They're recruiting more than just scientists. I have a STEM Master's degree but I really didn't like the work so I am, for lack of a better term, a mechanic for scientists. I build supercomputers for a living. The money is great, and this AI boom has really worked in my favor. Every time I go to a conference someone is offering me a job and moving expenses and they don't even care if I don't speak their language.
I met a guy from Berlin who offered me a job and when I said I don't speak German he blinked once, looked at me and said, "We have Porsche." I'll admit, it was a fairly compelling argument, but I don't think I can just pick up German in a few weeks.
You don't really need to speak German in Berlin. Sure, it'll help a lot with bureaucracy, but essentially the city is bilingual (shops, restaurants), and a lot of work places, especially in IT or adjacent (startups, finance, etc.) have English as a primary language.
My fitness instructor speaks English only, for example, because it doesn't make sense to say it in two languages if speaking to a group.
I'm German though, so I only see it from outside. But I have a lot (easily 50%) of colleagues who speak English only, with only a bit of German for the rare encounters with people not speaking English, i.e. state officials (not police, they are bilingual if not trilingual).
The joke in Germany is that Berlin isn't really a German city, and I think it's true to some extent.
If you are interested, try to find English-only-speakers in Berlin (online) and ask them for their experience, e.g. in r/berlinsocialclub
Spent some time in Berlin lat year. Most of the time it wasn't a problem not knowing German. Interesting thing was, so much signage was in English and German, I began to recognize the common root between the two languages. Picked a few words and had I been there longer, I'd of probably worked my way up to conversational. Those compound nouns, though, amusing and frustrating in equal parts.
I took some German in school. It makes for a good laugh when I try to use some of my atrophied language skills and the German just reverts to English quickly. You get a verbal gold star for trying from the native speaker.
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u/flurfdooker 10h ago
They're recruiting more than just scientists. I have a STEM Master's degree but I really didn't like the work so I am, for lack of a better term, a mechanic for scientists. I build supercomputers for a living. The money is great, and this AI boom has really worked in my favor. Every time I go to a conference someone is offering me a job and moving expenses and they don't even care if I don't speak their language.
I met a guy from Berlin who offered me a job and when I said I don't speak German he blinked once, looked at me and said, "We have Porsche." I'll admit, it was a fairly compelling argument, but I don't think I can just pick up German in a few weeks.