Antje Von Loeper-Weber - Bachelor Student From South Africa

Read Antje’s success story here: “I did a lot of summer jobs since I was 15-16 years old and eligible to work in Germany: I waitered in a café, a biergarten at a fish stand. I smelled like a grilled trout every day. I worked in a hostel in an animation team for the children in a camp. I worked at an event agency for Segway tours.”

Try everything, right? To make sure you never want to do it again.

Chapter 1: Life & Studies

Place of Birth	South Africa
Nationality	German-South African
Where did you live?	Salzburg (Austria), Barcelona (Spain), Geneva (Switzerland), Munich (Germany)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Kindergarten
Reason of moving to Germany	Level of the German Public Schooling
When did you move?	1996
How old were you?	6
Are you still in Germany?	Yes
What is your future goal?	Family
Where would you like to live further?	Toscana (Italy)

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. I lived in Cape Town until I was 6 years old and then my family moved to Berchtesgaden (Germany).

The most important for me in life is my family.

I was always a team player since I was born. How is that possible? Because I have 4 siblings. The majority of us went to the German kindergartens and schools, we took advantage of both worlds: South Africa and Germany. I studied in Austria afterward in the American International School where I did my AP.

If you look at my hobbies since childhood you can also figure out I chose a sales profession for a reason! I have been competitive since I was born. The beauty is, that I like to share because, for me, the success of my team directly correlates to my success. I did water polo & swimming competitions in South Africa, afterward, ski club & biathlon (6 days a week training), basketball, baseball, and volleyball.

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Teamwork, competitive nature, empathy, and altruism – you develop those skills and traits from childhood.

I think this great combination lead to me being successful in my career as a sales manager.

We chose Germany for the biggest stake of my education time because of how good the Public & Private education there is. I lived in the two extremes: Laidback Cape Town with international open-minded people and conservative more narrow-minded farmers in Berchtesgaden (Germany). You learn from both. You acknowledge the opinions and different ways of life and it makes you richer and adaptable.

If you ask me who I consider myself as: South African or German, I’d probably say more German although I don’t acquaint myself 100% with the Germans - so kind of both?!

What character traits are South African?

·       Coming late. That is very atypical German, I am more relaxed than Germans in general

·       Often I don’t take things too seriously.

·       When meeting new people I am super open-minded and easy to meet new people. Germans are more closed up and not so easy to open up fast. At the same time, South Africans can be all over you which I also am not. 

-> Let’s call me an inbetweenie.

Was I ever a good student? Not really. Only at university, I started enjoying studying, especially my communications specialization, which I really enjoyed. Even though I wasn’t the best student at school, I was hungry for challenges and I was hungry to learn and that’s why I was so good at sports and in fact, so many different types of Sports.

I finished AP and I was searching for a university to go to study at. When I was at the German High School I always wanted to be a doctor. And then I somehow changed my mind. Oh, and my grades wouldn’t let me be accepted in the German medical programs.

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I knew business because everyone in my family is somehow involved in it. Ok I want to do business, I decided. And I want to go to another country.

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Let it be in Spain. I chose Barcelona because for me Spain was very close as we spent many family vacations in Mallorca.

I chose a school that gives students an opportunity to study in a different country every semester. I studied in Barcelona (Spain), Geneva (Switzerland), Munich (Germany), where I finished my degree.

Comparing Spain, Switzerland, and Germany:

·       Barcelona campus gave me a feeling that I was a student for real with a big campus. Barcelona – party city – really cool international people.

·       In Geneva, I was on a tight summer semester schedule and it was incredibly expensive with not so much social life. I ate carrots and walked on foot to dodge expenses as much as I could. Hilarious. Geneva is full of foreign tourists mostly from the GULF and Russia. They have money right… The frontline at the lake – wow – beautiful. 3 streets further – super poor districts. The city of extremes - even more than Barcelona – you wouldn’t think about it.

·       Munich had a family-like atmosphere. Not like a university but like a family. We were mostly all German students from the private education background and some foreigners here and there. I bonded with a lot of classmates there the most because the school felt like a 2nd home.

I did a communication & PR major in my Bachelor's. I loved all the specialization courses a lot. It fit my character and by the way, I am using it now in my job. How I came up with the major selection? For me, the most important thing is communication because a lot of things in businesses and personal relationships fail because of bad communication. It is the most central thing no matter where you are working. Especially now!

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Chapter 2: Career

My first internship related to studies was at a Brand Consultancy. How did I get the job? The dean of the Business School recommended me. I advise students to use all the networks including the professors’ network and the dean.

I did a lot of Powerpoint presentations. I worked with brands like BMW to certify dealerships for brand communication and brand design and I guided them on how the dealerships need to be built to represent the BMW brand correctly: the behavior of people in the company connected to the brand must correlate as well.

I learned a lot and afterward, I chose sales jobs. Why did I choose that? Because I knew I would learn so much.

2 years into sales with its ups and downs were super cool – a lot of traveling. Working with young people and being able to have a direct impact on young people’s lives. I worked in the education sector.

I learned furthermore how to present and do sales as I have never done sales before – how do you convince people in quite a competitive market – together with interpersonal skills, leadership that can go right or wrong.

I thought I would learn sales… in reality, I learnt a lot about human communications and company politics (a very good lesson for a lifetime!)

It was a bridge job for me to understand what I really want to have in my dream job and what I don’t want to have at all. And after that, I can say I landed my dream job.

When I left, I had time for 6 months to figure out what I want to do in the future, I started going through the job interviews. I had a lot of interviews. Quite a few job offers, some declined me, which was for me one of the best experiences in life because I learned from each of them.

A takeaway for students – treasure the interview process, don’t go with the first job, but keep on trying and listen to your gut feeling and always go into the interviews without despair but rather with a feeling: I want the best matching job for myself. I was always quite honest in my interviews and I realized some things were not matching my expectations.

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“It is important to be honest and to think of yourself. If it is not something for you – drop it.”

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It is a valuable experience. In fact, before knowing the final decision from Amazon interviews, I took the job offer from the startup in Munich without hesitation. Looking back now, I have never regretted that decision!

How did my development look like?

I chose Innosabi to work with: small & looked like a good team. I wanted to have a direct impact of my work on the company’s growth. I never thought I’d go into IT but… I jumped over my own hesitation and shadow because I believed in the company’s philosophy.

I started as a Junior Business Development Representative. I felt like I started as a greenhorn & we were 3 people in the sales team. I joined them 5,5 years ago and I am still with them, we have 50 employees now! The Sales Team is now 10 People Strong and I am happy to say that I was able to develop myself into the Team Lead of these 10 Sales People.

Good possibilities with quick career steps. That’s why I would always advise looking into startups. I would never regret my choice.

What do we do?

Big as well as small companies nowadays feel a great urge to reinvent themselves, due to new competition entering their markets, changing customer needs, and overall a digitally transforming market. Innosabi, with its Innovation Management Software, helps companies to reinvent themselves by digitally connecting their stakeholders (employees, customers, experts, partners, etc.) to develop new & innovative ideas. We are connecting the companies’ innovation programs on one single platform together with the relevant external data streams such as the trend of startup data. It is the digital innovation ecosystem of a company to stay competitive in an increasingly complex market.

Where does the name innosabi come from?

The 4 founders came up with 5 names and they sent out the names to the existing groups of communities to have language, culture checks to identify if that name would have a different meaning in a different language and to see what consumers associate with the different names. Thousands of people voted and the official Wasabi + Innovation = Innosabi appeared!

Where do we stand now?

We are a very big team of young people (average age 30-32). Our customers include big corporates such as Telekom, Siemens, Daimler, Allianz, etc. We are international (15 nationalities), our mission and vision are super clear, this way everyone works together really well. Everyone’s ambition is to make innosabi even more successful.

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We have a great culture: we drink beer and more beer, we go skiing together, we do a lot of events, we find friendships at work.

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Even during hard times and COVID19 times we still hire people! We are always looking for talented salespeople, developers, customer success managers. please go to our website and shoot out your CV to our HR https://innosabi.com/karriere/

Chapter 3: Family

On a positive note: a career is important. I experienced the career and I know all the fun times and the struggles. The priorities shift sometimes and now is the time for me is to experience the other opportunities in life, like becoming a parent. 😊

Apart from planning to go back to Innosabi after parental leave, I and two other people founded a  company which is called SAVVED – disruptive COVID19 times are the times of opportunities and we want to help the local customers with our product.

Apart from that I am of course excited and looking forward to starting a family and making new experiences in this chapter of my life.

Maybe there will be further changes? New country? New profession? Further education? New sports (like COVID19 home cycling instead of racing bikes?) – time will tell.

I will not disclose all the secrets right now. *MYSTERY*

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Alejandro H. - Master Student From Mexico

Meet Alejandro, ITESM Graduate studying a Masters Degree in Germany. Allianz and Airbus offered him a job. You can read his study in Germany success story here.

Place of Birth	Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality	Mexican
Where did you live?	Mexico City (Mexico), Moscow (Russia)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Bachelor Degree
Reason of moving to Germany	Master Program
When did you move?	2017
How old were you?	23
Are you still in Germany?	Yes
What is your current occupation?	1st Year Master Student
What is your future goal?	Full-time Controlling / Accounting Job, Coming back to Mexico
Would you like to stay in Germany?	No

Chapter 1: Mexico

I was born in Mexico City. My childhood was great. I am a single child I had everything but thank God I wasn’t very spoiled…

…well I was a little…

…but I was good at school too! My best friend is also a single child and our mothers are very close. Our birthdays are only one day apart. I don’t have siblings, but he is like a brother to me. I am in Germany, he is in Mexico.

We both were always good at math & physics and wanted to do something technical or to invent something. In the last years of high school, we had a course to find a profession. We were doing tests and projects to choose a profession and I selected two favourites: Aeronautical Engineering & Accounting with Risk Management. I wanted to be an Actuary one day.

I started to get ready for the admission exam in a public school (UNAM), but my family was a little reluctant to send me to the state university and insisted that I go to a private university – ITESM in the metropolitan area in Mexico City.

My parents insisted that I go to private schooling because they couldn’t have it in their childhood.

Sadly, majors I wanted were not offered and after a conversation with the director, I got admission in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization, which sounded good as well.

Studying at ITESM was amazing. The beauty is that the school belongs to a group of companies and there are many interesting partnerships between the university and these companies – the campus is very big; laboratories are full of modern machines and equipment. In the first year, when I had to choose a foreign language, I took German. Interest in the country started developing with the language.

During my studies, I took advantage of spare time and engaged in 3 internships. One of them was the most memorable because I learnt what it is like to be under the supervision of 2 brand different bosses:

Boss #1

I never took industrial engineers seriously until I encountered this one. He was the boss, and he was making the decisions. He was nice, polite and knew how to handle the team of engineers. We were all very different: one guy simply came to work and wore headphones all day long and left. Every day the same. The others were completely opposite: chitchatting and more social. He managed to direct and unite every one of us. Within 10 months, he got 2 awards and promotion. I found out, that he had joined company 2 years before, so he was growing in the rank very fast.

I was always thinking that reading a book was enough to become a businessman. I was wrong. It is not about how much expertise in the topic you have or how much technical knowledge you have. It is about the people. The better you manage people, the better you will do in a company.

He had a big influence on my decision for a major in my Graduate Studies and I thank him for that. At this moment I decided not to go into specific Engineering field, but rather to choose for my a completely different topic.

I loved this boss

Boss #2.

He was my direct supervisor. He was constantly throwing work at me with not very clear explanations. Lean management and Six Sigma were the two strong things he cared about. What he didn’t realize is that I had no clue how to do what he expected from me. He wanted me to do Ishikawa Diagrams, Root-cause analysis, among other things.

To do what?

I had no knowledge about it. He seemed never happy with my work and I couldn’t even understand why. He pushed me to the limit:

“You have to prepare a report and a dashboard to present to the Director our numbers and performance”

“But I do not know how to use Excel that well.”

“There is Google and you can ask me.”

I learnt the formulas, I pushed myself. The presentation went flawless. He congratulated for my work. It was the first time I had been pushed to my limits and when I reached them, then I realized I just grew up!

Sadly, the internships were the only highlights. As the university years passed, I became more and more unhappy with my life in Mexico.

In my personal experience, there are two types of people in Mexico and I am sure you encountered both in your life:

• Very friendly people, who are very nice and always willing to help.

• People whom you cannot trust; they will try to cheat you, to take something away from you or to take advantage of you.  

I always wanted to meet other nationalities, to travel or to do an exchange semester, but for one reason or another I just procrastinated, and the deadline passed. I had to wait for the next semester and then a semester after and then it was the last year and I could no longer do an exchange, because you need to graduate in Mexico, so I missed my chance again.

Luckily, my Russian professor, teaching me 3 courses, offered a summer program for ITESM students – 5 weeks exchange in Russia. The program was offered in cooperation with Moscow Aviation Institute. English-taught Aeronautical Engineering program with flight simulations including jumps with a parachute from a military plane!.

Without hesitation, I took this option and it was spectacular! Major fact: In Moscow, I met my girlfriend. She is a French Aeronautical Engineer. I loved studying in Russia. With one of my closes friends, we both extended our Russian trip to Europe and flew from Moscow to Hamburg. We visited Bamberg & Munich and concluded our trip with a 1-month road trip in Spain visiting his family.

I took a look. I compared and I decided: I will study a master’s degree in Germany.

When my girlfriend had to go back to France and I had to go to Mexico, she was invited to do an interesting Internship in Germany. What a coincidence.

Chapter 2: Germany

I have been through an adventure in my university admission… In Germany, state universities have a high reputation. So do the private ones, but you need to put research into finding a good one! Most of the programs were in German, hence it was not an option because my level was still not good enough.

I decided to study management and applied to a state university. The program was for free (or up to 60 Euro per semester). I realized later on, that it is a common practice for state universities not to share with you a reason for denial in admission. Which is rather unfortunate.

I got rejected. I have 82% in my GPA, but I got rejected.

I got a visa to study German language instead. I came with a 5-Month visa to study the language. I applied again and

I got rejected again. Again, without a reason.

I met a Mexican guy, who got accepted in the same program I applied to. We came from the same university, everything was quite similar, but his GPA was 3% higher He had 85%!!!

Great

Ironically, he accepted the offer, but never showed up and flew back to Mexico. I got denied twice in the program of my dreams and he got accepted, took an offer and left the country.

Great

With the language visa, I was not allowed to work, and with university seeking visa, I couldn’t work. Instead of wasting time, I studied and received a certification in six sigma yellow belt in TUM online and took some courses from MIT to keep myself busy and up-to-date.

I applied to work in many companies, but I was rejected (there is a tendency there). I thought I had been rejected because I am not from the EU country. Now I know, the passport was not the reason, but rather the requirement for a company to sponsor foreigners if they have language or university-seeking visa. Bachelor, Master or MBA visa opens gates for work for any nationality.

I gave up on a Management Program, but I got accepted to the Mechanical Engineering program. I denied the offer because it was a German-taught faculty and I would not feel comfortable in the language just yet.

I found two privately taught schools. I disregarded one very quick, as they issue British Degrees instead of German. The choice has been made: the English taught Management Program.

I am doing a Master’s right now. I found a subject I like a lot - Accounting & Finance. I am doing very well in these courses. My aim to become an Actuary is on the horizon! When I finally got admission to University and was granted permission to work, I applied right away to work. I chose Allianz and Airbus.

Frankly speaking, I totally forgot about the job applications and with a month delay both companies invited me for the interview. Despite Allianz paying more for the working student position, I chose Airbus. Money is not everything.

Airbus interview went great. Working student position allows me to work 16-20 hours a week during studies and up to 35 hours during Summer Break. In the Job Description, they asked for German language and SAP knowledge, which I don’t have at all. My German is not enough to work, but then the language of the company is English. Regarding SAP, my supervisor agreed to teach me within the first few weeks.

During the interview in Airbus I was asked if I know Excel. And that’s when I realized how thankful I am to my Boss #2 from Mexico. I had to prepare the same report and performance and I knew how just because of him. Everything happens for a reason.

Chapter 3: Comparison

Many foreigners want to come to Germany, but they come up with bad excuses like, “I don’t speak German”.

I met Mexicans here working in Audi, studying in good universities, having scholarships from the Government. I met Mexicans who do not speak very well English or no German at all, but they dared to make a jump and try. Studying abroad gives confidence.

My advice for fellow Mexicans: go for a semester abroad, find foreign friends, study abroad. You can live and work in any part of the world after.

Originally, I wanted to stay in Germany, but I realized that I feel at home only in Mexico. I miss my family and friends and the fact that people live with big families in big houses with big gardens! Germans can learn from Mexicans about nightlife and ‘service’ in the restaurants.

Germany is a great place to develop, earn, learn and have a good life. But I miss going shopping or to restaurants when I want to go, not when it is open. Everything is open on Sundays in Mexico City. When I was in Mexico, I disliked many things about Mexico. I’d rather say, I was not completely satisfied, and I was searching for a reason to leave. But now that I am abroad, I miss Mexico a lot.

Yes, Mexico still has its drawbacks, but with European studies and experience, I believe we can make a change. I speak with my friends who stayed in Mexico and we are all of the same opinions.

My plan is to work part- and full-time in Germany while finishing my Degree. I have a choice of staying or moving back to Mexico and it is great to have that choice. Time will show.

Study Abroad - Success Stories

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Anastasiya Nederytsia - Master Student From Ukraine

Meet Anastasiya Nederytsia. She lived in Munich, Mainz, Berlin, Cologne, and Bonn - German Globetrotter! You can read her study in Germany success story here.

Place of Birth	Krivoy Rog, Ukraine
Nationality	Ukrainian
Where did you live?	Krivoy Rog (Ukraine), Munich, Berlin, Mainz, Cologne (Germany)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Secondary School
Reason of moving to Germany	Bachelor Program
When did you move?	2013
How old were you?	18
Are you still in Germany?	Yes
What is your current occupation?	2nd Year Master Student
What is your future goal?	Full-time job in Germany, Permanent Residence
Would you like to stay in Germany?	Yes

Chapter 1: Ukraine

I was born in Krivoy Rog – the center of Ukraine – the longest city in Europe. We have 2 rivers forming a shape of a horn, which contributes to the name of my city (according to one of the legends).

I was a very active child: I took dancing, singing, and painting classes. I became the head of my class and an editor of a school newspaper. I became interested in Public Relations & Communication studies since then.

In Ukraine, I disliked math and physics and when looking for a future profession I tried to stay far away from it. Frankly speaking, it was also very difficult to choose a profession. I started thinking 2 years before graduation from secondary school. I had no idea what I wanted to study or whom I wanted to be, so I decided to go for business – you can find a job in any industry or field. It is a very broad choice. 

I definitely recommend parents to send their children abroad (from 11-12 years old), not for long-term, but rather for language courses or Summer language camps. This experience helped me to become more open-minded, experience people from different backgrounds and cultures and to remove a culture shock. It broadens horizons when you get to know people from different nationalities and you hear their stories. When you are young, you absorb everything like a sponge and you haven’t yet formed a strong opinion on different matters. It is also a great age to learn languages because you learn at a rapid speed.

When I was 13, I studied the English language in Malta Summer Language lessons. I loved the atmosphere. When I was 14, I went to the UK. I started thinking of studying abroad since then because the education standard abroad differs a lot from Ukraine and I chose to study for an Applied Sciences Degree abroad. For me, when I was moving abroad long-term, I wasn’t afraid at all. Germany stereotypes didn’t bother me or the fact that I would live alone and without parents. It was another exciting experience. I didn’t have any fear, because I already experienced 2-3 weeks courses in Malta and 2-3 month courses in the UK. 

Of course, culture & language shock will always be there, but minor in comparison to those students who move abroad for the first time at the age of 18. If you have an opportunity to go even for 2-3 weeks prior, definitely do it! I’d recommend parents to send children from 5th grade onward abroad. 

My parents supported me with the idea of studying abroad. I wanted to select the UK, but it was much more expensive than Germany. I applied to schools in Italy and Germany through an agency, and we decided to visit the schools prior to applications during my school vacations. I loved the Bocconi University in Italy but I didn’t know the Italian language and didn’t want to do a preparatory program. State universities in Europe didn’t accept Ukrainian secondary education without university studies (1 or 2 years) and we found a good option in Germany at a private university, which allowed me to study the Bachelor program directly.

Parents considered Germany as an economically stable country. Moreover, we had friends and relatives in Germany, who could help out in case. I moved to Munich when I was 18 after I had finished secondary school. I advise Ukrainian students to study hard. With 100% GPA, many students can skip a preparatory year in Germany (considering you speak English). Do not waste a year of your life, take this chance!

Chapter 2: Germany

1. I thought Germany is punctual and Germans are punctual. This is so not true. Hello Deutsche Bahn!

2. I thought people are cold. This is true, but it changes with the foreigners coming to Germany. People are becoming more open-minded. They influence the German culture.

Summary of my life after the move: Munich (3.5 years) – Ukraine – Mainz – Berlin – Munich – Cologne

I finished my Bachelor in Munich, left the city, but came back. I saw so many changes. People who are living there do not see these changes. People became more friendly and open-minded, more things doubled in the English language, oriented not just on the locals rather on foreigners too.

I did an Internship in Mainz and worked in Sales. Mainz is a very beautiful city, but too small for me. You see the same people every day. I wanted to say hi, but hey, we didn’t know each other. I was missing the drive and the energy of the big cities. 

Then I moved to Berlin and worked in the Affiliate Marketing. I moved because it was a full-time position and because I really wanted to move there to experience the capital. I considered the South to be boring. 

Not all companies can sponsor your visa. It didn’t work out in Berlin further, because of the visa, that’s why I had to find another job with higher pay. One lovely evening, I applied spontaneously for a job without even looking for a location – got a call – got an in-person interview - got a job offer the next week – and I ended up in Munich within a few days again. That’s how fast qualified people get hired in this country. I have to point out that it was a long way to achieve it with education and first experience. The best decisions in life are spontaneous. I worked in Inside Sales in the IT sector in Munich and developed my passion for Digital Marketing. 

The next step in my career was already predefined: I want to do a Master degree. I found the only school in Germany offering Digital Marketing and applied. I was happy to know I have managed to get in, as it is a very well-ranked school. After I got to know that I was accepted to university, I got a position as a working student in the Online Marketing department of the same company. 

The road took me to Cologne. Cologne is amazing, the people are open-minded and great, so much more different from Berlin and Munich (by far), but the city is not for me. I am into architecture and culture. I am missing this Munich charm and architecture. Yes, Cologne has a nice city center and a great location, but if you live not in the center, you live in a pretty grey area. Maybe if I would live in the center, I would consider staying longer.

Since my university has a lot of German students, I got to know many more German friends than before. I am studying with 20 different nationalities (out of 25 students), among those: Hungary, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Armenia. I tried to find Russian-speaking students in my university, but I think we got max 10, if not less. Out of 500-600 students that is a very good number.

The school offers a lot of opportunities, I absolutely love it: weekly events with recruiters on campus, workshops with BOSCH, Telekom, REWE: when you can learn new industry tips & tricks and talk to the people, who can end up being your employers. The chances to get a job or internship are very high. I have another semester to go and then I will be writing my Master thesis.

My last semester starts in a month and I will finish on-campus studies by next year. I will write my Master Capstone (Thesis) and graduate in Summer 2020. In fact, I have just gotten my next student job and I have a lot of opportunities on the radar. Perhaps, I will write my Master thesis with this company. Perhaps, if all goes well, I would work for this company full time in Bonn.

Bonn and Cologne are neighboring cities, and they share the same underground network. 50 Minute commute. For Russians and Ukrainians that is an OK distance. My European friends would complain probably.

When I wake up after my graduation, I would probably see myself for the next few years staying in Germany. If I travel once and fall in love with another country, so be it. I might consider it, but Germany is appealing to me as of now. I have been in Germany for the last 5-6 years with some breaks, so I am aiming for a permanent residence in the next few years after I have secured my first work visa.

Chapter 3: Miscellaneous

What do I do in free time? What is it? :)

Gym, meeting friends, travel, cooking. If I travel outside Germany, I mostly choose Belgium, Holland, Italy (my favourite) – Pasta, Pizza, Cappuccino. 

My mother often travels to visit me in Germany. With Ukraine, it is very flexible to travel now especially visa-free. I speak with relatives and my friends from Ukraine very often and I go home as often as I can.

In Germany, you can often work from home (home office) – this way, I could travel back home and save costs on living expenses. It is a common practice for German companies: as long as the job is done, it is not relevant for you to be 40-60 hours per week in the office. 

I have some advice for foreigners. Customer beware:

1. If you decided to go to Germany, start learning German before arrival. It helps a lot with documents and bureaucracy. The majority speak English, but you will be treated better if you are trying to speak German

2. Do not be shy to speak the German language. Break this barrier early enough. I started learning German in school in Ukraine. I knew German grammar well, but I was very shy to speak. Sometimes I am still shy with the language. I understand 98%, depending on the accent, but when I have to speak about Digital Marketing, let’s say I have a processing delay

3. Check and recheck all your contracts!!! Especially telephone services. You cannot simply cancel contracts in Germany

4. Accommodation search – start earlier! It is not like in Russia or Ukraine, where you can arrive and find something, here you can’t just do that. The process takes longer, and the landlords ask you for the CV and the form to fill out (Selbstauskunft). Munich and Hamburg would be the top 2 difficult cities for accommodation search. Check for forums for the people from your country. Do not underestimate the power of your nationality. Same nationality landlords will give preference to you

If I look back now and I have to choose the best German city for me…well… I kind of have a love-hate relationship with Munich. I love it and miss it when I am out of the Bavarian reach. But I’m so bored when I am there. Has anyone else experienced the same feeling?

Maybe somewhere between Berlin and Munich? Maybe party until 30 years old in Berlin and then retire in Munich?

Study Abroad - Success Stories

Read Success Stories of foreigners who study abroad. We have a bunch of questions - international students have a lot to tell. Russian, Turkish, Iranian, Indian, Mexican…

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Related Articles:

1. Alejandro H. - Master Student From Mexico

2. Gunjan Kandarp Kapdi - MBA Student From India

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4. Foreigners Studying Abroad - Success Stories