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 task search Can you work 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 tasks
Creative jobs: media, communications, employment design
Startup tasks
Internships, temp work and employment minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary negotiation
The job contract
Things your employer needs
Things you must understand
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you need to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can discover English-speaking tasks, employment however most business desire German speakers.

If you do not speak German, you can still find jobs 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?

The length of time does it take to get employed?

A couple of months. Even if you discover a task rapidly, the employing process is really sluggish.

Know just how much you ought to earn, and just how much taxes you ought to pay. This assists you negotiate a better salary.

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big 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 noting website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, wage reports and job listings. You require an account.

English-speaking jobs

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks remain 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 jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking paper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks 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 jobs
Imagine Foundation – They help software application designers from developing nations find a job and get hired

Creative tasks: media, interactions, employment style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups 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 job website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks 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, employment 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 firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for restaurants and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking dining establishment jobs in Berlin

2. Look for 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 ought to go to a picture studio and get a professional 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 request this job, and why they must hire you.

Don’t send the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, 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 career coach can help you write 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 might have numerous interviews with different people. It depends upon the business and the job. You require a lot 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 concerns. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. 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 difficulties. They verify that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix an issue throughout the interview, or finish a technical challenge in the house. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the group

Most companies have a group 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 have lunch together.

4. The task deal

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

Salary settlement

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

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

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

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

5. Get a residence authorization

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home permit to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should await your house permit to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house permit

If you already have a house authorization, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new job right away. Sometimes, employment you must await your new home license. This can take a few weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

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

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a savings account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European checking 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 information.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your employer can choose medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance coverage, you must look for it. Your employer 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 should understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid when monthly, usually on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You generally make money by bank transfer.

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer when monthly, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes salary tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new business, you remain in your (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s also harder to discover an apartment, since you don’t have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany earn money vacation days, and paid ill leave. You do not work on public vacations, but you still get paid.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

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

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

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