Empowering Expats Success

Can you brief us about Zuhaus. How did it start? What’s the Idea behind it and what services do you offer?

The seeds of Zuhaus Deutschland were sown in 2021, when my children were preparing to move to Germany for their education. While looking for housing, they almost got scammed through one of the social media groups. A few months later, 30 minutes into a Deutsche Bahn ride from Frankfurt to Munich, I overheard a group of excited youngsters who seemed to have recently arrived in Germany, discussing various challenges they faced before and after they got here. It was a diverse group of students, who had recently come into work. Their conversations moved to housing scams and educational counsellors who charged hefty fees for information that I knew was freely available. An hour later, a young couple sitting nearby shared their story with us, of how they got scammed of their housing deposit even before they arrived in Germany.

I continued to explore these issues during subsequent trips to Germany through longitudinal research among the target groups which revealed many more insights about the challenges faced by expats in Germany. Before I knew, I was well entrenched into what seemed like a coming together of my experiences over the years, to build something impactful. A PhD in wellbeing studies, insights from my own expat years working with various nationalities and my experiences as a coach for expat children all came together to help sow the seeds for the ‘Germination’ of the Zuhaus Deutschland Ecosystem.

Zuhaus Deutschland is Germany’s first ML-based integrated expat ecosystem with cyber crime prevention. A collaboration between an international social-media community in Germany and an Indian solutions provider to create a first-of -its-kind expat ecosystem. Zuhaus Deutschland is large growing community of Germans and expats, that has over 25,000 members, from 115 countries and exists across 23 cities in Germany.

What sets Zuhaus apart from traditional educational counsellors and housing agents in terms of providing assistance to expats navigating life in Germany?

The industry catering to expats is largely fragmented with different service providers consisting of relocation agents, housing agents, housing platforms, immigration agents, education counsellors, insurance agents, financial companies and many more. This leaves expats running from pillar to post looking for the services they need like some inadequate, some overpriced and many in German.
 

At Zuhaus Deutschland, we help you cut through the noise and direct you to trusted information sources.

Can you elaborate on the specific features of Zuhaus that make it a secure and reliable platform for students and young professionals relocating to Germany?

So much time, effort and resources go into moving to a new country - physical relocation, issues of social and emotional acclimatisation, cultural shocks, language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles. Those who do manage to overcome the teething troubles, find themselves alone and lonely in a country where language poses a huge social and cultural barrier. Imagine this, with a very real and menacing housing scammers network in Germany that has financially and mentally impacted the search efforts of thousands of expats and you begin to get a picture of the complex maze staring at the young expat. This hinders performance at work or education and is detrimental to the purpose of both the individual and the country that wishes to open to and embrace youth migration.

This is where Zuhaus Deutschland steps in, for collaboration, support and search. Verification lies at the heart of both the community and web-platform providing a secure exchange environment for all.

With over 25,000 members spanning 23 cities in Germany, how does Zuhaus maintain a sense of community and ensure valuable connections among its diverse user base?

The Zuhaus Deutschland city networks across Germany are amazing, they provide a safe and collaborative environment for students and professionals to come together and look for housing and get real-time information on various issues.

An important aspect of the Zuhaus community is that the members do not just leave the group after they find a home or solve their issue, they stay back in the community and help others. Older members call out scammers and those who have attempted to scam them before. It is a close-knit community of professionals and students.

What are the key features of education in Germany and what sets it apart from other systems globally? Additionally, what factors should students consider when applying to educational institutions in Germany?

Germany provides high quality education and a wide range of professional programmes at very affordable costs and often free in the public universities. Both public and private universities offer excellent infrastructure, great education and a wide range of research programmes.

Application process, eligibility and language requirements are key to your planning process. It may involve applying to Uni through Uni-assist and APS for students from India, Vietnam and China. Additionally, you need to gauge if you can directly apply to UG courses post your current education. Else, you may need to apply to German universities after the first year at a college in your country or attend a Studienkolleg.
 

Mayank Badhwar

BW Reporters The reporter works as Senior Correspondent with BW Businessworld