But beside all that, everyone with a basic education in Germany does speak good English if needed.
If you want people to learn then offer a migration path in English and offer a state funded language course similar to Sweden’s SFI. Some Germans still really delude themselves into thinking they’re language is relevant outside of German speaking countries.
What I say is valid for all countries, i.e. if you move to France/Italy/Netherlands/Denmark you should learn French/Italian/Dutch/Danish.
Then you haven't met most expats in Germany, who, especially in the tech sectors in the big cities, can only manage to order a beer in German after 7 years. Which is understandable, even if you take courses, when your expat friend group is all in English and your workplaces is also all in English, there's not many opportunities for you to perfect.
Also, the necessity of learning a new foreign language and navigate a completely different bureaucratic labyrinth every time you move for work to a different EU country is what's holding the EU development back versus the US.
Imagine if someone from Ohio had to learn a new language when moving to California for a a job. As an European, I think EU countries should give up some slack on the national pride, and be more open to standardizing bureaucracy in English to gain a competitive edge on labor and capital mobility against the US, even though I know nationalistic countries like France and Austria would rather die on that hill than adopt a foreign language as an alternative to their own.
I said I speak German, not I started learning German. I don’t think C1 after 7 years while also working a full-time job and eventually starting a business is all that bad. This is the expected path for a skilled migrant to keep their visa status, there isn’t exactly the opportunity to do an immersion course. How many languages do you speak?
I didn’t anywhere allude to the importance of English in Germany outside of offering a path for immigrants since it’s somewhat of a modern lingua franca.
> What I say is valid for all countries, i.e. if you move to France/Italy/Netherlands/Denmark you should learn French/Italian/Dutch/Danish.
At least two of the countries you list offer immigration services in English. Again, no one is saying you shouldn’t learn the language.
Since it wants foreign workers because they can't afford their own kids.
Germany is not the only country on the brain drain market, and does not enjoy a domineering position either – thus, it should make some efforts if it wants to maintain its market share.
