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German posties take dog defence classes

A group of German posties began dog defence classes this week, as part of a post office initiative to make delivering letters less stressful and reduce the injuries caused each year by territorial terriers and aggressive Alsatians.

Published: 26 June 2012 14:53 CEST

German posties take dog defence classes

Photo: DPA

Keep movements slow and do not shout were the top tips on Monday, when around 30 Deutsche Post employees from the north eastern state of Brandenburg began a course to help them when they find an angry canine between them and a letter box.

The benefits for the Deutsche Post are, it hopes, to cut down on the amount of sick days its employees are taking each year. Of the 1,800 incidents of posties being hurt by dogs, 500 of these cases required at least three days off work.

“The main problem with delivering the post is that the person delivering it is entering a dog’s territory, and is going to have to keep doing so,” said trainer Jörg Ulbricht.

Ulbricht explained that if a dog thinks they have successfully chased a person away, the animal will be just as confident when they come back.

He advises people to keep their hands still and in the case of attack to try to avoid any sudden movements.

“I have been bitten twice,” said Sabine Tiefenbeck who was on the course. “And such dread stays with you. It takes a while until you can be at ease again.”

The training is particularly valuable for posties who working in rural areas, where more people keep dogs, said Deutsche Post spokesman Rolf Schulz.

“In cities dogs tend to be kept in individual flats, nowhere near the post boxes,” he added.

There have been courses running up and down the country for some years, in an attempt to reach each one of the 86,000 people who bring Germany its post each day.

DPA/The Local/jcw

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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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