Sharathbabu’s Journey from Chitradurga to a Nursing Job in Germany

Sharathbabu grew up in Chitradurga, Karnataka, and built his nursing career in Bengaluru. After about two years of experience in Indian hospitals, he set himself a goal many of his friends thought was unnecessarily hard: a nursing job in Germany. This is his story of getting a nursing job in Germany from Karnataka.

We met him and his family at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on the day he left. This is his story.

Why Germany when the Gulf was easier

Plenty of people around Sharathbabu pointed out that he could go to Dubai or another Gulf country much faster, without learning a new language. He refused. For him it was Germany or nothing.

He gives three reasons. Germany offers a real work-life balance. The currency is strong compared with the Indian rupee. And above all, healthcare professionals there are respected. Speaking from his two years of experience in India, he says nurses should not expect that same level of respect at home, and that going abroad changes it.

Two years of hard work

Learning German and completing the documentation did not happen overnight. Sharathbabu describes it as two years of hard work to reach the day he boarded his flight. He is clear that the language is the biggest part of the effort: “Going to Germany after learning the language is not an easy thing.”

Starting with doubts, staying with patience

Sharathbabu first came to the Welcare office with friends. At the time he had a small doubt about whether to register at all. Slowly he trusted the team and handed over his documents to start the German process. When one of his friends left for Germany first, he asked when his own turn would come, and the answer was the same each time: it will come, keep patience.

Vikas from the Welcare team remembers him as calm and respectful throughout. He never raised his voice and never pushed to know why something was taking longer. That patience mattered, because there were delays.

Two happy moments in one week

His uncle, who has lived in Bengaluru for 22 years, came to the airport to see him off. He told us the family had been through a hard few weeks: Sharathbabu’s mother had been admitted for surgery, and on the very day he flew out she was discharged and came home. Two happy moments, he said, in one week.

The family had also seen stories online about agencies taking large sums of money and sending candidates back from Germany. They told us the process with Welcare took time, but went smoothly.

His advice on a nursing job in Germany from Karnataka

Sharathbabu wants nurses from villages and small towns to know that the road is open to them too.

“Everything needs trust and patience, and hard work from our side. Welcare makes the process smart and smooth. That is my experience, and that is why I like to suggest Welcare.”

He also has a reminder about who made it possible: his parents and his brother, who supported his education from day one. Parents, he says, are the first priority.

His journey shows what a calm, patient candidate can achieve with the right preparation and the right people beside him.

Nursing job in Germany from Karnataka: the route at a glance

Sharathbabu spent two years on this route after two years of hospital work in Bengaluru. Here is what it involves. The figures below are the ones we quote on our nurse jobs in Germany page.

Step	What it involves
Who can apply	GNM (minimum 3 years), B.Sc, Post B.Sc or M.Sc Nursing, with registration in India
German level	B1 is often enough to start; our direct work-visa route asks for B2, which most hospitals expect for ward work
English test	Not needed. No IELTS or TOEFL
Recognition	Anerkennung by the nursing authority of the German state where you will work
Visa	Work visa for a nursing job, or a visa for recognition measures while you complete recognition in Germany
Starting salary	€2,500–3,000 a month on our direct work-visa route
After full recognition	€3,000–3,800 a month as a registered nurse; €3,800–4,500+ in ICU, OT or dialysis
Family	Spouse and children can join after 6 months of work

Want to know if your nursing profile qualifies? Get a free profile check or message our nurse team on WhatsApp.

Step by step: getting a nursing job in Germany from Karnataka

1. Profile check. A 1-on-1 consultation looks at your qualification, experience, German level and family plans. Sharathbabu first came to the office with friends, unsure whether to register at all.
2. German to B1, then B2. This is the longest step: several hundred hours of classes plus daily speaking practice. He calls the language the biggest part of his two years of effort.
3. Documents and Anerkennung. Your certificates, syllabus, registration and experience letters are translated and submitted. If the authority finds gaps, it lists them in a Defizitbescheid. Our nursing recognition guide for Indian nurses explains each step, the costs and the knowledge test.
4. Employer interviews. German hospitals and care homes interview you online, in German.
5. Visa. With the job offer and recognition papers, you apply at the German mission in India. He flew out from Kempegowda International Airport with his family there to see him off.
6. Full licence in Germany. You close any gaps through an adaptation course or a knowledge test while working, then receive your licence as a registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann).

Documents you will need

• Nursing degree or diploma, mark sheets and syllabus with hours of theory and practice
• Registration certificate from your state nursing council
• Experience certificates from every hospital you have worked in
• German language certificate (B1 or B2, from Goethe, telc, ÖSD or ECL)
• Passport, birth certificate and, if married, marriage certificate
• CV in German and certified German translations of all documents

Lessons from Sharathbabu’s two years

• Taking the faster Gulf route by default. Sharathbabu chose Germany for work-life balance, a strong currency and the respect nurses receive there.
• Comparing your timeline with friends’. When a friend left first, he was told to keep patience. Files move at different speeds. Muhammed Ajinas, a nurse from Kerala, needed a second employer interview before his offer came.
• Pushing the team for reasons behind every delay. He stayed calm, and the process went smoothly.
• Believing online horror stories without checking. His family had seen reports about agencies taking money; they checked and found the process genuine. Rupali, a nurse from Mumbai, went through a mostly online process and says nothing was fake.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Recognition of foreign qualifications: Recognition in Germany (German government portal)
• Nursing jobs in Germany: Make it in Germany: nursing

Written by the Welcare Overseas team, Bengaluru, from Sharathbabu’s airport interview. Last updated: 20 October 2026.