Where are you from?
“Where are you from?”I have often asked this question.And I know that it can hurt people. For me, it was never meant to be derogatory.It was an attempt to place the other person, to understand, to find a basis.That’s how…
INSIDE CULTURE ACADEMY
INSIDE CULTURE ACADEMY
INSIDE CULTURE ACADEMY
INSIDE CULTURE ACADEMY
Gerold Sebastian Wittig
Job ready?
Be honest with yourself. Looking for a job in Germany can feel like following a straight path.Applications, interviews, contract.Step by step, one after the other. But the reality is rarely that simple. What makes the real difference is self-assessment.Not the…
Where do I Stand?
Everyone asks this question at some point,in their career, in their life, in their family. But for me, it was never a question of arrival.I never had to locate myself in a country that calls for skilled workers,but doesn’t make…
Milestone achieved – State-Approved!
We thought we were just building a good training.In the end, it became our state-certified bridge into German culture. We worked hard to make the invisible visible:the small cultural rules that decide whether you are lost or successful.And for months…
You can’t understand.
“You can’t really understand that.”I hear this sentence often.Not as a direct reproach, more between the lines. And it is true.I have never started over in a foreign country.But I do know what a new beginning means. At 24 I…
German Friendship
I’m not an expat. I don’t have a migration background.I grew up here. I speak the language, know the codes, and fit in without trying. That’s why it took me a long time to hear what others kept saying.That many…
Long vs Short
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”In Germany, this is more than a polite question.It’s part of a cultural expectation system. Much of what happens here follows a long-term logic:Careers, education paths, contracts – even recruitment processes. Planning in…
You Are Different
New here? Or already in the middle of the application process.You see plenty of diversity statements. In large companies, processes and forms are often structured along diversity dimensions. And yet, one thing remains unspoken. Maybe you were hired because of…
Quiet Diversity
I never had to ask myself whether I was hired because of my difference.I was the norm. Maybe that’s why I only realized later: in German companies, diversity often works quietly.Not as a big campaign, but as a checkbox.Not as…
Hidden Barriers
New job in Germany?And wondering why learning here often feels harder than it should?You’re not alone. These are the hidden barriers many internationals face:• Your onboarding feels like “learning by doing,” with little guidance.• Feedback is given directly, usually without…
Easy Access
I’m not an expert. I just grew up inside this system.And because of that, I never had to think about it:My first internships, jobs, even apartments came through people I already knew. For me, that was self-evident. For a long…
Confidence – Your Way
Selling yourself? Sounds wrong – but matters New here? Or just tired of hearing that you need to “be more confident” in interviews?You’re not alone. In many cultures, good work is supposed to speak for itself.Praising yourself can feel like…
Advantage
I’m convincing – because I sound familiar I’m not an expat.I don’t have a migration background. I speak plainly.I sound familiar.And in most rooms, that’s enough to be convincing. Not because I learned it.But because I grew up with it.…
Help Feels Different
What help looks like – and why it doesn’t always feel that way Some insights stay with you. Last time, we looked at how information is shared in Germany.Formally, factually, often without much relation. Today is about what often feels…
Being German. Being critical.
Being German. Being critical.For many of us, the two are closely linked.Even if we don’t say it that way. At school, we are taught to challenge texts,in university, to question theories,at work, to spot weaknesses,in interviews, to name what we…