An Aquarium Explosion, Companies Hiring, New Immigration Laws Approved, & More

Guten tag Reader -

Hope you're having a great weekend so far.

Today's newsletter highlights everything from our recently updated content, to news in Berlin, companies hiring, and all sorts of updates about working and living in Germany.

1) Although I haven't added any new content to The Berlin Life recently, I've been busy updating many of the guides:

Check out the rest of our guides about moving to, living in, and working in Berlin.

2) News coming out of Berlin:

The €29 ticket for public transport in Berlin's A/B zones has been extended and will run from Jan - Mar 2023 - We're still waiting on the nationwide €49 transit ticket to roll out though. Rumors say it should arrive in the spring.
Berlin aquarium disaster: Hundreds of fish rescued - Yes, an aquarium exploded this week and a bunch of fish died and two people were injured. Thankfully some of our fish friends survived!
Red Flag: Berlin finally changed two colonial street names. What took so long? - A step in the right direction, but more needs to be done on this front.

3) Exploring Berlin over the holidays:

Christmas Markets in Berlin: The ultimate guide - You have from now until the 24th or so to explore all of the city's markets.
Brutalism in Berlin: 12 iconic buildings - Some people think brutalist buildings are ugly, but they are actually beautiful (in a way) and worth checking out.

4) News about Berlin-based companies:

Tesla’s Berlin Hub Can’t Hire Enough People, or Keep Them - Aka avoid working here. Who wants to work for an unhinged Space Karen right now?
Getir acquires German competitor Gorillas in $1.2 billion deal - The churn in the quick grocery delivery space continues. An industry you may want to steer clear from, just saying.
Germany-based Tapline bags €31.7M to provide on-demand funds to early, late-stage SaaS companies - A place where you *should* look at applying.
Grover lays off employees to reach break-even point - Avoid working here too.
Berlin-based Ostrom lands €9.3 million to help us use less electricity - A place you actually want to work!
Cherry Ventures - Find work at early-stage startups (if you dare).

5) Companies hiring in Berlin now:

6) News about working in Germany:

Sick leave absences hit three-year high in Germany - Everyone is getting sick right now and it's not just corona. Many workers are feeling burnt out and we're experiencing a big wave of the common cold. This couldn't have happened at a worse time, as the country is experiencing a shortage of medications too.
Blue Road Academy - Anyone from a refugee background could benefit from this incredible program offering free education and training opportunities in Salesforce. Salesforce specialists get high-paying jobs and are in demand in Germany.
Scholz wants to limit early retirement to weather the German labour crisis - The chancellor wants us to forgo the usual retirement and work longer. No thanks, Olaf! Why not just do more to bring in skilled workers?
Job centres discriminate against non-German speakers, study confirms - In a surprise to ... absolutely no one.
Poll: 40 percent say Germany is not a country of immigration - With 76% of Germany's far-right AfD party supporters saying they don't want immigrants in Germany. Btw, several arrests were made this week when it was found a bunch of far-right conspiracy theorists wanted to overthrow the government and murder the chancellor. Sounds like a horror-thriller flick, but it's all too real.
News on the Chancenkarte and how Germany plans to make it easier for non-EU people to immigrate - It's been approved, but the bills still need to be written and passed through the Bundestag. With our coalition government and the jerks in the FDP who campaigned on reforming immigration laws now pushing back, it's hard to say when this will actually get to parliament.

7) As always, I encourage you to join our community beyond this newsletter or get CV and cover letter help from me:

Join more than 8,000 others on Facebook
Connect with other job seekers looking for work in Germany, as well as employees using our LinkedIn connect and exchange list
It would be cool if you share our website with others!
I'm on holiday until next year, but career coaching sessions are available for January, as well as 15-minute free consultations (!) if you are unsure about booking and want to know how it all works and how I can help you out.

I hope you found this round-up useful and informative.

See you in the next one!

Founder - The Berlin Life

An Aquarium Explosion, Companies Hiring, New Immigration Laws Approved, & More

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