Go Germany! In Germany, you keep your private and professional life more separate

Career Center
Le 8 novembre 2024

Audencia's Career Center and Alumni teams are delighted to to bring you “Go Germany!”, the guide to working in Germany.

This guide holds special significance as we celebrate the remarkable career of one of our esteemed professors, Uwe Supper, German Professor at Audencia and the Careers Adviser for Germany. Throughout his tenure, Uwe has adeptly crafted valuable connections between Audencia and Germany.

Building on the positive outcomes of our previous guides, including Go France and Go Netherlands, it is now time for Germany to take center stage as a
welcoming destination for our diverse community of students and alumni. As the economic powerhouse of Europe, known for placing a strong emphasis on
efficiency, environmental awareness and a good work-life balance, Germany stands out as a compelling choice for all those in pursuit of an international
career, and we are excited to help you discover the opportunities it offers.

“Go Germany!” is a valuable resource for students and recent graduates wishing to head to Germany after their studies at Audencia.

This week, discover what Mathilde Burggraf from France has to say.

About Mathilde:

GRADUATED FROM THE MASTER IN MANAGEMENT (GRANDE ECOLE) PROGRAMME IN 2015
FROM FRANCE
CURRENT POSITION: PROJECT MANAGERCONSULTANT AT VIF STRATEGIE IN COLOGNE
NATIVE LANGUAGE: FRENCH
DAILY WORKING LANGUAGES: GERMAN AND FRENCH
OTHER LANGUAGES SPOKEN: ENGLISH
GERMAN LEVEL: BEGINNER
BEEN LIVING IN GERMANY FOR: 10 YEARS

Mathilde's key message: “In Germany, you keep your private and professional life more separate"

My biggest challenge
Rules are rules, so you must abide by them even if this sometimes makes less sense.

Myths and realities
MYTH: French people often tend to see Germans as very conservative and no fun.
REALITY: Forward planning is key, leaving less room for improvisation. Free time is more important for the German employees.

My advice & top tips
Come prepared and having a basic knowledge of German helps. Berlin is not the only option, all other big cities in Germany are cool.

Quirky & cultural
My job is to accompany French companies in developing and establishing themselves in Germany. Always very funny to see how French people are “afraid” of Germany. Germans have a more consensus-driven approach unlike France, where people are more individualistic and do things their own way, caring less if someone else stands to suffer from this.

And finally...
On first impressions, Germany may not seem all that appealing but many people end up extending their stay. So, there must be good reasons for this.