Working in a multicultural team

Once around (half) the world

Remote teams have become more and more the norm in recent years, especially for start-up companies. We also work remotely to some extent — and are very multicultural. Our team comes from three continents. For example, our ML/AI expert Avi (Avinash) comes from Pakistan, but now lives in Germany. We talked to him about his experiences with multi-culturality — especially after getting married in Pakistan this summer.

Avi, you were born and raised in Pakistan, but then decided to do your Master’s degree in Germany. Why?
I was living in Pakistan, but I came to realize that Germany has more opportunities for (international) students. For me, it was the best place to pursue my master’s degree. In other words, Germany has one of the best educational systems and quality of research across the globe. Also, there is tuition-free education. Germany has a unique and diverse culture which makes it the most suitable and conducive learning environment.

When moving to Germany, what were the three biggest culture shocks for you?
- Everything is closed on Sundays.
- Everyone follows rules.
- Most of the food contains pork.

The three things I like most about Germany are: people are more focused on self-learning, they believe on equity not equality and they are open-minded.

Recently, you got married in Pakistan. Shortly after, our founders Maria and Martin celebrated their wedding. Which differences and similarities did you notice?
The difference i found is that couples and their families here are open-minded, while in some areas of Pakistan there are still a lot of restrictions.

We are quite a multicultural team, also having colleagues in Africa — what do you like about it and what do you not like?
I like the working environment because of the trust and flexibility. The best thing about team is they are very helpful.

You are the only person in our Dresden office that was born abroad and doesn’t speak German. How is that for you?
Everyone speaks English in the office because of me. I like it but also I am (very) slowly learning German now.

Is there anything else you would want to say about?
I am happy to be the part of “SQIN” team.

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