Introduction
I live in France, near Strasbourg, and I work in Germany, in Offenburg. Since July 2024 I've been a software developer in the avenit group, and since September 2025 at Vusyon, where I work on web development.
It started with my bachelor's thesis, which I did in Germany. Afterwards I wanted to keep working there: salaries are, honestly, somewhat higher. And I kept living in France, because on the tax side it works in my favour.
This post is less about code and more about what crossing a border for work changes for a developer.
A border I've been crossing since my studies
Working in Germany didn't come out of nowhere. My path has zigzagged across three countries:
- Haguenau, France: a DUT in electrical engineering and industrial computing (2018 to 2019).
- Offenburg, Germany: a bachelor in electrical engineering and information technology at the Fachhochschule (2019 to 2021).
- Neuchâtel, Switzerland: a bachelor of engineering in computer science and communication systems at the Haute-École ARC (2021 to 2022).
Both of my bachelor's theses were done abroad too: image processing on FPGA at SwissTiming in Switzerland, then a Python test framework at BMG LABTECH in Ortenberg, a few kilometres from Offenburg, where I then worked as a software developer.
Three languages
French is my mother tongue, my German is at C2 level and my English at C1.
At work I speak German, and I write in German or English. French only comes out with my French colleagues.
The paperwork
Being a cross-border worker (travailleur frontalier, Grenzgänger) comes with its own administration: where you pay tax, which health insurance covers you, how pension rights add up across two countries. The rules depend on your situation and change over time, so I won't give advice here.
In practice, there are few constraints. The main one is asking the German side for a tax exemption, with the form for cross-border workers, so that I pay my income tax in France. A cross-border top-up health insurance (mutuelle) is also recommended. Beyond that, I find the paperwork manageable.
The working culture
I really like the working culture. People take the work seriously, and they are very welcoming. For me, it has been a real pleasure.
Would I recommend it?
Overall, yes. It's worth it: a better salary, few constraints once the tax form is done, and a working culture I enjoy.
Conclusion
If you're a developer thinking about working across the border, or you already do, I'd like to hear how it went for you in the comments below. You can also read more about my path on the about page.