How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you find a job in Berlin, from discovering task 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?
For how long does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, interactions, style
Startup jobs
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the team
Salary negotiation
The job agreement
Things your requires
Things you must know
Career training
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you require to speak German?

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

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

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

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

The length of time does it take to get worked with?

A few months. Even if you discover a job rapidly, the employing procedure is very sluggish.

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find tasks

General job search

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

English-speaking tasks

These websites just have English-speaking jobs, 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 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 tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 89,000+ members
English jobs 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 business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software developers from establishing nations discover a job and get hired

Creative tasks: media, communications, design

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

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 site for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up job portal.
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, temperature 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 agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature 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 jobs

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

2. Look for jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a picture of you.1 You must go to a photo studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a 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 make an application for this task, and why they must hire you.

Don’t send out the same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, 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 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 task interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with different people. It depends upon the company and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a short call. An employer or hiring manager will ask you a few concerns. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It’s a basic 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 confirm that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to fix a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical difficulty at home. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the job offer, you can negotiate a better income. You can likewise ask for things like a moving reward or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

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

If you are unsure about your agreement, request for assistance or speak to an attorney.

5. Get a residence permit

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a home license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait for your house authorization to start working. It can take a few months.

How to get a residence permit

If you already have a residence authorization, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new task instantly. Sometimes, you should wait on your brand-new home permit. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter jobs

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A savings account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a bank 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 start working. – More information.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can choose medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist 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 personal health insurance coverage, you must request it. Your company can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to know

In Germany, the majority of people are paid when each month, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first income after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You usually get paid by bank transfer.

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer when each month, on the first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, health 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 are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover a house, due to the fact that you do not have a steady task.

How does the probation period work?

All staff members in Germany make money holiday days, and paid ill leave. You don’t work on public holidays, however you still get paid.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

Many of your task search expenses are tax-deductible:3

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

If you began working in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much income tax. Make a tax declaration to lower your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

These people can assist you get worked with. For example, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.