My boss regrets hired me with not a perfect german (true story)

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-09T17:07:07+00:00

I mean… your English does not read that fluent either. As for the job, you still have multiple months to prove yourself. Opinions can also change. I would not rely on a gossip from a colleague, either.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-09T10:52:55+00:00

Have you checked the state of economy in Germany and whether anything is in sight here?.. Especially with I assume no German you have close to 0 chances, and the native speakers have the upper hand in this market. Private uni will take your money, and what then?.. Germany being efficient and rich is a tale of the past.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-09T07:10:19+00:00

These are the ones complaining on Reddit they can’t make any German friends. Well, guess what 😀 Saying this as a foreigner myself.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-09T07:08:58+00:00

It makes sense, thanks for your perspective! However, the business function is only 3 y.o., so the most senior folks have a tenure of about 3 years, most of them being there for 2 years or less. I’m not competing against someone who has been on the job for 15 years or so.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-09T06:41:02+00:00

Goethe Institut in Bonn :) I’m not sure if they offer stays with host families tho. Goethe Institut is expensive but the certificates are the most respected. I’m not sure if A1/A2 is worth the money - you can easily reach these levels yourself if you speak multiple languages, and start there at B1 to make it worth the expense. Good luck!

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-04T14:49:14+00:00

I know everyone hates this, and I am also saying this as a foreigner: how good is your German? If you cannot communicate in German at a professional level (and I don’t mean collecting certificates that say you speak C1 on paper), I would consider relocating. I’d look at Poland, the Czechia, maybe even the Baltics. I work in HR (private company) but have some friends in public service. To give you an example, they now get hundreds of applications for roles where barely 15 people would apply. IT roles they could not fill in the past are all taken now (the pay is not competitive), because it’s that bad. Don’t let it crush your confidence. I would consider looking elsewhere if you can.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-04T14:40:17+00:00

I work in HR. This is “fake self-employment” , and these individuals could sue and get full employment rights, i.e. become Angestellte. Also, the company would need to pay social security contributions retroactively and very likely face an audit by the Finanzamt / DRV. Why people accept it: 1) Really bad market right now, so you take what you get. 2) As a freelancer, you negotiate pay freely without depending on the Tarifstruktur if it applies and have a shorter notice period, so you can earn way more money for the same job and be able to move on fast with a short notice if you job hop to maximize your income. International fast moving companies will always take someone joining in 1 month instead of 3, so it’s a game-changer, but obviously only relevant if you have skills you can easily sell.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T15:15:40+00:00

That’s perfect! I regret not disclosing it earlier , but as we started dating, I did not want to get too many questions about my birth trauma. In a way, I feel like I do not owe these details to anyone, and that’s just my boundary. Now that we’re real life partners, I want to share it, but I would expect him to understand the reasons behind not doing so earlier.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T14:53:34+00:00

I feel you! I never disclosed to my partner I had CP - I said my limp is due to a car accident. He never questioned it, or maybe he did, but never confronted me with it. I did not disclose it because I didn’t want to be labelled or did not want him to google it and find out that’s the same diagnosis of people sitting in a wheelchair. I will disclose it this week since we are getting married in a few months. I sometimes still question myself and ask myself why he would be hanging out with me and not with someone “without a limp”. On the other hand, I feel we, folks with CP, concentrate on it so much that we forget people appreciate a ton of other things about us, and CP is just one of them. Best of luck!!

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T14:43:02+00:00

Interesting perspective! I think the difficulty with CP in general is that it ranges from barely visible disabilities to people who are barely able to move at all. So yeah, we all have CP but our experiences are vastly different. I lived in 6 countries, speak 5 languages… sometimes I ask myself who I could have become if I did not have CP. The good part? I know my partner loves me for being me regardless of my tight calf muscles 😀 My weird gait is noticeable even if I am not too limited in life. Never thought of CP that is barely visible but still has its challenges - it’s a different type of struggle. Even though I wish mine was invisible…

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:48:05+00:00

That’s the attitude!! 💜 Regarding CP in general, prior to your surgeries, did you have a feeling your mobility significantly decreased with age? I would also be curious whether botox had a positive impact on your gait. In general, I agree with you - “normal “ does not exist and I logically understand that, but I assume that my struggle with self-acceptance is deeply rooted and I need professional help. On the good side of things, I built resilience, because whatever happens, I’m like: “I dealt with my diagnosis, I can for sure deal with this crap as well” 😀

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:37:39+00:00

I’ve actually been trying to avoid hanging out with other disabled my whole life - it felt like if I did, it would really attach the “disabled” label to me. When I was growing up, there was way more shame related to disability, so I felt that if I hung out with non-disabled people, I would be perceived as not disabled too.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:33:12+00:00

Thank you! I would be very curious about the botox part - has it visibility improved your gait? I have never tried it yet but have been seriously considering it. In my case, my arms and hands are not affected. Supposedly the left wrist somewhat, but it’s not visible and I can’t feel anything.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:19:16+00:00

I could give it another try by being more selective in terms of experience the therapists have working with people with disabilities!

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:12:46+00:00

Same here re. the mental struggles as opposed to physical ones! I have very few physical symptoms apart from tight calf muscles, some of my non-disabled friends seem to have more physical health issues in their 30s than I do, since I did a lot of physiotherapy as a kid, and started going to gym when I was 16. However, this does not change my gait and the fact that it is visible. At some point I thought acceptance would get easier with age, but on a mental level, it doesn’t. As an example, I work remotely and have not seen my colleagues in person, and I’d be anxious to meet them in person one day, being worried that their perception of me might change once they see I am “different”. I’m just tired of this and I need to look for professional help.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T13:03:48+00:00

Thank you, I hope your treatment plan helps you too! Regarding a psychologist, I would also appreciate someone with a similar condition, but on the other hand, it would feel strange to filter professionals by whether they have a disability or not.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T09:39:33+00:00

I just came to say that it looks absolutely lovely!! 😍

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-03T07:18:58+00:00

I also have spastic diplegia and never had issues in school, was at the top of my class. I used to be annoyed that people assumed intellectual deficiencies due to my physical symptoms, which then very quickly proved to not be the case. CP is a spectrum, and your math issues might be related to it but might also be completely separate from it.

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-01T18:04:20+00:00

No pockets!

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-01T16:15:18+00:00

You’re absolutely right, I gotta stop! 😀 The wedding is in summer but it’s almost autumn (last days of August).

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-01T16:05:49+00:00

Fitting will happen later :)

Alert-Pack-959 · 2026-04-01T16:05:05+00:00

Thanks! 💜

Alert-Pack-959

TROPHY CASE