About Us

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 very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you need to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, communications, style
Startup jobs
Internships, temp work and employment minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the team
Salary negotiation
The job contract
Things your company needs
Things you must know
Career training
Before your task search

Can you operate 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 might be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can discover English-speaking jobs, but most business want 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
– Customer care and call centres
– Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it require to get worked with?

A few months. Even if you discover a task rapidly, the hiring procedure is really sluggish.

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge jobs section. Incredibly 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 noting website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, wage reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking jobs

These 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 jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter jobs 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 tasks 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application designers from developing countries find a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, employment interactions, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs 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 startup 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, 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 firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
Craigslist – Most task 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 restaurant jobs in Berlin

2. Request tasks

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, employment your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You must go to a picture studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A career coach can assist you compose a better resume.

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine foundation.
Resume list – Imagine foundation.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you obtain this job, and why they ought to hire you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it brief and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career coach can help you write 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 few weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have multiple interviews with different individuals. It depends on the business and the job. You require a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a short call. An employer or hiring manager will ask you a few concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task 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 difficulties. They verify that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to fix a problem during the interview, employment or complete a technical difficulty in your home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can work out a much better wage. You can likewise request things like a relocation perk or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your task agreement thoroughly. If your company guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, validate that it’s in your agreement. Only sign the contract if you concur with everything. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are unsure about your contract, request for help or employment speak with an attorney.

5. Get a house permit

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you must await your residence authorization to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a residence permit

If you currently have a house authorization, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new job instantly. Sometimes, employment you should await your brand-new residence permit. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a checking account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European bank 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 details.
Your medical insurance 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 salary. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you select, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you must request it. Your employer can often assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you must understand

In Germany, many individuals are paid as soon as monthly, normally 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 typically get paid by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new company, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to find a home, since you do not have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany get paid holiday days, and paid sick leave. You do not deal with public holidays, employment however you still make money.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

Much of your job search expenses 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, professional images, translations, printing expenses, job search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to job interviews.

If you started operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much wage tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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