How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This you discover a job in Berlin, from finding job listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you need to speak German?
The length of time does it take to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, communications, style
Startup tasks
Internships, temp work and referall.us minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the team
Salary negotiation
The task agreement
Things your company needs
Things you must understand
Career training
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence permit to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can find English-speaking tasks, but many companies want German speakers.

If you do not speak German, you can still discover jobs in …

Tech business
– Companies with English-speaking workplaces
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Customer service and call centres
– Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get hired?

A few months. Even if you discover a job rapidly, the employing procedure is really slow.

Know just how much you should earn, and how much taxes you ought to pay. This helps you negotiate a much better wage.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge tasks area. 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 noting website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, income reports and job listings. You require an account.

English-speaking tasks

These sites just have English-speaking jobs, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks remain in English-speaking offices
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 tasks – 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 tasks in start-ups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application designers from developing countries discover a task and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, communications, style

dasauge (in German) – Media-related jobs
Mediengestalter Jobs (in German) – Creative tasks

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a website for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and wage.
Berlin Startup Jobs – Facebook group, 56,000+ members.
Berlin Startup Jobs, Internships & Co-founders – Facebook group, 14,000+ members

Internships, temperature 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 temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking dining establishment jobs in Berlin

2. Look for tasks

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a picture of you.1 You must go to a picture studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can assist you compose a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
Resume checklist – Imagine foundation.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you get this job, and why they must hire you.

Don’t send the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it short and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you write better cover letters.

How to write a German cover letter – HalloGermany.
Advice for cover letters with examples – Hacker News

3. The task interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is extremely long. It can take a few weeks, and even a few months. You may have multiple interviews with different individuals. It depends upon the company and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process starts with a brief call. An employer or working with manager will ask you a few questions. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task offer. It’s a basic check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech companies have technical interviews or coding difficulties. They verify that you know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are different at every company. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to resolve a problem during the interview, or complete a technical obstacle in the house. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most business have a team interview. You meet your future team to see if you work well together. This interview is more relaxed. You might simply talk with the group, or have lunch together.

4. The task deal

After your interview, the business can make a task deal.

Salary negotiation

After you get the job offer, you can work out a better wage. You can likewise ask for things like a moving reward or more holiday days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your job contract carefully. If your company assured something to you during the interview, somalibidders.com validate that it’s in your contract. Only sign the agreement if you agree with whatever. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are not sure about your agreement, request for help or talk with a lawyer.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a home license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you need to await your house license to begin working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a home authorization

If you currently have a house authorization, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to change jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new job immediately. Sometimes, you need to wait for your new residence license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

During your first month at a new business, your company requires a few things:

A checking account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a savings account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European checking 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 info.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can choose health insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have private health insurance coverage, you must use for it. Your employer can in some cases help you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

Your company can’t require an address registration certificate.5

Things you must know

In Germany, many people are paid when monthly, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You normally get paid by bank transfer.

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer when each month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes salary tax, health insurance coverage, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance coverage from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new company, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s also more difficult to discover a home, since you don’t have a steady job.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany make money vacation days, and paid sick leave. You don’t deal with public vacations, but you still get paid.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

A lot of your task search expenses are tax-deductible:3

Relocation costs
If you move closer to your new job, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume composing, expert pictures, translations, printing costs, task search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs to go to task interviews.

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much salary tax. Make a tax declaration to lower your income tax, and get some cash back.

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These individuals can help you get employed. For instance, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.