Aeronautical Engineering in Germany – Becoming an Aeronautical Engineer in Germany

Master Program related to research process The biggest piece of advice I can make as a ‘decipher what you want’ and/or ‘what you don’t want’. Because during the research process, you will come across a lot of information, a lot of possibilities, schools, departments, countries, possibilities, options, and maybe even things that seem like the opportunity of your life.. This bombardment of information will be the main reason for your future confusion.. At that very moment, your purpose, which you have determined beforehand, will be your reminder, your main guide and your guiding light..

Because, when you filter this pile of information that you will encounter in the first stages, through the filter of “what do I want / do not want” and look at the rest, you will realize that the possibilities are not that much of a sea.. In fact, when you filter these remaining ones through the ‘likelihood/realism’ filter, you will see that you have a maximum of 3 options.. Believe me, if there are more than 3 leftovers, you either have an excellent background or you are making a mistake somewhere.. The purpose of the ‘likelihood/reality’ filter is the financial dimension of the job, the adequacy of your grade point average, the language of instruction, your proficiency in that language or your propensity to learn the language, whether you have enough time for this or not, from the cold degree of the winters of that country to your sympathy for the people of your country.

Master’s School Selection in Germany

Master of Aeronautical Engineering in Germany

Let me concretize my explanation, which seems to be theoretical, by giving an example from myself. First of all, I eliminated all other engineering fields by saying “I am an aircraft engineer and I want to stay in this field”.. The language of instruction must be English.. The cost must also be below the limit I have set.. The school must be in a European country so that it is easy to commute to Turkey.. There should be a master’s program that can add more managerial qualifications to me rather than theory and deep engineering calculations… When we apply this and many other filters, the Master of Engineering in Aeronautical’ presented by Bremen University of Applied Science in Germany It will be seen that it is not a coincidence that I applied to the Management (MEAM) master’s program.. GPA, minimum work experience requirement, English language proficiency etc.. After the prerequisites were met, there was no obstacle for me to participate in the master’s program.

I tried to keep my master’s process recommendations above at a general level, with the thought that not only aircraft engineers but also undergraduate graduates from all departments will read this article.. Of course, there is much more to share about the Master of Engineering in Germany, especially about aeronautical engineering.

Aeronautical engineering in Germany – Learning process in German

First of all, I must say that it is not easy to learn. German is not a language. Be prepared for an intense process that requires serious and hard work. even 18. As the 19th century British scientist Richard Porson said, “Life is not long enough to learn German” :). Joking aside, it’s hard, but it’s definitely not impossible.

Although the master’s program I was accepted into was 100% English, I started learning German while I was still in Istanbul, thinking that it would be necessary for me to carry out my daily work in Germany.. Besides, I firmly believed in the idea of ​​”You are going to Germany permanently, Halil” and as you know, Airbus was the main target after all.. Knowing German would definitely help me during the job search and interviews.. I was aware of this. It was only 10 months before I came to Germany, but I had already registered for the weekend course at the Goethe Institut branch in Taksim..

The Process of Learning German

At this point, I have to mention the excellence of the quality of education at Goethe Institut. It is definitely not for advertising purposes, it is my intention to share my own experience.. At the Goethe Institut, besides language education, trainees are instilled in German culture.. Before you go, you are informed in many ways about life in Germany.. The good thing is that it is done in a way that is blended into the education very well without you being aware of it.. The contents of the coursebooks they use (special books prepared by the Goethe Institut team), the dialogues there, the impact on regional dialect/dialect differences in Germany, small theatrical plays in the classroom, etc.. they are literally preparing you for Germany. Whether it’s the audio recordings used in the listening classes and the content of the conversations in the videos and the topics covered there, it’s a true monument of professionalism.. So much so that when I came to Germany, I became one of the characters in those sound recordings and videos..

Our famous family in the English books we read in middle school Mr.. and Mrs. Brown and their cold talks, these books deal with real people and issues about life (How traumatized me at that time, 20 years later, he reminded himself of Mr.. & Mrs.. brown. This sincerity draws you in and you see that you are learning German.. I also participated in this adventure and I was learning German at full speed – even faster than I expected – under the leadership of experienced teachers within the Goethe Institut.. Of course, the fact that my girlfriend at that time was German made a great support for this process.. (Once again
I would like to express my gratitude to him here).

Tips for Learning German

Another piece of advice I can give about learning German is; Know the basics of German Learn A1 and A2 levels from a native German speaker who is equally fluent in Turkish. You can even use this advice when learning other foreign languages, not just German.. This situation developed completely by chance for me, but I saw great benefits.. Our teacher at Goethe was born in Germany but of Turkish origin.. By explaining some inexplicable grammatical rules in German, such as “look, like this rule in Turkish” or “we say that in Turkish…” during the lessons, he has a role in winning those rules in our heads by talking about the similar or completely opposite features of Turkish and German (I kiss their hands. Nursen teacher :)).

Whether you come to Germany to a language school, take lessons from a German teacher, come to Germany with a family exchange program, or practice with your German girlfriend , whether it’s your pen pal in Germany, it’s up to you. After you learn the basics of a foreign language, all that remains is to expand your vocabulary and gain the habit of speaking.

Master of Aeronautical Engineering & German Learning Processes in Germany

These basic rules are right in your head. when it takes place literally, after that, it’s entirely up to you.. It is up to you whether you come to Germany to a language school, take lessons from a German teacher, come to Germany with a family exchange program, practice with your German girlfriend, or have a pen pal in Germany.. After you learn the basics of a foreign language, all that remains is to expand your vocabulary and gain the habit of speaking.. Let me summarize as follows: I have not attended a German course other than the A1 and A2 courses in Istanbul and the intensive B1 course in Hamburg, which has B2, C1, C2.. All I’ve done since then has been to speak and practice German at every opportunity.. 1 year after I came, I could now speak German fluently. In fact, my normal and technical German vocabulary and grammar had reached the level to conduct job interviews in German.. The good thing is that this improvement happened spontaneously while I was doing my daily work without any extra effort.

When August 2012 came, I learned German for a total of 8 months, 4 months each for A1 and A2 courses (4 months since there are weekend courses, there are also courses that normally take shorter), and now I was able to establish intermediate level conversations.. When the 30
August Victory Day came, I was sitting on the Hamburg plane with a one-way flight ticket, with the letter of resignation already submitted and the German A2 certificate obtained.. I remember that day like it was yesterday, because unlike everyone else, I was experiencing a second Victory Day within myself.. By the way, I didn’t spell it wrong. My first flight was to Hamburg, not Bremen. Before starting the master program, I flew to Hamburg for a one-month intensive B1 German course.. As a student invitation of the Goethe Institut.

Goethe Institut Scholarship

After completing the A1 level while I learned German at Goethe Insitut in Istanbul, A1 German exam was held throughout Turkey. I took the exam and the result was announced.. Result 100 out of 100. I got full marks in reading, listening, writing and speaking.. I celebrated this success with a small-scale event in Taksim with my friends, but how could I have known that I would receive the main news that would require celebration later?.

About 3 weeks after the exam, I got a call from the Goethe Institut Munich, Germany. The person on the phone was telling me, “Mr. Halil Altun, you are the only person who got 100 out of 100 in this exam held throughout Turkey and “you have won a scholarship because of your success.”. And I was frozen. I could only say thank you. Until you listen to the details of the scholarship and say “Natürlich (Of course)” very loudly when asked if you accept it without thinking.. I was given two options. The first option is to continue the German A2 course, which will last for 4 months, free of charge in Istanbul.. The second option is a 1-month intensive language program in Germany.. They said, plus round-trip flight tickets, plus accommodation with a German family, and as if that’s not enough, we give you pocket money for a period of 1 month.

Goethe Institut Scholarship & Learning German

As you can imagine, we have never had any money. I immediately accepted the second option without having to think about it.. I had a lot of luck with history.. German language course in Hamburg during September followed by the master’s program starting in October. This is how my story of coming to Hamburg to language school before Bremen was shaped in this way.

The point I want to emphasize in the part about the scholarship gesture made by Goethe Institut is ‘the value given to success’.. Although success is a small success. A humbly good result from the A1 exam, which is the most basic exam.. I did my duty as a student at that time.. I took the exam and got a successful result. But afterwards, this gesture made by the Goethe Institut left a great impression on me.. I was literally living the saying, ‘Successful people are valued in Europe’, which I once heard orally and then personally experienced. I was seeing the opposite of existing proverbs and sayings like ‘They stone the fruit tree’. Far from being an obstacle, on the contrary, different opportunities were offered to encourage and motivate. During the 8 years I spent in Germany, this situation has never changed during my education life, in my social life and in my business life.. It has increased exponentially with different stories, new heroes and new examples.

Finding a house in Germany

While I go to language school in Hamburg for a month, I am also looking for a house in Bremen on the internet.. While I was in Istanbul, I tried to find a house in Bremen, but in the second stage, the question “When can you come to see the house” was always coming.. And when the other party heard “3 months later” as an answer, it was negative.. In other words, if the university does not arrange accommodation or you do not have acquaintances in the place you are going to, unfortunately, the process of looking for a house is a process that is unlikely to be carried out remotely.

I used the wg-gesucht.de website in the process of finding a house ( WG- Wohngemeinschaft meaning Common living space). This site allows you to find a flatmate and/or a short, long term, furnished or unfurnished house.. As far as I know, the most widely used site on this subject in Germany. As Bremen is a student city, I came across a lot of options and finally I found a lovely home for the first trimester.. In total, I stayed in Bremen for 2 years.. During this time, I changed 5 different houses, each time keeping furnished houses for a short time.. Students staying at home were renting out their houses for a short time as furnished so that the house would not be empty during the holidays, or because they went to internships in different cities or for other reasons.. This was exactly what I was looking for for me, who came to Germany with only a suitcase and a backpack.. During my 2 years of study and roommate, I met excellent people.. Since my roommates are German, I had the chance to improve my German as much.

Working Student-Werkstudent in Germany as a student

Up to 1 month after the start of the master program Then I saw that I can waste at least 2-3 days a week.. I decided to use this time by working and started to look for a job online.. Airbus has a large campus in Bremen with around 9000 employees. Of course, I knew this situation when I was in Istanbul and during the research process of the master’s program.. Here is another example of the subject of ‘determine well what you want/don’t want’ that I mentioned above..

I looked for part-time student (Working Student – ​​Werkstudent) positions at Airbus and started sending my applications. After receiving feedback from several positions, I was accepted into the job in my first interview.. Everything was developing very fast and it was 3 months before I came to Germany.. I was now officially an employee of Airbus, albeit part-time.. With the happiness and pride of slowly progressing towards my goals, I spent 2 years as a student and working at Airbus
in Bremen.

Advice for Future Masters in Germany

Friends who come/will come to Germany for master’s education should know that Germany is an excellent country that allows students to work.. Lots of opportunities are offered so you can work while you’re a student. Apart from small jobs where you can work up to a maximum of €450 you can see on the internet, if you are hired as a qualified Working Student (Werkstudent), you can earn more than €1000 net per month.. In addition to this, it also provides extra convenience to students with flexible working hours (Flextime), especially in large companies.. Let’s say you have a contract of 15 hours per week.. That means 3 hours of work per day.. Instead of coming to work for 3 hours every day, you can complete your weekly shift by working 7.5 hours a day, two days a week, in order to be able to work more efficiently by using the Flextime application.. You decide which 2 days of the week you will come and go.. Of course, this situation and details must be discussed with your manager, approved and implemented within the framework of a plan.. That was the first nice detail about the Flextime app..

The second nice detail is your freedom to completely waste your next week by coming 7.5 hours a day, 4 days a week, instead of working 2 days a week x 7.5 hours a day.. For example, you have the freedom to come to work a lot during the week when there is a holiday during the school term and to use those extra hours whenever you want the next week or at a later date.. Now on to the third and my favorite detail.. Again, starting from the example above, let’s say you worked 10 hours a day, not 2 days a week x 7.5 hours a day (which is the maximum daily working time in Germany of 10 hours). This is the extra 2.5 hours you have done, that is, overtime is accumulated in your Flextime account.. The great thing is that you can take paid leave by using the extra hours you have saved.

I explained the situation a bit complicated, maybe even like a math problem, but I wanted to convey this perfect working system to you clearly by underlining the details.. If they ask what is your favorite, most indispensable thing about working in Germany, it’s definitely called Flextime.

Aeronautical engineering in Germany – What does an aeronautical engineer do in Germany?

As a matter of fact, being an engineer in Germany without narrowing the field by saying “aircraft engineer” means that you are one step ahead in finding a job.. Since I studied aviation and later worked in the field of aviation and the main goal is to be permanent in Airbus, I made all my job applications focused on Airbus without any surprises.. However, since Airbus decided to reduce its recruitment at that time, I had to apply to other companies and parallel engineering departments that interested me, albeit unwillingly.. In this process, I used career sites such as monster.de, stepstone, linkedin, which are frequently used to look for a job in Germany.. Another issue I need to share here is that head hunters in Germany use these sites very actively.. They’re seriously headhunting.. By the way, this information is not only my own observation, but I have also heard from other job seekers in this direction..

When the time came, I also interviewed 3 different companies a week.. However, as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, the most critical basic point in the job search and finding process is the “area of ​​expertise”.. Of course, I can only say this in engineering fields.. In other words, as someone who has worked as an engineer in both Turkey and Germany, I must clearly state that job postings are “…engineers specialized in the field are sought”, rather than “machine engineer wanted”.

Last Word / Closing

In summary, the situation is as follows. I gained the qualification of an aircraft engineer in the field of aviation, which I set as my goal, and gained work experience for a certain period of time.. Then I completed my master’s degree abroad due to the limited possibilities I can do in Turkey, and then I started to work at AIRBUS, the aviation giant that leads the sector.. I was not from a wealthy family or acquaintance with anyone in high positions.. I set out as a young man who only has a goal and is devoted to this goal.. Although my belief that it will come true has been interrupted at times and even stumbled at times; I have been in search of ways and methods that can take me one step further each time by constantly making result-oriented moves without deviating from my main goal.. This journey, which started at the Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering of Istanbul Technical University, resulted in AIRBUS after long efforts and struggles..

While emphasizing the importance of setting a target by referring to the phrase “A man without a destination is like a ship without a route” I would like to state that there are factors that will. Taking firm steps towards your goal by meeting that wind correctly and giving it the right direction.