Being unemployed in Berlin isn’t what it used to be.

These days, it means drowning in Erdnuss flips on your couch, humming words you thought only your friends from home ragged on about–words about fear of “rent” or “bills” or, like, when the fuck you’re going to become anything at all.

You need a job. And you’re willing to fight for it to stay in the city we all love, rather than duck off to whichever Melbour-lando-pest hellhole you crawled out of. And if you can’t find a “cutting-edge content writing gig” or that super-hip graphic design position at a startup, there might be an answer.

A career change. 

Yes, guys. A career change. Meaning–you’ll actually be qualified for a job companies NEED, one that PAYS you more than whatever ten-euro-an-hour bullshit quasi-art job you nabbed when you first got here.

And this career change only takes 12 weeks’ training and guarantees you a job.

We discovered a training course that has teamed up with the Agentur für Arbeit to get you work-ready. And it won’t involve packing bags at Edeka.

It’s 6-10 months of flexible training in a high-demand, cutting-edge tech specialisation with a guaranteed industry job afterwards. Just for scope, 6-10 months is about the same time it takes a person to chew through some high-quality leather bindings. No time at all. And you could get paid to do it.

That’s right — if you’re registered with the job centre, they could pay for you to do a course that’ll lead to a genuine job and new career. Seems ridiculous, no?

The company is CareerFoundry and they offer courses in skills Berlin employers need badly: UX Design, UI Design and Web Development. The stuff job pages are flooded with.

You don’t have to do it on your own.

On signing up, you get assigned a team of real people. No AI with a low IQ driving you nuts with random notifications and progress checks.

Your team consists of a mentor — a Senior UX/UI Designer or Developer with at least five years’ experience, a tutor to help with your day-to-day tasks, a student advisor, and a career coach. And, because this is becoming a bit of a thing in Berlin, there’s a growing community of designers and developers in Berlin who support and encourage one another.

These mentor-led courses get you right up to speed with exactly what’ll get you a job in the tech industry. Implementing the Design Thinking process? Designing apps? Fine tuning websites? You’ll be able to do exactly what the nerdy guy in your old office seemed to do with ease.

You won’t lose your unemployment benefits, and they’ll even pay for the course.

If you’re currently registered with the Agentur für Arbeit, they will pay your way to your new career. All you need to do is choose your course and follow the ‘How to Apply’ instructions:

Become a UX Designer – there are currently 11,000 open positions in Germany with starting salaries ranging from €30,000 to €50,000.

Become a UI Designer – there are currently 11,000 open positions in Germany with starting salaries ranging from €30,000 to €50,000.

Become a Web Developer – there are currently 55,000 open positions in Germany with starting salaries ranging from from €35,000 to €60,000

The ‘Bildungsgutschein’ (training voucher) mentioned on their site is what you’ll receive from the Arbeitsamt. It entitles you to join a CareerFoundry course for free. And you will still receive your unemployment benefits.

What if I already have a job?

A job in Berlin? Are you a unicorn?

Don’t worry. You’re allowed a career change, just as much as the next person yearning to yank himself up by his or her proverbial bootstraps and demand a better life. Take a class as a private student alongside your current job. And if you do, CareerFoundry puts their money where their mouth is: if you don’t get a job within six months of graduating, you get a full refund.

Courses cost around 5500EUR with the prospect of paying monthly, and Berlin Loves You readers also get 5% off the course price. Just follow this link to a new career in tech, courtesy of Berlin Loves You.

The courses, which can be done from the comfort of your bedroom desk, come complete with all the support you need to pass, build an impressive portfolio and join Berlin’s ever-burgeoning tech bubble. The classes fit around your schedule, so you won’t have to miss out on that all-important Tuesday afternoon darts tournament down your local eck-kneipe or the opening of that feminist, pro-Israel döner laden.

Why are we supporting CareerFoundry?

To put it simply, we think these guys are offering something great to the good, poor but sexy, people of Berlin. Far too many of us find ourselves adrift in Berlin without any idea of what we’re doing with our lives. And the tech scene seems to run away from the skills we learned at uni.

Many of us struggle with the language barrier but are desperate to keep our careers afloat in a city that all too often doesn’t care. No one wants to leave this paradise, but sometimes we’re forced to for work reasons. When we heard about a company offering courses and guaranteed job offers, we thought we had to tell you.

Free Bildungsgutschein courses:
Become a UX Designer
Become a UI Designer
Become a Web Developer

Save 5% off all paid-for courses:
Click this link to find your course.

More info:
A layman’s guide to the difference between UX and UI design.
What is Design Thinking? Everything you need to know to get started.