Can Germany attract US researchers? | DW News
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As a masters candidate I am actively looking for options in Europe in the finance field, and Germany would be my prefered country to live in. But it's hard for them to compete with ETH Zurich and Ecole Polytechnique which both have better prestige, student reviews and are close by, not even mentioning Imperial and Oxford which are great too. I was looking into TU Munich and got scared by all the negativity from students in the Reddit sub
You are very welcome at KIT(Karlsruhe). Our Lemmy Community is still pretty small:
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Trump has slashed education funding, meaning many US universities are facing hiring freezes and budget constraints. Economist Monika Schnitzer speaks to DW's Marie Sina about the opportunities for German universities and research institutions to tempt academics and scientists to cross the pond.
I think this is related to Europe as it may try to take advantage of the current situation in the US to its advantage. This one focuses on Germany.
You guys have remote work there, right? Which is perfect for me!
Send me the creds and . . . (hacker voice:) I'm in.
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As a masters candidate I am actively looking for options in Europe in the finance field, and Germany would be my prefered country to live in. But it's hard for them to compete with ETH Zurich and Ecole Polytechnique which both have better prestige, student reviews and are close by, not even mentioning Imperial and Oxford which are great too. I was looking into TU Munich and got scared by all the negativity from students in the Reddit sub
If you have the credentials to go for the prestigious Unis and other Unis don't stick out in your specific field for particular excellence, i would not recommend going to Germany. German Universities are good overall. They provide access to higher education to a relatively large group of people. In some fields certain Unis are absolutely excellent and thus have a great reputation in that field. But the Unis are not "household names" by themselves.
If you want to go into a direction that values prestige, go for that. If you want to make use of particular excellence in your particular field, you can find something in Germany. If you want to go for living in Germany or for enjoying student life in Germany, then i strongly advise against that.
Germany is becoming increasingly racist and reactionary. The federal parliament passed a non binding but kind of binding resolution that researchers should be surveilled by the interior intelligence and get their funding revoked if they are not "without a doubt not antisemitic", aka if they have said anything that was critical of Israel. Also questions of scientific discourse such as the definition of antisemitism should not be left to scientific discourse, but rather decided politically through legislation, like the resolution enforcing the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Note that this resolution had full support from the fascists of the AfD to the former progressive parties now center-right Green and Social Democrats. Only the Left party abstained from the vote and a fringe social-but-nationalist-pro Putin party opposed it.
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If you have the credentials to go for the prestigious Unis and other Unis don't stick out in your specific field for particular excellence, i would not recommend going to Germany. German Universities are good overall. They provide access to higher education to a relatively large group of people. In some fields certain Unis are absolutely excellent and thus have a great reputation in that field. But the Unis are not "household names" by themselves.
If you want to go into a direction that values prestige, go for that. If you want to make use of particular excellence in your particular field, you can find something in Germany. If you want to go for living in Germany or for enjoying student life in Germany, then i strongly advise against that.
Germany is becoming increasingly racist and reactionary. The federal parliament passed a non binding but kind of binding resolution that researchers should be surveilled by the interior intelligence and get their funding revoked if they are not "without a doubt not antisemitic", aka if they have said anything that was critical of Israel. Also questions of scientific discourse such as the definition of antisemitism should not be left to scientific discourse, but rather decided politically through legislation, like the resolution enforcing the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Note that this resolution had full support from the fascists of the AfD to the former progressive parties now center-right Green and Social Democrats. Only the Left party abstained from the vote and a fringe social-but-nationalist-pro Putin party opposed it.
I appreciate your input, but honestly, coming from Brazil, even with those cons I can't help but wish those were my problems...
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Trump has slashed education funding, meaning many US universities are facing hiring freezes and budget constraints. Economist Monika Schnitzer speaks to DW's Marie Sina about the opportunities for German universities and research institutions to tempt academics and scientists to cross the pond.
I think this is related to Europe as it may try to take advantage of the current situation in the US to its advantage. This one focuses on Germany.
Operation reverse Papierclip
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I appreciate your input, but honestly, coming from Brazil, even with those cons I can't help but wish those were my problems...
If you look Latino, people will probably think you are Turkish or Arab and treat you like that. While racist violence is on the rise it is still less prevalent than the general violence in Brazil, but the trend is not going well. If you can, go to some other EU country where this is less of a problem.
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You guys have remote work there, right? Which is perfect for me!
Send me the creds and . . . (hacker voice:) I'm in.
I think Germany is probably one of the least open countries to remote work. As a reminder, they still use fax for communication with government bodies. Friends of mine have had interviews for job in Germany that were considered "remote" but it turned out they were actually office jobs. They do not see that as lying because you can commute from far away - in the train system that is always late.
Remote work is probably more accepted in countries with good, fast internet and progressive values like Denmark, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Traditionalist countries like Germany are probably a little too stuck in their ways.
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Trump has slashed education funding, meaning many US universities are facing hiring freezes and budget constraints. Economist Monika Schnitzer speaks to DW's Marie Sina about the opportunities for German universities and research institutions to tempt academics and scientists to cross the pond.
I think this is related to Europe as it may try to take advantage of the current situation in the US to its advantage. This one focuses on Germany.
In my view not speaking English is the biggest disadvantage of many European countries:
People from other countries will have a substantially easier way of integrating into society in the UK, Canada etc. because there they won't have to choose between having to learn a new language or have difficulties finding jobs and navigating everyday life (like joining a sports club etc. ). Here in Germany the trend goes definitely towards more English speaking companies, projects and hobby groups but obviously English speaking countries will always have a substantial lead in that. Honestly if I thought about emigrating, my first thoughts would also be about some English speaking countries.
So you will get by in Germany with English but it's highly desirable to learn German in the long run (which isn't only negative as learning other languages is good for ones brain, widens the horizon and is kinda cool).That being said (take it with a grain of salt as I might be biased) the European Union and Germany still are good options because of
- the amazing travel opportunities (Italian beaches, hiking in the Alps, millennia old cities like Rome, Paris and Prague etc.) just around the corner
- attractive citizenship path (in Germany maximum five years)
- relative democratic stability (in Germany: the AfD "only" has 20% voters with the remaining 80% strongly against cooperation and in big cities where most foreigners live it's substantially lower - moving into another European country is in the worst case also with hurdles)
- solid economy (in the past two years stagnating but for example the new infrastructure bill will change that probably)
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On a more meta level non-English speaking countries might also have a disadvantage due to not even being considered in the first place because they are less prominent in the English speaking media.
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If you look Latino, people will probably think you are Turkish or Arab and treat you like that. While racist violence is on the rise it is still less prevalent than the general violence in Brazil, but the trend is not going well. If you can, go to some other EU country where this is less of a problem.
Fair enough. I was considering France and England, too. What are your thoughts on those?
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In my view not speaking English is the biggest disadvantage of many European countries:
People from other countries will have a substantially easier way of integrating into society in the UK, Canada etc. because there they won't have to choose between having to learn a new language or have difficulties finding jobs and navigating everyday life (like joining a sports club etc. ). Here in Germany the trend goes definitely towards more English speaking companies, projects and hobby groups but obviously English speaking countries will always have a substantial lead in that. Honestly if I thought about emigrating, my first thoughts would also be about some English speaking countries.
So you will get by in Germany with English but it's highly desirable to learn German in the long run (which isn't only negative as learning other languages is good for ones brain, widens the horizon and is kinda cool).That being said (take it with a grain of salt as I might be biased) the European Union and Germany still are good options because of
- the amazing travel opportunities (Italian beaches, hiking in the Alps, millennia old cities like Rome, Paris and Prague etc.) just around the corner
- attractive citizenship path (in Germany maximum five years)
- relative democratic stability (in Germany: the AfD "only" has 20% voters with the remaining 80% strongly against cooperation and in big cities where most foreigners live it's substantially lower - moving into another European country is in the worst case also with hurdles)
- solid economy (in the past two years stagnating but for example the new infrastructure bill will change that probably)
- ...
On a more meta level non-English speaking countries might also have a disadvantage due to not even being considered in the first place because they are less prominent in the English speaking media.
The germany subreddit was brutal and said unless you live in Berlin or work for an english speaking company you will have a bad time. Perhaps it has changed more in the last years and it might be easier to get in settled without german. Its famously a tough language to learn. It is also not a 'digital' country which may put people off.
Have they changen from 8 years to 5 for all? And do they still require non-EU people to give up their other citizenship if they want German citizenships?
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Fair enough. I was considering France and England, too. What are your thoughts on those?
For France racist violence against Arabs is quite high from what i know, but given the proximity to Spain i would assume that they are a bit more able to tell apart Iberians and Latinos from Arabs. However French cops are notorious for beating up racialized people as a weekend sport.
The UK seems to be more diverse and have long established immigrant communities, mainly from the former British colonies. From what i understood both in terms of safety nets and in terms of social acceptance of people "looking brown" the UK is somewhat ahead relative to many mainland EU countries.
I have only briefly spent time in France however and i have yet to visit the UK, so these can only be a idea of what to look for. On another note. You should also consider the weather, especially sunshine in winter. In Germany Berlin is notorious for having an almost uninterrupted cloud-cover during November and December and many people with a healthier skin color suffer strongly from seasonal depression.
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The germany subreddit was brutal and said unless you live in Berlin or work for an english speaking company you will have a bad time. Perhaps it has changed more in the last years and it might be easier to get in settled without german. Its famously a tough language to learn. It is also not a 'digital' country which may put people off.
Have they changen from 8 years to 5 for all? And do they still require non-EU people to give up their other citizenship if they want German citizenships?
Berlin has an IT english speaking expat bubble. However when you look at the share of Americans in Germany on a county or city level, Berlin has a lot, but it certainly is not alone. Military bases are also a thing, but pretty much only in the south.
Have they changen from 8 years to 5 for all? And do they still require non-EU people to give up their other citizenship if they want German citizenships?
Yes it was changed relativly recently.
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In my opinion it should be doable with some effort to have the bureaucratic processes in English and not only German, similar to how the Netherlands does it. Same thing about the work requirements. Newcomers should be able to work in English for the first 5 to 10 years until they are integrated into the society.
For lecturers I think it is common to have some condition like "must learn the language in X years of employment". Then in germany I know the uni sometimes provide a reference copy in english of all the hiring documents, like contracts. That is, an english translation that is not legally binding, but still a proper traslation. I did not see the same in france nor italy.
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Berlin has an IT english speaking expat bubble. However when you look at the share of Americans in Germany on a county or city level, Berlin has a lot, but it certainly is not alone. Military bases are also a thing, but pretty much only in the south.
Have they changen from 8 years to 5 for all? And do they still require non-EU people to give up their other citizenship if they want German citizenships?
Yes it was changed relativly recently.
The 8 to 5 years is a good change.
Giving up your other citizenship (if you're not an EU/EEA country) is a really tough decision to take.
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The 8 to 5 years is a good change.
Giving up your other citizenship (if you're not an EU/EEA country) is a really tough decision to take.
Why is it a tough decision? European passports are very "strong". They let you travel most of the world with little to no restrictions.
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Trump has slashed education funding, meaning many US universities are facing hiring freezes and budget constraints. Economist Monika Schnitzer speaks to DW's Marie Sina about the opportunities for German universities and research institutions to tempt academics and scientists to cross the pond.
I think this is related to Europe as it may try to take advantage of the current situation in the US to its advantage. This one focuses on Germany.
Biggest issue is that german academia is a big clown show even for german natives. There are too few permanent jobs, everything is payed badly and people are already fighting over each position. There is no way that germany can absorb a huge amount of US researchers without increasing spending for universities. Which we won't do.
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Why is it a tough decision? European passports are very "strong". They let you travel most of the world with little to no restrictions.
Travel, but not settle or work. For Americans going back to the US for better salaries is quite realistic. For poorer countries retiring in your country of origin is very attractive.
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Is that a legitimate question?
You are being asked to give up your nationality which until that point has been your identity and how you interact with the world.
One of the first questions you get asked is "where are you from", and if you can't pass for looking and sounding like a German native then the next question is "where are you really from?".
It sounds quite arrogant and insincere of you to say and hope that this is not a common thought.
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Is that a legitimate question?
You are being asked to give up your nationality which until that point has been your identity and how you interact with the world.
One of the first questions you get asked is "where are you from", and if you can't pass for looking and sounding like a German native then the next question is "where are you really from?".
It sounds quite arrogant and insincere of you to say and hope that this is not a common thought.
Is that a serious response?
You're assuming everybody thinks the same way as you do and can't imagine diverse thought. It sounds like you're quite arrogant, stuck in your ways, and easily offended by a harmless question and taking it as a personal attack.
Maybe you should take a second to consider that not the entire world has given in to US propaganda on identity politics and that people can be any nationality regardless of what they look. It shows your true colours.
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If you can attract researchers by doing absolutely nothing, someone else fucked up.
The US is at war with education and academia in general, anywhere that isn't is gonna be attractive to researchers.
I almost expect USA refugees in Canada. Certainly, non-WASP, non-cis people could claim being in danger at home.What's WASP
