About Expath
What is Expath?
Expath is a Berlin-based language school and relocation support service helping expats integrate into Germany. Founded in 2012 by Tia Robinson (CEO) and Stephan (per the verbatim about page: "Tia and Stephan founded Expath in 2012 to help 'new Berliners' with German bureaucracy and provide exceptional German language lessons"), Expath operates as Expath Training & Consulting GmbH.
From the about page verbatim: "Our goal? To give people the tools, skills, and information necessary to live in Germany successfully." Expath positions itself in stark contrast to the often-confusing official sources and internet-forum advice: "Our goal is to provide the best possible information at the lowest possible price." Over thirteen-plus years the team has "helped thousands of expats learn German, get a visa, get a work permit, register their address, get health insurance, find a job, find a flat, deal with taxes and much more."
The company has been recognised verbatim as a "Powerhouse of a Startup" by Venturevillage and named überlin's "Favorite Berlin Language School", one of myGermanExpert's "Top German Language Schools in Berlin", and one of Vidalingua's "11 Best Language Schools to Learn German in Berlin". In 2018 Expath won the Expatriate Management and Mobility Award (EMMA) for Destination Service Provider of the Year, and became official members of The European Relocation Association (EURA).
The company's 2020 pandemic pivot launched an Online Language School for German learners worldwide. Per the about page verbatim: "Now in 2026 we find ourselves at a new stage of our company's momentous development: Slimmer, more streamlined, and working together with amazing partners to continue to serve those from around the world wishing to call Germany their new home." The language school now operates in partnership with All on Board Language School (allonboard.de).
Where will I work?
Expath is headquartered at Torstr. 117, 10119 Berlin, Germany c/o All on Board. The team works hybrid — combining online delivery, partner-school presence, and remote operations. Per DB, the working pattern is "both remotely and in the office. Drop by our offices in Mitte or Neukölln and you'll be welcomed by smiling faces from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm."
What is the Expath team like?
Expath is a small team led by co-founders Tia Robinson (CEO, German-American by choice) and Stephan (German-American by birth). Together they had worked as "language teachers, managers and recruiters at big business language schools" before launching Expath. Alexis (COO) joined as business partner and is named as a co-architect of the 4-day-week trial in the verbatim 4DW blog post.
From Tia's verbatim reflection (4DW post): "A year ago my business partner Alexis and I were talking about the time we needed in our lives outside of work — me, time with my daughter and Alexis, time to write their novel. We were the CEO and COO and had the power to claim that time. But what about everyone else?"
Work-Life Balance
Expath co-launched the 4 Day Week Germany movement in September 2022 (together with 4 Day Week Global), and then ran its own six-month internal trial from February 27, 2023 through September 1, 2023. The trial framing verbatim: "Expath just launched our six-month trial of the 4-Day Week: 100% pay, 80% time, 100% results."
Schedule verbatim from the company's 4DW blog post: "On our largest team of six, to be fair with the long weekends, 3 colleagues will get Friday off for the first three months of the trial, and then they will switch. Nobody has Mondays off as it's the busiest day for email tickets (after the weekend)." Preparation included a yearly offsite-style two-workshop sequence, four pillars of best-practice work (Time Management, Knowledge Sharing, Communication Channels, Delegation & Ownership), per-team KPIs, Google Calendar Focus-Time blocks, shorter meetings (30→25, 60→50), and Notion as the company knowledge wiki. Monthly check-ins reviewed KPIs and feelings about the schedule.
The schedule remained in place after the trial — Expath now operates a permanent 4-day, 32-hour work week (80% time, 100% pay). Per DB schedule_type_description: "In January 2023, we switched to a 4 day work week. 80% of the hours for 100% of the pay!"
Perks and Benefits
28 days of paid annual leave plus the Berlin Mitte/Neukölln in-office presence and remote flexibility. Beyond the permanent 4-day week with no salary reduction, Expath's public site doesn't enumerate a detailed benefits inventory — recruitment is primarily through the partner school All on Board and direct contact via [email protected].