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 finding job listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you need to speak German?
How long does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative jobs: media, interactions, design
Startup jobs
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The job agreement
Things your company needs
Things you must know
Career training
Before your job search

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home license to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can discover English-speaking tasks, however the majority of companies want German speakers.

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

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

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get employed?

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

Know just how much you need to earn, and employment how much taxes you must pay. This assists you work out a better salary.

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big tasks area. 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 site. 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 task listings. You require an account.

English-speaking jobs

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks 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 jobs by language and income
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 89,000+ members
English jobs in Berlin – Facebook group, employment 43,000+ members

Tech tasks

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They help software developers from establishing nations discover a job and get worked with

Creative jobs: media, interactions, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up job portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and wage.
Berlin Startup Jobs – group, 56,000+ members.
Berlin Startup Jobs, Internships & Co-founders – Facebook group, 14,000+ members

Internships, temperature work and employment 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 temp work firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, employment 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

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

2. Apply for tasks

German resumes

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

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine foundation.
Resume list – 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 get this task, and why they should employ you.

Don’t send the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it brief and simple to check out. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A profession coach can assist you write much 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 procedure is really long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a few months. You may have numerous interviews with various people. It depends upon the company and the job. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a short call. A recruiter or hiring manager will ask you a few concerns. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job deal. It’s a basic check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech companies have technical interviews or coding obstacles. They verify that you know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to solve a problem during the interview, or complete a technical difficulty in the house. Some companies don’t 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 simply talk with the group, or have lunch together.

4. The task offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task offer, you can work out a much better income. You can also request things like a relocation bonus offer or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

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

If you are not sure about your contract, request for help or speak with an attorney.

5. Get a residence authorization

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a home license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you need to wait on your home authorization to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home permit

If you currently have a residence license, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to change tasks. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new job immediately. Sometimes, you must wait on your new house authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

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

A bank account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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 pick medical insurance. Your company needs 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 help you pick, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you should request it. Your company can often assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you should know

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

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer when per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes salary tax, medical 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 more difficult to discover an apartment, since you do not have a stable job.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany get paid trip days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, but you still earn money.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

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

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

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