How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
How long does it take to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, communications, 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 negotiation
The task contract
Things your employer requires
Things you must understand
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person 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 instance. There may be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can find English-speaking tasks, but a lot of companies desire German speakers.

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

Tech companies
– 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 find a task rapidly, the working with process is really slow.

Know how much you need to earn, employment and just how much taxes you should pay. This assists you work out a better wage.

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge jobs section. Very 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 site. 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 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 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 salary
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
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 start-ups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application developers from developing nations find a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, design

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

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 site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup job portal.
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 internships.
Adecco (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
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. Make an application for jobs

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 photo studio and get an expert picture for your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a 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 short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you request this job, and why they should hire you.

Don’t send out the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and simple to check out. Get feedback from other individuals 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 task interview

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

The phone screen

The interview process starts with a brief call. A recruiter or working with manager will ask you a couple of questions. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job deal. 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 obstacles. They confirm that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They may 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 business have a team interview. You satisfy your future team to see if you work well together. This interview is more unwinded. You may simply talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The job deal

After your interview, the can make a task deal.

Salary negotiation

After you get the task offer, you can work out a better income. You can likewise request for things like a moving benefit or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

Read your task agreement thoroughly. If your company guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, confirm that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you agree with everything. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, request for aid or speak to a lawyer.

5. Get a home authorization

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence permit to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your residence license to begin working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a house authorization

If you currently have a home license, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task immediately. Sometimes, you must await your brand-new home authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a bank 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 select medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your employer can pick health insurance for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you pick, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have personal health insurance coverage, you need to look for it. Your employer can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to know

In Germany, the majority of individuals are paid as soon as each month, generally 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 when monthly, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a new company, you are in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s also harder to find a house, due to the fact that you do not have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany earn money trip days, and paid authorized leave. You do not work on public holidays, but you still get paid.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

Many of your job search expenses are tax-deductible:3

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

If you started working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much salary tax. Make a tax statement to decrease your income tax, and get some cash back.

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These individuals can help you get worked with. For instance, they can review your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.