How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you find a task in Berlin, from finding task listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, interactions, design
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 company needs
Things you need to understand
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 residence authorization to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There may be a minimum income or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

No, however it assists. You can discover English-speaking jobs, but most companies desire German speakers.

If you do not speak German, you can still discover tasks in …

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

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

A couple of months. Even if you find a task rapidly, the working with procedure is very sluggish.

Know just how much you should make, and just how much taxes you must pay. This helps you negotiate a much better salary.

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for tasks

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge tasks area. Very 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 site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, salary 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 jobs remain in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and income
The Local jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
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 tasks in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They help software developers from developing nations discover a job and get hired

Creative tasks: media, interactions, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
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 temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

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

2. Apply 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 need to go to a photo studio and get a professional picture for your resume. A career coach can help you compose a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to write a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
Resume checklist – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a brief 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 job, and why they must hire you.

Don’t send the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it short and simple to check out. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A profession 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 task interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is really long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have several interviews with various individuals. It depends upon the business and job the task. You require a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a short call. A recruiter or employing manager will ask you a few questions. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It’s a simple check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding challenges. They verify that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix a problem during the interview, or complete a technical challenge in the house. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task offer, you can negotiate a better wage. You can also request for things like a moving benefit or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

Read your job contract carefully. If your company assured something to you during the interview, validate that it remains in your contract. Only sign the contract if you agree with everything. Send the signed contract by email or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, ask for help or talk with an attorney.

5. Get a house license

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

How to get a house authorization

If you currently have a residence authorization, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your new job instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait on your brand-new residence authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

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

A savings 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 information.
Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select health insurance. Your company needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your employer can choose medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. 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 instantly in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you must request it. Your company can in some cases help 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, the majority of people are paid as soon as per month, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first income after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You generally make money by bank transfer.

Most workers 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 and job unemployment insurance coverage from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

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

How does the probation period work?

All workers in Germany make money getaway days, and paid authorized leave. You do not work on public holidays, however you still earn money.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

A number of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3

Relocation expenses
If you move closer to your brand-new job, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search costs
Coaching, resume composing, professional pictures, job translations, printing expenses, task search services …
Travel costs.
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 income tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your earnings tax, job and get some money back.

Need aid?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

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