How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you find a task in Berlin, from discovering job listings to your first day at work.

On this page

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

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a house authorization to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or employment a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking tasks, but most companies desire German speakers.

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

Tech companies
– 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 few months. Even if you discover a job quickly, the hiring procedure is extremely slow.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Look for tasks

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online 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 listing site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, income reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking jobs

These sites 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 income
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 jobs

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

Creative jobs: media, communications, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and employment tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a website for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup job 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, 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 company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
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 jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking dining establishment 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 photo of you.1 You need to go to an image studio and get a professional portrait for your resume. A career coach can assist you compose a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
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 look for this task, and why they ought to hire you.

Don’t send the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and simple to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you write 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 extremely long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a few months. You may have numerous interviews with various individuals. It depends upon the business and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a short call. A recruiter or hiring manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It’s an easy check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

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

Technical interviews are different at every business. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to resolve an issue during the interview, or complete a technical challenge in the house. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most companies have a group interview. You satisfy 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 offer

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the job deal, you can negotiate a much better wage. You can likewise request things like a relocation benefit or more days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

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

If you are uncertain about your agreement, request for aid or speak with a lawyer.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or employment Switzerland, you require a house license to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your house permit to start working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a house authorization

If you already have a house license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to change jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new task instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your brand-new residence license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A checking account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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 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 health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select health insurance. Your employer requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your company can select medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you select, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance coverage, you must look for it. Your employer can often help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you must understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid once each month, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You generally make money by bank transfer.

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer once each month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage tax, employment health insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a new business, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s also harder to find an apartment, since you don’t have a stable task.

How does the probation period work?

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

How to take getaways

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

Relocation expenses
If you move more detailed to your new task, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search costs
Coaching, resume composing, expert pictures, translations, printing costs, task search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs to go to job interviews.

If you began working in the middle of the year, employment you most likely paid too much wage tax. Make a tax statement to decrease your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need aid?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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