How Le Wagon’s coding bootcamps help expats launch their tech careers in Germany

The German job market is one of the main reasons for expats to move and start their new lives in world-renowned cities like Berlin, Munich and Cologne.

However, finding a position with competitive salaries, a good work-life balance and job security is not always easy.

While some areas of the job market are oversaturated, the tech sector still offers countless opportunities for expats. German employers are desperately searching for professionals to support them as software engineers, web developers and data analysts.

Education requires time and language skills

There are numerous educational paths to start a career in tech, such as apprenticeships or a university degree in IT or data science. The problem for many expats, however, is the duration of those types of programmes. It takes apprentices and students approximately three to five years to complete their education and land their first jobs. 

Furthermore, in Germany, most of these programmes are only offered in German, alienating expats who haven’t had the chance to master the language yet. Le Wagon aims to solve these issues and help expats launch their careers – in just nine weeks. Here’s how the bootcamps prepare people from all kinds of different backgrounds for their first jobs in tech.

Le Wagon’s mission is to help you access new opportunities through tech training and a supportive learning community.

Tech is for everyone

Many people still have the notion that they’re not suited for a career in tech because they don’t know anything about code or data. But tech is for everyone who is interested and motivated to learn – it just takes the right environment and support.

Le Wagon offers on-site bootcamps for Web Development and Data Science on their three campuses in Berlin, Cologne and Munich. The duration of the courses varies between nine weeks for full-time students and 24 weeks for part-time students.

The main focus of the programmes is to teach participants all the practical skills they need to confidently launch their careers: either as software engineers or as frontend, backend or full stack developers after their Web Development bootcamp, or as data engineers, data analysts or product managers after the Data Science bootcamp. Prefer to be your own boss? More than 190 graduates even decided to found their own businesses.

Learning just the right skills

Studying web development or data science at university is a great way to become an expert in the field. However, due to the theory-oriented nature of university education, students do not necessarily learn all the practical skills it takes to get hired by companies right away.

Le Wagon’s bootcamps are designed to teach students everything they need to immediately start a job. In the mornings, students will take part in live sessions in which they learn about the theory of web development or data science. The afternoons are dedicated to peer-to-peer and one-to-one coaching sessions in which students will make their own projects come to life.

Community is key

The thing that often makes tech education hard is the lack of support. Once students fall behind and can’t find the right answers to their questions, they feel lost and drop out of their educational programmes. 

Le Wagon works with small batches of students and passionate teachers to make sure everybody is on board. Instead of tackling problems alone, students work in small groups and receive immediate answers to their questions from either the teachers or the teaching assistants. Using their life-long access to educational online content, students can also brush up on their knowledge long after they have completed the bootcamp.

Finding the right job doesn’t have to be hard

The job hunt in a foreign country can be daunting. Le Wagon offers career services to every alumnus to make sure they find the right workplace. From connecting students with over 950 partner companies to supporting the preparation for job interviews, the careers team is always there to help.

“It is stunning how much you learn in only nine weeks, not only web development but also how to challenge yourself and grow as a person!” - Carolina, now Backend Developer at N26

Le Wagon ranks as the best coding school in Europe on leading job platforms, was rated 4,98 / 5 by thousands of students and helps alumni to find their first jobs in three months on average. Why settle for less?