23.10.2024 Ifenna Ekezie 6041

Go Germany: Advice for expats

"Go Germany" is a pme offer for companies that supports expats and foreign employees by providing targeted consulting services to help them gain a foothold in Germany. 

Globalization, demographic changes and the rapid pace of change in the markets make it attractive for many companies, but also necessary, to acquire skilled workers from abroad. This is because they bring with them sought-after skills and valuable impetus for companies. 

Integrating international talent into the German labor market and social environment can be a demanding process for everyone involved - and poses challenges for HR managers, executives and expats.  

The challenge of expats and foreign employees in Germany 

Moving to a new, usually foreign country, combined with a new working environment, is challenging in many ways. In addition to language barriers, there are cultural differences, unfamiliar work structures and the often lonely everyday life due to a lack of a social network.  

According to the latest Expat Insider Study from 2023 by the expat network InterNations, expats find it particularly difficult to gain a foothold in Germany. In addition to the language barrier, the lack of digitalization, rigid bureaucracy and tense housing situation are the main causes of great frustration.

Germany ranks 50th in the "Ease of Settling Index" and therefore scores particularly poorly. 30% of the expats surveyed describe the German population as unfriendly towards foreign citizens, 55% find it difficult to make friends and 32% have no social network. Germany ranks 15th in the "Working Abroad Index" and the labor market and job security are among the best in the world, according to the respondents. Overall, 64% of expats in Germany are satisfied with their lives, compared to 72% worldwide. 

If expats do not receive sufficient orientation in the first few months and feel poorly integrated - at work, but above all in their social environment - there is a very high chance that they will leave the company again more quickly. 

This makes it all the more important to consider the integration of international employees into the social environment as well as everyday issues and to provide them with support services so that they feel at home in Germany outside of the work context.  

What services does "Go Germany" include?

As a leading provider of work-life balance solutions, pme Familienservice has more than 20 years of experience in psychosocial counseling and supporting employees in various life situations.  

"Go Germany", a special advisory service tailored to the specific needs of expats and foreign employees , has been compiled from the comprehensive advisory services offered by pme Familienservice .

Individual advice for expats and foreign employees

As part of the "Go Germany" product range, foreign team members receive individual advice and support to help them find their feet and settle in well in Germany.  

In the course of this, they receive helpful information on relevant organizational topics, such as

In addition, trained specialist advisors from pme Familienservice are on hand to provide advice and coaching for all life situations. This includes 

Service expansion of "Go Germany" in 2025

There will be special advisory and coaching services for expats and foreign managers to make it easier for them to arrive in Germany: 

For HR departments and managers, there will be targeted support services to ease the burden of the onboarding process for foreign employees, for example in the form of administrative support, intercultural training, mediation services and workshops to promote team dynamics.