I flew from America to Germany approximately one month ago, and after 13 job applications and 4 interviews, all I have is an inbox that I refresh every two hours hoping for an update.

I feel like I’m waiting for a college admissions decision.

The email I’m waiting for could answer a lot of questions. Will I be granted my visa? Where will I be living? How much money will I be making? Which role did I land… if any? Will I be working remotely, or will I be in an office 50 hours a week?

The email could be from a company I interviewed with or from the embassy. To be honest, either would be equally exciting.

If you’ve ever thought about moving abroad and leaving your home country, this blog will give you a little insight into my firsthand experience doing exactly that. I’m about one month into this journey, and I still don’t know if everything is going to work out. But I’m so happy to finally be pursuing my dream of living in the EU.

Getting My Chancenkarte

I applied for a German visa called the Chancenkarte, or “Opportunity Card,” which allows qualified non-EU citizens to live in Germany while looking for work.

Rather than applying from my home country in the U.S., I decided to apply from within Germany while I was here as a tourist. As an American, I can visit Germany visa-free for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, which gave me the opportunity to arrive first and complete the application process here.

After arriving in Germany, I visited the local registration office to register my address. The registration document I received that afternoon was one of the documents I needed for my visa application when applying from Germany.

LINK TO OFFICIAL CHANCENKARTE INFORMATION

There were quite a few things I needed to prepare before arriving in Germany. I had to set up an official blocked bank account and purchase health insurance. I used Expatiro to help me with both, and so far I’ve had a great experience with their service.

I also needed to have my college degree verified as comparable to German standards. Thankfully, mine was, so I ordered my official transcripts from my university and received them a few days later.

The Job Search

I gave myself about a week and a half to settle in before starting my job search.

In the 10 days since I started applying, I’ve found 13 roles that I was genuinely excited about and have had 4 interviews so far. Thankfully, all of them went well.

My number one fear before moving here was not being able to find a job that was English-speaking only.

I’m learning German and can get around town having little conversations, but I am nowhere near ready to conduct business in German. And I’ll be honest: that fear was valid.

The job market here definitely favors bilingual candidates. I’ve come across quite a few positions that require English plus any second language, not necessarily German. I learned quickly that only speaking English will significantly limit the job options in Germany.

Therefore, finding a job is still very much a work in progress.

Life in Cologne So Far

In the meantime, I’m trying to enjoy the city instead of spending every waking hour refreshing my inbox.

I’ve been taking Pilates and yoga classes, exploring different neighborhoods, finding new restaurants and cafés, and generally trying to settle into what could eventually become my new normal.

I also put together a guide to some of my favorite spots in Cologne so far:

LINK TO COLOGNE GUIDE

I’m only one month into this, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

I don’t know which job I’ll end up with, where I’ll be living long-term, or whether this move will ultimately work out the way I hope it will.

But for the first time, I’m actually doing it.

I’m living in Europe, figuring things out as I go, and seeing where it takes me.

More to come.

xo,
Sarah