Vantaggi
It can definitely be nice working for the German Aerospace Center DLR, one of Germanys centers for applied research. You normally start as a young engineer, get a contract for three years, trying to work on your Dr. degree (phd), and dig yourself in whatever subject you are interested in. There is generally a very good chance to become an expert in your reserach field. DLR offers a lot of training, and due to the various inerantional cooperations and international projects, the job can be very satisfying. Combining family and job is also supported by DLR. You can work from home for some time in the week. Also partime contracts are possible. When you think it is time for a change, you can find a job in industry reletavly easy. I also know several people who give up their job in industry to work for DLR, because they are more interested in technicla content than in project management.
Svantaggi
There are also several cons, of course. One is the salary. Because DLR is a governmental funded organisation, it is below industry salaries. Especially for young people. The career development is also nearly non-existent. You stay research engineer till the end. Internal candidates are not promoted for management positions. There are also times when the workload gets extremely high. You are asked to work on two or even three projects, do acquisition of additional projects, and publish on conferences and in journals, all in parallel.