6 Expat Services That Are Cheaper Than You Think (Translations, Cover Letter Creation, Taxes & More)

Moving to Germany comes with a lot of paperwork and a lot of hidden fees. Sometimes we don’t take into account the German translator we needed to hire, that certified birth certificate or the relocation agent. But there are some expat services that are much cheaper than you think thanks to freelance service websites like Fiverr.com.

As a business owner, I’m a huge fan of Fiverr. Once upon a time, all the services sold on Fiverr cost $5. Nowadays, prices have gone up, but nonetheless, the services offered are extremely affordable. Why? Because, instead of hiring a company to help you, you’re hiring a freelancer which can save you a lot of money at the end of the day.

 

What is Fiverr?

If you’re unfamiliar with Fiverr, it is an online marketplace for freelancers who are offering their services. Services could be anything from recording a personalized Happy Birthday message from a Disney princess to helping you build your entire website from scratch (AKA. as ridiculously personal or professional as you would like).

Most of their services are under the categories of:

• Graphic Design
• Digital Marketing
• Writing and Translations
• Video Animations
• Music and Audio Files
• Programming and Tech

However, once I started really browsing, I realized that this might actually be a website worth mentioning to expats as I found a number of super helpful and extremely cheap expat services too!

 

You can hire someone to make phone calls for you that need to be done in German for less than 5 Euros

We can be thankful that a lot of expat services in Germany nowadays are also offered in English, but every now and again you get the company or bank or government officials refusing to speak English. If you’re just starting out in Germany and don’t have a colleague or friend to help you with your German phone calls, you can hire someone for less than 5 Euros to make the call for you.

 

You can hire someone to translate English to German and German to English for less than 5 Euros

Whether it’s German paperwork you need to be translated into English so you can better understand it all before moving to Germany, or perhaps an English email that you need to send out which is translated into German, you can hire someone to do that for less than 5 Euros on Fiverr too.

Note: These are not certified translations – if you need legal documents translated, check out our blog post on “The Full Guide to Translation Services in Düsseldorf“. If you need a birth certificate certified translation, I would recommend Beglaubigung24 or Lingoking as they can do it quickly and online for you.

 

You can hire a personal assistant for less than 15 Euros

On Fiverr, you can actually hire someone to help you with all the expat services and related queries even before you arrive. Some of these people will actually help you book your flights, find rental cars, create customized travel plans, contact embassies, universities, and language schools, and even update you on the latest regarding safety and German politics.

While 15 Euros sure is cheap, if you’re looking for some one-on-one guidance when you arrive (or before you arrive via Skype), we also offer a Local Pal Program here at Life in Düsseldorf to help you get settled quicker.

 

You can hire someone to design/edit/create a German resume and cover letter for less than 40 Euros

This is something that a lot of expats look for help with when first arriving in Germany, and there’s a good reason for it too. There is such a thing as creating the “perfect” resume for Germany… and a “German-style resume” does exist. People don’t often realize that even if they’re applying for an English job in Germany, the cover letters and resumes are styled differently, and many recruiters look for specifics that you might not need in your home country.

 

You can hire someone to help with filing your taxes and monthly VAT for less than 100 Euros

If you’re a freelancer living in Germany, you’ll already understand me when I say filing monthly VAT and taxes is not a walk in the park! It is a difficult and tedious task when you’re first getting started. If I had realized you could hire someone to help you for less than 100 Euros (most accountants charge 100 Euros per hour minimum), I would have jumped on the opportunity right away.

If you want to try and learn from scratch as I did, I would highly recommend using Lexoffice to file your monthly VAT (if applicable) and Smartsteuer to file your taxes at the end of the year (they allow you to submit your taxes in English!)

 

You can hire someone to consult you about the German real estate market for less than 100 Euros

If you’re looking to move to Germany for the long haul, then buying a house may be something you’re taking into consideration. It’s always an excellent idea to prepare yourself before looking into the market. Hiring someone to consult you would be a great first step. If you’re already in the stages of looking for a loan, LoanLink is a great free service to find the best rates (they make a commission off of whichever bank gives you the best rate).

PS: You might also find these blog posts helpful: 7 Tips to Successfully Invest in German Real Estate, 5 Tips for Getting Home Financing in Germany, How to Get a Mortgage & Buy a Home in Düsseldorf, The 10 Step Process to Buying Your First Home in Düsseldorf, A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your First Home in Düsseldorf.

There are a ton of other expat services that you’d never expect a freelancer to offer on Fiverr.com, so it’s definitely worth your while to simply browse through and see what you come up with (or what you can save some money on). A few more expat services worth checking out include “I can run any errand for you in Germany“, “I will file a trademark in Germany” and “I will register your business in Germany“.