Hallo Leute! Ich heiße Andrew und ich komme aus England. I'll spare you the A1 level Deutsch.
I apologise if this isn't the right place to talk about this but I thought whoever is here are the people I want to be talking to — I'm a graphic designer/web developer and I'm wanting to take the plunge and move to Berlin later this year.
I guess I'm just looking for general advice and to get a feeling of what to be aware of when I'm doing so, are some places better to live than others now? What's the feeling for tech/design jobs currently?
It would be great to have discussions with people currently living in Berlin and hopefully make some new friends — I'm looking to visit next month for a week so will be looking to visit design studios and make general connections too.
Vielen dank,
andrew
I find it hard to say much, because I don't know what you don't know. This stands out though:
The literal answer depends mostly on your needs, but what's important to keep in mind is that with very rare exceptions, you don't get to choose where you live. The housing supply is extremely tight, even for relatively high incomes, so you get very little agency in the whole thing. You get one, maybe two offers, and you have to decide a day or two later otherwise there's an army of other people ready to say yes to the landlord.
A better approach is to make the best out of the neighbourhood you end up in.
Thanks for your response @agrammatic@feddit.de — I think I'm just looking for things people might think are important? I don't know what I don't know either — I'll be moving in October/November time so I'd like to think I have a while to get everything arranged.
Good to have a heads up on the housing — I'm probably going to have to come over for a week at some point and get something signed, are there any areas you'd recommend not to be? I have heard it's pretty crazy at the moment. Either way I think it can't be much worse than where I am now.
undefined> I think I’m just looking for things people might think are important?
In that case, I'll share something that was crucial when deciding between the two offers I had when I moved.
It was a choice between a place served by one S-Bahn (commuter rail) line, and one that was served by two tram lines and a bus. You may get the advice that it's best to be closer to the S-Bahn because it can get you more places faster - but it was the only way out of that area. If for any reason the S-Bahn was delayed or not running, I would be stranded (since I also do not drive). Trams and buses may be slower, but they are three different lines offering redundancy.
Since you are also in for a car-free experience, looking at the public transport options in depth is a good idea. Berlin is big; if you don't have a car, you need public transport options.
Nothing to do with safety, but I consider Spandau, the western-most borough of Berlin, to be extremely out of the way. It feels less integrated into the city than even some outlying towns like Oranienburg or Teltow.
Thank you for insights @agrammatic@feddit.de I really appreciate it — ich werde auf jeden fall es erwägen — yeah I would like to be somewhat close to the center or at least not too far out, honestly I'm just looking forward to being in a big city.