Week 32: Education Inequality, Youth Words and Job Market

This week on Plus Forty Nine, we’re kicking off August with a full
lineup—rainy skies and all. In the news, we take a closer look at
Germany’s education system, where PISA chief Andreas Schleicher
warns that schools are failing migrant children and calls for
better early language support and smarter funding structures.
Meanwhile, the EU is rolling out its new digital border entry
system, and Poland has announced an extension of its controls at
the German border. In our culture segment, we’re decoding teen
slang with the Top 10 contenders for Jugendwort des Jahres 2025.
From “lowkey” to “tuff,” what do these words say about how young
people express themselves today? And in our interview: Andreea
Lungulescu from The Principal Recruiter joins us to talk about job
hunting in Berlin, why gender still shapes career paths, and how to
negotiate salary with confidence. Plus, this week’s Ask a German
explores why it’s so hard to make local friends.