As an international family living in Germany or moving here, there’s so many things to learn about the system, the culture, the bureaucracy…!
While at Kietzee we aim to provide families with everything they need during pregnancy and the early years with your baby, we have some wonderful partners who cover some of the other topics you’ll need to learn about.
Consider checking them out if you’re in expat in Berlin or elsewhere in Germany:
(None of these partners are paying us to be mentioned here, we simply like their offering and think you will, too!)
All About Berlin
To me, All About Berlin is the best resource for people looking to move to Berlin. Their guides cover information about getting a visa, finding a job, finding an apartment, and a lot more. It’s even helpful if you’ve lived here for a while but are tackling a new situation, such as unemployment and job hunt.
20 Percent Berlin
The 20 Percent newsletter gets you up-to-speed with all the happenings in Berlin in a humorous way, written by two veteran journalists, who don't shy away from mocking the German system that we all know and love 🤪. This newsletter is for the 20% of Berliners who don't have a German passport – which I assume applies to many of our readers!
Simple Germany
Simple Germany helps internationals settle into life in Germany more smoothly. The site offers detailed guides to assist foreigners in navigating daily life. Founders Jen & Yvonne also have a wonderful Youtube channel where they tackle some of the most common topics and challenges in 10-20 minute long videos.
Booka Local
Booka Local is a a platform where internationals can book local helpers for various tasks, such as appointments at the Bürgeramt, the Ausländerbehörde (now officially called the Landesamt für Einwanderung), a school, Kita, etc.. The service is currently available in Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne. Kietzee members receive a 15% discount.
Local Facebook groups
Pretty much all big German cities have Facebook groups for expats and internationals, many even specifically for international families. These can be very helpful as they take advantage of the members' swarm intelligence – however, the answers are not checked by any professionals with actual domain knowledge, so be careful what is real information and what is just someone's opinion 🙃.
