Looking for a job in German

asepgarut60 wrote:

It's very difficult to get a job in my country by the age over 50 years, I want to change the living standard of my family and also to facilitate the desire of my son who aspires to continue his study at one of those Universities in German.

It's difficult for people in many countries to get a job over the age of 50!  If you don't speak German reasonably fluently, I'd say your chances are even worse.  Also, keep in mind that jobs must first go to German and EU citizens/residents first.

Romaniac

Hello Asep,

I am a Malaysian who has spent about 30 years in Europe and many years living and working in Germany. I came to Germany initially for private reasons but decided then to stay on. This meant that I had to achieve an acceptable level of proficiency in the German language before I seriously consider applying for a job in the country. This took me about 2 years. It is not impossible to have little German language to get a job but those jobs are likely to be poorly paid.
I am sharing this with you simply because I think one has to be realistic about one's chances to avoid disappointment. Apart from learning the language, think/get informed about issues like stay and work permits, financial maintenance bridging the time between your arrival and getting employment. The preparation before leaving your home country is not to be underestimated.

However, if you are open to trying your luck elsewhere, I can put you in touch with someone who works  in the Oil and Gas industry based on the east coast of Malaysia  (where Petronas has its refinery works). Just indicate if you are interested or not. Whatever you decide, all the best.
AntLy

Hello Friends (Antly & Romaniac)

Thanks for your advice and I really understand that it would be difficult for me if I can not speak the German language.

I've tried to apply for a job in almost all oil companies in my country including Petronas, but almost all of such companies are being implementing employees reduction program, other than that, the comparison between jobs vacancy and job seekers is very unbalanced here. That's why I want to try to find a job abroad, in line with the desire of my son where he wants to continue his study.

Previously, I have planned to come first to Germany, and about two years later my son will follow me, and I think that in German there are such as contract workers, so I don't have to be a citizen of German.

Antly, could you please inform me if you have someone who works in the Oil and Gas in Malaysia ?
However, I am very proud to have new friends just like you all.

Asep

Germany's oil and gas industry is small, since there are no local gas and very little oil wells.
All jobs must first go to available EU citizens, so you can only get such jobs that no European can do, but you can. Do you have such skills?
Furthermore, as was already pointed out above, you need to speak and understand German.
Altogether, I am afraid your chances are quite small. Sorry!

Selamat pagi Asep,
I need to locate this person in my archived contact list, so please give me a few days to send you the info. I will send this via the personal message route and not on this forum as personal details are involved.
AntLy

Selamat pagi juga Antly,

Thank you for your help, so I am looking for the next info dari anda, and also thanks to all friends for your suggestions you've given to me.

Asep

Like already mentioned by others above. Getting a job in Germany is difficult especially in such a field and if one doesn't already speak German. I don't think I can add more to that except to mention the age factor. In Germany the governmental unemployment agency (Arbeitsamt) has a special program for people over 50. This might sound good, like extra help for older workers. The reality is actually different.

I've spoken with someone who works for this program and they said it was set up because the chance of most people over 50 finding a new job is nearly zero! So they try their best, often to get the people to take a lower paying but possibly related job to at least get something. Of course there can be exceptions but in general the age factor alone stops many people that even live in Germany already. Rather than raising your standard of living by moving to Germany, the likelihood is that you will be lucky to find any job at all - none the less a professional one in your field.

Maybe you should Google about opportunities in other places. Norway and Great Britain are the major oil producers in Europe but even they are small in comparison to the Middle East, United States, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria. Germany is listed as just # 41 in the world in oil production.

@TominStuttgart... "The chance of most people over 50 getting a job is nearly zero".... Why do you think that is..?.(assuming we are talking about an EU citizen, they have German at B1/2 level and university degree/professional experience etc)

Kind regards
MGE

Why do people over 50 have (almost) no chance at a job? Good question. First of all it is not my personal opinion; it is what I've been told by someone who works for the employment office (Arbeitsamt). And the government is so convinced of it that they have a special program for people over 50. So I can’t question the fact, only speculate about the causes.

In the work force, they like people with some experience but not too much. Technology changes in all fields; faster in some, slower in others.  But in all fields it seems to change increasingly faster. It used to be that in handcrafts a person with the more experience would become a master of the trade. Now they fight to keep up to stay relevant. Back when carpenters, potters and basket makers were the technical craftsmen of society it was different. Now day’s electronics and computers rule and it’s hard to keep up. And it is harder for older people to change ways of doing things they have already learned. Younger people also have more energy, or assumed to, and have more productive years ahead of them. So a 30 year old with 10 years’ experience can be seen as a better person to invest in with continued training than a 50 year old since they’ll be around longer to produce for a company.

An older person is also more likely to drop dead of a heart attack or some other health issue. Another aspect is burnout. In many fields such as nursing or teaching, few people manage to work in the field until 65 or older. They simply burnout. This of course says there is something wrong with how the fields support the workers but it is apparently easier, or possibly cheaper, to keep getting new, motivated people and replace the older ones than restructure the system. As a professional performer, I also know that appearance is very important for entertainers and broadcasters among others. Even more so for women than men; a pretty face delivering the news is always going to have an edge over an older one. Just look at Hollywood. Many top actresses are considered too old for leading roles before they are out of their 30’s. If they stay around long enough they will occasionally get the role of somebody’s mother but the best roles are gone.

Are ther exceptions to every rule? Of course! But I doubt there are many reasons to debate the subject. And there are possible a handful of other factors I haven't thought of. But like I said, I am not the one to defend the argument because it is not matter of personal opinion, it's a matter of reality according to the employment office.