Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
For how long does it require to get worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, interactions, design
Startup tasks
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The job contract
Things your employer requires
Things you must know
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There may be a minimum income or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking tasks, but many business 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 support and call centres
- Restaurants and bars

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

The length of time does it require to get employed?

A few months. Even if you find a job rapidly, the working with procedure is extremely slow.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Search for jobs

General job search

Indeed.com - Job search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn - Networking site with a big 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 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 evaluations, salary reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These websites only have English-speaking tasks, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs - Most tasks are in English-speaking offices
Englishjobs.de - Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu - You can filter jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter jobs by language and income
The Local tasks - Run by a popular English-speaking paper
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 innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs - German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation - They assist software application designers from developing nations discover a job and get employed

Creative jobs: media, interactions, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) - tbd * is a site for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound - International start-up task portal.
Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter jobs 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 temperature work firm.
Manpower (in German) - Large temperature work company.
Randstad (in German) - Large temperature work agency.
Craigslist - Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers - Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

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

2. Apply for tasks

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 photo studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can help you compose a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to write a German resume - HalloGermany.
German resume examples - Imagine structure.
Resume list - Imagine structure.
Lingoking - Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It's an individual introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you obtain this job, and why they ought 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 short and simple to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career coach can assist you compose 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 procedure is long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with various people. It depends on the company and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a brief call. A recruiter or hiring manager will ask you a few concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It's a simple check before they welcome you for employment an interview.

How to prepare - Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

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

Technical interviews are various at every company. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty in your home. Some business don't have technical interviews.

Meet the group

Most companies 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 company can make a task deal.

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a much better salary. You can also request for things like a moving perk or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your job contract thoroughly. If your employer guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, verify that it remains in your contract. Only sign the contract if you agree with everything. Send the signed contract by email or by post.

If you are uncertain about your agreement, request assistance or speak to a legal representative.

5. Get a home permit

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house license to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your residence license to start working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home license

If you already have a home license, employment you might need the Ausländerbehörde's consent to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your new task instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait on your new residence permit. 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 brand-new business, your employer needs a couple of things:

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For employment this, you need a bank account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European bank 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 pick medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your company can select medical insurance for you, however it's a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it's free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you should obtain it. Your employer can in some cases 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 know

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

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new business, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it's simpler to get fired. It's likewise harder to discover a home, since you don't have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany make money getaway days, and paid authorized leave. You don't deal with public holidays, but you still get paid.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

A lot of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3

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

If you started working in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your income tax, and get some refund.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

These people can help you get worked with. For instance, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.