Different Country, Same Passion @Scout24: Meet Yankang Li

Yankang works as a Full-Stack Developer at ImmoScout24 and is originally from Beijing, China. We talked to her about cultural differences between China and Germany, her biggest challenges and her work at the company.

1.Where are you originally from and what is your job at ImmoScout24?

Yankang: I’m from Beijing, China, and I work as a Full-Stack Developer at ImmoScout24.

2. Why did you apply to work at ImmoScout24?

Yankang: The real estate sector is a big thing in China. In comparison to Germany, the homeowner rate in China is much higher. People, young or old, enjoy talking about real estate topics. It is almost like football in Germany. Coming from this background, I have a strong interest in the real estate industry. As a market leader, ImmoScout24 gives me the opportunity to work in this sector and help people find their dream homes.

3. What is the biggest cultural difference between your home country and Germany?

Yankang: In Chinese culture it’s good to be modest and to restrain yourself.
If you’re invited to a Chinese family, the host may offer you something to drink. You have to refuse, even though you actually want to drink something, just on principle. Then the host would offer again. You refuse again. You do this several times. In the end you accept the water reluctantly. Now everybody is happy. In Germany I learned that if you don’t ask, nobody is going to give you the thing that you want. So, if you say no to your German host, you might have to stay thirsty for the whole evening.

4. What has been the biggest challenge moving to and working in a new country such as Germany?

Yankang: For me the biggest challenge was to understand the bureaucracy around work, tax, health insurance and so on. I guess it’s just a part of growing up and being an adult. Fortunately, there are many people who faced the same problems so I can learn from them.

5. Comparing Scout24 to other employers you had in the past, what distinguishes Scout24 from them?

Yankang: The tech landscape of Scout24 is very diverse. You can always find something exciting to work on, be it in the frontend, backend, data, or devOps domain. I learn new things every day. In addition, Scout24 is a very family-friendly employer. There are flexible working hours and help for getting childcare. I never have to worry if I have to pick up my son early from the kindergarten.

6. What’s the best thing about living in Berlin?

Yankang: The diversity and wide cultural offer. There are always so many things to do. For several years, Berlin has been one of the world’s most liveable cities according to Monocle, a well-known global affairs and lifestyle magazine. Today I came to the office by bike, did lunchtime yoga in a cozy, English-speaking yoga studio next to the office, and had some Taiwanese winter melon iced tea afterwards. So I fully agree that Berlin is very liveable.