How to Discover a Job In Berlin
Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.
This guide assists you discover a task in Berlin, from finding task listings to your very first day at work.
On this page
1. Before your job search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative jobs: media, communications, design
Startup tasks
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary negotiation
The task agreement
Things your employer needs
Things you need to understand
Career training
Before your task search
Can you work in Germany?
If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence permit to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for employment instance. There might be a minimum wage or education requirement.
Do you need to speak German?
No, however it assists. You can find English-speaking tasks, but the majority of companies want German speakers.
If you don’t speak German, you can still find tasks in …
Tech companies
– Companies with English-speaking offices
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Customer care and call centres
– Restaurants and bars
Do you require to speak German in Berlin?
The length of time does it require to get worked with?
A few months. Even if you discover a job quickly, the working with process is extremely sluggish.
Know how much you must make, and how much taxes you should pay. This assists you work out a better salary.
Calculate your income tax
1. Try to find jobs
General task search
Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big tasks section. Incredibly popular.
Jobsuche der Bundesagentur (in German) – Run by the Agentur für Arbeit
Talent Berlin – Run by the state of Berlin. You can’t filter by language.
HeyJobs – Job listing website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, income reports and task listings. You require an account.
English-speaking tasks
These websites only have English-speaking tasks, or let you filter by language:
Berlin Startup Jobs – Most jobs remain in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and wage
The Local jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking paper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 89,000+ members
English jobs in Berlin – Facebook group, 43,000+ members
Tech jobs
GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They help software designers from developing countries discover a task and get employed
Creative jobs: media, communications, style
dasauge (in German) – Media-related tasks
Mediengestalter Jobs (in German) – Creative tasks
Startup jobs
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and salary.
Berlin Startup Jobs – Facebook group, 56,000+ members.
Berlin Startup Jobs, Internships & Co-founders – Facebook group, 14,000+ members
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Zenjobs.
BSIG – Berlin Startup Internships – Facebook group, 10,000+ members.
Foreign Young Professionals in Berlin – Facebook group, 8,000+ members.
Jobsuche der Bundesagentur (in German) – Run by the Agentur für Arbeit. Has a filter for internships.
Adecco (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for restaurants and cafés
Freelance work
Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members
Restaurant tasks
Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant jobs in Berlin
2. Make an application for jobs
German resumes
German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You ought to go to a picture studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A career coach can help you write a much better resume.
Useful links:
How to write a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine foundation.
Resume list – Imagine foundation.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German
Cover letters
Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, employment why you request this job, and why they ought to hire you.
Don’t send the same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and easy to read. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A profession coach can assist you write better cover letters.
How to compose a German cover letter – HalloGermany.
Advice for cover letters with examples – Hacker News
3. The task interview
In Germany, the interview procedure is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have several interviews with various individuals. It depends on the business and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.
The phone screen
The interview procedure begins with a short call. An employer or working with supervisor will ask you a few concerns. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job offer. It’s a simple check before they welcome you for an interview.
How to prepare – Imagine Foundation
The technical interview
Most tech companies have technical interviews or coding obstacles. They confirm that you understand how to do your task.
Technical interviews are different at every company. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to fix an issue during the interview, or complete a technical challenge in the house. Some business don’t have technical interviews.
Meet the group
Most have a team interview. You satisfy your future team to see if you work well together. This interview is more unwinded. You might just talk with the group, or have lunch together.
4. The job offer
After your interview, the business can make a task deal.
Salary settlement
After you get the task deal, employment you can negotiate a much better wage. You can also request things like a relocation bonus offer or more holiday days.
Salaries in Germany
The task contract
Read your job agreement carefully. If your employer guaranteed something to you during the interview, employment verify that it’s in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed contract by e-mail or by post.
If you are uncertain about your agreement, ask for assistance or speak to a legal representative.
5. Get a home permit
If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a house authorization to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should await your home authorization to begin working. It can take a couple of months.
How to get a residence license
If you already have a house authorization, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to change jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new task immediately. Sometimes, you must wait for your new home license. This can take a couple of weeks.
How to alter tasks
6. Start working
Things your employer needs
During your very first month at a new company, your company needs a couple of things:
A bank account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a savings account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European savings account will work.
Your tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer).
You get a tax ID when you register your address for the very first time. If you can’t register your address, you can still get a tax ID. If you can’t get a tax ID, you can still begin working. – More information.
Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take health insurance payments from your salary. Your company can pick health insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you select, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you must use for it. Your company can often help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number
Your employer can’t need an address registration certificate.5
Things you must understand
In Germany, most people are paid once monthly, typically on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first income after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You normally earn money by bank transfer.
Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer once per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your company takes income tax, medical insurance, employment pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance from your paycheck.
Income tax calculator
How taxes work
During your very first 6 months at a new company, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise more difficult to find an apartment, because you do not have a stable task.
How does the probation period work?
All workers in Germany make money holiday days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t work on public vacations, however you still make money.
How to take getaways
What to do when you are sick
7. Make a tax statement
Many of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3
Relocation costs
If you move closer to your brand-new task, you can deduct your moving costs
Job search costs
Coaching, resume composing, professional pictures, translations, printing costs, job search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs to go to job interviews.
If you started operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive salary tax. Make a tax statement to lower your income tax, and get some refund.
Need help?
Where to get help about work
Career training
These people can help you get employed. For example, employment they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.
