The new discussion series involves international professionals providing insights into their professional and personal experiences. They recall what it’s like to establish themselves in Germany. They also give valuable tips and practical advice relating to personal integration.

The latest discussion involves Raúl Pantoja, a sommelier from Chile, talking about his journey from Santiago to Stuttgart. Raúl has managed to establish himself in the German wine industry and has shared his experiences as well as the challenges he faced. Participants had the opportunity to pose questions to him during the online event. They thus obtained valuable tips for their own job applications and regarding integration in Germany.

Raúl Pantojas path to Germany

Raúl Pantoja trained as a hotelier in Chile and subsequently extended his qualifications via professional development as a sommelier. Even during his training, he attended German language courses at the Goethe-Institut in Santiago de Chile and in 2017 he decided to visit Germany on a ‘work and travel’ visa to improve his language skills.

He used a private tutor to refresh his language skills before departing. ‘I thought that would mean I was well prepared. But once I was in Germany, I soon realised that it wasn’t enough. I found it difficult to communicate’, explains Raúl Pantoja during the online event.

Learning German as the key to integration in Germany

Learning German proved to be the greatest challenge for Raúl Pantoja. He therefore invested a lot of time in improving his German. Courses and books are not the best aids in his view, but rather practice. ‘I learned an incredible amount from my colleagues’, he says. He has now attained language level C1, but remains eager to learn. Even nowadays, he will ask colleagues to correct him or to critically review his emails before he sends them. ‘I’m always still learning something new every day.’

How Raúl Pantoja found his first job in Germany

Raúl Pantoja’s entry into the German working environment occurred by happy coincidence. Raúl initially returned to his homeland after his work and travel stay. Yet there were very few job opportunities available to him there, so he started looking for an opportunity to work in Germany. In a restaurant in Chile, he met a sommelier from France who helped him to make contact with a wine store in Stuttgart. Raúl Pantoja grasped this opportunity and changed his original plan of moving to Berlin. The reference meant that he was soon offered a job and the formalities were also smoothly completed. ‘It’s relatively easy to be granted a visa if an employer is interested in you’, he recalls. Raúl Pantoja had all the required paperwork ready within two months.

Why a good salary isn’t everything: Raúl’s experiences in Stuttgart

This job in the wine store proved to be a stroke of luck: it’s a family-run business with affable colleagues. ‘There’s a small bar connected to the wine store. When the store closed to the public, we’d often sit together in the bar, sample wine, chat and sometimes even go dancing.’ This meant that Raúl Pantoja quickly made new friendships in Stuttgart. He felt that some of these friends were like a family to him. The comparatively low salary and lack of additional benefits at the small family-run business seemed of little consequence.

Even finding accommodation, which had previously concerned him, turned out to be easier than expected. ‘I had initially checked into a hostel. Using a prepared slip of paper, I set out to find accommodation – and found an affordable room after just four days.’ He quickly felt at home in Stuttgart: ‘There’s lots of nature and it’s easy to get around’.

Being alone in a foreign city wasn’t easy at first though, Raúl Pantoja admits. He did however avoid contact with other Chileans. ‘I know people who’ve been living in Germany for 10 years and only move within their own bubble.’ This makes it impossible to integrate and you scarcely get to learn the language, feels Raúl Pantoja.

Career progression: new job in an online wine store in Bremen

Even though Raúl Pantoja feels very settled in Stuttgart, he has decided to take the plunge into a new career. He will soon be working as a buyer for a prestigious online wine store in Bremen. ‘I’ve always been looking for a job like this. But I’m also worried, because it means starting again from scratch.’ Finding accommodation in particular is this time proving to be difficult. It means that Raúl Pantoja will initially be taking a room rather than moving into an apartment.

This new job is however a career progression for Raúl Pantoja: in addition to a better salary, the new position offers numerous benefits including a job bike and a Germany-wide railway ticket. This will enable him to travel throughout Germany.

Raúl Pantoja’s tips for a successful start in Germany

In closing the event, the Chilean gave valuable tips to the participants. One participant asked him if he would do anything differently in retrospect. His answer: he felt he had been a bit hesitant at first and didn’t for instance have the courage to ask for a salary increase. ‘You should however have the courage to do that if you're good at your job.’ He went on to mention the aspect of language: ‘It would have been better to have learnt more German before leaving Chile.’ Because good language skills are a major prerequisite for finding your way in Germany, Raúl Pantoja believes.

Raúl Pantoja’s experiences indicate that flexibility and a continuous desire to learn are worthwhile. He feels that the positives outweigh the negatives after five years in Germany: ‘I actually see every day as a success.’