Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.
This guide assists you find a task in Berlin, from discovering job listings to your first day at work.
On this page
1. Before your task search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
For how long does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, interactions, design
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 negotiation
The job agreement
Things your employer needs
Things you must understand
Career training
Before your task search
Can you operate in Germany?
If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home permit to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. There may be a minimum salary or education requirement.
Do you require to speak German?
No, however it helps. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however a lot of business want German speakers.
If you do not speak German, you can still discover tasks in ...
Tech business
- Companies with English-speaking workplaces
- Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
- Customer care and call centres
- Restaurants and bars
Do you need to speak German in Berlin?
The length of time does it require to get worked with?
A few months. Even if you discover a task quickly, employment the hiring procedure is very sluggish.
Know just how much you need to earn, and how much taxes you need to pay. This assists you work out a better income.
Calculate your earnings tax
1. Look for tasks
General job search
Indeed.com - Job search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts. LinkedIn - Networking website with a big 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 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, salary reports and job listings. You require an account.
English-speaking tasks
These sites only have English-speaking tasks, or let you filter by language:
Berlin Startup Jobs - Most jobs are in English-speaking workplaces Englishjobs.de - Only English-speaking tasks JobsInBerlin.eu - You can filter jobs by language Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter jobs by language and wage The Local jobs - Run by a popular English-speaking paper Jobted English-speaking jobs 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 startups and tech business Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs - German-speaking tech jobs Imagine Foundation - They help software developers from establishing nations discover a task and get worked with
Creative tasks: media, interactions, style
dasauge (in German) - Media-related jobs Mediengestalter Jobs (in German) - Creative tasks
Startup tasks
Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business Startup Sucht (in German). tbd * job board (in German) - tbd * is a site for business owners. You can filter by language. Wellfound - International startup task portal. Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter tasks by language and income. 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 temp work agency. Manpower (in German) - Large temperature work company. Randstad (in German) - Large temp work company. 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 tasks in Berlin. Huntler - English-speaking dining establishment tasks in Berlin
2. Make an application 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 an image 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 checklist - Imagine foundation. Lingoking - Translate your resume to German
Cover letters
Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It's a personal intro. It explains who you are, what you do, why you look for this task, and why they must employ you.
Don't send out the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and simple to check out. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A career coach can help you write much better cover letters.
How to compose a German cover letter - HalloGermany. Advice for cover letters with examples - Hacker News
3. The job interview
In Germany, the interview process is long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a few months. You may have several interviews with various people. It depends upon the business and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.
The phone screen
The interview process begins with a short call. A recruiter or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task deal. It's an easy check before they invite you for an interview.
How to prepare - Imagine Foundation
The technical interview
Most tech companies have technical interviews or coding difficulties. They validate that you understand how to do your task.
Technical interviews are various at every business. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty in your home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.
Meet the team
Most business have a group interview. You meet your future group to see if you work well together. This interview is more unwinded. You may just talk with the group, or have lunch together.
4. The task offer
After your interview, the company can make a task offer.
Salary settlement
After you get the task deal, you can work out a much better income. You can likewise request for things like a relocation reward or more holiday days.
Salaries in Germany
The task agreement
Read your task contract carefully. If your employer assured something to you during the interview, verify that it's in your contract. Only sign the contract if you concur with everything. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.
If you are not exactly sure about your agreement, ask for assistance or talk to a legal representative.
5. Get a house license
If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence permit to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your residence authorization to start working. It can take a couple of months.
How to get a house license
If you currently have a home authorization, you may need the Ausländerbehörde's consent to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your new task right away. Sometimes, you should wait on your new house authorization. This can take a few weeks.
How to change jobs
6. Start working
Things your company needs
During your first month at a new business, your employer needs a couple of things:
A savings account. Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a checking 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 information. Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer). You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select health insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your company can select medical insurance for you, however it's a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you select, it's free. Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer). If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have personal health coverage, you must use for it. Your employer can sometimes assist you with this. - How to get a social insurance number
Your employer can't need an address registration certificate.5
Things you must know
In Germany, a lot of people are paid when each month, usually on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You normally get paid by bank transfer.
Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.
Income tax calculator
How taxes work
During your first 6 months at a brand-new company, you remain in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it's simpler to get fired. It's also harder to find a home, because you don't have a stable job.
How does the probation period work?
All workers in Germany get paid trip days, and paid ill leave. You don't work on public holidays, but you still make money.
How to take trips
What to do when you are sick
7. Make a tax declaration
Much of your job search expenses are tax-deductible:3
Relocation expenses If you move more detailed to your new job, you can deduct your moving costs Job search expenses Coaching, resume writing, expert images, translations, printing expenses, job search services ... Travel costs. Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking fees 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 decrease your earnings tax, and get some cash back.
Need help?
Where to get assist about work
Career training
These individuals can assist you get employed. For example, they can review your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.