per mikrometer.
When I moved to my other home country of denmark for my high-school degree, I was baffled about how easy everything is, recently again I got my tax and SU form back, in which I was now paying a huge amount of tax due to me not doing stuff correct, oopsie, I called the danish IRS told them my problem and they were like: oh yeah I can see you did this wrong, ill fix it for you. and BAAM problem fixed.
In Germany this would have taken 2 years and I would probably have to prove that my rabbit that I had when I was 7 does not have external income from family abroad or rental property.
German bureaucracy is the killer of good life in Germany, for locals and immigrants.
You're half danish and you're suprised it's easy to immigrate... lmao
@@yyunko7764 lmaoo XDD ROFL, you misunderstood, I meant everything is easier in Denmark than it is in Germany, immigration from country a to country b is always easy if you're a citizen if a and b, but I was referring to literally everything from taxes to applying to a uni etc
I moved to Germany 8 years ago, after living and studying 7 years in PAris.
I was very happy and satisfied, and always said that Germany is better than France... till the last 3-4 years.
Life became much worse. I am a senior technical IT Consultant and speak fluently german. I work in the largest german IT consulting company.
Everything is unbelievably expensive, the life is "good" but boring. I have also the feeling that the government is slowly becoming too controlling, and i dont like this.
The one thing that also made me decide to leave is the retirement pension. I got a letter telling me that in 2056, where i will be 67 years old, i will be able to retire and get 2500 euros! I am paying everymonth almost 1200euro to the retirement and all of this to get 2500euro in 33 years. And dont forget about taxes and inflation. If everything counted(tax and inflation) the 2500 wiould be the equivalent of 700-800 hundres.. no thanks
Also the health system : you always hear that it is the best and it is for free... no it is not 1) i pay monthly 850euro for the health insurance 2)hospitals are always full and personal is usually not skilled enough. Just for info, my son was recently sick and we had to run to the emergency at night. In the whole emergency was only 1 doctor and 2 nurses. we waited 2 hours till someone just checked my son for 30 seconds, and then had to wait more 3 hours. at the end we just left home.
My decision is taken : we are leaving
where are you going ?
I totally relate
@@Ematuresco still thinking. Maybe Italy/Greece, or Dubai/Qatar, or my home country
Fühl ich, und das ist ja nur der Anfang 😂 es tut mir leid zu hören, dass du diese Erfahrung machen musstest. Mein Freund und ich versuchen momentan auch alles an Bildung mitzunehmen und uns dann einen Ort zu suchen wo wir auch wirklich gewollt werden. Ich hoffe du findest dein neues Zuhause
@@moudhafersalhi1302 Italy??? You know in Italy people get paid like 1500 euros a month right??? Even highly skilled people make like 1800 euros. You know in Italy there is a toxic work culture??? Did you know there is NO meritocracy in Italy right?? No matter how hard you work it means jack shit unless your boss likes you. Your story is bullshit.
As a foreign skilled worker leaving Germany, the main issues for me are the extreme difficulty in finding an apartment in the first place, let alone being able to pay for it, and the lack of healthcare for freelancers. If you are a freelancer, you realistically need six thousand euros a year for healthcare insurance, and a similar amount for your pension. As a foreigner, housing costs in Berlin will cost you about twelve thousand euros a year for a small apartment that isn't a slum [and you probably need to install your own kitchen for some reason], and landlords generally don't want you if you are a) a foreigner, b) a freelancer and c) haven't lived in Germany long enough for a good credit rating. If you're a middle class German, you can find cheaper quality accommodation but if you're poor or foreign, you're going to struggle. Expect six months to find an apartment, so until then expect to stay in mediocre AirBnBs for at least one thousand euros a month, or move into a cramped houseshare being sublet by a dodgy and untrustworthy tenant.
So that's twenty four thousand euros just for rent, healthcare and a pension. To have any quality of life in Berlin, which is not the most expensive German city by any means, you realistically need an income of about forty thousand euros to cover tax, pension and living expenses and still have money left over for a basic middle class lifestyle [provided you don't plan to have kids]. In Spain or Greece, you're looking at half of that, with better food, friendlier locals and better weather. In the UK or France, the lifestyle and costs are similar but at least healthcare is free and the bureaucracy more modernised.
Great video! I lived and worked in Germany for five years and loved it. I’m originally from the US but learned to speak German fluently at a young age before moving. I fell in love with the country but the career opportunities, the work culture that rejects new ideas and the bureaucracy caused me to leave. I always tell people I’d still be living in Germany if it weren’t for the work culture!
Servus !
Bureaucracy I understand but what exactly do you mean with work culture ?
The long hours or the way emplyoers treat you ? What exactly do you mean ?
@@MisterKackhaufen I work in digital marketing. Germany has a very risk-averse work culture and the country is notorious for being very skeptical about new technologies, so I found the companies I worked for struggled to keep up with the speed of the industry. I also found it to be very strict and hierarchical (despite claiming not to be), and not open and collaborative. This of course can work well for some industries, but not for others.
@@iankahn6426 Thank you for the response. Your definitely right about that.
The risk averse behaviour is criticised a lot within germany and even germans are often annoyed by it.
For the hirachy thing I personally disagree but I think my opinion about this is very limited because as a german I only worked inside germany. I was usually able to find ways to communicate with my boss and even make some improvements. As long as those changes didnt require money it was not a big deal.
Thank you again for the response. Its always interesting to get another perspective on things.
I hope you have a great day :)
Ok, but are you sure that it'S fun to work 2x the hours in the USA now? If corp work annoyed you that match, why not start an own business - first in part time and then maybe fully...be more flexible, as the US people generally are!
I am german and I recently finished my PhD in mathematics., which I acquired over ~6 years, while working fulltime in the financial industry in the Rhein-Main area. I make ~ 80.000 € gross per year right now. Which is not bad at all, but considering that a new/refined detached house around here (40km radius) is about 800.000 -1,2 Mio € it doesnt look like ill become a home owner anytime soon. With my PhD completed I am in the process of applying for some new jobs right now, but another 10.000€ or 20.000 € for a job in Munich for example wont really help, taking into account that payment is usually adjusted to the local living expenses. The overall taxes in germany are too high. Also, the sentiment towards "rich" people seems to become worse. I fear that my efforts didnt really pay off and now only more and higher taxes await me in this country. Why wouldnt I go to Zurich? Many friends (mostly medical staff) is already there. Sure, they cant afford a house either, but if they live humble they can save more than most germans make. What happend to your salary being worth the work? Things seem to have jeopardized in favor of the non working people living on social welfare.
'Things seem to have jeopardized in favor of the non working people living on social welfare.' or in favor of non-working 'rich people'? i.e people with a highly active and/or passive income (>millions) that are not part of the working force, and could be taxed more ?
Other than that, thanks for sharing your experience ! Much appreciated analysis. I am in the process of finishing my PhD in Engineering in MUC, which I came to Germany for. Seems like what awaits me might be looking the same
Why do people in Germany vote for politicians that increase taxes and are so incompetent in economics? I'm considering Germany as a potential country for emigration as a software developer, but I'm very skeptical about it compared to the UK or Canada.
@@fyodormelnikov439 For a software developer that's absolutely the worst you can do. We have german and french developers coming to Romania and working for american companies here as they a make gross salary higher than even in Germany while living costs are about 70% less minimum so in reality you're getting a lot more for your money.
As a software developer I would try Switzerland, UK or US. Or maybe even Poland at the big Microsoft or Google hub they are building there.
Why don't you try African countries. You can get a very good salary+other allowances with the lowest cost of living and people also highly respect you.
@@traorerene4554 The payment for engineers is usually higher then for pure mathematicians. I mean no one really needs pure maths the moment it achieves a new result. But wait another 200 years. Im sure my results will be of interesst then :D Well, If somebody has millions and lives off dividends, I see no problem. Income in interest or dividends etc. is taxed by 25%, so these guys are in fact paying taxes.
Thank you for your insights. I have seen these figures being shown (almost every day) in German news. But as someone working in a STEM field in Germany for more than a decade, I would like to share my field observation.
When German employers mention "skilled labor shortage", what they actually mean is "low-cost skilled labor shortage". The fact that real wage in Germany hardly increased over the last decade supports this point at least empirically. I have personally seen my actual wage (not PMI adjusted) shrank, albeit slightly, over the time I worked here as a professional.
Meanwhile, the German work culture has also becoming more conservative. Language requirements (i.e., C1) is a relatively recent phenomenon, even in non-customer facing roles, when the ability to utter German words would get you an interview 10+ years ago. Remote work becomes more restrictive, and the glass ceiling also came further down for the foreign worker.
The whole situation is not any different than someone wanting to buy a brand new Porsche for 500€ and (understandably) can't find one, then coming home cry about a shortage of passenger vehicles instead of shelling out more money or adjusting their expectations.
P.S. - Another point is that there is a shift in labor demand. All the way leading up to the 2010s, the wanted section would be listing a lot of technical positions (i.e., for engineers and researchers), some often boasting optional German language training as a perk. Nowadays they have been displaces by ads for nurses and elderly care persons.
I studied in Germany and worked in Berlin for ten years as an NLP engineer. I have no problem with the language...what bugs me is high taxes. The government uses my money for die Nichts-Tun or to realize the crazy ideology of the green party. I left Germany and moved to the South of France. Tax is 10% less, better food, better weather, though not less bureaucracy 😂
I’m Austrian and I have an interior design background from Italy. I flew in to Germany from London for an interview. I was not even offered a glass of water and it was summer which in the uk is a given. The most important thing to them were my high school grades 😂😂 I said to him no one ever asked me this cause no one cares. Normally what companies care is your personality and portfolio. This was so odd and old school. Who cares what grade I had in maths 10 years ago. Utterly ridiculous but that’s German mentality, to the stupidest detail. For me I could never live in Germany.
Only one interview isn't enough to judge a country. I've been to many interviews in Germany and nobody ever asked me about my school or uni grades.
Exactly the reason I left for the Netherlands 7 years ago where I was never even asked to provide any diplomas
My brother has a PHD and they asked him too at a job interview in Germany for some grades back in school
Haha, yea had the same experience 2 times as well. I grew up in Germany. Moved during my masters to Poland. Worked in Spain, UK, France and Poland. Would never go back (working) to Germany. And only companies in Germany (one consulting company and one oil&gas comapny) asked about my Abitur grades. I just realized after moving away, how stiff the German working culture is.
@@Scuz24 Yep, never had to show my diplomas anywhere here in the Netherlands, I think they are still in a safe in my parents house 🙂. We share many issues with Germany but this is not one of them. Communication with the government can be done mostly online. Tax system is very progressive, and that combined with allowances for low-income people means that it often doesn't pay to work more/harder, as the extra money ends up in a higher tax bracket and you might lose your rent-allowance. Sometimes you can even end up having less net money in your pocket because of that.
I moved from Bulgaria to Germany in 2012 and did my Bachelor's and Master's here and have been working as a software engineer for 3 years now but I'm now considering moving back to Bulgaria. It seems like Germany with it's ~40% tax is not made for the middle class. I'd literally make the same amount of money as a software engineer in Bulgaria without being disconnected from my family. Not to mention the awful weather here in Berlin where 3/4 of the year you don't see the sun. I guess it's worth being in Germany if you're planning on retiring here or getting social benefits and not actually working. Not to mention the overly diligent ruling system. Here you are afraid to do anything because you'd get fined - you park at the wrong place - fine, you watch a movie from a bad website - fine, you cross the road on a red as a pedestrian - fine...
Well If you're paying 45% tax you are indeed Not middle class 😉
Whats your average tax?
Varna for the sun. Bulgaria for the EOOD with 15% fixed tax. Plenty of old houses and properties here. I left "socialist utopia" Norway, and never looking back. Other countries in the area here also have low tax schemes, which makes me feel pretty secure.
Hope you'll make ur own country richer.
Ive been fined 2 times in less than a year. Parking and 6 over the speed limit. And brethalised twice. Germany is a scary country man get out while you can.
As an English person living in Germany I can first hand say that Germany is very hard to settle in. The stubbornness of the German beaurocratic system and how rigid and un user friendly it is, understanding everything from getting your tax number, the fact that the beaurcratic system is handled entiely in a very hard form of the German language and the shortage of appointments to get everything done can take someone years to really settle here. I believe that is it simple much easier to do it everywhere else, in English, with a well designed online system and speedy processing of paperwork, you have to really want to settle here to go through that and most people just want an easier way to get things done. I completely understand why nobody would want to go through the process to live here, it's really not that worth it.
"in English, with a [...]" - you are in GERMANY and not in England anymore. English is only used as a means to exploit tourists in Germany, and in this context, it is also accepted. Otherwise, Germans immediately convey to migrants that from now on, only German should be spoken. That is the case in Spain (Spanish) and France (French) , and certainly in the UK (English) as well.
Why “in English”? This is such a British take
Rest of the comment is fine, but Germany has every right and in fact they should have their documents be in German
@@Amaling die Engländer haben doch im Jahr 2023 noch Forderungen, die nicht mal Hitler 1940 hatte. So sieht die Realität aus.
@@Amaling It's not about the "rights" of the Germans to use their language just about how easy it is for foreigners to settle.
I'm German btw.
@@Amaling Yes, so they aren't going to be competitive in attracting global talent
I am a child of Turkish immigrants, born and raised here. I am working as an civil engineer and earn about 5300 euro before taxes and 3200 after taxes. Might sound like a lot of money to some and I am living comfortably, but it's not much, if you live in a big city.
For me it is obvious that Germany will fall in the next decades. I see 2 reasons for this:
1. The state and bureaucracy:
In simple terms, a weird leftist-bureaucratic-complex consisting of state media, politicians, bureaucrats have been pushing ever more towards a socialist country, where the state rules everything. The population becomes weaker, poorer and is more dependant on the state. They are suffocating the middle class with high taxes and lower class people are better off not working at all.
Companies also cannot compete internationally as the bureaucracy demands for example the certificate that no slave labor was in any part of the supply chain. Truthfully almost no one can guarantee it and in a lot of cases you need some third party consultants etc to get certificates
2. Uncontrolled immigration of too many people who are
-not intelligent or educated, in many cases analphabets
-prone to violent crime
-prone to not following the rules
-culturally incompatible with German society and unwilling to integrate
The question is what the negative consequences are for Germany. They are economic, cultural and societal. Some examples:
-people will lose trust in others as there are too many black sheep. low trust society means that you will be more cautious, but the mistrust will also destroy solidarity and any feeling of camaraderie, which let's a country work better and also in bad times.
-overall level in education and quality will decrease as the standards will be lowered
-these people will cause more costs than pay taxes. The rising workload of courts and police is also a cost increase.
-These expenditures will be paid by the working people, increasing taxes or lowering benefits.
-with high crime, people will not be willing to raise their kids here
As a Swede/Spaniard living in Sweden I 110% agree
hast viele andere Probleme nicht erwähnt, wie z.B. Genderwahn, Umweltlügen, zunehmende Islamophobie, einseitige Medienberichterstattung etc.
I moved from Canada to Germany for work. Assistance in learning German is expensive and almost non-existent, and I had not heard of integration courses until now (it turns out the only ones in my area are during work hours). That having been said, I like Germany. My current job is a year-to-year contract, but if I found a permanent job, I would be happy to stay.
I feel like all the services are available during the work hours, so only retired and not 9-18 employees can make any use it them! Haha
As a German I wonder why you don't say to your company "hi, I have to go to the township next tuesday, so I'll be late at work" or just take one day holiday.
This is in general no problem.
Welcome to Germany m8
We have 2 philosophies here, and both only change their attitude on integration under extreme pressure (superficially and short-term).
Philosophy 1: These people will leave again eventually, no integration neccessary.
Philosophy 2: These poeple will help destroy the prevailing culture, no integration neccesssary.
If left and right agree, everybody gets fucked the hardest. It's a natural law of kinds. Integration courses are an invention we had in the 2000s, when Turkish immigration had been seen as a failure and both sides could no longer peddle their shit to the voters with a straight face. I doubt their was ever much effort put into making those widely available. By whom?
Year-to-year contracts are very common, also for locals. They are a pain in the butt.
I tried learning German for a bit and then realized it isn't a very useful language in the current world
Keep at it! Rome wasnt built in a day either! Success is the journey remember! Adds fun to your life, work brings rewards. Tomorrow will be a new day!
Well, don't do it for a job, but come back later for it. I would not want to read Goethe, Schiller, Nietzsche or Kant in a foreign langauge.
My biggest regret is, that i didnt move to Canada or US when I was younger. Now I am still in Germany and everything's too late.
Or Australia or the UK too? They are pretty decent countries too...
@@stephenmani8495 UK is dead
@@stephenmani8495the UK is just as bad as Germany
Same here.
I live in Canada and here are a few things:
Housing market is REALLY bad
All traveling is expensive
Very hard to find a job
My uncle lives in Germany and has no complaints but then again is an immigrant from Bulgaria and almost any country is better than that one
haha, still if he is a high Skilled worker then he can find higher paying job with US or even UK employers. If he is a middle to low skill job then social welfare of Germany is better than US so better stay in Europe only.
Being an IT qualified worker from non-EU country with a french Master's degree, I can say that Germany disappointed me greatly. All of the bureaucratic gymnastics here is hell. I had problems receiving bluecard visa, because of my degree name not being in the database for 3 months. After receiving it and working in Germany for 5 months I got denied my residence permit for a very arbitrary reason. My lawyer solved everything in 2.5 monts, but for me personally it was extremely stressful time.
Yes, there is bureaucracy. But there are two things that make it even more tedious and amplify the problem. The lack of digitalization and the shortage of workers in the bureaucracy itself. I mean, it doesn't matter if a process is fairly simple if you have to go in person and then wait for a long time because there is not enough staff.
There is enough staff. The work isn't done anyway. They don't like to work. There are mostly 25-40 year old ladies that like to drink coffee and have some talk..
@@vornamenachname906How's 25-40 old?
@@vornamenachname906 You just described state services all around the world!
@@joaomaria2398 Based, jaja
One of the biggest issue is that the terms "immigration", "high-skilled immigration", and "illegal immigration" are always mixed with each other. Most of the time willingly I would say.
Germany receives a lot of (illegal) immigration that creates more stress on the system. It receives very few high-skilled migrants and it taxes them so much (>50% of your paycheck goes to the government) that it makes no sense for most to come to Germany.
They are not wrong, they are humans too, and people expect sometimes too much of people accepting them for something they can do it by their own. I've have seen cultures crash and ended really bad, look at history books and even some dr insanity channels that it's hard to understand or know what kind of crazy way people will adapt to a complety different system. Sometimes isnt nice for the people there sometimes is not for who it's trying to reach there
Just remember its not only 50% of your paycheck we also pay 19% tax on everything we buy…
Es macht Sinn nach Deutschland zu kommen. Ein Teil der Bevölkerung arbeitet, ein anderer wird fürs Nichtstun von denen bezahlt, die arbeiten. Das funktioniert nicht.
to be fair, immigrations has not much impact on the system itself. The bigger problem are the wrong tax policy that still makes the rich even richer and middle class decline (thats what every conservative party wants - while other parties are not able to see that people running out of money), there are still groceries and hygenics in germany taxed 19%, and thats in discussion since decades. Wrong subsides for dying industries with less and lesser output each year like coal and industrial-aggriculture are also a huge amount of money that could be spend on education. But not to forget that the behaviour of the german population coasts more money each year. Bigger cars, more garbage, hundreds of thousands of lawsuits because of minor problems, buying more and more shit from china instead of local products and the hate for innovation and changes are the biggest problems. Germany is a country in decline because its people are in decline because of nearly 70y of wealth and boredom
As a skilled-migrant (yet born and raised here) I have already decided on moving out. With the rise of illegal immigration there is a rise of right-wing public opinion. I have the necessary skills to live and work in a country with a better standard of living etc. even though i will miss a lot of things here in Germany, still better than treated as a second-class citizen
Very good and fact based video, I am sorry to see my fears actually on TH-cam. Very painful things which were not mentioned are:
- Germany has one of the highest taxation from the Gross Salary in the world: cca 40%,
- Every request to the state offices must be booked with 1 or 2 months in advance and then it takes other months to get it solved and finally
- One simply can´t rent an apartment in one of the big cities without a huge salary, top Schufa (good luck for newcomers) and big luck.
If you really are in the 40% income tax bracket then I congratulate you. You are earning a lot of money and can easily afford to pay a higher and fairer share of your income. Also note that your average tax rate is off course much lower.
and that's why people are leaving, because there's neighboring countries where you get paid more, taxed less and the quality of life is the same or even higher than here@@sebastianschubert7945
@@sebastianschubert7945 > You are earning a lot of money
No, he doesn't. I would surprise you but 80-90k EUR is ridiculously low salary by the first world standards for a high skilled worker. In Canada and US you'll have a far higher salary with a far lower tax rate.
As a german who currently started working as a Controller in Austria but still lives in Germany i would say the biggest problem aside from taxes and bureaucracy is the language. I work at an international company with workers from many different nations.
@@MrX-sg6xj yeah you are right. But it is worth a try
@@plugaeisthedarth5328 hm why? To learn German it will take 2-3 years of 1-2 hours learning every day. Is it really worth it?
probably the cold weather doesnt help either
ideological people say you should learn a language, yes you could learn the basics within hundreds hours, but doing a skilled job and becoming fluent would take thousands of hours.
German is really not that hard to learn. I learnt it as a 2nd language quite easily
You forgot to mention that it's almost impossible to rent an apartment in Germany in a big city.
Yeah, no journalistic piece about Germany‘s immigration problems ever seems to mention it, as if they‘re oblivious to this circumstance. You can‘t get a SCHUFA without working in Germany and you can‘t work in Germany without having a German address and you can‘t rent in Germany without a SCHUFA - wonder why that seems so hard to grasp for German commentators, probably because they all have a SCHUFA and consider it to be as self-explanatory as supermarkets closed on Sundays and holidays.
True, but still a weird problem I think. I live in a somewhat big city - in an outer suburb of course - and can affort that because work is in biking distance. Why do people think the NEED to live in the big cities, espeically downtown?
Also not a GERMAN problem. Maybe zoning laws, but general it's just everybody wanting to live in the biggest cities. Well, not everybody can. Obviously. And not everybody needs to.
@@AstreinWHaha. Nice summary.
I agree. Especially in Munich. It's horrible!!
Try to rent apartment in any big city around the world and you will get same result about 15-1 ratio on every apartment, that is reality almost everywere
Fun observation: Last week visiting the AVT (Exhibition for autonomous vehicles in Stuttgart, Center of Innovation in Europe). I couldn’t buy any food or drinks because they accepted cash only. In contrast: 2018 Brazil on a beach one could pay with credit card for coconut water that local people were selling there...
PIX in brasil is incredible, light years away from europe in that matter
Yeah the cash problem will stay. I have no clue why people hate "modern" things here. GERMAN Angst 😱
@@FroopieRick In Germany, they prefer keeping secret what they are doing with their money. So they prefer cash. Usings credit card payment makes it impossible to cheat against the tax authorities. This is why gastronomy in Germany prefers cash (anipulation of the cashier machine in the restaurant is easy and common). In Brazil, the government is forcing cashless payment to reduce amount of circulating cash as an aid against street criminality
@@albustanmagic4036 Yeah, lots of cash only businesses in the U.S. city of San Francisco too. Always takes people by surprise. Where taxes are overly burdensome, cash will often be preferred.
India has topped the list for digital payments and recorded 89.5 million transactions in 2022
Hard cash has vanished from India
I am Swiss and love Germany. Switzerland would simply not work anymore without German expats. The country has a large number of well educated and skilled professionals. At the same time I feel sorry for them, as Germany is a real tax hell. The government is currently very busy with "re-distributing wealth", success is not valued anymore and if you do well financially, you certainly will get jealousy and destain. The current government is and will make things a lot worse.
I'm German and have a highly specialiced profession. in the last 3-5 years I considered moving to Switzerland, because Germany has nothing to offer anymore. my salary is basically capped by taxes and insurances (more than 50% of my wage is lost), I still can't find an apartment because there are simply just not enough apartments available plus they're super expensive (relative to my net-income, even though I have a good salary), and when you have a medical problem that is not urgently dangerous you just don't get an appointment anymore. Germany thinks it is the Peak of the EU (wich btw makes horrible laws, but that's another story) but on the inside this feel like a developing country.
@@s_one_mon I think the main problem is that German politics is made by boomers and by a younger lefties political elite neglecting the necessity for economic freedoms.
I had contact to a lot of low level civil servants. They hate stupid bureaucracy more than everybody else but sadly EU, federal and state politics are great in inventing new BS statutes.
Having lived in both Germany and Switzerland, the latter is clearly the superior alternative. I always say it's the better version of my home country the Netherlands
Thanks for valuing my contribution to your native and my new home country. It's a bit tough to connect to Swiss people, but the living conditions are gold and opportunities plenty.
Ich habe Deutschland verlassen und eine Firma in Bulgarien gegründet, weil der Steuerstandort Deutschland ein so großer Wettbewerbsnachteil ist, dass es sich nicht mehr lohnen würde.
The US has been blessed with all the German talent that have moved there for generations.
Yes, but what kind of Germans had chosen to get on a ship and start a new life on the new continent in the 17th century? The brave ones with big dreams.
Who stayed? .... Exactly.
@@vornamenachname906 also religious lunatics. It's not black and while.
My dad is from Germany. He moved to the United States 32 years ago. I'm very surprised how many Germans live here.
I agree. Alot of talented Europeans (including Germans ) moved to the US due to WWII. To name a few: Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, John von Neumann.
@@janienorman8943 Einstein is a swiss Jew. These are Jews not Germans
rich country? yes, corporations and banks are mega rich. however, the average salary has been on the decline if adjusted for inflation. also, the "fachkräftemangel" (bottleneck qualification or whatever it was called in the video) is a lie. just pay more and people will do the jobs. inviting hundreds of thousands of migrants from 3rd world countries that will never be able to contribute anything to the social security doesn't make germany more attractive either. whoever is highly qualified and can leave, will do. i'm not even from germany, btw, but from its smaller neighbor.
Low wages & greedy corporations is a global issue
German employers pay high wages, but the government takes much more from its citizens than other countries.
@@justchris5806 Thats not true, only the big companies pay high wages. Germany is probably one of the few countries where many sklilled workers can earn more money in the public sector than in small to midsized companies. Something you usally only see in banana republics.
@@benjaminh.7698 They do pay high wages, but after taxes and social security the Government takes around 45% directly from the median income.
But after that you also pay high taxes for example for electricity ( >50% in 2022) and gas (~50%).
According to the oecd taxing wages report the cost for the avergage employer in Germany is even as high as in Switzerland
Speaking from experience, Foreigners contributing to the social security is the first thing out of our salaries. All of them, all skill levels. Black market economics in Germany contribute to no social contributions.
I am a naturalized German, lived there for over 11 years have many friends, like the country the food, and most times also the weather.
Only by chance I moved to Vienna 11 years ago (so 11 years in Germany then 11 years in Austria) and even though I didn't know what to expect when I moved here, the fact that I stayed here shows I like it (and turned out like it more than Germany):
The work: now I know I don't appreciate the typical German corporate culture, a banal example: I've had German bosses who had this almost fetish to be extremely punctual, and start every meeting exactly in the second, and they would give you a hard time if you God forbid, enter the meeting room after them or are, the horror, 1 or 2 min. late. Funny thing, subsequently, they would totally waste my (and everybody else's time) with hours and hours of very unproductive meetings. But, yeah, most importantly, you are punctual to the second.
Most importantly, as somebody previously commented, for non natives neither Germany nor Austria is open for higher positions. I know I can do more and take more responsibility so I don't understand why not being originally Austrian or German is apparently a disadvantage, which is why I will be moving to Switzerland in 1 month, and working in an international setting, where my original nationality would be secondary to my ability to prove myself.
Switzerland? Brace yourself my friend for top notch discrimination at work. Swiss are the worst in Europe, that place has been governed by the far right since a long time.
Ok, if puncutality was the only big issues, then you surely had a great time working in Germany ;)
The swiss are more nationalisitically oriented than the germans though
@@markomak1 May be: 1: the ones I know definitely not, and 2: as mentioned in my previous post, I'll be working in an international setting: e.g. my boss is from South Africa.
oof, the swiss might be even worse...
Europe is kind of a racist place
You forgot to mention high taxes, unpleasant looking cities, less and less freedom of speech, the grumpy and unwelcoming nature of the local population and rising crime. I am saying this as a German who left Germany more than 25 years ago.
As a foreigner in Germany who studied Masters's degree here and now working full time, I've seen my fair share of pros and cons of Germany and the love-hate relationship I have with the country lol. Like many mentioned here, bureaucracy is one of the worst things to deal with as a foreigner. I luckily have a German partner who helps out if anything gets complicated but I'm glad that my German is good enough to sort things out on my own if needed but it does not take away the irritation I get whenever things come up.
At the same time, I currently experience a lot more pros in this country. I work in the medical field (psychiatry to be specific) with adults and a lot of seniors and my experience has been extremely positive. They are friendly and easy to talk to and happy to see that I can speak and work in German although it's not my mother tongue. I personally didn't really have trouble getting a job perhaps because I work in a very specialised field. Although I have some foreign friends, I would say I have been lucky with getting integrated here and also having one of my best friends who's German. Perhaps my personality and character played a partial role in it, but i know it's also because of my partner, as a German, growing up in a small village, his family being very accepting and open and I get to see a lot of ins and outs of German customs and habits through him and interacting with his friends. He's also in the German military so that adds another level of knowledge that not many foreigners would come across. On top of that, we live in a small town away from the big city, so i'm exposed to everything German 24/7, plus my work which has at least 98 percent Germans.
This.
I share the same experience.
Volksverräter
Where u from
I'm Australian and have lived in Germany for 6 years. The only reason I stay is the ease of travel to countries like Italy, but can safely say that Germans only want Germans. Even in my current job at VW, I'm avoided in meetings and given work the Germans don't want. I will return to Australia eventually.
wow that is terrible, why anybody would want to go to Germany, I'd never. I prefer China, people are more friendly there.
why leave Australia man? Too chill for you ?! You wanted the stress of Germany 😂😂😂
My son's mother has a German citizenship. She has been trying to apply for his citizenship for more than a year. I told her why bother? New Zeeland passport is good enough. I dont think he would want to live in Germany anyhow 😂
There are other places in Europe
Are you a white Australian ??
There is a degree of acceptance in Germany directly correlated to the skin color. White have better acceptance, followed by yellow, then brown, then black.
My 2 cents to this issue. Studying and working in Germany since 12years i have experienced the following points in short.
1.unlike the USA , financial the median of the population is much higher. Means its easier not to be poor but difficult to become rich .
2. New generation specially in the old western part is more open to the idea of international workforce. But the older generation is still very conservative. In old Eastern part its even worse.
4. Despite efforts from the government Racism/stereotyping still exsists in many parts of Germany.
5.Taxes are higher in comparison to many developed country. Which in return is used to help the poor.
6. Language without a doubt is one deal breaker. Germans value their customs and traditions and adopting English in different parts of life is one not so easy task.
7. Bureaucracy coupled with difficult language is a killer combo.
8. One big issue is calling your parents to Germany. For some even getting a short term visa is a hard task let alone long term visa. At some point in the life when parent need support, family start thinking of moving back to their home countries.
9.government needs to educate people about the difference between a Refugee and an economic immigrant. Racsim has its roots here.
But i have high hopes as new generation is learning from the mistakes of other developed nations.
You feel discrimated in comperison to refugees? Refugees, have a reason to be here. Its ethic to help them. But there is no reason one should welcome economic immigrants. They want Dollars, the pay tax for. If its not enough dollars they can leave, no one forces them to be here. Its wired how refugees from 3. world countrys learn the german language easy and high educated economic immigrants refuse to learn german.
Germany and Germans should not have to give up their ancestral, ethnic, cultural and traditional heritage in an attempt to prop up a failing economy where eventually crime rates by immigrants skyrocket (see France yesterday).
Your comment is an example of what i said in point 4. There is a huge difference between economic immigrants and refugees. Refugees from non warzone countries come through illegal means and may also have criminal tecord in their own countries. On the other hand there are 1000s of economic immigrants who pay taxes to support the aging populations in these countries. I would suggest you should make a point on statistics rather than what you see on media.
@@devilesence I would rather my homeland crumble naturally through an aging population than to have it taken over through "skilled immigration". Not to mention, those skilled immigrants have kids who end up misbehaving anyway (see BLM protests).
@@devilesence No refugees have a reason to leave their country. economic immigrants just go wherever the can make some money! these people will sell their grandmother for some Eur and usd. the dont love their country and culture and the well never love ours. if the swiss fees them less takes they go there. if hungry pays better than the swiss they go to hungry. if the emirates of dubai have a opportunity for usd the will leave hungry and so on and so on. this people are bad for every country the are cosmopolitan who don’t care for anything besides their briefcases
I’m ethnically Chinese but live in London and when I went to Germany for a 3 day visit, I received racist jibes every single day. Never experienced this before in London and Paris, just a testament to how ‘friendly’ Germany is to international folk. Would never want to work there full time
I immigrated to the U.S. from Iran around 20 years ago and work as a software developer. If I were to consider moving to Europe, I would face a significant pay cut almost half of my current salary and higher taxes. So, it doesn't seem very enticing for professionals like me to opt for Europe over the U.S.
it appears that educated and more affluent from my country tend to gravitate towards North America, whereas those who are less educated or from less privileged backgrounds often find themselves in Europe. Perhaps Europe's welfare system is more appealing to a certain demographic of immigrants, while North America's vibrant business landscape attracts the more educated ones.
Thats cool and all but both are collapsing.
Iranians gravitate to America and the UK because they speak english and it wouldn't make sense to go to any other EU countries where english isn't the primary language
Most people moving from third world countries like Iran love the american dream and they regret later. I'm glad I've moved to europe haha
spot on. Indian peasants sell land holding to work in labor sector of Canada and Europe. Top school graduates go to USA. Australia and NZ are also beautiful but opening a tech or fin business still hard as there isn't much VC investment opportunities or a local market to readily tap on.
What if with your pay cut comes a better life?
Not just salary but also pure credentialism. I'm in Canada and have friends from all over the world, including Germany. In US/Canada, you can land top-tier jobs, including multi-6-figure jobs, provided you can demonstrate adequate experience and you have skills to back them up. In Germany, no-one will even look at you for a higher end job without higher education.
Me a german: I want to study Business & Computer science
Teacher: That's great, our country really needs more people like you
Also me who's secretly planning to emigrate to Australia once I'm done: yeah, you're right *wink*
I strongly advise you to not go to Australia.
@@erictsagiannidis4051 How so?
@@erictsagiannidis4051 why? I would love to go there as an electrician, heard they make double there than the uk
@@davidmarjason4222 Only if you are self-employed electrician or work on a union-controlled commercial site. The latter requires contacts.
Go and never come back.
I'm a native german and there are many things I love about my country such as my friends and family, my university and the education it provided me, the safety of our streets, the fact that I don't need a car to live here and our food and drinks. I am sad that I have to agree with most of the points made in the comments of why it's not a great idea to immigrate here. For example the fact that highly skilled english speaking labor is not welcomed in most places has always been baffling to me. Making friends with germans is hard even for germans so you'll be in for a difficult time unless you find the right people. A university is a good place to look for them (if you're still a student) in my opinion but the mentioned seggeration is real. One natural reason I see for it is that it takes more effort to have a teammate for an assignment with whom communication is difficult. It unfortunate that german is such a hard language to learn and required in so many settings... The fact that many of my classmates when I graduated at my Gymnasium were pretty bad at english doesn't bode well for any future developments there either. The way I see it there's only the reason to immigrate here for a good university education but only if you either are at least semi fluent at german or fluent at english and plan to enroll in a degree program that is advertised as being taught mainly in english. In these cases you will face way less adversity trying to integrate.
That said I would probably never immigrate here a skilled (post education) worker without fluent german skills. You'll probably not be treated as well as you deserve.
I myself plan to emigrate once I'm done with my masters degree and I find the right job opportunity.
The burocracy german citizens and immigrants have to deal with in this country are a sick joke.
Creating a business in this country is needlessly hard. Most things are due to the regulations.
The taxes are amongst the highest in the world and it feels like most of it is wasted. Looking at our internet infrastructure in global comparison is just sad for example. Our wellfare system will be worthless once I'm old enough to benefit from it. And our education system prior to university levels is ass. I would never put a child through that and I plan to have some eventually.
I would love to take my social bubble with me but if I'm honest with myself I can find better alternatives in most other aspects elsewhere :(
Speaking of making friends, why are Germans always very serious lols?
Safety of cities lol 😂😂
safety? Germany ??? xD
Where do you live? In a small town? Come to Hamburg and see our "safe" streets yourself
Where do you want to move after the university?
As a German living for the last 25 years in the US, I will tell you it's even worse; Germans are leaving the country because high skill is way underpaid. In my industry the discrepancy is enormous; about one to ten; aka I get paid ten times more in the US. Not looking back!
As an American, we are glad you are here!
Generally its not a good sign when intellectuals are fleeing Germany.
So funny - Not.
I used to have a German manager who was living in Switzerland. Around 10 years ago, he relocated to Vietnam and told his colleagues "Europe is collapsing". We found this weird and even laughed but he is a very clever engineer. 🤔
he may know a lot of things in his field but not about Europe for sure :D
Its easier to exploit people in Vietnam, so he made smart choice
probably he's a pedo cuz rules their are relaxing
@@banancino553 Lol. you are absolutely right..!
@@WL113 - Actually, he does seem to know a lot about Europe. He is right. Europe IS collapsing. It is doomed, unless there is drastic course correction. And that is not going to easily happen. The biggest problem most European Governments are now facing is the massive Welfare Bill. It has become unsustainable. I live in the UK. The Debt-GDP ratio of the UK has just crossed 100% for the first time, and it is frightening. But the even more frightening prospect is that many European countries are in an even worse situation than the UK. For instance, France is now sitting on a Debt-GDP ratio of 115%, Italy now has a Debt-GDP ratio of 145%, Spain has a Debt-GDP ratio of 114%, Greece 160%, etc. Even Germany (the paymaster of much of EU) has now reached a Debt-GDP ratio of 70%. These are astronomical debts, and they have now reached proportions which can never be paid back!
So what can the Governments do? They initially did the the only thing they could do - which was to go on increasing the taxes on the middle-class, so that all that public spending can continue to happen, and the people on Welfare can be paid and sustained by society. That's why you have so many people even in this forum complaining about the incredibly high taxes, because that is the only way the Governments could raise the necessary revenues to sustain the Welfare state. But the taxation levels have now reached their limits in many of these countries (including in the UK). That can now mean only one thing. And that is a cutback in the Welfare Bill. But that will not go down well with the citizens who are used to the Welfare support and high quality of living. So, it is going to cause serious social unrest in many European countries in the coming years. The early signs are already there. For example the recent riots in France, the 'yellow vest' protests in France prior to that, the current wave of strikes in the UK, and in previous years riots and strikes in Greece, Italy, etc., and also the increasing move towards the radical right in many European countries who are now coming to power for the first time after WW2, etc.
So, I would say he is right. Europe is very definitely declining rapidly (if not collapsing). And there are no easy solutions ahead. East European countries may not feel it at this stage, because they have been mostly subsidized by EU funds in the initial years, and their quality of lives have significantly improved.But that too will soon come to an end.
I am from Germany, work as a Data Scientist and have two degrees. Why am i leaving? Because of the pay and high taxes. I have 4 years of experience and in one of the most sought after industries getting to even 100k is almost impossible. I have offers from Ireland, Switzerland and Hongkong all paying almost double to even triple what i make here. It's a shithole. You pay all these taxes and nothing works. The schools and unis are mediocre at best, Public transport is extremely bad, healthcare is falling apart and i have to wait 5 months for a specialist appointment and lastly the pension system is completly fucked. No reason to stay here. I'm out!
What did u study?
sooooo - I moved from the US to Germany in 2011 and it was NOT easy. On the one hand, I was very lucky to be among the "highly skilled workers for which there was a shortage of German and EU candidates" ie, software developer. So I was "assured" to get a work and residence permit but ONLY if I found a job first. Doing this from the US took over a year. And I got ridiculously lowballed on salary for most offers, including the one I ended up accepting. Once on the ground I quickly had to become expert in a sh*t-ton of topics: immigration requirements, tenant rights, health insurance, basic laws and daily customs and...oh yeah. German language. Which was (and still is!) a horror show because my office was purely English speaking. This is something I never hear considered when (German) people complain about how all these foreigners just want to speak English. I'm sorry, sir or madam, but when I ask you to speak German with me at work and you repeatedly refuse, and considering I spend 1/3 (or more) of my waking life in the office in a demanding role, only speaking English, WHEN pray tell do you think I can actually learn to speak German well enough to hold interesting conversations? Hmmmmm? "You should just get a German boyfriend!"....right. Can you tell me where they sell those?
I have taken so many courses and I can test with the best of them, but speak? Ha! Yeah. No. I'm still like a two/three year old who understands almost everything but can only string together comically strange statements from my own side. I was very gung ho to learn for the first 5+ years outside of work, but without regular practice it didn't get me far enough, and at this point I'm just so tired. Really, really tired. I love many aspects of living here but between the silly low standards and lack of motivation I have to deal with among my colleagues at work, and my dearth of a social life (especially hard hit during covid) I am just not feeling like this worked out particularly well for me.
Don't get me wrong, I do love many aspects of life here, but I'm just so tired. This is going to sound crazy but I would really like to take a six month sabbatical and have a German "immersion" experience in some little Dorf somewhere out in the sticks as I sure as heck haven't found that in a large city with all the "benefits" of an English speaking workplace!
I am so sorry to hear of your experience. I can understand that perfectly as I studied and have been working here in Germany as well. Even in the university setting, German people also tend to switch to English when they notice me taking a second or two longer to string together a sentence. It is truly maddening. Even the people working at the Ausländerbehörder will also speak English to me even though I clarify that I can speak German and want to speak German.
I'm German and I recognise many of the reasons why I emigrated to NZ 40 years ago in this video. Germany has taken bureaucracy to another level and every time I visit I get reminded of it. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel: many other countries are playing catch-up. NZ, for example, has in about 10 years turned from an easygoing place into a similar bureaucracy. I can't even do my own tax return any more, because the rules around investment income require a level of expertise that even my wife doesn't have, and she IS a qualified accountant.
Is bureaucracy the reason you left your home country? That sounds crazy.
Government getting more power. Universities teach it as fundamental - "you must change things". All public servants have degrees. They all 'think right'. So them meddling in your life is better, right?
@J. Langer Obviously you are a bureaucrat
Bureaucracy is the reason I left NZ! 😂
@@kingoftechwhere did you go if I can ask
I've left my home country 10 years ago and moved to Germany. Leaving a country isn't that much of a hurdle to me, especially if the next destination offers a better future for me. My uni degree is hopefully soon done and my current employer made it clear that they need me with a degree, but I look around and see that people in my field are going to be making double the salary for less hours in a different country with similar cost of living, and I really struggle to see the reason to not also continue my journey later. Unless someone higher up gets incredibly inconvenienced by poorly educated masses of people who could have filled the ever growing unemployment gap but rather are depleting the welfare budget, nothing is going to happen. It's just going to get so much worse. German taxes have a great purpose of securing an okay-ish quality of life for the lower income households, but the system is highly inefficient. There is so much money wasted on subpar measures, it's mind-blowing. It feels like the only changes that happen are forced by circumstances instead of foresight.
Brain Drain of Germans is not a problem if here AT ALL, rather lack of qualified workers. If the beaurocracy makes it hard for foreigners to acknowledge their degrees is another problem. But they Do create brain drain for their countries of origin. So I just don't understand those expats who did manage to get a position and then complain about supposedly "bad" working conditions 🤦
Compare your salary here + all the bonuses, benefits, vacation payments and Weihnachtsgeld with the salary in your country (which is in most cases a massive and incomparable difference) and then tell me why you contribute to the brain drain in your country THEN if everything here is sooo bad for you
As a software engineer who lives 8 years in Germany, I say there is no reason to move here now. Rent and taxes will cut so much from your income, that only absolute top paid workers may have a good life style. Not to say, that housing prices had skyrocketed expecting you take 30 years mortgage. Unless you plan to live in Berlin, German language also will be a barrier.
unless you or your children has been paid for the last 25 years of the kindgeld from the germany goverment .that might worth to stay abit haha ..
What you talking about? Germany has one of the lowest rent of most developed countries. Compare rents in berlin to london, paris or even milan
@@Johmatri so what? If you want to give away over a half your salary for flat - it‘s your decision. London and Paris are absolutely ridiculous, what a sane person would mov there?
@@Johmatri salaries in London are a lot higher than in most of Germany. On average the uk is very affordable for rent. But even in small German cities the rent is high compared to the salaries. It does not help that a massive amount of retired people live in big flats and houses with way more space than they need.
@@MoDa87 you and me must be living in a different UK mate. "UK very affordable to rent".... Sorry, can't swallow that pill.
As someone who has moved to Germany, I can say the majority of the problems are due to Germany's unwillingness to change. Things like Shops being closed on Sundays, one person complaining about noise in the city center trumping a Street arty that was planned months prior. The mentality of many of the people always having to have one up on others (Besserwisser). The heavily regulated and bureaucratic systems, making it almost impossible (and absolutely not worth it) to start a business or buy a house, with no help at all from the state (in fact, actually a hindrance). The high taxes that all seem to get wasted on inefficient, overblown and ultimately unnecessary construction projects.
I stay not for the money, but because I invested heavily in learning the language, and I wanted to live in Germany as a life goal. But still, I would be lying if I said seeing many colleagues migrate to Switzerland for double the salary didn't turn my head.
So true.
Especially the Grunderwerbsteuer. You basically pay a crapload of money for having paid another crapload of money to buy a property.
Like if you buy a property for 200k, renovate it and then sell it for 450k, you'll end up with roughly 50k-70k in net profits AT BEST.
Great video!
I am a German and I can say that we are more friendly to unskilled immigration or rather illegal immigration (mainly from the middle east) than actual skilled workers.
I am not joking, there is almost no chance that you get deported if you migrate to Germany illegaly. There are dozens of cases of people committing serious crimes here that turned out to be unlawful migrants. And what happens to them? Nothing.
At the same time there are skilled immigrants that try to keep up with the bureocracy and they simply cant and get denied permanant residence.
I think this is a shame and it's what a good portion of the German people criticise, but polititions dont care.
There's a say in the German population that there's mainly migration into our social welfare systems and it's not wrong.
Then you have the tax problem. We have one of the highest taxes in the entire world. There is no incentive to migrate to Germany as a person with high income.
Yeah, social security is very good, but as a high earner you really dont need it that much.
I appreciate someone finally addressing this topic. There appears to be a noticeable trend in the government's system of supporting immigrants and refugees by providing free education, monthly expenses, assistance in finding apartments, and rent support. This is undoubtedly a noble initiative. However, when it comes to skilled labor coming to the country as students, we are expected to have a block account of 11,000 euros just to obtain a visa. Additionally, depending on age group, there are health insurance requirements, and if we decide to work, there is a tax burden of over 540 euros. Despite being okay with these policies, the issue arises when we encounter significant challenges and mental stress while attempting to secure appointments for city registration and visa extensions. Even as skilled candidates, we become anxious when things don't go as planned. Furthermore, housing scams are prevalent, and reporting them to the police often proves futile. Seeking legal assistance is time-consuming, not to mention the lengthy wait times for healthcare appointments. In some cases, individuals choose to fly back home for treatment and return within a week. Even after enduring such difficulties, we still hope that our sacrifices will be worthwhile. We are not privileged; most students from third-world countries have taken education loans to come here and have struggled with nearly every aspect, from official appointments to finding full-time employment. Observing all of this, it becomes apparent that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side. Without permanent residency, if we are fired from our jobs, we do not receive any assistance. It feels like we must be fearful, avoid complaining, and patiently wait until we obtain permanent residency to experience true freedom. Additionally, timely tax payment is crucial, as the government diligently enforces this requirement, even though we have contributed in every possible way. I hope that the German government will consistently treat everyone equally, but currently, it does not feel as welcoming as anticipated.
just cause im curious, whats a high income in your opinion?
@@Crystxllize the maximum tax rate starts at arround 63k gross income. A good salary in germany is probably anything above 70k, so u dont have to be super rich to pay the maximum tax rate (yes there is a very slight increase for ppl who make like 250k+, but thats besides the point).
Taxes are the price you pay for living in a civil society.
I bet you vote AfD.
I read every day on the news that there are lack of skilled workers in Germany, but from my experience that is not the case. I did my internship and wrote my master's thesis in a popular German company. There was also a German girl doing her internship and writing her bachelor's thesis in industrial engineering. While I was lucky to land a job, she is still searching for it. That is not the only case. I had a roommate from Syria, who has a civil engineering background and is working in a supermarket because he cannot land a job in his field. I once asked my supervisor, who is a German, about this, and he said that most companies want the new recruits to be able to work from day one.
Well, I can tell you that there is a lack of skilled workers but only in some branches like Care, Craft and IT.
For example we have too many business and law grads.
Also many companies are looking for cheap, manuel labor.
by skilled workers they meant manual labor skills like warehouse worker or plumber, electrician or building crew.
Yeah and sometimes the salary is too high in the beginning. But honestly: there's no shortage of professionals, there's a shortage of companies willing to pay competitively.
"most companies want the new recruits to be able to work from day one"
That rings true for me. Most compüanies are so risk averse that they miss out on giving people a chance.
My solution: Look for smaller companies, that's how i got my start after my bachelors. Hese you might actually have a boss who will read your resume and give you a chance where bigger companies have algorythms throw all the undisaribles in the trash right away.
As an IT professional - I've been living and working in IT in Germany for the past 3 years and I'm now leaving. It turns out that I can earn more in Poland (in terms of qualify of life).
The German bureaucracy and 50% taxes are just too much.
"Why Is Talent -Fleeing- Avoiding Germany?"
Fixed that title for you.
German here. I think the main problem in that brain drain of people with good salary is the taxation. Together with the money that you have to pay into the social system, your net wage is like half of your contract. And the pension fund is a joke. 18.6% per month goes into. With a wage of about 20 euros per hour, you can expect about 1400 euros after paying into for 45 years. A lot of people cannot live with that when they are 67, but if you would save it into a ETF, or even in cash at home, you are really thinking they saved it for you with negative interests.
Also is this government more and more controlling you and tell you what you have to do. With the most stupid laws you would expect (to rip you even more off). They are really acting against the people.
And like im always saying: if you're unemployed and don't want to work, it is probably the best country in the world (500 euros and free living). That's also a big problem for vacancies. Why working when you get the same amount. And unfortunately many immigrants are taking benefit of it. Why not, it's like earning and saving for the 45 years like I mentioned above.
Germany extended their labour market protections against countries joining EU in 2004 3 times. This left a bitter taste in the new EU members and we felt like 2nd tier citizens for seven years. Lot of my students stoped learning german and swithed to other languages like spanish or french. Reputational damage from this is still lingering.
I arrived in Germany due to war in Ukraine. I have found a job next month after arrival. English was enough for the job in shipping business so far. But the problem is that English is useful only in big cities like Berlin or Hamburg. Going to smaller cities you will feel not comfortable without German. Also there are many bullying if you try to talk in English. It is ok to live here . At least until the war would be over.
Удачи, братан. Пусть всё сложится хорошо!
Is English spoken commonly in rural Ukraine ?
I lived in Spain for 8 years and English was only spoken in the cities, in rural areas English is not common
@@aneeshprasobhanno
@@aneeshprasobhannot commonly, but it's getting better, especially in big cities.
Germany is being deindustrialized. For that you don't need skilled immigrants but rather unskilled ones. Look at what's happening and who is being let into the country. There is a different agenda at play. And I for my part left Germany already in 1998 at the age of 21. I never looked back.
Well said!
And where are you?
I know many people here in Germany, with huge Qualifications, and the companies are not willing to give anything. So better to go to another place, and let you work until your 80s. In Germany, people think that the qualification is to Speak German, and when you get a good German level most of the natives are unable to recognize their own grammar rules. So it is just absurd.
And ironically the architect in charge of this "deindustrialization" of Germany is none other than Klaus Schwab, a German. LOL!
@@sweetaznspice1 Yup.
Considering moving out of germany been living here since 6 years. Every day in every aspect of life they keep you reminding that you are not part of this country.
Lived there for three years fled to the usa . I couldn't get my feet off the ground too many hurdles, been in the us 6months now and doing way better than i was in the three years living in Germany. The fact is the country is nice and clean and pretty but it's too hard to do things and they hate the English language too much.
When you said... the country is nice and clean and pretty and they hate English...you spoke about Germany ? Because in reality, its exacly the opposite of every point youve mentioned
... because almost everything sucks in Germany today. Even as a born German it is almost unbearable how the regular people are treated by the state.
Someone let it happen. None other than the citizens themselves at the ballot box.
As a German, Germany needs to increase wages. I earn roughly $50k a year handling customs compliance in a German company that trades mainly with the US. With the same qualification I could probably double that if I were to move to the US and handle compliance through my knowledge of US/EU law. And I'm seriously thinking about that.
Why majority of people don't want to work in Germany is simple because of language where UK, Canada, USA and Australia has the same language which is English.
Meaning they're very racist and you'll never be treated equally even after wasting years learning the language
@@adidibrani Nah, living in Germany for a year putting effort into learning German, you could easily develop an accent and a vocabulary that is good enough
Don't forget taxes
I can't upvote this enough xD
Ja du hast vollkommen Recht. 👍
Germany - cold, dark, very expensive, highly prejudicial against any type of foreigner, bureaucratic, terrible language, almost a dictatorship, even jaywalking can get you fined.......i hope Germany does well, but I also hope i can stay as far as i can. Even my German friends hate it.
I came to Germany in 2008 to do bachelor's and masters in engineering. I am working for Deutsche Bahn infrastructure projects. I am German citizen on paper. My wife ( German native) and me are considering moving to Swiss. Germany has become more family unfriendly.. The education standards are soo low. The salary and massive taxation rips up most of the income. As a non white German citizen, one still feels the fear or skeptism among regular citizens. I don't care for their looks but there are surely few new comers who start their career and give up.
The German social welfare system is under heavy burden. This will lead to further heavy taxation.. People are living on social welfare have a better life than the onea who grind long working hours
i hope you understand Switzerland is worse than Germany in all that's mentioned here. Swiss even regard high German as a foreign language and seen as a hostile language just like English
@@heinzrichung like you english
Well spoken. I am a teacher, and we all notice the low level of education that takes place every year. It's frustrating to see that our government cares more about "forced statistics" instead of developing the young minds of tomorrow. The bureaucracy is also killing us. This country is doomed. I can only suggest leaving. Eventually, the welfare system will finish Germany for good by bringing in more and more low-educated immigrants.
lol. Switzerland is more expensive for families than germany
@@a.moncada5023 I agree Swiss is more. Expensive in certain things. I am happy to pay for it if it is worth thr quality. We are paying 43% tax and still society is getting more and more chaotic. Swiss politicians seem to put national interest ahead which is way better than those we have here in Germany
I think the video is hovering around the real issue of Germany work market without touching it directly: there is probably not a lack of “skilled” workers in Germany, but a strong rigidity in the culture concerning expertise.
As a young mechanical engineer, I could have worked in france in automotive, aeronautics, construction and many other fields.
In Germany, you are request to choose one field and one speciality and make your life out of it. Then, when the demand for that profile collapse (for instance mechanical engineer in automotive, like I was), you need tremendous efforts to switch to anything else, because they consider you should stay in mechanical automotive jobs.
As software engineer I use to work German company, and oh boy this was bumpy ride.
How they treat foreigners is plan bad, especially from my county, Poland.
After half of the yer I gave up this work, and goes back to Polish company, even my paycheck was lower. For contex I use to work for company from states, uk and any other European countries, Germans was worts.
What can you tell about the attitude to foreigners in Poland?
@@ivantsers If cane to Poland to hard work like any other Pole, and you’ll at least attempt to learn very hard language, you’ll gains respect from people.
But if you’ll treat Poland like foreigners are treating UK, France or Germany, you’ll have hard time.
This is our home, guest we’ll welcome with tradition, messers and someone that wants enforce on us their will, well sooner or later kick out. With Russian this take ~50 years, and we learned a loot from this.
@@Dadgrammer thanks! Those points do make sense