All construction managers on Berlin building sites will unanimously deny any illegal workers because of the huge fine imposed on them if 'black laborers' are caught on their site.
It is best to travel to your destination by bus – fortunately, buses now run to Germany from almost all major cities in Ukraine. Less comfortable than by train, but much faster and cheaper, and most importantly, safer. The 'Kyiv – Berlin' train is delayed in Warsaw for a couple of hours for some reason. Not at the station, but in some siding, which allows some irresponsible citizens to walk through the cars begging for foreign currency, waving something that looks like a weapon.
FINDING HOUSING
First of all, immediately upon arrival in the German capital, you must quickly find the nearest metro station (fortunately, it is only two blocks from the Central Bus Station) and buy the weekly newspaper 'Russian Berlin' there. Later you can read it in full, but first you need to quickly find rental housing ads and manage to call them all before dark. Remember that buses usually arrive in Berlin in the evening, and spending the night at the station is not customary for Germans. If you fail to rent housing that same day, you can spend a couple of nights in one of the shelters (a pleasure costing 10 marks), whose addresses and phone numbers are also in the newspaper. By the way, you will have to buy a phone card or exchange your paper money for coins for a payphone, and for that you will already need knowledge of basic German phrases, although English will do. And in general, for successful job hunting and for life itself, knowledge of at least the simplest forms of communication in German is essential. Believe me, knowledge of the language plays a huge, if not decisive, role. Therefore, before leaving, it is advisable to diligently study a German phrasebook or recall your long-forgotten school curriculum.
But let's return to housing. In principle, you can rent an apartment. But it's difficult. And if during the validity of your visa it won't be particularly hard, after it expires this issue will cause you a lot of problems. The fact is that you will have to look not just for an apartment, but for neighbors who would be loyal to you as a Russian – because many Germans cannot let go of the idea of their 'divine' origin and consider all 'non-Germans' as second-class people. Do not forget that the very first day of overstaying your visa automatically puts you in the category of criminals, and good relations with neighbors will come in handy! After all, just one phone call from neighbors dissatisfied with you to the police is enough, and within half an hour you will be provided with a completely different accommodation – with bars on the windows.
'Safe' apartments are a huge value, and they are usually passed down from one illegal to another. And if you accidentally stumble upon one of these apartments, consider yourself very lucky. And it's very easy to determine the degree of 'safety' of an apartment – if the landlord asks you not to speak Russian in the stairwell, not to bring guests, and not to open the door to anyone, or the illegal tenant living there flinches at every strange sound and speaks in a low tone – the apartment is 'dangerous'. Renting such an apartment is doubly foolish – besides the danger of meeting the police, you could lose from 500 to 700 marks as a result of this meeting in the form of a month's rent paid in advance. These are the minimum prices in 'Russian' districts of East Berlin – for example, Marzahn, Hohen-Scon-Hausen, Ahrensfelde. And it would be very disappointing if by that time you haven't earned a penny. And that, unfortunately, is quite possible.
There is another option for renting housing: you can try to rent a small room in the suburbs of Berlin for 300-400 marks in the private sector. The most suitable areas for this are Hellers-Dorf, Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten, Neuenhagen. But you can do this only after you have settled in a bit, after a month or two. And even then, only through acquaintances – Germans you manage to meet during work and job hunting. By the way, in the private sector, if you're lucky, you might even find decent work, but more on that later. The only drawback of such housing is its distance from the city center, and it will take you about two hours or more to get to work – say, in the Warshcauer Strasse area.
Another rather important requirement for an apartment is that it must belong to a German! Under no circumstances to a Russian (even with a German passport). Russians (by 'Russians' we mean all people from the CIS countries) have a unique ability – to take money for housing and then demand the apartment be vacated a day later, being absolutely sure that the tenant won't run to the police – after all, the visa is already expired... Of course, not all of our former compatriots are so unreliable, but believe me – with Germans there are far fewer problems. Their mentality probably doesn't allow them to pull such tricks.
There is also the practice of renting an apartment jointly – three or four people – which will be cheaper. But this option is only suitable for those who are not traveling alone for work.
FINDING WORK
There are countless options for finding work, and almost each one is original. Let's focus on three, the most well-known and simple ones.
The first is that you start walking around all the large and small construction sites you come across and, seeing a tower or bridge crane in the distance, head there. With a 'poker face' and a slight sadness in your gaze, ask the first worker you see if there is work for you at that site. If you get silence in response – don't despair, but rather try asking the same person in Russian. In one out of ten cases (which is the percentage of illegal workers on Berlin construction sites, according to police data), you might get a reply in Russian. That's just great – you'll have no trouble getting maximum information about that construction site, and besides, you'll almost always gain a new acquaintance, which could come in handy in the future. By the way, acquaintances among illegal workers are highly valued – it's economically beneficial, first and foremost – because you'll always be up to date on rates for work and housing, as well as the availability of these jobs and housing.
If you get a reply in Polish or Yugoslav – that's also not a problem. They understand the word 'work' as well as Russian swear words – so you'll communicate without much trouble, even if you have to use gestures actively. Important note: try to choose a dirtier worker for this conversation – almost certainly it will be a Slavic brother. It's for such dirty and hard work that our people are hired there.
But if you get a reply in German, after exchanging a couple of phrases and realizing that there's 'nothing for you here', go off in search of that same dirty little man, while listening to the workers' conversations – you might just hear your native language. And another thing: don't try to talk to Germans who look like bosses (as a rule, they are) without a visa in your passport. This threatens you with deportation (at least) or a large fine (certainly not in hryvnias) for seeking work without the proper documents (at most).
A few words about clothing. It shouldn't stand out. Jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers are much better for this outing than a tracksuit decorated like the national flag of Ukraine. And it's not about the author's lack of patriotism, but about basic camouflage. The more inconspicuous you look, the less chance you have of being thrown off the construction site as an outsider. No one wants to be responsible for your injuries, so at the entrance to such sites there are signs with the painfully familiar text 'No unauthorized entry!' – albeit in German.
The second method of finding work is no less effective, but requires a good knowledge of German. It's also 'free hunting', but not on large construction sites, but in the private sector. Actually, in Germany, almost any construction site is private, but in this case, we mean the construction sector covering only small (by German standards) private houses – mainly in the suburbs or in areas somewhat removed from the city center. Here everything is a bit more complicated.
First, finding such a construction site is much harder because large multi-story construction sites in Berlin are slightly less common than bus stops, while in the private sector they are slightly more common than S-Bahn (commuter train) stops. And second, if you do meet a Russian here, you won't have a conversation – he simply won't want to lose his place because of you. You'll have to communicate directly with the homeowner, and that's not always safe – the possible outcome of such a conversation is described above. But if you do manage to find work 'at home', consider yourself incredibly lucky – here the workload is lighter than on large construction sites, and sometimes they feed you lunch (very generously), and if you've developed friendly relations with the homeowner, free beer during the workday is guaranteed. Well, if the homeowner is female, then it all depends on you – it's not impossible that after some time you yourself, as the owner (the wife's husband), will be hiring your fellow countrymen. As they say: 'To each his own.'
And the third method of searching is the newspaper, more precisely – your ad seeking work. However, for this you need a phone. Preferably a mobile one. Unlike in Ukraine, in Germany there are no problems with this – a handset with a card for 20-200 minutes of talk time (depending on the time of day) costs from 90 marks. Later, you'll only need to top up your phone number by buying another card costing 25-50 marks. You don't pay a pfennig for incoming calls. Besides the phone, you'll naturally need to pay for the ad in the newspaper (in 'Russian Berlin' it's about 50 marks), but you can also use a free ad coupon.
There is one 'but' in this search option: through this newspaper, only a Russian-speaking employer will find you, and that risks non-payment of wages (this happens not infrequently). And if you're lucky and get a job with a 'new Russian' who decided to renovate an apartment of 200-300 square meters for his daughter studying somewhere at Humboldt University, then know that this is a 'Klondike'. But such lucky ones are few...
However, it should be noted that all the methods described above do not yield instant results – you could spend weeks or even a month searching for work. Meanwhile, you'll be spending your money on food, housing, and transport. The latter must be strictly observed – and then you are one hundred percent protected from document checks, which by that time may already be invalid. By the way, a travel pass for all types of transport (except taxis, of course) will cost you almost half as much as single tickets, namely 100 German marks.
WORK
Work on Berlin construction sites is usually seasonal. This season lasts from March to early December. Additionally, before New Year, raids on construction sites become more frequent – the local police also have the notorious 'plan' to combat illegal immigrants, and where there is a plan, there is always a rush at the end of the quarter.
On average, Germans and 'Yugoslavs' pay illegal workers 8-12 marks per hour. There are rare cases of payment at 17-20 marks, but that's for top-class specialists, and it may take a whole year and truly 'golden' hands to establish yourself in such a capacity. At the same time, there is always the danger of someone with higher qualifications appearing on 'your' construction site, agreeing to lower pay. It probably goes without saying that in this case you automatically lose your place – nothing can be done, such are the laws of the 'decaying' capitalist world. This stimulates the desire for constant self-improvement.
First of all, you must be ready to 'work hard' for 10-14 hours a day, sometimes more. Additionally, you must maintain a semblance of a smile on your face the whole time; otherwise, the employer will choose a more 'satisfied' worker for your place, and there are plenty of such candidates – a dime a dozen. There's plenty to choose from, believe me! Plus, you must be able to adapt to working conditions (or rather, the lack thereof), such as: shower after work, smoke breaks (which are generally forbidden for Russians – only on the go!), and similar 'pleasant' little things.
In fairness, it should be noted that such oppression is less common when working in the private sector. And you must also be prepared that you might not be paid for a whole month of hard labor, and there's nothing you can do about it – you'll just wave goodbye to your money... Yugoslav foremen are especially prone to this form of payment, so you need to negotiate weekly payment with them. If a 'Yug' insists on monthly payment – be sure – he will 'cheat' you.
All construction managers will unanimously deny any illegal workers because of the huge fine imposed on them if 'black laborers' are caught on their site (something around 100,000 marks). In the private sector, the police also do not welcome the involvement of illegal workers, but the fine there is smaller – about 40,000 marks. As for you, the punishment is even more symbolic: either prison or back home, but the latter is more likely. And they'll impose a 'trifling' fine – 1-2 thousand marks. In addition, you will be officially asked not to grace their country with your presence for the next few years. And if you still decide on a 'tourist trip', you will certainly be provided with a 'room' in a hotel with an inner courtyard for walking in circles...
And finally, a small but very important note: everything described above applies only to people with excellent health, because getting sick in Germany is strictly forbidden! And this prohibition is explained quite trivially – by the prices of medical services. For example, a microscopic filling in a tooth will cost you 100 marks, and a complex one with nerve removal – up to 800 marks. And removing a small stone from the eye (a common injury on construction sites) with subsequent treatment procedures over 3-4 days will already cost 1,000 marks. And that's assuming you manage to find a doctor who agrees to treat you without medical insurance. You can, of course, use the services of the Red Cross, but in that case the risk of 'being exposed' is much greater than if you went with a German acquaintance (or a former Russian, which is even better) to his familiar doctor. So, good health to you!
AFTERWORD
Unfortunately, a newspaper article cannot contain a description of all the 'pitfalls' that the frail boat of illegal existence in Berlin will encounter. Such a description would take more than one page. But you have still gotten a basic idea of the hard fate of illegal immigrants. If, after reading this article, you still decide to try your luck, then you can safely have a monument erected to you while you're alive or, at the very least, be awarded the Order of Courage. For, as the saying goes: 'If God wants to punish a person, He makes him an illegal immigrant.'
FROM THE EDITORS: The author did not at all try to create a 'guide to action'. Far from it. This article is rather an anti-advertisement for this kind of labor activity, with elements of help for those who, given the current situation on the labor market in our country, have no other choice. However, one should not forget the greatest saying of all times and peoples: 'The grass is always greener on the other side'...
Andrey Yevdokimov.
Specially for 'Zagranitsa'.