About

8 Comments

The galaxy’s most comprehensive and simple guide to moving to Germany.

Greetings fellow stranger !

A bit about Bastien, the author of this blog:

First and foremost: I was just like you once. A newcomer to Germany who knew what he wanted when coming here, but knew very little about coming his way.

Hello world. This is me.
Sometimes, I need to work from my kids’ bedroom.
Being a dad is my other full-time job.

My name is Bastien. I’m French, 32 years old, married to a wonderful Danish woman, with 3 kids born in Germany. We all live in Neukölln, Berlin.

I have been running this blog for soon 10 years now. Most of the time, it has been next to my day-time job as a product manager. The story is simple: I kept helping my new-found friends and colleagues to go through the same stuff as I did. I then decided to share my experience online to save time. I kept adding more articles, answering more comments. What started as an humble record of my struggles is now a resource used by thousands of people everyday.

This work is seen as a leading source of trustworthy material. Over the years, it has been featured on Bundesregierung.de, Expat.com, Deutschlandfunk, Süddeutsche Zeitung & more.

To you, I want to be this relative, friend or connection that has been through it before, happy to help the next generation of newcomers. You can read more about my mission & my pledge here.

What sets this blog apart:

  • Clear & comprehensive how-to guides written by somebody in the same mindset as yours. No loose ends or catch 22 issues.
  • Most of the time, guides are built upon thorough research and first-hand real-life experience. Bringing in the best of both worlds.
  • Frank, sincere & open information that doesn’t put monetization first (more about how I deal with this topic here). Be informed and take qualified decisions.
  • I personally answer any question posted in the comments section for further assistance, to the best of my ability.

Who is talking about SiB?

Over the years, SiB has attracted the attention of some other media publications, a little selection:

There are affiliate links in some articles of this blog. This means that that i might receive a bit of money if any transactions is made by you after you click. Those partnerships do not influence my opinions and are generally only listed aside of other more budget-friendly or free options. This means that i will not hide/omit information in order to lure you into a paid service for my own profit.

I have ran this blog for close to 5 years without making a dime on it, on my free time in the evening or in the weekends. Even today with a day job and 2 kids, i keep making and updating content as well as answering comments everyday. In other words, while making money with this platform may come with the temptation of only increasing profits, it also comes with additional motivation to keep returning, improving and working on it.

For example, in the soon 10 years running this blog, there are has been exactly 3 sponsored posts that all had genuinely unique and useful content for this audience. All other offers i have received (almost on a daily basis) were rejected as it lacked relevance and were not providing any added-value. In other words:

Monetization is no taboo but it’s not the end-goal either. It’s mostly about helping people, opening my perspectives, challenging myself, improve my network and learning. And well; if i don’t need to worry about my budget for summer holidays thanks to this blog, i will not complain.

Have a good read on Settle in Berlin !

Bastien
SiB’s editor

Notice: The information provided on this website is provided on an “as-is” basis without warranties of any kind either express or implied.  The author and his agents make no warranties or representations of any kind concerning any information contained in this website.  This website is provided only as general information.  The author expressly disclaims all liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based upon the information contained herein or with respect to any errors or omissions in such information.