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 job search Can you operate in Germany? Do you require to speak German? The length of time does it take to get employed? Salaries in Germany General task search English-speaking jobs Tech tasks Creative jobs: media, interactions, design Startup tasks Internships, temperature 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 should know Career training Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a citizen 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 example. There may be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

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

If you don’t speak German, you can still find jobs 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?
  
  For how long does it require to get employed?
  
  A couple of months. Even if you discover a job quickly, the employing procedure is very slow.
  
  Know just how much you need to earn, and how much taxes you must pay. This assists you negotiate a much better wage.
  
  Calculate your earnings tax
  
  1. Try to find tasks
  
  General task search
  
  Indeed.com - Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts. LinkedIn - Networking site with a huge jobs 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 listing site. Made in Berlin. ArbeitNow - Job noting site. Made in Berlin. Jobted Xing - Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language. Glassdoor - Company evaluations, wage reports and task listings. You need an account.
  
  English-speaking jobs
  
  These sites only have English-speaking tasks, or let you filter by language:
  
  Berlin Startup Jobs - Most jobs remain in English-speaking offices Englishjobs.de - Only English-speaking jobs JobsInBerlin.eu - You can filter tasks by language Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter tasks by language and salary 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 - group, 43,000+ members
  
  Tech jobs
  
  GermanTechJobs - You can filter by language and technology. Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking tasks in startups and tech business Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs - German-speaking tech tasks Imagine Foundation - They assist software designers from developing countries discover a job and get employed
  
  Creative jobs: employment media, communications, design
  
  dasauge (in German) - Media-related tasks Mediengestalter Jobs (in German) - Creative jobs
  
  Startup jobs
  
  Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking jobs in startups and tech companies Startup Sucht (in German). tbd * job board (in German) - tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language. Wellfound - International startup job portal. Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter jobs by language and income. 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 temp work agency. Manpower (in German) - Large temp work company. Randstad (in German) - Large temp work firm. Craigslist - Most job listings are for restaurants 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 jobs in Berlin
  
  2. Obtain 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 need to go to an image studio and get a professional portrait for your resume. A profession coach can assist you compose a much better resume.
  
  Useful links:
  
  How to compose a German resume - HalloGermany. German resume examples - Imagine structure. Resume checklist - Imagine foundation. Lingoking - Translate your resume to German
  
  Cover letters
  
  Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual intro. It describes who you are, what you do, why you use for this job, and why they ought to hire you.
  
  Don’t send the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each task deal. Keep it short and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession 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 process is long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have several interviews with different individuals. It depends on the business and the job. You need a great deal of time for this.
  
  The phone screen
  
  The interview process starts with a brief call. An employer or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task deal. It’s a simple 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 verify that you know how to do your job.
  
  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 challenge in your home. 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 relaxed. You may simply talk with the group, or have lunch together.
  
  4. The job offer
  
  After your interview, the business can make a task deal.
  
  Salary negotiation
  
  After you get the task offer, you can work out a much better salary. You can likewise ask for things like a moving reward or more trip days.
  
  Salaries in Germany
  
  The task agreement
  
  Read your task agreement carefully. If your employer promised something to you throughout the interview, confirm that it remains 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 sure about your contract, request aid or talk to a lawyer.
  
  5. Get a home license
  
  If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must await your home license to start working. It can take a few months.
  
  How to get a residence permit
  
  If you already have a residence permit, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to change jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your new job right away. Sometimes, you should await your new home authorization. This can take a few weeks.
  
  How to alter tasks
  
  6. Start working
  
  Things your employer requires
  
  During your very first month at a new business, your company requires a couple of things:
  
  A bank account. Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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 begin working. - More details. Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer). You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you select, 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 health insurance coverage, you need to apply for it. Your company can often 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, many people are paid when each month, usually on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first income after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You typically earn money by bank transfer.
  
  Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes income tax, health insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.
  
  Income tax calculator
  
  How taxes work
  
  During your first 6 months at a new company, you remain in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover a house, since you don’t have a stable job.
  
  How does the probation duration work?
  
  All employees in Germany get paid trip days, and paid sick leave. You do not deal with public holidays, but you still make money.
  
  How to take holidays
  
  What to do when you are ill
  
  7. Make a tax declaration
  
  Many of your task search costs are tax-deductible:3
  
  Relocation expenses If you move closer to your new job, you can deduct your moving costs Job search costs Coaching, resume writing, expert images, translations, printing costs, job search services … Travel expenses. Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs to go to job interviews.
  
  If you began operating in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much wage tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your income tax, and get some cash back.
  
  Need aid?
  
  Where to get help about work
  
  Career coaching
  
  These individuals can assist you get hired. For example, they can review your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.