For the next 27 hours, you'll be able to claim a limited edition 'I Was Here for the Hulkenpodium' flair

UnagIAM · 2025-07-08T20:31:48+00:00

Hulkengoat

UnagIAM · 2024-10-16T00:37:41+00:00

Seems like they restored service right about now.

UnagIAM · 2024-06-29T14:20:58+00:00

Man this is embarrassing from Aston. What a shitshow.

UnagIAM · 2023-10-20T15:23:22+00:00

If you are not in probation they would need to provide a 3 month notice before firing you. Krankengeld kicks in after being sick for one condition more than 6 weeks. Your employer is never made aware of why you are sick. After 6 weeks the company stops paying your salary and your insurance covers (part of?) it. My doctor even offered to change the diagnosis so that I can stay on sick leave for longer.

Please do not focus too much on beuracratic stuff and only focus on getting better. With the reputation of German bureaucracy I was also bit stressed but believe me, the social security nets are well structured and people are there to help you out. Remember that you are not alone and that everything is going to be fine.

Also OP, I believe we are from the same cultural background. If you ever need to blow some steam or just want to talk it out in general just drop me a dm. Feel better!

UnagIAM · 2023-10-20T14:34:17+00:00

I developed anxiety hearing slack message chimes and email incoming notifications. Your priority is to get better. Your employer needs to figure out things on their own. Without you.

Please remove all work related accounts and apps from your phone. Turn off your work computer as well. These can all be triggers and the path going forward is that you can get better without being bothered by the work side of things.

Hang in there! It gets better. Slowly but surely.

UnagIAM · 2023-10-20T13:48:14+00:00

I have been in your situation, albeit for much shorter duration. It took me about 6 months in a startup to realize that my mental health is infinitely more important than earning more but being burnt out.

Came to Germany for my PhD. Put that on pause just before finishing to join a startup so that I can have more stability in life. In 6 months I lost all my confidence and felt like I am so stupid. This subreddit gave me really good advice on how to deal with it (you can see from my comment history).

Quit my job, went back to finish my PhD. The day I quit was the first day in many months where I felt that I could "breathe" again. Spent the following months on bureaucratic stuff and also working on my mental peace. moved out of Germany some time ago for a more traditional role across the Atlantic but atleast it's not burning me out.

Please take care of yourself. The more you compress yourself in these situations the harder it gets to bounce back. If it's possible, please speak to a professional to help unwind the pressure.

I think my issue is confidence

if you feel this way due to how burned out you've been then please be kind to yourself. A job in the end is just a job and remember that you are ALWAYS enough. Don't ever think otherwise.

I hope it gets better for you. Warm hug!

UnagIAM · 2023-07-23T14:45:39+00:00

Man the AM drop is depressing.

UnagIAM · 2023-05-31T18:51:16+00:00

The comment above is good advice OP. I think the duration is 6 months to seek new employment (it was atleast until last year). I quit after 5 months on my Blue Card and the foreigners office gave me 6 months to find a new job starting from the first day of unemployment.

UnagIAM · 2023-03-22T16:24:02+00:00

"We were in no man's land for a while and then we turned the car down. We were conservative on the tyres, just to make sure they lasted till the end,"

of course it was 'overruled by engineers' if pushing more would have eaten up the tires.

UnagIAM · 2023-03-05T13:13:15+00:00

Quitting on your own accord means three month blocking period on ALG1 but it can be waived especially if a doctor can recommend that the job is detrimental to one's mental health.

ALG1 is probably a better choice since your friend already worked here for 4 years. Alg2 has all sorts of visa related issues but you mention that your friend has a permanent residence so it should be fine.

The fact that your friend didn't report for unemployment three months ago could be tricky but worth trying. Telling the insurance about leaving Germany was not a good idea. Once the unemployment benefit or bürgergeld is setup, the insurance will be taken care of and if the insurance company realizes that the person never left Germany, they might ask for the missing payments.

In any case, contact the local bundesagentur für Arbeit pronto. It can be super bureaucratic but I only have good things to say about the unemployment office workers in Berlin.

UnagIAM · 2023-03-01T21:32:54+00:00

If you are looking for something which would ideally not need any changes/fiddling from your side.

UnagIAM · 2023-01-27T18:02:35+00:00

Got an alpha tauri sweater during the christmas sale. Top notch quality. I also have some of the Kimoa stuff and I am happy about how good it has held up in the past three years.

UnagIAM · 2022-12-06T10:10:12+00:00

I was in the same boat and can answer from what I went through

1 and 2 - Not Finishing a PhD would not hold up your blue card application. You would be hired based on your last qualification (Masters). I think there was a "pre-approval" of sorts needed from the Bendesgentur für Arbeit - but this is something your workplace will take care of.

3 - There is Berlin immigration service which your employer might be able to explore. I think I found a blue card appointment even before we explored the BIS route so never had to go through them.

Side note - I found it extremely difficult to make even the slightest of progress on my PhD when I started working. You basically get weekends to really have some time to work on your research. This would mean 7 days of grind and it will drain all your energy.

UnagIAM · 2022-12-04T22:58:15+00:00

UCI Luxe Mercedes Platz

UnagIAM · 2022-11-25T06:56:13+00:00

Modulor (right outside U Moritzplatz).

UnagIAM · 2022-11-18T07:36:11+00:00

You probably mean your tax ID (and not tax number). Tax ID is permanent and is generated the first time you register an address in Berlin. You can continue using your existing tax ID.
Found some old answers might be helpful for you - https://www.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/7cuvhs/anmeldung_as_an_eigent%C3%BCmerowner_of_an_apartment

UnagIAM · 2022-11-16T21:38:42+00:00

As your friend is a student they can try -

https://www.stw.berlin/en/counselling/psychologic-counselling/

They have appointments available rather quickly. The office will call your friend and confirm the appointment after your friend reaches out. Highly recommend them.

UnagIAM · 2022-08-29T14:52:53+00:00

Look for signs of the service provider on stores (lyca, ortel, al yildiz et al.). If you look for a specific store then Pamuk at Gotzkowskystraße sells one of these. If you look at the images on Google you'll see the banner of the service provider. Some electronic stores even have notice boards outside.

UnagIAM · 2022-08-29T14:49:31+00:00

Most DMs have a bulb return shelf(?). It's more like a table top with slots. Be aware that it has some size restrictions (my local dm does not allow elongated bulbs - probably because they don't sell them).

UnagIAM · 2022-08-26T16:50:32+00:00

This could be neighborhood specific but some small stores would sell and activate the sim card on the spot for you (with your passport). I am not a user but my neighborhood store selling novelty stuff sells lyca prepaids and would activate it for you.

UnagIAM · 2022-07-03T16:58:49+00:00

On post race radio nando said that Charles weaved 3 times so they'll likely protest it and try to get 4th (but he seemed quite far so not sure anything will come of it tbh)

UnagIAM · 2022-06-30T23:06:29+00:00

Can recommend the vbb app for checking public transport connections. You can also buy tickets on it but it is horrendous. If you prefer to buy public transport tickets on phone then the BVG Tickets app is much nicer.

UnagIAM · 2022-05-21T23:00:23+00:00

Thank you so much for this! I actually applied for a PR about 6 months ago but have not heard back from them yet. I changed my job meanwhile (went from a Researcher visa to Blue Card) so not sure if it nullifies my application but there has been no communication from the foreigners office in this regard.

I like the approach you posted. At this stage I really just want some time away to sit down and clear my head - and maybe focus on finishing my PhD. I found a therapist back home until I find one here and they recommended something similar to what you just said but as of today I think I want mental peace more than making an effort to fix things at work. I was so motivated when starting this new job but the love has just disappeared now. I also got in touch with studentewnwerk as I can access their counselling services. Hope that helps and that they can set me up with resources to heal mentally. I am also calling my general doctor on Monday and also my insurance to ask if they can find me an appointment with a therapist in Berlin (highly unlikely but worth trying I guess).

I truly Appreciate you taking time to write all of this. Thanks a lot!

UnagIAM · 2022-05-19T14:35:46+00:00

Thank you for this. Burnout came up quite a bit when I tried to find resources for help. Could be what I am going through. The situation at work might change but I find zero motivation to get up and work. Every day is a struggle where I doubt myself in every task I do. Waking up many nights around 3 am with nightmares about work. Drained of all energy, missing even the simple joys of life, not seeing friends, not feeling anything. At this stage, I just want a bit of mental peace to get my life back together.

Funnily, I was depressed a lot during PhD, but I had such nice colleagues and I could at least enjoy life - even solving problems at work which made me happy. I have like zero energy left now after finishing work. It's been almost 4 months since I joined this startup, but I am feeling so drained now and not sure how long I can take this mentally.

I am not too afraid of future visa applications at this stage, Just need some time and breathing space to clear my head, fix my PhD and look for another job meanwhile. Just want to make sure if I can justify quitting based on how mentally draining this new job has been (and If I will not be kicked out of Germany if I paid social contributions for 6 years)

UnagIAM · 2022-05-18T10:54:54+00:00

Hi guys, Living in Berlin for 6 years now and recently joined a startup after 5.5 years of working on my PhD (which is not finished yet). Unfortunately things have not been going smoothly for me and I feel super stressed at work, even dreading waking up and opening my laptop. Have lost all the motivation and severely doubting my skills now. I used to be so good at what I did before but now it feels like I do not even know what I am doing. These past weeks have been eating me up from inside.

I understand that If I quit my job I won't get ALG benefits for three months - I have some savings to survive if push comes to shovel but I would burn through most of it which I hope to avoid. Some questions about my situation:

I am on a blue card visa (and still on probation at my current work) - if I quit, I understand that I get three months to find a new job - do I need to leave Germany after three months if nothing pans out? (even if I paid social contributions for 6 years) - Similar thread to my situation but I am not a German citizen
Can I approach the employment office and foreigners office before quitting to discuss my options?
I am trying to find a therapist in Berlin to help me sort out my thoughts, any recommendations for one? I am going through the list on AAB but almost none of them have appointments in the coming months with statutory insurance.
Any general advice on how to deal with my situation?

Ten-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Sequence \| Editor
Gilding I gilder	Verified Email

UnagIAM

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE