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MY GERMAN CAREER

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‘The predictability here can be comforting’

In this week's My German Career, US pastor Jeff Ingram, 54, talks about life in the church and the advantages as well as the downside of Germany's desire for order.

Published: 24 February 2014 09:00 CET
'The predictability here can be comforting'
Jeff with his wife Anne. Photo: Submitted

Where are you located and what do you do?

I live in Dresden with my wife, Anne. I am a church planting pastor with the German Association of Evangelical Free Churches (FeG). We have been invited by the FeG in Dresden to help them start daughter churches in the greater Dresden area.

What brought you to Germany and how long have you been here?

We moved to Kaiserslautern in 1999 in order to help some friends start the FeG there. In 2003 we took a team from Kaiserslautern and started the FeG Ramstein, about 20km. After a 15-month assignment in the USA, we moved to Dresden in December 2013.

How did you land your job and do you have tips for anyone seeking similar work?

After serving for three-and-a-half years as an assistant pastor in a big church in Pennsylvania, we applied to work overseas with TEAM, or The Evangelical Alliance Mission. We were accepted and we began to seek funding for our work in Europe. We are financed exclusively through donations from interested friends and churches, primarily in the USA.

Anyone interested in doing the work we do must have a close relationship with and abiding trust in God, a clear sense of purpose, good communication skills, a willingness to endure hardship as well as a deep love and compassion for people.

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Is it important for you to be able to speak German in your position?

Absolutely. I do a lot of public speaking in German so I have to speak German well. Consequently, I have worked very hard at it. If I could not speak German well, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to gain a hearing for our message of reconciliation.

What are the best and worst parts about working in Germany?

I appreciate the emphasis on order. Most things in Germany don’t just work – they work well. One can usually count on things functioning as they are supposed to. Most processes are well thought out and logical. There is a predictability here that can be comforting. There are not a lot of surprises once one gets accustomed to how things run here.

The flip side of the coin might be the worst part about working in Germany. The emphasis on order and predictability tends to stifle creativity and spontaneity. When we were preparing to hand the leadership of our church in Ramstein over to a young German pastor, our leaders told me: “We’ve really appreciated your willingness to try all sorts of crazy things. With you, we experienced the freedom to fail. We Germans have a difficult time trying new things because, for us, failure is not an option.”

Do you plan on staying?

Yes! Our work cannot be accomplished in a few short years. It takes time to build trust and, considering the spiritual nature of our work, trust is essential. We’re figuring we may finish out our career here in the Dresden area. 

SEE ALSO: 21 phrases to help you out in a German office

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

Published: 7 February 2024 10:54 CET
Updated: 10 February 2024 08:20 CET
Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions. 

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds. 

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local. 

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with. 

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