Flatsharing in Berlin - a competition?

A hunger artist? Radical, we should talk. I make hyperbolic fruit sculptures out of wax, Lidl bags and facial hair.

The first thing you need to know is that the expat crowd in Berlin is completely different to what you find in the UK or Australia, less focused on lager drinking and fistpumps and more interested in how to live an authentic life through art, and how to carry off a set of coloured pencils as a hairpiece. So finding a flatshare is difficult because you're competing with a host of trendy, well read, art savvy, good looking people. Whatever made you unique in your small city or town is going to be lost here and you will need to dig deeper into your dress-up box and arrive with at least 3 potentially groundbreaking, but vague sounding, "projects" you hope to cultivate whilst in Berlin.

Houseshares or WGs as they are called in Germany work like this: you scour the online listings, you send out a trillion emails to every potential WG (some include photos, some don't so you don't even always know what you are selling yourself for) describing how great a housemate you are (it's a good idea to include mixed media, pictures, videos, get creative!). One bit of advice is that if there is a phone number listed in the advert, rather phone than email as anyone placing an ad gets swamped with emails! You then wait to hear back; you'll probably get a response for one out of every 10 emails you send. The rejection leaves you raw and might event affect your art but hold out, you'll get the hang of what people want to hear and finally you'll get invited to a "casting"! Yes this is where the gifts and fawning come into play. So a "casting" at it's mildest involves going to look at a prospective home, meet the housemates and prove that you are what you made out in your email. At its most severe, you might be expected to outdo other contenders with sparkling conversation and free drinks or maybe even demonstrate your special talent (juggling always goes down well)! Then you wait again to hear if you got it. If you go see a place that you like, I'd suggest making an instant decision and make it clear that you want to live there! Otherwise it is likely someone else will get it! Unfortunately there is not much space for uhmming and ahhing in this game... Also be ready to flog your prized collection of vintage casio watches to pay the "kaution" - usually 2-3 months rent is required by landlords when you sign the lease.

Most people use this website http://www.wg-gesucht.de/en/ I would recommend signing up for the instant alerts so you can email as soon as you see a place you like! You can also look in the local newspapers for listings but you might need some help with the German. And I would also suggest doing a short term sublet (one month or more) which is much easier to organise before you arrive in Berlin (you don't need to go for castings for these) and will give you the time you need to look for a longer term let. It does mean you might have to endure someone else's hideous furnishings and pets though! The website above is good for sublets and so is Craigslist Berlin although sometimes they are a bit overpriced! If you know anyone in Berlin, just email around because people are always going on holiday and subletting their rooms!

Good luck and keep fighting the good fight (and the hunger)!