4 ms·

I lived in Berlin for 3 years, but I didn't found or form a company. I do have a friend who has just done it. I wouldn't want to comment on the specifics but t

by kinnth 9y ago

I lived in Berlin for 3 years, but I didn't found or form a company. I do have a friend who has just done it. I wouldn't want to comment on the specifics but the basics are this. 1. Very easy to form a company in Germany as a foreigner 2. You will need a native german speaker, it's beauracratic and you need to speak solid German to deal with it. 3. Taxes are higher than the US, but they are fair. You pay more as you earn more. 4. There are many taxes as an individual you can claim back, such as clothes, travel to work, space in your house etc. If you get a good accountant they can really help. 5. Berlin itself is very cheap to get a great location, good tech talent but not overflowing, incredibly decent lifestyle, lots of space, lovely place to live a chilled out vibe. I'd say if you've lived in Germany and Berlin and like it, you can do it. If you have never lived there you should move their first and see if you like the German way of life first, it's not like US or UK.

good_vibes 9y ago
How is the German way of life different from US/UK? I've been thinking about living/working in Berlin for some time now. I've always respected German engineering, one of my favorite authors is Herman Hesse, I enjoy the nature photography I've seen of the German countryside, and I've heard amazing things about their beer/food.
- telesilla 9y ago
  How are you with bitter, bone-chilling cold during the winters? Which is offset by pleasant (though short) summers, where you can ride your bike as far as you please or enjoy the excellent metro system, and partake of the extensive creative and social events. I've only spent short periods of time in Berlin but it always struck me as having a significant amount to offer, if you can deal with the winter.
  - good_vibes 9y ago
    I don't actually mind winter after living an entire year in Northern Utah. It's refreshing after growing up in the Southeast where it's 100 degrees and humid in the summer and there is a very mild winter with no snow. Are people in German nice to Indian people? Not sure with all the politics of the EU at the moment, the media makes things confusing. Utah was a little weird for anyone who isn't LDS AND white or married to a white person. There is what I call a fake niceness about many people there, a few are genuinely nice though. I've heard German people are very friendly and intelligent, what was your experience?
    - majewsky 9y ago
      > Are people in German nice to Indian people? If you have an Indian accent, that should be pretty recognizable. If you don't speak, though, expect people to think that you're from the Middle East, a region that's (to say it lightly) not that popular with a certain part of Germans. Which isn't to say that you won't be able to make friends. Quite on the contrary. The outspoken racism of a small part of the population (catch phrase: "I'm not a nazi, BUT...") has made another part of the population even more willing to embrace multiculturalism.
      - good_vibes 9y ago
        I speak clear English, as I was born in the US. However, all my friends have called me Kumar for the longest time. I can talk about music, film, books, tech, science. I think Berlin will be okay for me because I'm working on a platform that aims to solve a few environmental issues. Germany is very progressive in that arena, Utah has been in the news around the world for the whole Public Lands fiasco.
  - zurn 9y ago
    Sounds like you are from a very warm climate. A lot of people consider Berlin winters mild and summers hot.
    - BjoernKW 9y ago
      Berlin winters and mild? I've never heard those two words next to each other before. Berlin winters are sometimes described as Russian. While I've never been to Russia I think it's a fitting description. They tend to be very cold and dry. -20 degrees centigrade is nothing unheard of.
      - romanovcode 9y ago
        Yeah, because in Moscow you have only 1-2 weeks of snow per year. You crazy.
      - majewsky 9y ago
        -20°C (which would be -4°F) sounds highly unlikely for Berlin. I live in Dresden (about 200km south of Berlin), and the lowest we had was maybe -10°C on a single day last winter. It hovered between 0 and -5 for a while (maybe two or three weeks), resulting in an unusually persistent snow cover. (I'm not used to seeing snow for more than a week at once.) Before Dresden, I lived north of Berlin, near the Baltic Sea, and I don't recall -20°C there either. (Well, maybe it happened a few times over the course of my childhood, but I cannot recall anymore.)
      - zurn 9y ago
        Here, have some data from the coldest month: http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/berlin/10178/january-weather/178087 http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/berlin/10178/january-weathe... (tl;dr - hovering around 0C)
- Teichopsia 9y ago
  I've been thinking as well about moving there for a while now. Any German city/town actually, it doesn't matter to me. What I'm wondering is how difficult would it be to find a job once there, or how long - on average would it take. Would you know by any chance?
  - perseiden 9y ago
    If you're not bound to any specific town you'll most likely find something within a month or two. If you're moving from outside of the EU though you and your employer might have to wait an additional 1 - 6 months for your work visa to go through, during which you're not allowed to earn money. The timeframe might be shorter in smaller towns than Berlin though ;)
    - Teichopsia 9y ago
      Now I'm even more confused. First they downvote you into the ground and here you are again. Trigger happy people who don't explain. Could you (or anyone else) recommend places to look into? Visa isn't a problem.
      - majewsky 9y ago
        Leipzig (about 200km south-west of Berlin) is also quite hot with startups right now from what I've heard. Cost of living is (afaik) lower than in Berlin or Munich, and the city is pretty nice to look at (lots of green, and the city center has been restored to former glory after the Wall fell). As an added bonus, it's quite central within Germany and well-connected traffic-wise, so you can get to any other place in Germany within 5 hours max.
        Teichopsia 9y ago
        Thanks. Previously I was considering Nuremberg but this city has piked my interest.
        chrisked 9y ago

by kinnth 9y ago

good_vibes 9y ago

How is the German way of life different from US/UK? I've been thinking about living/working in Berlin for some time now. I've always respected German engineering, one of my favorite authors is Herman Hesse, I enjoy the nature photography I've seen of the German countryside, and I've heard amazing things about their beer/food.

telesilla 9y ago
How are you with bitter, bone-chilling cold during the winters? Which is offset by pleasant (though short) summers, where you can ride your bike as far as you please or enjoy the excellent metro system, and partake of the extensive creative and social events. I've only spent short periods of time in Berlin but it always struck me as having a significant amount to offer, if you can deal with the winter.
- good_vibes 9y ago
  I don't actually mind winter after living an entire year in Northern Utah. It's refreshing after growing up in the Southeast where it's 100 degrees and humid in the summer and there is a very mild winter with no snow. Are people in German nice to Indian people? Not sure with all the politics of the EU at the moment, the media makes things confusing. Utah was a little weird for anyone who isn't LDS AND white or married to a white person. There is what I call a fake niceness about many people there, a few are genuinely nice though. I've heard German people are very friendly and intelligent, what was your experience?
  - majewsky 9y ago
    > Are people in German nice to Indian people? If you have an Indian accent, that should be pretty recognizable. If you don't speak, though, expect people to think that you're from the Middle East, a region that's (to say it lightly) not that popular with a certain part of Germans. Which isn't to say that you won't be able to make friends. Quite on the contrary. The outspoken racism of a small part of the population (catch phrase: "I'm not a nazi, BUT...") has made another part of the population even more willing to embrace multiculturalism.
    - good_vibes 9y ago
      I speak clear English, as I was born in the US. However, all my friends have called me Kumar for the longest time. I can talk about music, film, books, tech, science. I think Berlin will be okay for me because I'm working on a platform that aims to solve a few environmental issues. Germany is very progressive in that arena, Utah has been in the news around the world for the whole Public Lands fiasco.
- zurn 9y ago
  Sounds like you are from a very warm climate. A lot of people consider Berlin winters mild and summers hot.
  - BjoernKW 9y ago
    Berlin winters and mild? I've never heard those two words next to each other before. Berlin winters are sometimes described as Russian. While I've never been to Russia I think it's a fitting description. They tend to be very cold and dry. -20 degrees centigrade is nothing unheard of.
    - romanovcode 9y ago
      Yeah, because in Moscow you have only 1-2 weeks of snow per year. You crazy.
    - majewsky 9y ago
      -20°C (which would be -4°F) sounds highly unlikely for Berlin. I live in Dresden (about 200km south of Berlin), and the lowest we had was maybe -10°C on a single day last winter. It hovered between 0 and -5 for a while (maybe two or three weeks), resulting in an unusually persistent snow cover. (I'm not used to seeing snow for more than a week at once.) Before Dresden, I lived north of Berlin, near the Baltic Sea, and I don't recall -20°C there either. (Well, maybe it happened a few times over the course of my childhood, but I cannot recall anymore.)
    - zurn 9y ago
      Here, have some data from the coldest month: http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/berlin/10178/january-weather/178087 http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/berlin/10178/january-weathe... (tl;dr - hovering around 0C)
Teichopsia 9y ago
I've been thinking as well about moving there for a while now. Any German city/town actually, it doesn't matter to me. What I'm wondering is how difficult would it be to find a job once there, or how long - on average would it take. Would you know by any chance?
- perseiden 9y ago
  If you're not bound to any specific town you'll most likely find something within a month or two. If you're moving from outside of the EU though you and your employer might have to wait an additional 1 - 6 months for your work visa to go through, during which you're not allowed to earn money. The timeframe might be shorter in smaller towns than Berlin though ;)
  - Teichopsia 9y ago
    Now I'm even more confused. First they downvote you into the ground and here you are again. Trigger happy people who don't explain. Could you (or anyone else) recommend places to look into? Visa isn't a problem.
    - majewsky 9y ago
      Leipzig (about 200km south-west of Berlin) is also quite hot with startups right now from what I've heard. Cost of living is (afaik) lower than in Berlin or Munich, and the city is pretty nice to look at (lots of green, and the city center has been restored to former glory after the Wall fell). As an added bonus, it's quite central within Germany and well-connected traffic-wise, so you can get to any other place in Germany within 5 hours max.
      - Teichopsia 9y ago
        Thanks. Previously I was considering Nuremberg but this city has piked my interest.
      - chrisked 9y ago