How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you discover a job in Berlin, from finding job 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 require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative jobs: media, interactions, style
Startup jobs
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group

The job agreement
Things your company needs
Things you need to 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 need a residence authorization to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

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

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

Tech companies
– Companies with English-speaking workplaces
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Customer 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 job quickly, the working with procedure is extremely sluggish.

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big tasks 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 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 task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These sites only have English-speaking jobs, or employment 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 tasks by language and salary
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 tasks

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software developers from developing nations discover a job and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task 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 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 temp work company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for restaurants and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, employment 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 an image of you.1 You should go to a photo studio and get a professional picture 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 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 make an application for this task, and why they need to employ you.

Don’t send the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for employment each job offer. Keep it short and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career coach can help you compose much better cover letters.

How to write 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 multiple interviews with various individuals. It depends upon the company and the task. You require a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a short call. An employer or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job offer. It’s a basic 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 understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to solve an issue during the interview, or complete a technical difficulty at home. Some companies don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most companies have a group interview. You fulfill your future team to see if you work well together. This interview is more relaxed. You might simply talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The task deal

After your interview, the business can make a task offer.

Salary negotiation

After you get the job deal, you can work out a much better income. You can also ask for things like a moving bonus or more holiday days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

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

If you are not sure about your contract, ask for aid or talk to a lawyer.

5. Get a home authorization

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, employment you require a house license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait for your residence license to start working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home permit

If you already have a home authorization, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new job instantly. Sometimes, employment you must wait on your brand-new home authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A bank account.
Your employer 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 info.
Your medical insurance 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 employer can select medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal health insurance coverage, you must use for it. Your employer can sometimes assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you must understand

In Germany, many people are paid when per month, employment normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You typically 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, medical insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new business, you remain in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s also more difficult to find an apartment or condo, due to the fact that you don’t have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany earn money trip days, and paid ill leave. You do not deal with public holidays, but you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

Relocation costs
If you move more detailed to your new task, employment you can subtract your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, professional photos, translations, printing costs, task search services …
Travel expenses.
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 too much salary tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need aid?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These people can assist you get hired. For example, they can review your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.