Khalid moved to Estonia in January 2018. Before that, he also managed to work in the area of IT in Berlin. As he wanted to move on again and experience something new, Khalid had to decide where to go next. It was important for Khalid to find a place where he could work on the basis of English and where the language barrier would not be an obstacle. His options included Sweden and Estonia. Then, he happened to read the job advertisement of Testlio and made up his mind – his next adventure was going to be in Estonia!
How was moving to Estonia for you and what´s different in Tallinn compared with Berlin?
Moving to Estonia went very fast – sorting out the documents took a day, whilst in Berlin, this had taken a week. Estonia’s biggest advantage is the way everything is based on IT, which makes taking care of administrative formalities extremely easy and fast. This was also the case when I was looking for a flat. I got the keys the same day I went to view it. I also like that everything is so close in Estonia. It only takes me 5 minutes to walk to work and another 5 minutes to walk to the gym from there. Time is important in a hard-working country like Estonia!
I have understood during my stay in Estonia that salaries in the area of IT are good. The salary level is the same as in Berlin, but for example worked 40 hours a week when living there whilst in Estonia, I work 35 hours with the same salary level. And also free public transport in Tallinn is something Berlin didn’t have. And renting a flat, it was cheaper than in Berlin. These things are very positive and living here is a good opportunity to save money, instead of just spending it.
What do you enjoy the most about living in Tallinn?
There are many things that I enjoy about living in Tallinn. I loved living in Berlin because of the atmosphere and I can say that Tallinn has a similar positive mentality. Estonians seemed rather introverted at first, but I changed my mind when I got to know them better. The people here are open-minded and very friendly!
What do you do in your free time?
There are so many things that i like to do during my free time. I go to the gym, play tennis, spend a lot of time with my friends and also getting familiar with the local nightlife. My work schedule gives me enough freedom to do the things I like. I often find myself programming at home to get better at my work and to develop further. I like the way people think here: “working hours are flexible, but it’s important for work to get done”. I find this attitude very reasonable and like to follow this way of thinking in my everyday life here in Tallinn. I´m looking forward to the time when I can travel around Estonia and get to know this country even better. I will certainly be able to do that, as I know that I want to stay in Estonia for at least another five years!
We are glad to have your here, Khalid! We wish you all the best in discovering and experiencing Estonia.
You can also watch a video with Khalid: