From Lebanon to Germany: Working as a tech expat in Munich
This was originally posted by my previous employer e-bot7.
Why did you want to move to Germany?
I have always wanted to move to Europe. It was kind of the go-to since there are plenty of opportunities and diverse culture that combines many countries. The idea became more serious when the political and financial situation in Lebanon drastically shifted, so, I started my research in the European job market. I thought it was going to be very difficult, especially with having to know the host country’s language to be able to get hired. Additionally, I was keeping in mind that the visa process is not easy and that I would need sponsorship from the prospective company.
As for choosing Germany, I know that it’s one of the best options for careers in the field of tech and engineering, and it was ideal for the long-term perspective.
How was it interviewing with e-bot7 and then moving to a country with an entirely different culture and language?
Once I applied as a Python Engineer and the interview process began shortly after. To be honest, I didn’t want to get my hopes up since I felt this was a big opportunity for me. Yet I was getting informed each step of the way that I was moving on to the next part of the application process. Then one day, I opened up my inbox and surprise! Max, the CTO of e-bot7, emailed me offering me a position! And that’s how the e-bot7 journey started for me.
How did you initially feel working at e-bot7 as an expat?
My first day at work was unforgettable! I remember opening my email for the first time, and from there, undergoing the onboarding process and attending meetings. Frankly, it turned out to be the most fun part. It was a very smooth onboarding process, filled with a lot of useful information on how the team works together and how the teams interact with each other. Within one week, I got my first real project to work on, and it was super exciting. By the end of the first month, I was really happy with everything at the company. For me, it was obvious that I was going to love it because I had all the chances to work in a team that functions like a family. So, I had no reason to complain. I was mainly doing software development during that period. At the same time, I was going through different trainings and onboarding sessions with the support of my colleagues and getting to know the platform more and more.
How has e-bot7 developed your professional career?
For me, there are two types of career development skills: soft skills and technical skills. With tech skills, we have access to many resources and various training that enhance our skills. We can communicate with our manager and the company will help us to develop these skills. We also have something called Free Friday, which is every 2 weeks, where we have a chance to work on our own personal project and get to explore new technologies to add value for ourselves and the company.
With soft skills, there are so many programs and meetings we have with e-bot7. Not only do we have many team events to bond us even more together, but we also have learning and development meetings. These bi-weekly meetings allow us to learn more about ourselves and each other. We also have demos of new features that each team partakes in, which definitely helps us with our communication and presentation skills.
Overall, I feel like I’m super lucky to be here working with e-bot7. It’s a great place to grow your skills on a professional level.
What do you like the most about working at e-bot7?
I cannot really pick up one thing because being at e-bot7 feels like an all-in-one package. In addition to all that I’ve mentioned above, we also have the Flexible7 program, which allows us to work from anywhere in Europe or our home country for up to 100 days per year!
There’s also the team spirit which feels more like family than colleagues. We tend to hang out together on weekends, as well as weekdays after working hours. And let’s not forget about lunchtime when the weather is sunny in Munich! We absolutely love sitting outside, enjoying the sun in the Hofgarten.
Do you have any suggestions or tips for tech people who want to relocate to Germany?
My advice can be summarised in the following phrase:
JUST DO IT.
Germany is a really great country to work in, especially if you’re working with companies such as e-bot7. You will not know how good it is unless you come along and join us.