How one couple got relocated to Germany at the same time with 42matches

Imagine this situation. You get a job offer and a relocation opportunity and your partner gets the same option in the same company. This really happened.

Andrei Sitsko and Lizaveta Nikolaevich are originally from Belarus, and were relocated at the same time to Check24 in Munich for positions of Senior Software Developer and Quality Assurance Specialist with the help of 42matches. 

Read the first hand experience on how the relocation process to Munich went, what they learned working in living in Germany and why the debate Augustiner or Radler matters.

Lizaveta and Andrei

What are your impressions of Germany?

Lizaveta: We definitely love nature, Munich is perfectly located, you can have a vacation during the weekend, you can go to nice places in Bavaria, or to Austria, have a really nice time every week.

Andrei: I really love Munich is designed in a way that public transportation is perfectly connected, you can easily get from one part of the city to the other. I like the bicycle network because it is super smooth. There is so much new stuff and people have a different lifestyle. But when you go to a different country the language can be an obstacle, for example when going to different institutions you need to know it, but you can also always ask colleagues to help you with translation. Of course, if you know the language there are different opportunities for you.

Everyone is also aware of the German bureaucracy, I got used to it but for the first time in my life I received a letter for one additional step I needed to do regards my paperwork. It is not bad, just different.

What was the biggest challenge with getting a job and relocating and how did 42matches help with the process?

Andrei: Our story is quite boring in that sense because everything went really smoothly. The team was always on the line and helped a lot in the whole process. 

Lizaveta: The story of how we got relocated together happened because of 42matches and everything went so smoothly.

Andrei: We were relocated the same day to the same department. It all started with me. I was not looking for a new position so actively. In 2020 I was just sending my CVs to companies, but I had the idea of relocating and living abroad. One day I also sent my CV to 42matches, we very quickly arranged an interview and in a matter of a week I got a position offered. It all went very smoothly. But I thought that it was possible to relocate with a partner visa, but 42matches told me it is not and we started to look for a solution and my partner got offered a position in the same company.

Lizaveta: It happened very quickly and we arranged the interview in 10 minutes. When Andrei told 42matches I am in Q&A, they said there’s an open position. I did three rounds of interviews and got an offer. It was all so quick and unexpected for me to get an offer from the same company as Andrei. Then we started to prepare everything regarding our visas. 42matches helped us to get through everything quickly, we got a visa in less than 1 month. And we got relocated at the same time.

Andrei: For me it all went very smoothy with visa because my University documents were already translated. Liza’s documents needed approval and that’s where 42matches jumped in and helped with the paperwork telling us what exactly we need to do.

What’s the most important thing you learned while living and working in Germany?

Andrei: I learned the importance of coming to work early. People here start work earlier and it is really nice when you start and finish earlier. In Belarus we usually started around 11:00 and you had to be in the office by 19:00. Here everything starts and ends earlier. Also, it’s so easy to travel around here, seeing all those pictures of mountains or landscapes is not abstract anymore.

Is there anything that you would recommend to your younger self in the start of the relocation process?

Lizaveta: I would recommend to my younger self to start learning German earlier. It is a completely new language to me, but I was ignoring it. Six or seven months in I said to myself I can’t be living in a country not knowing the language. So we started learning German. After a couple of months of struggling, we are now in a stage where we understand people and things go smoothly.

If you could be a superhero for a day, who would you be and why?

Andrei: I would like to be a superhero German guy who wakes up and 5:30, starts the work and 7:00 and ends up at 16:00.

Lizaveta: I really like the superhero that Andrei described, and would add that the person should be super calm and not under stress when some issues happen.

What’s a developer’s worst nightmare / horror story?

Lizaveta: For Q&A it’s when the release happens and at 6pm something goes wrong and you end work at 10pm.

Andrei: Friday 6pm issues is a classical thing. It’s the prime time for production issues.

What’s the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything?

Andrei: It’s a little trap, I need to say 42. But I would not disagree with the computer that calculated the answer for 7.5 million years.

Lizaveta: I was asking myself how to answer that question, Google said 42, so now I know the answer.

A sneak peek into Germany through LIZA’s AND ANDREI’S eyes:

The best selfie spot in Munich

Andrei: The best parts are outside of the center. Olympiapark is beautiful.
Lizaveta: Places close to the Austrian border are so nice, we can reach them by train.

The best German beer

Andrei: There is only one correct answer. It’s Augustiner Hell.
Lizaveta: I want to be a real local, but I prefer a Radler.

The best food in Munich 

Andrei: I really like Bavarian cuisine, it is the closest thing to Belarusian cuisine. And I like the Kartoffel and Schweinebraten.
Lizaveta: Kaiserschmarrn is the best thing in my opinion.

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