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Brain Drain
(thelemmy.club)
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this post was submitted on 07 May 2026
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Why Germany? Other EU countries are more willing to communicate in English (professionally). Not France though. But definitely the Nordics.
All the Germans I've met speak English. Granted it's all huge nerds in engineering but still, from what I gather, two or three languages isn't uncommon.
Yeah but the country as a whole isn't all that willing to accomodate non-German speakers, at least compared to the above mentioned.
Even if you can work and get by in english, you should still learn the native language. At least here in Finland you can't fully become part of the society unless you speak finnish or swedish. It doesn't mean you need to be immediately proficient though, but if you don't put any effort into it, you can ever only scratch the surface of the country.
As a personal anecdote, it is also incredibly rude to travel into places and expect them to cater to your culture at the expense of their own, just because yours spread wider. Doesn't matter who or where - if you plan to stay permanently or even just long-time somewhere, be prepared to learn the local language(s)
I get that, but the tenor of this thread is finding work.
Sorry for derailing! I've just seen a bit too many optimistic "oh you'll do fine with only english" takes around (not just on lemmy) which I find misleading and in the need of a disclaimer
Sadly, it's true for some foreigners as long as they stay in Helsinki.
Yeah you can indeed get by, but essentially the longer you stay, the more issues you will face. It's easy if it's just stuff like going to a restaurant or your work, but trying to make friends that are not other immigrants? Dealing with the official bureaucracy hell? Just always being the outsider in every situation with the natives? There's plenty of stuff you might not notice in the beginning but can be trouble later on
I totally agree. I feel sorry for these people, and I'm trying hard not to look down on them because I can understand that learning languages can be difficult.
True, but jobs in general still require a relatively high proficiency in german.
I was raised in a region that leaned heavily into it's German heritage. Americanized and bastardized yes, but for example my tiny high school only offered Spanish and German for foreign languages. I looked into citizenry by ancestry and found I didnt qualify because my most recent 'German' ancestor emigrated from Prussia in the mid-1800s. Said ancestor is buried in the cemetery of the village church I attended for kindergarten. Of course, none of that provides me any familiarity with modern Germany. I have a slight advantage with pronunciation and not much else.
I investigated Sweden first actually, and I'd be happy to end up there. I think Scandinavia fits my political and societal opinions better than Germany (plus has WAY better metal 🤘). I have a BSc in engineering and was looking into Master's programs; University of Göthenburg has the faculty and research I'd like to pursue. The language barrier there was considerably more intimidating despite the reputation for accommodation you mentioned. Germany also has better resources for skilled foreigners looking for work.
I want out of the States. Wherever I end up I intend to pursue fluency and integration. Germany just seemed like the simplest route to me other than joining Ukraine's foreign legion as an engineer.
That was an elaborate answer, thanks! I just hope it works out for you wherever you land. Maybe learning (any) new language will click for you eventually.
For permanent residence you will eventually need to learn the native language though, that is a requirement in most (if not all?) countries.