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8 reasons expats should try coworking in Germany

Today, often all you need is a laptop and WiFi code to kick off a career. You can pretty much arrive in any country in the world and get cracking the moment you’re connected.

Published: 21 September 2017 15:40 CEST
Updated: 21 September 2017 17:40 CEST
8 reasons expats should try coworking in Germany
WeWork coworking space in Berlin. Photo: WeWork.

It might sound appealing — and it is, just ask one of many “digital nomads” happily roaming the world! But for expats, working remotely can be isolating and make it just that little bit harder to settle into your new country.

It can also be tough to find motivation when you’re alone in a room with an open Netflix tab winking at you from behind your work!

Coworking spaces are an innovative new(-ish) alternative to the traditional office setup, where independent workers share an open environment. They’re also a great way to meet new people, get out and about in a new city, and separate work from home.

And expats living in Germany can choose from some of the most beautiful and inspiring coworking spaces in the world, including several WeWork coworking sites in innovation hotspots Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt. Each WeWork building is designed to be a dynamic space that fosters creativity, focus, and collaboration — something we all look for in a workplace!

Photo: WeWork

If you’re thinking about coworking but haven't quite made up your mind yet, here are just a few reasons expats in Germany should seriously consider working in a shared office space.

1. Share ideas and skills

Even the most imaginative people need a helping hand sometimes. Coworking spaces are the perfect environments to collaborate with a variety of passionate people with complementing skills. Two heads are better than one, and in a coworking space you can work with your neighbours to come up with even better ideas.

What’s more, being surrounded by other hard-working people keeps you motivated on those days when you need an extra push. And there’s nowhere better to cowork than in Germany, with its flourishing tech industry and booming creative scene.

Berlin itself is a creative hub with a huge social innovation community so it’s teaming with bright young minds always ready to help or get involved with a new venture.

2. Grow your network

A co-working space comes with a built-in network of freelancers, agencies, startups, and everything in between. It’s the perfect place to expand your network in a new city, and to meet people you could work with now or in the future.

It’s also a good introduction to agencies or businesses you may want to work with, or to clients you may want to work for. Getting work can be difficult when there’s so much competition, but coworking is a great way to organically network and get yourself noticed by the right people.

3. Be part of a community

When you’re coworking you naturally form into a small community, something that many expats struggle to find outside of their home country. Not only will you expand your professional network, it’s likely you’ll also make new friends you otherwise may not have met.

Find out more about WeWork's new Frankfurt coworking space

All WeWork coworking spaces have spacious common areas, as well as complimentary refreshments — so you can take a break with your coworkers and get to know each other. Asking someone if they want to grab a coffee can break the ice, and is a good way to kick off a new friendship.

4. Well-equipped office space

Sure, you’ve got your sofa at home — but it can be hard to get in the mood to work when you’re in the same spot you spend most of Sunday watching movies.

Coworking spaces are well equipped, with comfortable chairs, desks, and even breakout areas where you can go for a change of scenery. There’s always a speedy internet connection, and you’ll have access to hardware like printers, photocopiers, and scanners.

Each WeWork space is designed to be an inspiring place to spend your working day, and is equipped with everything you need to get down to business. There are also private phone booths for you to make calls, and onsite staff if you need any assistance during the working week.

5. Work somewhere inspiring

Being creative doesn’t always come naturally. For one reason or another, sometimes you just have those days where you can’t seem to get inspired. Lots of factors, including your surroundings, can influence your creativity — you’re probably not going to come up with your best ideas staring at your living room wall.

Coworking spaces are often colourful and vibrant areas that have been thoughtfully designed to stimulate creativity. For example, WeWork spaces have custom murals painted on the wall, and a dedicated interior design team to create an inspiring environment that will get your creative juices flowing.

6. Affordable and flexible

Renting your own personal office space can be pricey, as can spending your days sitting and working in cafes — all those lattes really start to add up!

At WeWork’s co-working spaces in Germany there are four different pricing options available depending on whether you’re a freelancer, start-up entrepreneur, business owner, or anything in-between. All you need to do is pick the package that suits your needs and budget, show up, and start working!

7. Get to know a new city

Most coworking spaces are fairly central and often close to local restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. If you live in one neighbourhood and choose a coworking space in another, you can get to know a new part of the city you may not have otherwise had the chance to explore.

WeWork can be found in locations urban centres around Germany where members can enjoy lively surroundings — from the coworking space in the trendy Berlin Mitte area, to the soon-to-be-opened space in Frankfurt’s Innenstadt, one of the Europe’s business and cultural hotspots. And WeWork Stadthaus offers stunning views of Hamburg’s river Elbe. Whichever site you choose, you’ll be coworking in a place you’ll also be happy to play in at the end of the day.

8. Improved productivity and overall happiness!

Plenty of research has shown that coworking spaces are the most productive places to work. When you’re in a dedicated workspace, surrounded by other focused, passionate people, you will naturally become more productive too.

You’ll also feel less isolated and happier when you’re working among other people — reducing the risk of expat depression which is all too real a problem for anyone living in a different country where they may not have a strong network.

Take a tour of WeWork's soon-to-be-open Hamburg coworking space

This article was produced by The Local Client Studio and sponsored by WeWork.

 
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DATING

Dating apps: The unlikely tool that helped me settle in Germany

In her native UK, writer Miriam Partington was ready to ditch dating apps. But in Berlin she found them to be the perfect tool for getting settled, free from frustration.

Published: 10 September 2019 13:20 CEST
Dating apps: The unlikely tool that helped me settle in Germany
A woman on her phone as she waits for Berlin's tram. Photo: depositphotos/GaudiLab

Dating apps: the 21st century’s fast-track way of finding the perfect partner. At least for some.

I’ve tried them all. Upon the emergence of Tinder in the U.K, I downloaded the app to see what the hype was about and proceeded to spend my bus journeys to work participating in the endless swiping game. 

Pictures of men with their shirts off tensing their muscles, geeky-looking guys in glasses and serious hikers clad in thick coats and hats popped up on my screen and unfortunately disappeared into my “sorry, no” pile. 

I even went on a few dates. The guy who ended up having a long-distance girlfriend in a city three hours away, the man who pretended to be a chef in a high-class restaurant when he actually owned a vape shop in a town outside Brighton, and the character who declared I would be better looking with a different haircut were among my favourites. 

READ ALSO: 'Germans are a distinct people': Finding love, hook-ups and friendship in Germany

Yes, my brief stint with dating apps was fun, but it also got old quite quickly. If anything it was just too much admin. 

Swiping through a hellishly long reel of people’s profiles became akin to wading through a sea of emails on a Monday morning. Trying to arrange a time to meet with elusive people that would only ghost me a few weeks later became as dull as watching paint dry.

My frail attempts to build rapport with the few eligible bachelors on the app ended up being just another, rather sad, way to procrastinate during the working week. 

Yet, it wasn’t until I arrived in Germany in January 2018  – clueless with no friends and a suitcase crammed full of clothes I would probably never wear – that I began to realise the true value of dating apps.

Not just a search for love

Big cities can be lonely places. The sheer number of people in any bar, restaurant or club often choke the chances of meeting anyone new.

Amid battling with the masses for the last spot on the underground, pushing our way to the front of the queue at the supermarket or swiftly grabbing a coffee-to-go at a cafe, we often fail to be tuned in to the people around us. Of course, the language barrier also doesn’t help when in a foreign land. 

What dating apps serve to do is filter out the many people you would never in a million years click with and increase the probability of finding someone that you might just want to get to know. 

Feeling swallowed whole by this new, overwhelming city, I downloaded Tinder within my first few days of arriving in Berlin with the hope that this might just happen to me. 

Dating apps are also tools for foreigners in big cities, writes Miriam Partington. Photo: depositphotos/luna123

Almost instantly, the stigma I had long associated with dating apps being places of overzealous wink faces and strange pick-up lines began to dissipate. Many willing people from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities popped up on the app offering their advice on where to go, what to do and how to survive in a place as wild as Berlin.

It was as if I’d had this resource under my nose for a long time – even while jumping from city to city in the UK – and had never quite tapped into its potential. 

Successful dates and city insights

Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, you name it, are all canny tools for foreigners in big cities. Beyond curing loneliness, they act as a soft landing pad for foreigners needing info to get around. 

My first successful Tinder date happened on the banks of Maybachufer in Kreuzberg. It was sunny and scenic and an opportunity that not only found me a friend but a job and a flat too. (I’m not kidding.)

As I began to make more connections via the app, more of the city seemed to unfold. There were countless times when fellow internationals or friendly Germans helped me find out things about their city: from underground bars, vintage shops filled with quirky emblems from the GDR to the best places to bike, swim and buy groceries.

My oldest friend in Berlin even found a candidate for a job at her workplace through a connection she made on Tinder. She tells me that they’re good friends, as well as colleagues, to this day.

Depending on which way you look at it, Berlin is a notoriously hard place to date. Often touted as a place of experimentation, liberalism, and round-the-clock parties, the city draws in many expats that seem reluctant to put down roots. But it’s so much more than that too.

READ ALSO: 'It's not impossible': The ups and downs of dating in Germany

A few dates into my new life in Berlin, the city revealed itself as a place brimming with people willing to help and accommodate any confused newcomer – an aspect I may never have discovered if it wasn’t for tinder. 

Using these apps for networking purposes has perhaps been easier in Berlin than in the U.K. simply because my status has changed. I’m no longer a Brit that knows the lay of the land, but a baffled international that still often needs some wise words from an experienced local.

And while I remain proudly single, I’ve learned that success on online dating apps doesn’t have to mean finding true love or securing as many dates as possible. It can be as simple and rewarding as meeting other like-minded people who can help you settle into life in a new city.

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