4 ms·

I help people relocate to Berlin. Right now, Berlin feels full. It's become nearly impossible for newcomers to find a place to live. Otherwise it's a fantasti

by nicbou 4y ago

I help people relocate to Berlin. Right now, Berlin feels full. It's become nearly impossible for newcomers to find a place to live. Otherwise it's a fantastic city. It's big and bustling with life, yet quiet and full of green spaces. The bureaucracy will drive you insane, as will queueing and making appointments in weeks for every damn thing, but you'll never get tired of all the things going on. It's getting expensive, but it's still easy to have cheap fun. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Raed667 4y ago
So living in city center wouldn't be possible/affordable? How much German does one need to figure out the legal paperwork, banks, taxes etc.. ?
- nness 4y ago
  I have a friend who relocated 2-3 years ago from an English-speaking country and found that the language-barrier to be significant. Whilst Berlin'ers are often fluent in English, Government services, or even simple things like visiting a post-office, are conducted in German only and seldom published in other languages. Learning the language and having some friends who are native speakers really goes a long way. (But I imagine that this insight would ring true for most if not all of Europe)
- nicbou 4y ago
  It would be possible and affordable for some, far more than elsewhere. It's just really damn hard to find an apartment at all, seemingly at any reasonable price point. I can't overstate how much harder it got in the last two years. Some people don't learn German at all and get by. They are surprisingly many, even in the 5+ years club. I think that it adds extra stress since you must pick from a smaller subset of English-speaking services. Even then, the bureaucracy speaks German and you'll sometimes need people to read letters and make phone calls for you. I remember the anxiety of getting letters I couldn't read, and having to react to them. People tend to procrastinate or avoid important tasks because of it. But I think that the biggest disadvantage is that you miss a big part of what's going on. You get a very muted version of the local culture. Still, it's all doable and well worth it. I just figure that this is the information you need now, not a sales pitch for this city.

by nicbou 4y ago

Raed667 4y ago

So living in city center wouldn't be possible/affordable? How much German does one need to figure out the legal paperwork, banks, taxes etc.. ?

nness 4y ago
I have a friend who relocated 2-3 years ago from an English-speaking country and found that the language-barrier to be significant. Whilst Berlin'ers are often fluent in English, Government services, or even simple things like visiting a post-office, are conducted in German only and seldom published in other languages. Learning the language and having some friends who are native speakers really goes a long way. (But I imagine that this insight would ring true for most if not all of Europe)
nicbou 4y ago
It would be possible and affordable for some, far more than elsewhere. It's just really damn hard to find an apartment at all, seemingly at any reasonable price point. I can't overstate how much harder it got in the last two years. Some people don't learn German at all and get by. They are surprisingly many, even in the 5+ years club. I think that it adds extra stress since you must pick from a smaller subset of English-speaking services. Even then, the bureaucracy speaks German and you'll sometimes need people to read letters and make phone calls for you. I remember the anxiety of getting letters I couldn't read, and having to react to them. People tend to procrastinate or avoid important tasks because of it. But I think that the biggest disadvantage is that you miss a big part of what's going on. You get a very muted version of the local culture. Still, it's all doable and well worth it. I just figure that this is the information you need now, not a sales pitch for this city.