Germany Will Finally Allow Dual Citizenship and There's a Tough Fight Ahead
Guten morgen Reader -
Happy Monday! What's on this week? Germany finally approved dual citizenship laws. The country is uniting to fight against the rise of the far-right. Berlin has a lot of bizarre museums that you need to visit. Good news is in short supply at the moment.
We cover all this and more in our 22/01/2024 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.
Personal News
Sometimes, I'm going to overshare.
⭐ Germany is at a crossroads right now, with racist far-right parties steadily gaining popularity. When CORRECTIV recently exposed that the AfD met with Neo-Nazis (and other like-minded parties) last November to discuss plans to expel foreigners from Germany and strip others of their citizenship, it shocked and outraged a lot of people. If you haven't read their piece yet, give it a read. As seriously scary as things are, it was great to see more than 1,000,000 people attend peaceful demonstrations across Germany this weekend to protest these alarming developments. Check out my photos from the demo in Berlin.
⭐ I've focused on self-care this month and spent an evening at a women's only hammam, treating myself to a scrub and soap treatment, concluding with a massage. I've also been making ginger shots at home, as it has many health benefits. I also tried out the Vietnamese brunch at Anjoy this weekend, which was super yummy.
Community News
News from The Berlin Life community.
⭐ We have two super fun social events on our calendar - We're meeting for beers on Wednesday, Jan 24 @ 7:00 pm and we're also holding a women's professional networking next month on Feb 14 @ 7:00 pm. Sign up now!
⭐ You can still catch last week's newsletter: Leipzig is Rated as One of Europe’s Best Places to Enjoy a High Quality of Life. If you're new here, check out our archives.
Food For Thought
Interesting articles about the art of looking for work, humourous memes, or other useful gems floating around the web.
⭐ Having a baby in Berlin: what you need to know - Having a child in a foreign country can be a challenge. Find out everything you need to know from The Confused Mother, a local coach and consultant, in an online workshop on Jan 24, 2024.
⭐ From Sifted: "There’s a new angel network in Germany — dubbed the 2hearts Angels Collective — which aims to increase funding for founders with immigrant backgrounds."
⭐ Casey Moeckel captures the struggle of the job search in a very real and relatable way.
⭐ Adam Broda, a tech leader and career coach, shared that he hired someone with a typo on their job application.
Companies Hiring
German companies hiring right now.
⭐ Otto Bock | Berlin
⭐ shipzero | Hamburg
⭐ Babbel | Berlin
⭐ Technical University of Munich | Munich
⭐ Sprylab | Berlin
⭐ Wandebots | Dresden
⭐ SoSafe | Berlin
Be sure to check out our complete list of Berlin companies hiring.
German Startup News
German startups that recently received funding, were acquired, built up staff, etc., and could be good places to look for jobs.
⭐ Disco Pharmaceuticals | Cologne | Jobs
Note: Some companies don't have any job openings and in those cases, I'll link to their company's LinkedIn page. If you like the company, give them a follow for news and job postings. You can also consider sending them a cold or unsolicited job application.
News in Germany
All of the news in Germany.
⭐ Germany reforms citizenship law - DW published an informative overview of what the new citizenship laws entail, opposition to the changes, and how this law is long overdue for some members of the German population. You can read more details on the new laws on the Bundestag's website.
⭐ Germany sees second day of large protests against far right - Read more about the show of solidarity that Germans across the nation showed this weekend as they stood up against the growing far-right threat.
⭐ Why Germany’s far right AfD is thriving despite scandal - The good fight is far from over, as the AfD isn't about to go away anytime soon.
⭐ CSU push for Berlin Bürgerämter to open on Saturdays - It's a great idea that would be well received by Berliners, but there aren't enough employees to staff an extra day. Womp, womp.
⭐ Germany on track for two-year recession as economy shrinks in 2023 - Germany's economic woes aren't set to go away anytime soon, as "Experts said the country’s economy was in permanent crisis mode”.
⭐ A Black Forest fairytale: riding Germany’s ‘hell valley’ railway in winter - Escape the doom and gloom and head to the Black Forest for a holiday break.
⭐ Shortfalls could challenge Germany's generosity - The varying political parties can't make up their mind about what to do about the debt break (and other issues) the impact could have far-reaching consequences on how much Germany spends at home and abroad.
⭐ Weird and wonderful: Berlin’s most unusual museums - Have yourself some fun this winter and visit some of Berlin's most odd museums.
How We Can Help
The good stuff offered by the Berlin Life.
⭐ Get connected with other like-minded professionals in our community by adding yourself to our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list. Chat with others in our Facebook and Slack community spaces. 🗣️
⭐ We offer career coaching and other services and free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin. Some of our most-read guides include:
- Berlin Life Hacks
- A Moving To Berlin Guide – Move Here & Settle In Like A Local
- What You Need To Know About Notice Periods In Germany
See you in the next one,
Founder @ The Berlin Life