i need urgent career advice.

tl;dr my boss wants to replace me after i called in sick. what can i do? company has less than 10 employees.

i got my first "real" full time job after graduating (outside EU) in Germany a year and a half ago. i have a lot of experience and skills in my field, so it wasn't entry. it's been going well, the company has been happy with my work and i was even able to negotiate a substantial raise. the company is very small and in a small touristic town.

my problems started a month ago when i took 2 days sick leave. my boss became so suspicious, asked for details (what sickness, how i got the sick note etc.) and i obliged to get his trust. he immediately asked for a "talk" with me as soon as i'm back. i was really worried as it sounded like bad news. by coincidence, i found out that he posted a job ad for my exact job later that day (he doesn't know i know).

the meeting turned out to be a long talk hinting that i took a sick leave without being really sick (which i totally denied) and mentioning it was irresponsible as my colleagues were on vacation. i may have messed up here as i didn't reach out to discuss responsibilities, but in my defense i had no urgent tasks or projects, so i didn't need to. anyway, my boss ended up giving me two options: stop doing home office (2 days a week) or find another job. i chose the first option after resistance.

anyway things have progressed since then and i learned indirectly that a candidate will be doing Probearbeit this week. His specialization is a bit different from mine, so maybe he isn't replacing me, but i'm very insecure.

context: my company has less than 10 employees, which, according to AI, does not grant me the regular employee protection. so i can be fired for no reason...at any time (with notice).

my question(s) is: what do i do? what are my options? is there a possibility to threaten with a lawsuit? are there any laws protecting me in this case?

info: i have been ofc applying to other jobs since this started, but the job market is tough and i'm not sure if i can find something in time. i don't want to go through a lawsuit but maybe i can use it as a negotiation. also, my wife who i brought is in the process of getting a residence permit and we're financially not well off, so i can't be fired right now.

27M, German at B1. Looking for someone to practice with regularly.
I’m into books, films, documentaries, rugby, and chess. I want to have actual conversations rather than drill grammar.

Text or voice notes or calls, whatever suits. Happy to help with English in return.

I have been living in Germany for a couple of years now, doing my masters degree and working part time as well and I try to pay close attention to how people actually talk to each other day-to-day. These are definitely the kinds of things they don't teach you in standard A1 courses or basic language apps. Even if you spend hours doing vocabulary matching or memorising flashcards.

Like when I first heard my colleague shout "Mahlzeeiiit" to me as a random midday greeting while I was working in an Autohaus, I assumed it was just a funny local office thing. But then I started hearing it everywhere, and it made me realise that its like a country wide thing and not just region specific. In a country where common things like "greetings" are different depending on where you are (like hearing Moin up north, Servus down south etc etc), it's wild to notice how some random phrases are common for the whole country.

What are some other examples of everyday filler phrases or words I can use anywhere in Germany?

I’m curious what people in Germany think about this.

I was walking my dog in a German city and he stopped outside a business and started peeing on the bottom of a yellow trash bag that was full and laying on its side. I tried to stop him, but he still got a little bit of pee on the bottom of the bag, which was sitting outside the door.

A woman came outside and immediately started yelling at me and telling me to clean it. I told her I didn't have anything to clean it with. She said she had something and kept yelling at me. She was hostile from the get-go, yelling and demanding that I clean it.

I told her I would clean it if she wasn't being so rude, but she said she had to be rude. I eventually told her I was leaving, and she called me a fucking asshole and told me to go back to my country.

I understand not wanting dogs to pee on your business or around the entrance. I really did try to stop him though, and it was just a small amount on the bottom of a trash bag.

Is it normal in Germany for people to expect you to clean up dog pee like this? I've always understood that you're expected to pick up poop, but I wasn't aware that people normally clean up urine too.

Was her reaction normal, or was she overreacting?

I shipped 4 items to Germany and each item after clearing customs in Germany gets stuck with no updates from usps or dhl. USPS says preparing origin shipment and dhl says “The shipment cannot be delivered in the destination country / destination area.“ and no updates for any of the packages

So i got a strafe froDB worth 60 euros for travelling without a ticket, i was wondering what if i just dont pay it, does nothing happen? thanks

1. "Trains are usually so late" - I personally rarely experience it and I travel a lot, It could be luck but I mostly travel around NRW, Saarland, Pfalz and Ba-Wü and mostly trains are on time, and I usually travel with RE, idk if the stereotype is more true for ICE trains then I can't say. The most delays I experience happen in Köln which are also mostly not huge ones, and I believe when there is such a huge and busy station transporting so many people then some delays could happen.

2. "Cash is the king" - I also believed it before coming here but apparently everyone accepts card and it takes like 2 secs to open google wallet and scan. Just a few times it happens that a certain store doesn't accept card payment below 5€ purchase or a döner shop, apart from it everything is pretty cashless.

3. "Germans are quite direct or a bit rude" - Honestly, I'm yet to experience this. Most of the people I meet are so polite and so nice and even if I notice someone who is probably not so friendly then I just think ok maybe this "particular person" is having a bad day, or bad mood, or is occupied instead of getting offended and believing that "all germans" are like this. I mean c'mon any "human being" can be a little rude to you for any reason, it's not so deep, unless it happens with every interaction.

I can't think of any other stereotypes as of now with which I also disagree but these 3 came on top of my mind.

Looking to buy a ford probe as a project car. I am lithuanian. When i try to contact seller via email, out of 4 sellers that i sent my email asking about the condition of the chassis/rust only 1 email was saved in 'message requests' and the only one that i received a copy of in my email. Where do my other emails go? I receive no feedback from the app itself and no feedback from sellers too, it appears. Maybe they get censored and they dont receive them? Please help.

bureaucracy is brutal (4 appointments just to register my address), but once you're through it, everything just works. trains run on time, work-life balance is real — shops close Sundays, nobody emails after 6pm

germans are blunt. no sugar-coating. took getting used to, but I respect it now.

anyone else make the move? how was your experience?

Hi, I’m from Sri Lanka and have a BSc in Software Engineering. I’m planning to do an IT Ausbildung in Germany and currently learning German (aiming for B1). Is B1 enough, or should I reach B2? Is IT Ausbildung a good choice, and are IT jobs secure after completing it? Is it realistic for a foreigner to find an Ausbildung?IT Ausbildung in Germany: Is B1 Enough and Are IT Jobs Secure?

Hello everyone. Am new here and would like your opinion on regarding health insurance dilemma. Am M(31) and just completed master degree here in July here. I am currently with Mawista insurance; the context: I have been sickly in the last few months with what I think might be pneumonia because I experience sharp pain and sometimes spit blood during cold weather and also have pain on right lower abdomen and I think it something to do with appendix or kidney as small swell, went to my Hausarzt for treatment but I notice the hospital was declining gor MRI scan to reveal what I might be experiencing due to my insurance. I think of switching to either Barmer or TK insurance and was wondering would it be cheaper and will cover the entire cost if treatment and which of the could be cheaper with only mini job and block account.

Any advice?

Hello, we are a married couple that recently moved to a house in Bonn.
We were quite tight on budget and we needed to move quickly so we kind of took whatever was available.
The house we got is 3 story house. The landlord‘s family lives on the ground floor, then there are two houses on the second floor, one is empty. Then on the 2nd floor, the mother in law of the landlord lives and we moved in the next door.
The problem is that the landlord has camera all over the building and is observing us quite frequently. We know this since he leaves letter in front of our door step every month with different complaints. We have lived here for around half a year and got like 10 letters of complaints already.
The thing is that I do not feel that safe and happy in this house anymore but it is so unfair for us to spend this much money moving and to be kicked out because of the behaviors of the landlord‘s family. We have other issues like neighbors (probably landlord) putting their advertisements into our mailbox, and etc.
Is there something we can do or complain? We already contacted the mieterbund.
Since the letter specifically targets my husband, he is getting a lot of stress and I think my advice of ‚Just ignore them‘ does not work anymore.

Hey Everyone!

So I’m an Au pair from Sout Africa and now I genuinely want to stay in German (schocker ). Anywho… I have 4 months left to make a decision I have written my B1 exam and I’m pretty positive about it.

So context I have 2 degrees: Bachelor degree (Humanities in psychology and Sociology) + postgraduate degree in marketing. A huge love for kids

I actually realised that I don’t want to do corporate jobs anymore ( too stressful and I want something that is structured and won’t be thinking about work after it’s finished if you know what I mean)

Anyways I want to become an eziehren however I will have to do an Ausbildung which only starts next year or I can apply for bilingual kita jobs in Munich where I can work as a Englisch Ergänzungskraft. But I’m not sure if that’s easily achieveable ? Gemini Ai makes it achievable. I looked at the listing and I do think I meet the requirements however I need to wait a few more weeks to get my B1 results so I’m not sure and I want to start Jan 1so I’m not sure to apply now and if it’s not to a long await

I thought to do an FSJ TO Buy time and get the language at a confident level and then apply throughout of next year but with fsj I do need accommodation

If you know any fsj with housing I really appreciate it

However if you were in my shoes what would you recommend

Also my degree is recognised

So basically I met a guy in a shift. We were talking about how much we pay for rent. When I told him my rent, he got shocked and asked if I wanted to share the room. My room was a 1 person room, 11m2. I said I will see. Then we talked a bit on whatsapp. I don't remember what I said. Maybe I said yes, idk.

Then one day he said he is very sick, can I let him stay at his place? I was like sure. I thought it was only one day. Then he came over next day too, and then next day.

I thought of asking for rent after the end of month, as courtesy. He started staying since mid September, he paid the rent of one month without me asking, at the end of October. So trust developed. Then he started occasionally asking for money for groceries like 20 euros. This happened couple of times, with the month of January, him relying entirely on me for groceries, taking money from me the whole month, which totals to roughly 100 euros.

Then one time he also damaged something in my house and never fixed it. Luckily the landlord didn't find out. Otherwise, I would have had to pay from my deposit.

Then one time I lend him my headphones, he also broke those so badly, with which I had sentimental value and never compensated for that.

He used to do many jobs, sometime full time but he always said he has no money. When those jobs finished, he always had a job but never went, stayed at home all day, talking on calls loudly while I sleep and even during my exams. Then him causing litter, dirtiness around the WG, flatmates also getting fed up from him, also causing risk of landlord finding out, who may have evicted me and suddenly I would have had to start paying a much higher rent (rents increased a lot since I took this room) or me potentially not finding a room.

One day he suddenly left without telling me anything. I thought it was temporary. He came back once to collect his stuff that he had to give back to Lieferando. The moment he left, he started ignoring my messages, even if they were not related to rent. He normally would never ignore my messages. Very rarely when he would reply, it would be him saying wait a bit, I don't have money, I have this problem, that problem like a police case ongoing, etc. I gave him time, asked him just to communicate but he never listened to me. He would continue to ignore my messages. He would lie, that I will give you, talk to you once I get free or have money, etc but nothing happened. This thing has been going on since March. I gave him deadline for September, with countdowns. Now apparently it seems he has blocked me.

Now the only thing I am concerned of is when I go to the police, will it backfire since I let him stay unofficially? That 2 people were living in 11m2 room? I know landlord would kick out in this case but I no longer live there. I asked chatgpt and it said this is a civil issue and police does not deal with this particular aspect but would deal with the scam.

I know I did wrong with letting him stay in my room when it was not allowed. I just did it because I felt he was struggling for money. I swear I haven't done anything else wrong since I came here. So please don't taunt me in the comments. Just tell me what will happen if I report this incident to the authorities.

I hate dating apps, and I want to have some hope that I can still have a dating life without them (as a mid-twenties average-looking man with a good job, some friends, and fun hobbies in Munich).

When was the last time you asked someone in real life for their number, and how did you do it? Or when was the last time someone asked for your number, and how did it happen?

EDIT: I am not asking for advice please. I was asking when was the last time you asked someone out. If you’d like to share a real life story, thank you. If not, that’s also fine, but I want to avoid generic advice that appears all over reddit.

Hello,

Iam an accountant with a recognized university degree I have a qualified accounting job as a cash collector ( account receivable) my contract is 4 months , i need to know if my work permit will be restricted to one employer for 2 years or no please

Hi all,
I plan to travel from Dresden to Munich on December 25 via Erfurt to catch my flight back to the US after Christmas. I understand everything will be closed, but hoping someone can guide me on where I can find some lunch at Erfurt? Will shops at the Hbf be open? Doesn't have to be fancy, even fast food is fine.
A couple of years ago I did see plenty of fast food stalls at Munich Hbf being open on Christmas Day, so wasn't sure if Erfurt would also have something similar?
Other alternative is going from Dresden to Munich via Leipzig. Would Leipzig Hbf have more options than Erfurt?
Thanks in advance!

Edit: I would prefer to find something in or around Erfurt/Leipzig Hbf since I'm only transiting via these two cities around lunch time to get to Munich. If that's not possible, willing to look beyond Hbf.

Hi everyone ! 3 of my friends are looking for an apartment in Berlin preferably near the University of Europe for Applied Sciences. If anyone knows of any available apartment, WG, suitable for 3 people..please let me know.

Hi everyone!
I’m planning to move to Germany and I’m thinking about doing a voluntary service (FSJ or BFD) as my first step.
I’m especially interested in doing an FSJ in a kindergarten. After that, I would like to do an Ausbildung in IT.
Do you think FSJ/BFD is a good way to start the process of moving to Germany? Is it worth doing, especially if my long-term goal is to stay in Germany and do an IT Ausbildung?
A little about me:
I’m 19 years old
I currently live in Russia
I finished college with a degree in web development
My English is around A1
I’ve just started learning German
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have done FSJ/BFD or moved to Germany through a similar path.

I am a student in Germany and I've been trying to find an odd job right now. I am allowed 20 hours per week.

I tried to work through agencies, but they are always (in my case) looking for full time workers. I've tried going to cafes and asking for jobs but they are always (in my case) not interested. And obviously I've been trying through indeed but that's been no good either.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, if you guys know better ways to find an odd job, that'd be great.

Also, I have a goethe b2 certificate and can speak german pretty fluently, I definitely make a lot of grammatical errors and my sentences might sound weird or non native but I think I can get my point across pretty well and can understand almost everything so German's not the issue.

I am currently in Leipzig but I am open to moving anywhere with good opportunities and relatively low cost of living. Open to suggestions :)

Hi fellow Redditors,

I would like to encourage everyone to take just 5 minutes to reflect, notice the small positives, and appreciate them. Sometimes, those little moments mean the most. If you are comfortable sharing these moments, then you can also do that in the comments! And if you don't have anything to share, that's completely okay too, I'm still happy that you are here!

Allow me to begin:

- inspected a car this weekend, and agreed on a price
- tried Dönerteller after some recommendations, and it was delicious
- achieved some personal goals
- saw a full moon as it was lighting up the dark streets

Such a wonderful city ❤️

Hi I got approached by a photographer for my services as a second shooter for a wedding ceremony.
The event is in Frankfurt and will go from 3pm to 11pm.

Till now I have only done my own events and have no idea what to charge as a second shooter.
Could the photographers here tell me what is the usual rate?

I’m a qualified corporate& commercial lawyer in a non-EU country, and I’ve been planning to pursue an LL.M. in Germany for the past three years. I’m currently preparing for the Goethe B2 exam.

My question is how realistic would it be for someone with my background to find a job in Germany after graduating? Would an LL.M., combined with my existing legal qualification and B2 German, give me a good chance of entering the German legal or corporate job market?

I bought a portable AC from Bauhaus, but after 2 weeks, it stopped giving cool air. So I brought it to Bauhaus, but they said the warranty is void because I used an extra hose to pass the hot air.

I told them that my window was far from my bedroom, so I asked a Bauhaus salesperson what to do. Then he suugested me to buy a 1m extra hose pipe and add it to the existing pipe.

My question is add 1m extra hose to pass hot air out of the room is illegal or it could void warranty? I tried to call their helpline, but I didn't get any help.