January 12, 2016 at 15:03Experience moving to work as a programmer in Berlin (part 1)
Good afternoon.
I present to the public the material on how I got a visa in four months, moved to Germany and found work there.
It is believed that to move to another country, you must first search for a job remotely for a long time, then, if successful, wait for a visa decision, and only then pack your bags. I decided that this was far from the optimal way, so I went the other way. Instead of looking for work remotely, I received the so-called “job search visa”, moved to Germany, found a job here and after that I applied for Blaue Karte. Firstly, in this case, the documents do not travel from country to country, and the waiting time for a visa is significantly reduced. Secondly, a job search on the spot radically increases your chances, and this also noticeably speeds up the process.
On a habr alreadythere is material on this topic. This is a good source of information that I myself have used. But this text is quite general, but I want to list the specific steps that need to be done to move.
I applied for a visa to Germany on June 10, 2014, a week later I received a visa, and on October 1, 2014 I got a new job. I will give a more detailed timeline in the second part.
In general, I can’t say that I had brilliant programming experience. Until May 2014, I worked for 3 years as the head of the web development department. But I came to the managers from the project management side. Since 2013, I have been self-taught. Studied javascript, html and css. He wrote prototypes, small programs, and was “not afraid of code.” I am a mathematician by education. So if your experience is greater, you have a good chance. In Berlin, there is a shortage of strong programmers.
You will need a diploma at least close to computer science, which is accepted in Germany. This is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa and Blaue Karte. But when making the decision, German officials interpret the proximity quite widely. For example, my math diploma was enough to get permission to look for work in the Javascript Entwickler specialty (Javascript developer). To see how the Germans accept your university’s diploma, use this site (you can find more details on the Internet).
If your diploma does not even remotely resemble the specialty of an engineer, you can still move to Germany. For example, the author of Job Tourism used the services of a relocator company.
For moving you will have enough tolerable English. This means that you will have to understand well what is being said to you and, perhaps, with difficulty, but you will be able to convey your thoughts to your interlocutor. I had the opportunity to practice my English a bit before traveling to Germany. I advise you to take private lessons with a Skype tutor to restore conversational skills.
With English, you can safely look for work in the first place in Berlin. In this city, almost all IT speaks English and many companies in order to generate enough job vacancies for you to find work. In other cities, the percentage of English-speaking companies is noticeably lower.
German is not required for relocation. In Berlin, not only the IT community speaks English, but also many “mere mortals,” landlords, sellers, and others. However, at least the initial level (for example A2) will significantly increase the comfort of your stay, the inscriptions and announcements will not seem like a Chinese letter to you. Before moving, I studied German for about a year, but not very intensively (I focused more on development skills) and knew it at level A2 (see level explanations here ).
You will need approximately 6-8 thousand euros. To begin with, to confirm solvency when obtaining a visa. Then for the initial expenses, mainly related to the rental of the apartment.
You need to be motivated enough to decide to move. And if you are married, it will be psychologically difficult for your wife to move to a country with career prospects incomprehensible to her. For example, with my wife, we initially decided that we were moving for 2 years, after which we decided whether to continue or not. And then it depends on how you adapt in the new environment.
If you have no problems with the preceding paragraphs, then you have high chances to quickly and relatively seamlessly move to Berlin.
For some reason, a visa to get a job in Germany is rather unknown in the Russian-speaking community. Maybe because it’s unrealistic to find information about her on the consulate’s website if you don’t know where to look. The list of documents is here , and here is a page with a link to this list (see the section "Labor", paragraph "Visa for the purpose of finding work").
I filed:
Translations I did here. Do not consider it for advertising; I have made a certified translation there several times. No problem.
In general, there is nothing extraordinary in the list, and any sane engineer is able to cope with this work. All this resembles a tourist visa, but with a slightly modified list.
Consideration of documents lasts about a week. If all is well, you will be issued a Type D national visa for six months. Mine was ready in 4 days. After obtaining a visa, you buy airline tickets, adjust your reservation at the hotel and fly to Berlin.
Your initial task is to find accommodation in which you can register at Bürgeramt (an analogue of a passport office). After that, you can open a bank account, get a social number, retirement number, etc. Many initially try to look for long-term housing and fall into a kind of deadlock: for you to choose you need to have a bunch of documents, including a good credit history, and for this you need an account with a German bank, and for this you need registration, and for this you need a lease agreement, and for this needs a credit history ...
Therefore, use the following life hack: instead of looking for long-term housing, look for housing for 3-4 months. The Germans try to save money and often, if they go on long trips, retake their apartments. There is a whole market for such offers. Also, such housing has a number of advantages, the main ones for you:
To search for an apartment, I used the site wg-gesucht.de , which is specifically designed for the short-term housing market. I filled out the profile in detail, wrote a letter template and created a filter (mine was, apartment, more than 28 m, less than 650 euros).
On the first day, I sent about 20 letters, on the second, somewhere else 10. Then I received notifications about the appearance of new ads by the filter and immediately answered or called. You can buy a prepaid SIM card in Dm, Penny, Rewe, Lidl and others stores, register online at the hotel. I bought a SIM card company Congstar.
In two days I received 5-6 responses and agreed to view three apartments. Since I was looking for temporary housing, I had no special requirements. In total, I managed to see two apartments, the second one fit me perfectly.
It should be borne in mind that good offers still close quickly, so here we must act without delay. For example, I responded to the announcement of the apartment, which I rented as a result, a couple of minutes after it appeared. On the same day I went to see the apartment. And when I arrived, it turned out that there were already several people who wanted to see the apartment the next day. As a result, we talked well, and that very evening he agreed to hand it over to me and refused the others. I bring this story not with the purpose of showing how well done I am (although to be modest), but so that you understand how important speed is in this matter. Do not be this someone who has agreed to see the apartment the next day.
And another important detail: the owner rented the apartment for five months and wanted to pay for three months in advance, plus an insurance deposit, totaling about 2700 euros. Add the cost of food, transportation and more - about 500 euros per month. Therefore, 6-8 thousand euros in the account will definitely not be superfluous. You can focus on finding a job without thinking about finances.
After you have agreed, you sign a rental contract and nothing else. You need a rental agreement to register with Bürgeramt. No gray schemes, in Germany you are a law-abiding resident).
A few words, what is a deposit. This is a special account that starts up on you, but you cannot withdraw anything from it. And the landlord also can’t take anything off, only if he sues you for broken property and this court wins. After the end of the lease, you again go to the bank with the landlord and close this deposit (transfer money to your account). This scheme is perhaps the safest. And quite common.
There is another subtle point. Strictly speaking, in order to open an account with a German bank you need to be registered in Germany. But when you come to the bank, most likely you will not receive Anmeldungsbescheinigung (Certificate of Registration). However, bank employees often meet their potential customers and open an account on the basis of a lease agreement (and you sign it). And they ask you to honestly bring a certificate of registration upon receipt. I had it like that. The bank was Deutsche Bank because my landlord had an account with that bank. But if you open a blocking account in advance from Russia, you will not have this delicate moment.
Simultaneously with the deposit, ask to open a regular account in order to put money on it and not be afraid that they will be accidentally stolen from the hotel. You will also pay rent from him.
All passwords, attendances and a bank card will be sent to you by mail. Mail in Germany works a little more than perfect, so everything is sent in this exotic way for us. Get used to it immediately, that you will begin to receive a bunch of letters. Registration is needed for other more important things, like work and insurance, but more on that later.
My registration in Bürgeramt was as follows: I found the address of the district amt on the Internet. He came, stood in line, but instead of registering received a record (in Germany it is called Termin) the next day. I was also given a form to fill out. Here is an example . In general, there is nothing complicated, most importantly, remember that in the "church" section it is worth indicating "not a member" so as not to pay an additional tax. In addition to the form, you will need a lease and a passport. A certificate is issued to you right there, it is done in 15 minutes. You can also make an appointment with Bürgeramt on the Internet, but you will most likely receive Termin only next month. So go to the very opening of Bürgeramt and say that you are very urgent.
That's all, you rented an apartment, registered and opened an account. Congratulations, half the job is done, with one foot you are in Germany.
In the second part, I will talk about how I looked for work, took out insurance, received a tax class and received a Blaue Karte.
I present to the public the material on how I got a visa in four months, moved to Germany and found work there.
It is believed that to move to another country, you must first search for a job remotely for a long time, then, if successful, wait for a visa decision, and only then pack your bags. I decided that this was far from the optimal way, so I went the other way. Instead of looking for work remotely, I received the so-called “job search visa”, moved to Germany, found a job here and after that I applied for Blaue Karte. Firstly, in this case, the documents do not travel from country to country, and the waiting time for a visa is significantly reduced. Secondly, a job search on the spot radically increases your chances, and this also noticeably speeds up the process.
On a habr alreadythere is material on this topic. This is a good source of information that I myself have used. But this text is quite general, but I want to list the specific steps that need to be done to move.
I applied for a visa to Germany on June 10, 2014, a week later I received a visa, and on October 1, 2014 I got a new job. I will give a more detailed timeline in the second part.
Prerequisites
Experience
In general, I can’t say that I had brilliant programming experience. Until May 2014, I worked for 3 years as the head of the web development department. But I came to the managers from the project management side. Since 2013, I have been self-taught. Studied javascript, html and css. He wrote prototypes, small programs, and was “not afraid of code.” I am a mathematician by education. So if your experience is greater, you have a good chance. In Berlin, there is a shortage of strong programmers.
Education
You will need a diploma at least close to computer science, which is accepted in Germany. This is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa and Blaue Karte. But when making the decision, German officials interpret the proximity quite widely. For example, my math diploma was enough to get permission to look for work in the Javascript Entwickler specialty (Javascript developer). To see how the Germans accept your university’s diploma, use this site (you can find more details on the Internet).
If your diploma does not even remotely resemble the specialty of an engineer, you can still move to Germany. For example, the author of Job Tourism used the services of a relocator company.
Tongue
For moving you will have enough tolerable English. This means that you will have to understand well what is being said to you and, perhaps, with difficulty, but you will be able to convey your thoughts to your interlocutor. I had the opportunity to practice my English a bit before traveling to Germany. I advise you to take private lessons with a Skype tutor to restore conversational skills.
With English, you can safely look for work in the first place in Berlin. In this city, almost all IT speaks English and many companies in order to generate enough job vacancies for you to find work. In other cities, the percentage of English-speaking companies is noticeably lower.
German is not required for relocation. In Berlin, not only the IT community speaks English, but also many “mere mortals,” landlords, sellers, and others. However, at least the initial level (for example A2) will significantly increase the comfort of your stay, the inscriptions and announcements will not seem like a Chinese letter to you. Before moving, I studied German for about a year, but not very intensively (I focused more on development skills) and knew it at level A2 (see level explanations here ).
Money
You will need approximately 6-8 thousand euros. To begin with, to confirm solvency when obtaining a visa. Then for the initial expenses, mainly related to the rental of the apartment.
Psychological moment
You need to be motivated enough to decide to move. And if you are married, it will be psychologically difficult for your wife to move to a country with career prospects incomprehensible to her. For example, with my wife, we initially decided that we were moving for 2 years, after which we decided whether to continue or not. And then it depends on how you adapt in the new environment.
If you have no problems with the preceding paragraphs, then you have high chances to quickly and relatively seamlessly move to Berlin.
Getting a job search visa
For some reason, a visa to get a job in Germany is rather unknown in the Russian-speaking community. Maybe because it’s unrealistic to find information about her on the consulate’s website if you don’t know where to look. The list of documents is here , and here is a page with a link to this list (see the section "Labor", paragraph "Visa for the purpose of finding work").
I filed:
- Certified translation diploma.
- A work book with a certified translation.
- As a confirmation of solvency, I provided an extract from the account of a Russian bank (in euros). If you do everything in advance, you can be confused with a block account in a German bank (see, for example, instructions ), then you can more easily solve the apartment rental quest.
- Insurance for a couple of months, like what you do when you go on a trip. Once you find a job, you arrange a local one.
- Booking from the hotel for 2 weeks, with the possibility of changing dates / cancellation of the reservation. When submitting documents, I explained that upon arrival I will rent an apartment.
- CV (in my opinion, I did in English) in the 2-page format accepted in Germany.
- Photos, statements, translations, letter of motivation, copies, passport according to the list.
Translations I did here. Do not consider it for advertising; I have made a certified translation there several times. No problem.
In general, there is nothing extraordinary in the list, and any sane engineer is able to cope with this work. All this resembles a tourist visa, but with a slightly modified list.
Consideration of documents lasts about a week. If all is well, you will be issued a Type D national visa for six months. Mine was ready in 4 days. After obtaining a visa, you buy airline tickets, adjust your reservation at the hotel and fly to Berlin.
First steps in Germany
Your initial task is to find accommodation in which you can register at Bürgeramt (an analogue of a passport office). After that, you can open a bank account, get a social number, retirement number, etc. Many initially try to look for long-term housing and fall into a kind of deadlock: for you to choose you need to have a bunch of documents, including a good credit history, and for this you need an account with a German bank, and for this you need registration, and for this you need a lease agreement, and for this needs a credit history ...
Therefore, use the following life hack: instead of looking for long-term housing, look for housing for 3-4 months. The Germans try to save money and often, if they go on long trips, retake their apartments. There is a whole market for such offers. Also, such housing has a number of advantages, the main ones for you:
- it is furnished
- instead of credit history, certificates of salary, etc., you will provide the owner with an insurance deposit (I will write more about it below)
- there is much less demand for such apartments, so you have a lot more chances.
Apartment Search
To search for an apartment, I used the site wg-gesucht.de , which is specifically designed for the short-term housing market. I filled out the profile in detail, wrote a letter template and created a filter (mine was, apartment, more than 28 m, less than 650 euros).
On the first day, I sent about 20 letters, on the second, somewhere else 10. Then I received notifications about the appearance of new ads by the filter and immediately answered or called. You can buy a prepaid SIM card in Dm, Penny, Rewe, Lidl and others stores, register online at the hotel. I bought a SIM card company Congstar.
In two days I received 5-6 responses and agreed to view three apartments. Since I was looking for temporary housing, I had no special requirements. In total, I managed to see two apartments, the second one fit me perfectly.
It should be borne in mind that good offers still close quickly, so here we must act without delay. For example, I responded to the announcement of the apartment, which I rented as a result, a couple of minutes after it appeared. On the same day I went to see the apartment. And when I arrived, it turned out that there were already several people who wanted to see the apartment the next day. As a result, we talked well, and that very evening he agreed to hand it over to me and refused the others. I bring this story not with the purpose of showing how well done I am (although to be modest), but so that you understand how important speed is in this matter. Do not be this someone who has agreed to see the apartment the next day.
And another important detail: the owner rented the apartment for five months and wanted to pay for three months in advance, plus an insurance deposit, totaling about 2700 euros. Add the cost of food, transportation and more - about 500 euros per month. Therefore, 6-8 thousand euros in the account will definitely not be superfluous. You can focus on finding a job without thinking about finances.
Lease contract
After you have agreed, you sign a rental contract and nothing else. You need a rental agreement to register with Bürgeramt. No gray schemes, in Germany you are a law-abiding resident).
A few words, what is a deposit. This is a special account that starts up on you, but you cannot withdraw anything from it. And the landlord also can’t take anything off, only if he sues you for broken property and this court wins. After the end of the lease, you again go to the bank with the landlord and close this deposit (transfer money to your account). This scheme is perhaps the safest. And quite common.
Score
There is another subtle point. Strictly speaking, in order to open an account with a German bank you need to be registered in Germany. But when you come to the bank, most likely you will not receive Anmeldungsbescheinigung (Certificate of Registration). However, bank employees often meet their potential customers and open an account on the basis of a lease agreement (and you sign it). And they ask you to honestly bring a certificate of registration upon receipt. I had it like that. The bank was Deutsche Bank because my landlord had an account with that bank. But if you open a blocking account in advance from Russia, you will not have this delicate moment.
Simultaneously with the deposit, ask to open a regular account in order to put money on it and not be afraid that they will be accidentally stolen from the hotel. You will also pay rent from him.
All passwords, attendances and a bank card will be sent to you by mail. Mail in Germany works a little more than perfect, so everything is sent in this exotic way for us. Get used to it immediately, that you will begin to receive a bunch of letters. Registration is needed for other more important things, like work and insurance, but more on that later.
registration
My registration in Bürgeramt was as follows: I found the address of the district amt on the Internet. He came, stood in line, but instead of registering received a record (in Germany it is called Termin) the next day. I was also given a form to fill out. Here is an example . In general, there is nothing complicated, most importantly, remember that in the "church" section it is worth indicating "not a member" so as not to pay an additional tax. In addition to the form, you will need a lease and a passport. A certificate is issued to you right there, it is done in 15 minutes. You can also make an appointment with Bürgeramt on the Internet, but you will most likely receive Termin only next month. So go to the very opening of Bürgeramt and say that you are very urgent.
That's all, you rented an apartment, registered and opened an account. Congratulations, half the job is done, with one foot you are in Germany.
In the second part, I will talk about how I looked for work, took out insurance, received a tax class and received a Blaue Karte.