How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you discover a task in Berlin, from finding task listings to your first day at work.

On this page

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

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house license to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. There might be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking jobs, however most business want German speakers.

If you don’t speak German, you can still find tasks in …

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it require to get hired?

A couple of months. Even if you discover a task rapidly, the hiring procedure is very sluggish.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge jobs section. Preferred.
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 site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, wage 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 workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary
The Local jobs – Run by a newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking jobs in Berlin – Facebook group, 89,000+ members
English tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 43,000+ members

Tech jobs

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech companies
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 tasks: media, communications, design

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up job website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and wage.
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 employment internships.
Adecco (in German) – Large temperature work company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for restaurants and employment cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant tasks in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant jobs in Berlin

2. Get jobs

German resumes

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

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual intro. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you look for this task, and why they need to hire you.

Don’t send out the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it brief and easy to read. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A profession coach can assist you write much better cover letters.

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

3. The job interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is extremely long. It can take a couple of weeks, and employment even a few months. You may have several interviews with various people. It depends upon the business and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a brief call. An employer or working with manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will try to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job offer. It’s an easy check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding difficulties. They confirm that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or finish a technical difficulty in your home. Some business don’t 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 unwinded. You might just talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the job deal, you can negotiate a better income. You can likewise ask for things like a moving bonus offer or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

Read your task contract carefully. If your company promised something to you throughout the interview, employment verify that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed agreement by e-mail or employment by post.

If you are uncertain about your agreement, ask for assistance or speak with a lawyer.

5. Get a house authorization

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house permit to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait for your residence authorization to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house permit

If you currently have a home authorization, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new job instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your brand-new residence permit. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

During your first month at a brand-new business, your company needs a few things:

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a checking 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 start working. – More details.
Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your company can choose medical insurance for you, but 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 immediately in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you must request it. Your company can often help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid when per month, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first income after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You normally get paid by bank transfer.

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as each month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, health insurance coverage, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new business, you are in your probation period (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 task.

How does the probation period work?

All staff members in Germany get paid vacation days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, but you still get paid.

How to take trips

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

Relocation costs
If you move closer to your brand-new task, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, professional photos, employment translations, printing costs, job search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to job interviews.

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax statement to lower your earnings tax, and get some refund.

Need help?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

These individuals can assist you get employed. For instance, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.