Seeking an Engineering Position in Germany
Seeking an Engineering Position in Germany My wife and I are wanting to move to Europe for a while, Germany in particular. She is looking to be an Au Paire and I am an engineer. Anybody on here know of any engineering openings that I could apply for and/or have any advice for an American trying to get a job in Germany? Thanks in advance!
Actually I do. I just graduated last summer myself. Where do you go to school? My biggest piece of advice would be to get an internship /co-op somewhere, no matter what it takes. This does 3 things:
1. Gets your foot in the door when you are really cheap labor and they don't expect you to know much, just to be willing to learn and have good work ethic. Also, when you graduate, you know as much as a lot of other full time engineers but cost less (this happened to me and they hired me on full time while doing lay-offs because they knew I was a good capable worker that didn't cost as much).
2. It lets you see what engineering is like before you are all through with school so you can confirm that it is or isn't what you really want to do before investing all of the time and money.
3. Allows you to graduate with real world experience that you can put on your resume showing how you already know how to apply what you have learned (I graduated with 3 patents, helped design and launch a handfull of vehicles for both foreign and domestic OEMs, had many roles included product engineer, quality engineer, launch coordinator, program management, tooling and manufacturing engineer, international work experience, pioneered a new manufacturing process, led cost savings initiatives...all kinds of things that helped me stand out above the average college student who had just graduated).
1. Gets your foot in the door when you are really cheap labor and they don't expect you to know much, just to be willing to learn and have good work ethic. Also, when you graduate, you know as much as a lot of other full time engineers but cost less (this happened to me and they hired me on full time while doing lay-offs because they knew I was a good capable worker that didn't cost as much).
2. It lets you see what engineering is like before you are all through with school so you can confirm that it is or isn't what you really want to do before investing all of the time and money.
3. Allows you to graduate with real world experience that you can put on your resume showing how you already know how to apply what you have learned (I graduated with 3 patents, helped design and launch a handfull of vehicles for both foreign and domestic OEMs, had many roles included product engineer, quality engineer, launch coordinator, program management, tooling and manufacturing engineer, international work experience, pioneered a new manufacturing process, led cost savings initiatives...all kinds of things that helped me stand out above the average college student who had just graduated).
Damn thats awesome you got all that experience! Im a sophmore at Purdue University-Calumet right now. I've been trying to get internships with a strictly Engineering company, but with the economy I'm not coming across a whole lot. I have an internship at a steel manufacturer, and they said they could call it an Engineering internship to put on my resume, but the only Engineering-type stuff I've done so far is time studies in the plant and like set up meetings and stuff. Just basic office work. I really really want to go into Automotive Engineering, but unless I go overseas to Honda or something I really have no chance with the bailout at all that. My dads friend was a high-end Engineer for Ford and just got laid off 2 weeks ago. I'm hoping the economy and everything will be better by the time I'm done but thats anyones game right now.
I manage the recruiting for Fluor Corporation and just wanted to through a caution flag to you taking an internship, and they calling it engineering. You will be asked about the internship during interviews and just make sure they don't put you in a role where you get tagged as another type of professional...I have seen it happen.
Ahh heres some good advice. Stay in school I can't finish school for the life of me not quite ready. I am 24 work for HP well a subsidiary of HP (EDS) as an IT Analyst yeah I make good money but not anywhere near as good as the money I would be making if I stayed in school for mech engineering. Life to me isn't about the money because it is a worthless object to be living for, get just enough for life and your hobby thats my life plan. Anyways good luck for both you guys hopefully you find a job in Germany and to the scholar good luck and have fun.
