The portrait of the month: we know that you like this serie a lot, based on reality and full of life. Meet professionals from all horizons, working in different professions and with various backgrounds and join us every first Wednesday of the month for a new portrait.
Discover today our candidate of the month, and not just any candidate! We have decided to share with you the portrait of one of our lovely colleagues, Elisabeth, 28 years old, who has been working for Moovijob.com for 3 years now. She works as a Sourcing & Campus Officer in the Sourcing team. Let's meet a very special cross-border worker...
A Franco-German environment
Elisabeth grew up in France but her parents are German, so she quickly learned to speak French and German. A real asset when you live in the North East of France!
During her higher education studies, the young woman was confident about her choices: "I have always felt more comfortable in a Franco-German environment. That's why I chose to do the Abibac in Sarreguemines (This is the contraction of Abitur and baccalauréat. The two diplomas can be obtained simultaneously in some high schools following the agreement signed between Germany and France on May 31, 1994) and then I did my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in intercultural communication in Saarbrücken.
As far as her internships and student jobs are concerned, Elisabeth has always wanted to work in a multilingual environment. She first did an internship at the cultural center of the Heidelberg House in Montpellier and then at Verycook in Lyon. Her very first student job was at the Franco-German bank SaarLB in Saarbrücken. Thanks to these numerous experiences, she also perfected her English.
For her first job, the young woman was eager to continue working in a multicultural and multilingual environment.
Do you know what ideal country combined all these characteristics? Luxembourg!
Elisabeth's role at Moovijob.com
In 2018, freshly graduated, Elisabeth is looking for her first job. It is thanks to a direct approach on social networks, that she found the position of Sourcing & Campus Officer at Moovijob.com.
She told us a little more about her daily missions:
"I am in charge of managing job ads and identifying candidates for our jobboard as well as for our recruitment events."
Languages are at the heart of her job. "Contact with schools and universities in Germany plays an important role in my job, especially for our Unicareers event, a career fair for students and young graduates. Translations are also part of my job, especially from French into German.
"In addition, I participate in various fairs to help job seekers from the Greater Region to find a job in Luxembourg" she concludes.
Living in Germany and working in Luxembourg
Although she chose to work in Luxembourg, she lives on the other side of the border, in Trier to be precise:
"Luxembourg offers the advantage of a linguistic and cultural diversity that you cannot find in any other country. Being able to switch from one language to another and being in contact with different cultures on a daily basis attracts many profiles."
Therefore, the young woman has found a perfect balance by living in Germany's oldest city, close to her family and working in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The duel: Luxembourg VS Germany
There are many reasons why it is advantageous to live in Germany and work in Luxembourg.
Salary point: "As of January 1st, 2021, the salary is €12.72 gross per hour for unskilled employees and €15.27 gross per hour for skilled employees, for a 40-hour week. In Germany, the minimum wage is €9.60 gross per hour. In addition, with lower taxes and social security contributions in Luxembourg than in Germany, net wages are higher in the Grand Duchy."
The cost of living, which is lower in Germany than in Luxembourg, is therefore more advantageous if you receive a net salary after tax in Luxembourg.
Wage update: "As of January 1, 2021, the wage is €12.72 gross per hour for unqualified employees and €15.27 gross per hour for qualified employees, for a 40-hour week. In Germany, the minimum wage is €9.60 gross per hour. In addition, with lower taxes and social security contributions in Luxembourg than in Germany, net wages are higher in the Grand Duchy."
The cost of living, which is lower in Germany than Luxembourg, is therefore more advantageous if you receive a net salary after tax in Luxembourg.
Paid vacations: "The minimum number of paid vacations is higher in Luxembourg than in Germany: 20 days of paid vacations per year for a 5-day work week in Germany compared to 26 days minimum in Luxembourg.
Rents: Elisabeth chose to live in a shared apartment in Trier "Rents are much lower in Trier and Saarbrücken than in Luxembourg. It is therefore more profitable to live in Germany and to travel across the border every day.
Moreover, since March 1, 2020, public transport in Luxembourg is free of charge and therefore the transport costs are very low. From Trier to Luxembourg the ticket costs only 5€ round trip, the monthly subscription is 40€ with the bus or the train."
The cost of living: The price index for consumer goods and services in the European Union Member States in 2019 is 132% in Luxembourg compared to 107.3% in Germany (Source: statista.com).
Her main sources of motivation
If Elisabeth feels so good at Moovijob.com, it's largely thanks to her wonderful colleagues who work with her ( did you doubt it?).
Whether in the professional or private sphere, what she enjoys most is "being in contact with people from different cultures every day and learning from others" but most of all, "being able to see the results of my work at our events and then getting feedback from clients and candidates (especially when they enjoyed our fairs or parties!)"
Plug&Work Paris event on May 21, 2019
The biggest prejudice about Luxembourg in Germany?
According to the young Trevoise, "many Germans think that French is the official language of Luxembourg, whereas the country has 3 official languages and German is one of them. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, French is not always required in everyday life or to find a job."
Any advice for German speakers who are hesitating to come and work in Luxembourg?
First of all, Elisabeth would like to reassure those who are still hesitating: "Don't be discouraged by the round trips from the border areas to Luxembourg and take the train. Fast (you avoid traffic jams!), convenient, less expensive, it proves to be an excellent means of transportation, especially if you want to relax and finish your Netflix series 😉
Like Elisabeth, follow your desires and land your dream job in Luxembourg!
