🇩🇪 Is Germany Still Worth It for Immigrants in 2025?
Massages at New Soul. Anti-immigration rhetoric deters foreigners. 15 German startups saw €367 M in funding. Working women don't thrive in Germany. Leipzig, the new German Silicon Valley?
Personal News & Musings
🫣 Sometimes I’ll overshare and/or rant a bit.
Instagram ads made me do it but zero regrets. I had a massage at New Soul last weekend and it was glorious. They have locations throughout Berlin and an interesting subscription model. Highly recommend. 💆
Because I have teenage boy humour, I’d like to note that this is issue #69 on Substack. 🫠
Between massages and news headlines about anti-immigration talk, I keep coming back to the question: Is Germany still worth it for people like us?
Follow me: Threads / Instagram / Bluesky / LinkedIn
Community News
🤝 News from our community.
📩 Our Last Newsletter
ICYMI: Is hustle culture coming for Germany? We dug into long hours, sketchy salary surveys, Zapier’s AI rules, and shared fresh Berlin jobs while we were at it.
Most popular link: The Berlin salary report blew up and everyone wanted a peek. We also unpacked toxic work trends, AI interview rules, and the latest Berlin jobs.
Recommend us: If you’re picking up what we’re putting down, tell your friends to subscribe.
🗓️ Our Events
Come out to meet a group of some kick-ass Berlin women. Meet fellow professional women in Berlin for dinner and indulge in some classic German food at one of the city’s best Schnitzel spots. Register.
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Want to see your event featured here? Get in touch.
⚡ Featured Germany Life Guide
I gave our German CV photo guide a big update. It’s your go-to resource if you’re confused about whether you really need a headshot on your application here.
📖 See our 60+ free life and career guides.
Polling Vibes
📊 Results of our weekly polls.
Our last poll asked: Would you be willing to work 996 hours (9am–9pm, 6 days a week) if it meant a higher salary?
The response was one big, hell no. And boy, did you have opinions. 😆
Some community members weighed in, with one saying “I would have in my 20s (maybe 30s), but not now.” and another remarking, “We did not move across an ocean to continue embracing a lack of work life balance.”
Another went a step further, “It’s called ‘back to the Great Depression overworking hours,’ people.”
Take part in this week’s poll. ⬇️
Germany’s Integration Commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan, urges newcomers not to let rising anti-immigration rhetoric scare them away. 🤔
In her words: “This is your country too.”
Companies Hiring Right Now
🇩🇪 Companies in Germany that are hiring right now.
Circus Group - Munich, Berlin, Hamburg | 14 Jobs
Drift - Berlin & remote | 3 Jobs
ETERNO - Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg | 22 Jobs
Lightspeed - Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg | 36 jobs
ML6 - Berlin | 9 jobs
📢 Job of the Week: Fashion Product Design Manager at Saint Sass
🏢 For even more companies hiring in Berlin right now, see our list.
🤙🏻 Want to see your company featured here? Get in touch.
Recently Funded Startups
🤑 German startups that recently raised new funding may also have vacancies.
✨ TL;DR - WHAT A WEEK! We tracked 15 startups across 4 German cities that saw cash injections, totalling about €367 M.
Brandback - $7.4 M | Berlin | Jobs
DealCircle - €5 M | Hamburg | Jobs
Knowunity - €27 M | Berlin | Jobs
Proxima Fusion - €130 M | Munich | Jobs
Voltfang - €15 M | Aachen | Jobs
To see the other 10 funded startups this week, check our list of startups funded in Germany so far this year.
🥳 Bookmark it, as we’re now updating it daily! Don’t wait for our next newsletter to look for jobs at hot startups.
Job Search Tip
🙌 A weekly tip to help you crack that job search.
If you're unemployed or looking to pivot careers in Germany, the Bildungsgutschein could be a game-changer. I broke it all down in plain English — what it is, how to apply, and how it can fund your next big move.
ALSO! We built a simple way to find and connect with other professionals in Germany. Add your profile, browse the list, and reach out to people doing what you do.
⭐ If you’re job hunting in Germany, I can help. See our career coaching services.
Food For Thought
💡 Articles about tech, the world of work, & other random things.
🧑💼 The World of Work
Want to know where the job market is headed? This 2025 talent report has answers.
Duolingo’s CEO is “excited” for AI to replace humans. Others are too.
A humorously dark take on job hunting in 2025.
👸 All About Women
Ever written a LinkedIn rec like “she’s so helpful”? We must rethink how we advocate for women at work.
Wondering where in Europe women thrive most at work and in life? Not Germany.
When women speak up about abuse at work, they’re more than likely to be dismissed.
🤖 Everything Tech
People are complaining that Bluesky is too woke. 🧌
Overuse of AI could make us all stupid.
Google’s new AI search mode could change the internet forever.
🪄 Random
History’s most unexpected museum artifact? A hand-etched condom from the 1800s.
Small Western European towns are leading the way in healthy, liveable design.
A new all-private sleeper train is set to link 100 European cities.
News in Germany
🗞️ The scoop on what’s going on in Germany.
ℹ️ General
AI is now announcing your U-Bahn delays. And yes, it speaks English.
Speaking of transit, ugh. Berlin might abandon the Deutschland ticket and the Deutsche Bahn is making seat bookings more expensive.
A million solar panels and counting. Is your next job in Germany’s green tech boom?
📈 Politics & Economy
Germany’s economy might finally wake up in 2026. Could better jobs be on the horizon?
What do German carmakers have to do with military drones? More than you think.
Berlin who? Leipzig’s tech scene is booming.
When global capital shifts toward Germany, it could be a signal that change (and opportunity) might be coming.
DeepL, a German startup, claims to have translated the entire internet in 18 days. 🤯
Berlin’s been posting snarky ads in the NYT, attempting to lure Americans to work in Deutschland. See this example.
A whole German state just rage-quit MS Teams.
Starting a pension at birth? In Germany, it’s financial planning for Gen Alpha.
👩⚕️ Immigration & Labour Developments
Everyone’s hyping AI, but in Germany the jobs just aren’t showing up.
A performance improvement plan (PIP) in Germany is a professional red flag. It may not mean the end, but know your employment rights.
The Left party is advocating for reduced working hours when temperatures are over … 26 C.
Meanwhile, the CDU is mulling over whether to charge foreign medical students for tuition fees.
Germany doled out a record number of citizenships last year, with almost 300,000 people now calling themselves German.
Yet in 2025, 80% of asylum claims in Germany rejected. Watch an Afghan family prep for their first visa appointment. 💔
💃🏻 Fun, Interesting, and/or Useful
Visit these top beer gardens in Berlin.
Berlin’s TV Tower has a holy secret. The light? A literal cross.
The humble döner isn’t just food. It’s a Berlin identity crisis wrapped in flatbread.
Germany Life Hacks
🥨 Things to make life in Deutschland (a little bit) better.
If you're into aviation, history, or just exploring Berlin beyond the usual, this lesser-known military museum is well worth the trip.
We also recommend: 20% Berlin & Smart Living in Germany.
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