How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you discover a job in Berlin, from finding task 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?
For how long does it take to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, communications, design
Startup jobs
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The task agreement
Things your employer requires
Things you need to understand
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

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

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can discover English-speaking jobs, but the majority of companies desire German speakers.

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get employed?

A few months. Even if you find a task quickly, the working with process is really sluggish.

Know just how much you must make, and just how much taxes you need to pay. This assists you negotiate a better salary.

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big jobs area. 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 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 reviews, income reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most jobs remain in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking tasks
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and wage
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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They help software designers from establishing nations discover a task and employment get employed

Creative tasks: media, interactions, style

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 business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International 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 company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Craigslist – Most job 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. Get tasks

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You must go to a picture studio and get an expert picture for your resume. A career coach can assist you compose a 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 short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual intro. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you make an application for this job, and why they ought to employ you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals 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 procedure is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a few months. You may have multiple interviews with different 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 short call. A recruiter or employing manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you want, and employment how you fit the job deal. It’s an easy check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding obstacles. They verify that you understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix an issue during the interview, or complete a technical challenge at home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most business have a team 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 employment have lunch together.

4. The task deal

After your interview, the company can make a job deal.

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a better income. You can also request things like a moving bonus offer or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

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

If you are unsure about your contract, request aid or speak to a legal representative.

5. Get a home license

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

How to get a house permit

If you already have a home license, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new job instantly. Sometimes, you should await your brand-new home authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

During your first month at a new business, your employer requires a couple of things:

A bank account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, employment you require a savings 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 medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose health insurance. Your company needs this number to take health insurance payments from your wage. Your company can pick health insurance coverage for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you need to make an application for it. Your company can sometimes assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you need to understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid once monthly, typically 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 generally make money by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new business, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s also harder to find a home, due to the fact that you don’t have a steady job.

How does the probation period work?

All workers in Germany earn money holiday days, and paid sick leave. You don’t work on public vacations, however you still get paid.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

If you began working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid excessive salary tax. Make a tax declaration to decrease your income tax, and get some refund.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

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