Various tips for foreigners moving to Berlin

Hi all!

I'm looking to move to Berlin in March. Any tips on moving to Germany with a young child under one? Myself and my partner will not have much in the way of German language skills when we first arrive.

Hi Kiwi,

you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned language skills. I think that more than anything will help you get the most out of our time here and make things a lot easier for you, especially the beaurocracy side of life which is BIG in Germany. So if I were you I'd do everything to get your head round the lanuage before you come, it will make things much easier.

Hi Kiwi,

Neil is probably right on the language front. But I moved here at the start of last year with my wife, and we had a son in April.

Things have not been easy, we were actually illegal for a while because we did not apply for the correct residency permit. But my advice is to just go for it, you will fumble your way through things just as we have. It might be a good idea to make sure you have completed all of the right paperwork at the start though (or at least understand what is required).

Good Luck.
Duncan.

Go for it.

I have been in Berlin since '96 love it.

We, my wife and I, have had our ups and downs, but we got through.

Make sure you get the Aufenhaltserlaubnis residency permit before you do anything.

When you get a job and you need a tax form remember even if you go to church in the bit that says what religon put "--" in the box.

Language - my experience is people are more likely and willing to speak English than "almost" any other language.

What is your profession or have you already got a job here?

Just a couple of tips.

Yep, there is a lot of paper work, and the sooner you get into learning German the better really, best to start as soon as you can. English is generally understood all over the place though., but you may always feel like a tourist if you don't learn it.

We don't look back, at first there was a bit of running around to do with the paper work. There are lots of discussions on this forum which have all sorts of good stuff on it, lots of people are always coming over, perhaps have a browse and search through the archives?

If you have no clue whatsover what to sort it out, tell us, but I assume you know someone in Berlin anyway.

Good luck.

Hey guys, im new here. I've always wanted to study/intern in Germany, so now I am serious about it and decided to see if I can get something done to start my adventure in Germany at the end of september or early october.

Unfortunately i have no German language skills or what so ever but from what i've heard so far, it is not impossible to get around with only English.

So i have a few general questions;

• How much is rent for a student (i am traveling with a friend and we dont care if we live in a box )
• Are there a lot of places in Berlin to offer language courses, if so, is it through universities (im looking for transferable credit to my local university)
• Should I come to Berlin maybe a month before and get everything done there? because it seems very difficult to get things done over the mail/phone.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks a lot guys/girls!

Renat

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Ive been driving myself crazy trying to find all the vital information for studying and living in Berlin. Im aware about registering with the local police but finding the exact information needed for my situation seems impossible.

Id like to take the full language course then hopefully study after that.
Ive been in Germany for 2 months, so should i schedule an emergency appointment?
WHO DO I TALK TO!!! PLEASE, GIVE ME ANY INFORMATION FROM PAST EXPERIENCES!!
Im from the states and have met great people but they all seem to be from europe with little information for me!!! help my headaches stop!!

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Hartnack School Nolendorfplatz is where I think most foreigners learn that is reasonable.

There is also the Goethe Institute. Much more expensive.

Every university has got a "Studienberatung". Go there or make an appointment with them. Look up the university-homepages for the contact details - all these webpages are available at least in english. The web is your friend.

You need to have a Untermitzfetrag or mitzfetrag (renter, sub-let) agreement from your renter (you can buy these at McPaper if your renter doesn't have one)

You take that letter with your passport to your local Bezurk-ampt. they will give you an official stamped letter saying you actually do live at your address.

Then you have to take this and proof of funds to support yourself for a certain amount of time, that is if you haven't found a course to register in by the time your visa is due to expire, and all foreigners have to register at the Foreigner office at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24, 13353 Berlin. near-ish Wedding station

you can also take the receipt from, for example a language course, to prove that you are here to do something.

If you have a course, then like someone else suggested each university should have an office to help you out.

If you take some time to navigate around government websites like www.berlin.de you might be able to get ahold of phone numbers to call in order to book appointments to help save waiting so long in the famous line ups. (you will have to wait, it just might be for half the amount of time)

*please note that my german spelling sucks, but should be almost spelt as it is said.

Hartnack School is terrible. Goethe is rather expensive, but they have a few co-op contracts with small private schools thoughout the city. I would highly recommend that one of the very first things that you do is dive head first into a language course. Because if you wait too long you will start learning german from, the tv, street and all sorts of others places. And that is nothing but conterproductive.

globalgirl is right in some of the things (perhaps not the spelling though ). You do need to get an official Anmeldung form which is a letter from your local Bezirkamt (or the proof of your residence at a specific address from the local area authority) For that you need to bring your rental agreement -the Mietvertrag. The Anmeldung paper then you can take to any of the language schools of which there are quite a few in Berlin and internet is really your friend here...

Goetheinstitue is rather expensive, so is Berlitz. But I had a friend who went to Hartnackschule and it really was fine, she passed the final exam and is attending a university. Do you have any German skills at all? If not and you are attempting to also study later at an actual Berlin University, you will need quite a bit of class, and Goethe will cost a fortune for 5-12 months! Inlingua school is also pretty good, but still about 350 a month. The BerlinSprachInstitute (you can google their site) is alright I hear and it's 165 a month- don't know if will able to pass the uni entrance pruefung. but that is all really up to what you want to do- once you figure that out, you can pick an appropriate school. you must have done some research before you came here and decided this is what you want to do? also, if you just use the search function here...
good luck

I went to Die Neue Schule in Berlin and I really liked it. More info here:

www.neueschule.de

Hi all,

I've just moved to Berlin from Belfast and have gleaned some great advice from these forums already! but i have a couple of questions that i cant seem to find discussed here before, apologies if already covered.

does anybody have any tips on good second hand furniture shops? especially in the kreuzberg area. I've been checking out zweite hand but would just love to browse more than look online or in paper. we still need a fridge and washing machine so tips on second hand shops for those would be great too.

does anybody have any recommendations with regard to phone companies and broadband providers? whats the cheapest? best service? shortest minimum contract? So far i've just looked at the O2 deals but i'd love to find a DSL provider that doesnt have a minimum contract.. impossible maybe, but any advice would be much appreciated!

I'm living in east Kreuzberg and was wondering if anybody is a member of a gym in the area? I'm looking for something that has a good range of machines, maybe a pool and a range of classes... not asking for much am i? Also, has anybody any tips on swimming pools in the east kreuzberg area? I've looked at the site that covers all berlin but would love personal recommendations if possible :-)

and finally, i've registered with my local burgeramt as a resident and have to now find work. I'm a bit confused with regards to what i need, do i need an additional permission to stay? Can i get this without a job?

Hope this isnt too much of a post for a first timer! looking forward to getting out to the thursday meet up when i get a bit more settled.

Thanks
Helen

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Hi, BoomerE30. I've been here for about two weeks. I'm 17 years old. When I came here, I could pretty much only say hi, how are you? and thanks in German. It's not hard at all to get by by speaking English (almost everyone here can speak English), plus all the Germans I've spoken to have been extremely nice and helpful.

For my first two nights in Berlin, I stayed in a hostel called Meininger Hostels. http://www.meininger-hostels.de/ It was very affordable and convenient for me. While I was there, I looked for shared apartments (WGs) on the internet. I used http://wg-gesucht.de and http://studenten-wg.de There are heaps of very cheap furnished WG listings on the net. Although cheap, they are very good, and that is how I got hooked up with the apartment I'm renting now. I am only paying 240 euros per month rent, with everything included.

As for the language courses, I go to a language school called IH Prolog Berlin http://www.prolog-berlin.com/en/berlin.htm. I'm enrolled for 3 months, for a little over 1000 euros. I think it is very worthwhile, because after having had one week of lessons, I can make simple conversation in German with correct grammar and I can also understand a bit of the conversations going on around me. After several months, you'll have the opportunity to sit the Goethe test (apparently this test is recognised worldwide), so you might be able to get transferable credit for it for your local uni. However, to get into any uni here, you'll have to pass the language test.

As for your last question, I don't think you need to come here 1 month prior. For my language school, enrollment and everything like that was taken care of over the internet. If you're worried about finding a place, I think a place was easy to find, because of the abundance of ad listings there were on the net. As for the anmeldung, you could probably get by without having to know German, but it's not hard to make a German friend who wouldn't mind going with you to the place to get you registered.

Anyway, I hope that helps!

Hi Helen,

welcome to Berlin!


I was going to say that if you're an EU citizen you'd have to go to the Ausländerbehörde at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer and get yourself a nice shiny Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit), basically a formality. But it looks like since the start of 2005 not even this is needed; you should be able to stay as long as you want to look for work. Once you have work or have sorted your situation you can get a "Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung" from your Bürgeramt (I don't think this is absolutely required, it's just an official confirmation that you are resident in Germany; but the more bits of paper you have the better, I find). Basically EU citizens now have zilch problems as far as residence permits go.

HTH

Thanks HTH, that's one thing i can tick off my list, for the time being anyway!

H

Hmm, I'm not actually called "HTH", that's an abbreviation for "hope that helps" ;-).

As for swimmingpools, you might want to try the Spreewaldbad close to Görlitzer Bahnhof (U1 / U12,
address Wiener Straße 59H, 10999 Berlin), though I haven't been there for years so I'm not sure what it's
like now.

In summer there's also the open air Prinzenbad (entrance next to Prinzenstraße station).

Ian

My friend and I are moving to Berlin in July (we are totally sick of britain!) and we just need some advice about moving there. Finding a job and flat are getting increasingly difficult due to the lack of english sites on the net! Also we hardly speak any german (though we are getting some lessons!) so will that lower our chances of finding work??
Any other advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!
Sarah

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My partner and I are also moving to Berlin, and hopefully by July! We currently have our house up for sale, and once we have the proceeds converted to Euro we shall start looking for somewhere to buy in Berlin. We may need to rent for a while, but our ultimate goal is to buy some property outright. You've possibly noticed that what you can buy in Berlin for your Geld, compared to Britain, is of a ludicrously better standard.

We're not particularly 'totally sick of Britain' but we love the German people and have a sneaking envy for their standard of living. And with the shrinking world, it is actually cheaper and easier to fly to Berlin from our current home in the East Midlands than it is to, say, drive to Edinburgh.

I think you really need to grasp the nettle and learn the German. Even if it's not essential for finding a job (many UK and US companies have Berlin branches; look at e-Bay for example) you would really be limiting yourself. If nothing else, you will want to chat with your German neighbours without coming over as an ignorant foreigner

I hope it all goes well with your venture. Even if it isn't all you expect then, well, as we see it better to try whilst you can than die of old age full of regrets and 'what ifs'.

If you want to share experiences of looking at removal firms and insurance, registering as a resident, opening Euro bank accounts, and in our case getting pet passports and transporting four cats, then please either post here or PM me, as we are gradually learning about these things too.

p.s. watch our progress at http://auftakt.blogspot.com/

myself and my partner are thinking of moving to berlin this year, fed up in the UK :-(

ive been there before and loved the city, but im just wondering if anyone who is english native, and has lived and worked in the city can help me work a few things out.

what is it like to find a job, with very little german, is there english employers who employ english expats? do i need to get any work permits?

im currently running my own record shop, but things are not going great, im also a dance dj/promoter for many years, and my partner is an office superviser.

any help would be great :-)

paul.

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Hi Paul, welcome to Toytown.

Start with this thread: Various tips for foreigners moving to Berlin.

Then take a browse through the Newcomers section. You'll find many, many discussions in there covering the practicalities of moving to Germany and specifically Berlin. The Life in Berlin section will also provide you with a host of information.

Hallo!

My friend and I are moving to Berlin in July and would just like a few tips of how to get started there!
We are currenly searching for flats and flat shares at the moment but would like to know the average price we should be paying, just in care we're paying over the odds!
We're also looking for jobs there as well but I since we don't speak much german, will there be a limitation!? Also would we get taxed stupid amounts of money?

Is it relatively easy to set up a bank account there as using our british debit cards, we get charged quite a fair bit!?

I know we have to register with the local police within 7 days of arriving but is there anything else at all of that nature we would have to do?

One last thing! How easy is it to register with dentists and doctors etc, do you need some sort of certificate from your current british doctor?

I'm sure i'll end up thinking of something else to ask, i'm just frightened i'll end up forgetting something! Its scary stuff, this moving to another country malarky!

Cheers!

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Before others suggest that you use the search function ... I will

And - you dont register with the police - they dont want to see you. You register your residence with the Einwohnermeldeamt.
But you will find this all herein...

you people pay waaaay too much for language courses, 350 a month, holy shit.

although i dont have the info offhand, they have one euro a class courses that are mostly full of old turkish ladies but the foreigner office can give you info about this.

Hi

just want to know if anyone can give me the heads up about a few things. Im planning to move to Berlin this August, going to be doing a CELTA course there so i can teach english. (I've been teaching english for about 6 years off and on and for five of those I have been living in Japan, so I am fine with the experience, i just know back in europe you need it for the bigger schools)
Soooo, couple of things that it would be great to know about. Firstly, im going to be finishing this course mid september, are schools hiring around then and which are the best ones to aim form? any advice on who to approuch and how to go about it would be great.

Secondly, how easy is it to get by on teachers wages? I am back in London now and its just ridiculous, like impossible. I know that loads of teachers complain about crappy money etc etc plus german taxes but realistically compared to London what would it be like? surely its got to be better.

Thirdly, in terms of living, where is the best place do you think? I would like to be somewhere laid back, alternative, affordable with cool bars and cafes etc etc but not too dirty and dangerous. (am i dreaming?) Dodgy I can handle, I am used to living in brixton in London, but seriously dangerous is a different matter. basically i like clubs, parties, bars, live gigs etc especially the more underground or alternative stuff but dont go out as much as i used to being 31 now and so like a few nice cafe bars around to chill out in and more laid back arty type events to go and see instead of going out on mad ones all the time.

one other thing is he language, im in the process of learning german now and i am used to arriving in a place with zero language skills and picking it up as I go, Im just wondering how easy it is to kind of integrate into Berlin life and actually be speaking the language. In Japan it doesnt matter how well you speak it you can never really integrate and you end up mainly hanging out with foreigners (and japanese girls who like foreigners) and speaking english. Is it the same in berlin or is it easier to make german friends?

anyway, thats a lot of questions, but any help would be great.

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hey there

we had a similar conversation a while back - I'm being lazy so here is the link:

TEFL

As for living somewhere try checking out the boroughs of Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg they are in the alternative east Berlin part of town.

You can find about 2500 links in English language concerning daily live, insurance, finding a flat... in Berlin in the BCN-LINKLIST on my web page: www.TheBusinessClass.Net
If there is something missing, please let me know and we’ll add it to the list.

Hey guys and girls,

I have recently decided to move out to Berlin for a while and see if it's a good place to make my potential new home. I don't know any of the German language or have any friends in the area, but I do however really need a fresh change of scenery and a little bit of excitement in my life.

I currently work for some independent record labels and music publishing companies (Web Design, Graphics, Marketing etc) in the UK and I hope to keep these clients once i have made the move, all i need is a fast internet connection and my PC. Ideally I would like to work for companies in Berlin as I guess this would be the easiest way to meet new people. I'm a friendly, fun loving, easy going guy and hopefully the language barrier wont be too much of a problem.

Can anyone give me some advice on the initial move over, meeting new people, coping with language barriers, finding work etc... any advice would be greatfully received.

Thanks.

C.

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Hi drone

i live in prenzl' berg and also listen to alternative so if you want to meet up it can be arranged. I moved here from portsmouth 9 months ago.

Hi everyone. I've just moved here from Ireland.

To introduce myself, I'm a graphic designer. I've just spent the last 6 years after university working in a couple of agencies in Dublin. Great experience, but I'm a bit burned out. (Hands up who likes working 60 hour weeks??) So I've decided to move over here for a few of reasons: 1. I'd like to have some time to myself to figure out how I can be more creative; 2. I want to have a better pace of life! 3. I love the city and the people.

I'm a bit worried that although I've got some cash, I'm not going to be working straight away (I need to sort some stuff out with my portfolio mainly)... Am I going to find it hard to get an apartment? I have a few questions, sorry if they've already been asked...

Registering
Where and how do I go about this? I've found some really great articles on Toytown, however berlin.de is down and I can't figure out meldeaemter.de - none of the links work. Well, they should be links, but they're not Basically - where, oh where, do I need to go - and what should I bring? I'm staying in Prenzlauer Berg for the next 2 weeks, until I find something more permanent.

Opening a bank account
I'm house hunting at the mo, and after reading the advice here, I feel I need to have a bank account yesterday! Is it as easy as calling into a bank with my passport? If so, which bank - and what's the deal about the bank charges? (Banking in Ireland is incredibly competitive and there are no charges for just having a current account. I don't need a credit card, I have one from Ireland that should be sufficient for now. I can also do international bank transfers, online, with my Irish account.)

Mobile phone networks
Which is the best one? From what I've seen O2 seem to be the cheapest, but waaayyyy more expensive than in Ireland! Any advice here? I need to get a handy too as my Irish one is locked and won't accept a German sim.

DSL / internet
What's the best way to go about this once I've found an apartment? Who are the best provider? I really, really, really need to have internet access!

I'd really appreciate some advice! Thanks for reading.

Lou (Long time lurker, first time poster, please be gentle!)

[quote name='thepanda' date='Nov 22 2007, 5:47 pm' post='1129188']
Hi everyone. I've just moved here from Ireland.

To introduce myself, I'm a graphic designer. I've just spent the last 6 years after university working in a couple of agencies in Dublin. Great experience, but I'm a bit burned out. (Hands up who likes working 60 hour weeks??) So I've decided to move over here for a few of reasons: 1. I'd like to have some time to myself to figure out how I can be more creative; 2. I want to have a better pace of life! 3. I love the city and the people.

I'm a bit worried that although I've got some cash, I'm not going to be working straight away (I need to sort some stuff out with my portfolio mainly)... Am I going to find it hard to get an apartment? I have a few questions, sorry if they've already been asked...

Registering
Where and how do I go about this? I've found some really great articles on Toytown, however berlin.de is down and I can't figure out meldeaemter.de - none of the links work. Well, they should be links, but they're not Basically - where, oh where, do I need to go - and what should I bring? I'm staying in Prenzlauer Berg for the next 2 weeks, until I find something more permanent.

go to the closest Bürgeramt - it doesn´t have to be the one in Prenzlauer Berg though - you have to fill out a form there - which you can also download from their website. you need your passport and you have to state from what you´re living (freelance, student, job seeker etc) - but all in all - quite easy - maybe its good to take a German along with you - don´t count that the staff will speak English

Opening a bank account
I'm house hunting at the mo, and after reading the advice here, I feel I need to have a bank account yesterday! Is it as easy as calling into a bank with my passport? If so, which bank - and what's the deal about the bank charges? (Banking in Ireland is incredibly competitive and there are no charges for just having a current account. I don't need a credit card, I have one from Ireland that should be sufficient for now. I can also do international bank transfers, online, with my Irish account.)

once you have your registration - no problem. You need this registration + your passport - they´ll check your credit history (Schufa), but that´s it - at least for the Sparkasse, but I doubt that this is any different for other banks.

Mobile phone networks
Which is the best one? From what I've seen O2 seem to be the cheapest, but waaayyyy more expensive than in Ireland! Any advice here? I need to get a handy too as my Irish one is locked and won't accept a German sim.

DSL / internet
What's the best way to go about this once I've found an apartment? Who are the best provider? I really, really, really need to have internet access!

best is to get a flatrate for both of them (mobile + internet) together. problem is that most providers require a minmal contract time of 24 months - an exceptions is Alice (Telekom);
if you don´t mind longer contracts - quite cheap option: freenet

cheers and welcome in Berlin

Also some info here: http://www.berlinfo.com/Worktime/Authoriti...arted/index.htm
For the bank left_sky is right. I have my account with the postbank and i'm pretty happy with them. The charge for having the account is 6 Euro per annum. So pretty cheap.
For the DSL/ internet I'm using Deutsche Telekom and pay 55 Euros monthly for the unlimited internet line and the land line. All the calls within Berlin are free of charge.

hi,

i've recently got set up here in berlin, so have just been thorugh all these things.

bank - if your younger than 27 (maybe 26) you can get a free account. i found a little brochure at the postbank, you get an EC card (debit card/cash card), internet banking, and an account, and its free. seems fine to me, you can withdraw from any of the cash group banks.

internet - just got alice, flat rate lite or something, 26€ a month including phone connection.

anmeldung/registering - not too sure, i just went to my local Rathaus and took my passport. had to wait a long time (like 2 hours, but cos it was a take a number system, i just went shopping). the form is in german, my german's not great but i understood it, either that or you can take a friend. you then have a quick chat with someone, and it was really easy (though i'm from UK, might make it easier).

Hey, Im 18, finnishing my A level course in England, studying Fine Art, Politics and English Literature.
I want to study Fine Art in Glasgow but first i'd like to take a gap year and move to Berlin for about 8 months. I love Berlin's Art, it's architecture and its history. Ive been to Germany a few times but only studied German for 2 years at school. I want a life changing experience, just to be able to say i did something in my life and to give me inspiration with my art work which im sure i can get from this city. However...

I need to know the basics really, in black and white;
What i need to do to be able to legally move to, live and work in Berlin.

Can anyone just move over there or do i need to be able to contribute something... my CV consist of high school, sixthform and a part time job at M&S haha

How am I going to get a job in Berlin? and truthfully...will that job be meat packing in a factory?

am i right for embracing such an opportunity or am i just stupid...is this plan a possibility at all. I'd like to think in this modern world i can go wherever the hell i like!

All comments, and help would be greatly appreciated.
Felix

EU citizens like you are free to move to Berlin (and the rest of the EU) ... and do what suits them

Thanks everyone, all of your advice was great! I've now got an apartment, got registered and opened a bank account. (It's been a pretty hectic 48 hours!) All that remains is to set up internet and get a handy. Phew! That's first on my list for tomorrow.

When I registered today, I was really surprised to find that I didn't have to wait for long at all. It was much more painless than I was expecting. Yay! (Maybe it's really busy on the late days of Tuesday and Thursday?) To be honest, I was a bit freaked out by the forms (or rather examples of said form that I found online) but when I went in, the lady that was dealing with me took most of the required info from my passport and rental agreement and only had to ask me a couple of (easy to understand) questions. They also had a version of the form in english so that you could check that everything that she typed in was correct! Woo hoo. I'm on the system now, is Big Brother watching me?? Sorry, just not used to it...

The one stumbling block that I encountered in both the registration place and the bank was that, as an Irish citizen, on my passport everything is written in Irish and then English - but it was easy enough to explain!

So thanks again for all of the advice, I really appreciate it!

Hi someone mentined you need proof of funds to support yourself when you have to deal with all this paperwork. Is that still true for us Brits? a little bit worried as when I arrive won't have too much but will have a place to stay, a job on the way (hopefully) and will be awaiting my last couple of pay checks and tax return from Oz. If it is needed what sort of amount do I need to throw into my account?

woohoo my first post!

one thing i can't find out about the registration process, do you register AFTER you've found a flat to live in or as soon as you arrive in the country intending to stay indefinitely? (I'm an EU citizen).. eg what do you do about registering if you're staying at a guesthouse for a few weeks while you look for a flat? seems it's german law that you have to register within 7 days of arrival or something?

In regards to the question about getting a residence permit without a job- is this possible for non-EU? My boyfriend and I are moving to Berlin but we both work online with jobs in the US. I'm going to school, but he's not. The US embassy site only lists two options for visa - work and study. He doesn't fit into either of those categories. Any ideas or experience with this?

Okay so when I get to Germany I have to prove I have enough cash to support myself til I get settled. Does anyone know how much this is and whether I can scrape by with a little less if I have prove of employment (fingers crossed I get a job) ?

You have to register when you get there but you can use the address of the guesthouse if they're willing to sign the paperwork for you. one address is as good as another- it's just a formality really

The Embassy in Malaysia requires visa applicants to have a minimum of 7020 Euro for every year (585 Euro/month) that they intend to live in Germany. And since arriving here not long ago, I think that is really the MINIMUM monthly expense you can expect.

Hi there,
I would like to move to Berlin this summer...I can speak German but
I'm not fluent yet...Is it possible to have
an unofficial job (babysitting...etc.) until I get an official one and
then I can have the work permit done? Thanks!

this question is actually pretty simple. If you do not have a work permit you cannot work in Germany legally.
If you want to work illegally (i.e. without a permit) as a babysitter or house cleaner or whatever - you are advised to keep it quiet and be careful about who you work for (that they don't report you)

Ok,thanks!

i understand that they could report you but wouldn't they be in trouble too for providing illegal work?

Probably they would report me before hiring me...I guess.

I mean, someone who reports you obviously won't give you work...

Someone could employ you, not pay and then threaten to report you anonymously to the police.
Whatever the scenario is people, keep illegal work on the down-low!

I haven't thought about that! Uhh..that would be a nasty situation...