How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

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

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

Tech companies
– Companies with English-speaking workplaces
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Client service and call centres
– Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it take to get worked with?

A few months. Even if you find a task quickly, the hiring procedure is extremely slow.

Know just how much you should earn, and just how much taxes you must pay. This helps you work out a better income.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge jobs section. 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 site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, wage reports and task listings. You require an account.

English-speaking tasks

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks remain in English-speaking offices
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking tasks
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks 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 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application designers from establishing nations find a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup task website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and wage.
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 agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
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. Obtain jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You ought to go to a and get an expert picture for your resume. A profession coach can help you write a better resume.

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you make an application for this job, and why they should hire you.

Don’t send out the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each task deal. Keep it short and simple to read. 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 task interview

In Germany, the interview process is long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a few months. You might have multiple interviews with various individuals. It depends on the business and the task. You require a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process starts with a brief call. A recruiter or working with supervisor will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task deal. 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 validate that you know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are different at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix an issue during the interview, or complete a technical difficulty at home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can work out a much better wage. You can likewise ask for things like a moving reward or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

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

If you are unsure about your contract, employment request for assistance or speak to a lawyer.

5. Get a house authorization

If you are not a citizen of the EU, employment EEA or Switzerland, you require a house authorization to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your home permit to begin working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a residence authorization

If you already have a residence license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new job immediately. Sometimes, you need to await your new house license. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

During your very first month at a new company, your employer requires a couple of things:

A bank account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a checking 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 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 info.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your salary. Your company can pick medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad concept. 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, you should request it. Your company can often help you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you should understand

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

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer once per month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage tax, health insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a new company, you are in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, employment it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover an apartment, due to the fact that you do not have a stable job.

How does the probation period work?

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

How to take vacations

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

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

Relocation expenses
If you move better to your brand-new job, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume composing, professional images, translations, printing expenses, task search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to job interviews.

If you started working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid excessive wage tax. Make a tax statement to lower your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need aid?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

These individuals can assist you get employed. For instance, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.