Deciding to relocate for a job opportunity is a massive decision and not one to be taken without doing some research.

We work with a large number of candidates and one location that we place many of our Digital and Data experts is Berlin. Not only are there a number of opportunities working with cutting edge technologies but the city is culturally rich making it the ideal location to move to with English as the primary spoken language.

Never considered Berlin? Here are our 8 reasons why you should:

1. Work / Life Balance
A good work/life balance is promoted in Germany. This means you have a lot of leisure time to take advantage of - enabling you to soak up the city’s culture. General holiday allowance for many positions is 25 – 30 days and in 2018 Germany have 12 public holidays. A number of companies and job opportunities also have flexi working hours as an option which is definitely something to factor into your decision when you are looking at potential jobs.

2. In Demand Technologies
Berlin is the tech hub of Europe with huge projects in both digital and data. There is a range of in demand technologies including: Java Microservices, React.js, Vue.js, Big Data, Kubernetes, Kotlin, Scala, Ruby on Rails and Python. We have a wide range of clients and job vacancies in Berlin requiring varying levels of skill sets – so if you have a technology background and experience there should be no shortage of roles available.

3. Average Salaries
The salary levels in Berlin are very competitive. Due to the cost of living being lower than in the UK, you can get a lot more for your money. Depending upon your level and role, salaries range from €40k to €110k.

4. Help for new parents
If you have a family who are going to be involved in the move this will be a significant factor. You need to make sure the move would be right for you and all your family. Germany is known as being ones of the best countries to raise children – not only is it multicultural but the government value new parents. If you are moving as a couple and you decide to have children there are a number of benefits in place to help parents when they start a family, so this is something to remember.

5. Cheap and effective transport
Like here in the UK the commute is definitely something to research. Berlin is known to have one of the best travel infrastructures and has minimal disruption issues. The main modes of transport are trains, buses and trams and as an example a one-way ticket on local transport is approximately €2.80 – which is equivalent to £2.45 here in the UK. Obviously if you would prefer to drive you can do so on a valid foreign driving license for 6 months before you need to get a German license.

6. Reasonable accommodation costs
Relocating for a job means moving your whole life and an important question at the top of anyone’s list is likely to be where will I live and what are the property options? The city centre of Berlin has a wide range of rental properties available to suit various requirements and there are restrictions in place on the raising of rent to make sure they remain affordable. As an example, the monthly rental on a one bedroom apartment in Berlin is approx. €770 – which equates to £679 here in the UK.

7. Simple to obtain a work permit
As we have placed a number of candidates for digital and data roles in Berlin we know that work permits are an area that come up in conversation when deciding to relocate and that a number of people are not sure on the process. In Germany they focus highly on the technical skills of prospective employees. To work in Berlin as long as you have a job offer which will earn over €40k per year, you have IT experience and have a degree you qualify for a visa. Otherwise they have made it relatively simple to obtain their version of a visa called a ‘Blue Card’.

8. Culture
If you are concerned that language will be a barrier you will be surprised how many people speak English in Berlin. There is also a great tech meet up community, making it easier for you to settle in and build a network of contacts / friends who have similar interests to you. The city offers a huge range of restaurants, bars and clubs giving you the chance to socialise with work colleagues and get to know the city better.

There is no doubt that Berlin is a great city to work and location to live. There are sure to be other questions surrounding relocation and as a team we have a lot of experience so are here to answer and help you with the process to secure you your dream role.