Help me get back to Berlin

January 28, 2009 2:21 PM

I'm a college senior who wants to move to Berlin next year. Any suggestions?

I'm currently finishing up my senior year of college and will soon have a BA in Linguistics with a minor in Psychology. I spent time abroad in Berlin last year, and I really fell in love with the city. I understand that unemployment is high there and that EU citizens tend to be preferred for English-teaching jobs (I am an American).

Given that, does anyone have any suggestions for how one could (legally) earn a living in the city? I speak German fairly well, but probably not well enough to find a job that requires complete fluency. If ESL teaching is a reasonable goal, I would be willing to invest in some sort of certification program (however, given my budget, I would rather avoid that if it isn't necessary). I haven't given grad school much thought because I kind of want to take a break from being a student, but I'm starting to think that it might be the only way.

Could my native English be at all marketable? How about my decent German? Thanks in advance.

posted by null14 to work & money (5 comments total)

I know that for some jobs in Germany (or maybe just citizenship), proficiency in German has to be demonstrated by passing a test (or set of tests). You might check to see if there's a Goethe Institute near you.

I took a few months of classes at the Atlanta center on a lark awhile back and learned that a large number of their students are folks on their way to Germany as a result of corporate transfers and such, so they were geared to helping folks get acclimated. They also offer courses geared towards passing the proficiency exams, and would probably be a good source of information on what's going on over there for folks considering a move.
posted by jquinby at 3:25 PM on January 28

I'd recommend focussing on professional jobs - though as you say, that will require fluency in German.

Not to be negative, but ESL teaching posts may be hard to come by. Germany's education system is very good and a lot of students learn English to a high standard at school. So ESL teaching opportunities will be limited anyway in that there isn't the demand there is in some other countries.

And if employers have a choice between a native English ESL teacher and an American ESL teacher, chances are they'll take the English one, as far more Germans end up working in the UK than the US (because it's closer and they don't need a visa), and so learning the English accent and idiom is far more useful. Without an official ESL qualification, I think you'll struggle to find even off-the-books work - you may be able to find volunteering opportunities, for instance with refugee groups, but you're unlikely to find paid ESL work without a qualification, and even then I think you'll find it difficult, even outside Berlin. Sorry!
posted by finding.perdita at 3:42 PM on January 28

It would entail doing some sort of academic work, but have you considered applying for a Fulbright? It's more of an independent-study thing than a sit-in-class thing, generally.
posted by rtha at 3:59 PM on January 28

I really doubt that you'd be able to find some sort of ESL gig just out of no where - you will definitely not be able to find one in the German school system.

Have you considered the international schools in Berlin? They might be looking for ESL/Literature/English teachers. There's the Berlin Brandenburge International School and there's also the Berlin International School, and the John F Kennedy school. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the IB system but I think most of the international schools in Berlin go by it.

While unemployment is really bad in Berlin, if you do decide to move there, it is way cheaper to live in than all of the other major cities in Germany.

Goodluck! Berlin is truly awesome.
posted by thekiltedwonder at 5:41 PM on January 28

What I did when I first moved here is to put out a classified ad offering tutoring in English. I got one customer within a week or two, some 18-year-old kid, and that turned out to be my in with the Russian Jewish community. Pretty soon I had around 10 hours of tutoring a week for 15 an hour. That's pretty much the bare minimum to live in Berlin, and I spent a lot of time travelling back and forth between different people's apartments. I could've kept expanding this feeble empire if I'd wanted to, but I started translating instead. The point is -- you might be able to find tutoring that'll tide you over while you look for something better.

To live comfortably you'll need about 1000 Euros a month, I'd say.

If you sign up for grad school here there'll be a lot of benefits...health insurance for 50 a week, a subway pass for about 500 a year (it's included in your tuition), cheap rates for movies, museums, etc.

Plenty of people move here with no plan whatsoever and manage to get by somehow. I don't think visa restrictions are ever enforced on Americans...I certainly know enough Americans who existed here illegally for years with no fuss. One guy I know even managed to get arrested for an unrelated crime while living here without a visa, stood in front of a judge, got fined for his crime, and went back to living here illegally like he always had. In the meantime he's become legal. Anyway, whether you can move here aimlessly and just find shit will depend on how bold and resourceful you are, but I've seen it done plenty of times. You should have a couple months' income saved up when you come though.
posted by creasy boy at 2:20 AM on January 29 [1 favorite]