How to Discover a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you discover a job in Berlin, from finding task listings to your 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 take to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative jobs: employment media, communications, design
Startup tasks
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary negotiation
The job agreement
Things your company requires
Things you need to know
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person 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 may be a minimum income or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

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

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it take to get employed?

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

Know how much you ought to earn, and how much taxes you should pay. This assists you work out a much better salary.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Look for jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge 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 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 evaluations, income reports and job listings. You require an account.

English-speaking jobs

These sites just 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 jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and wage
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 tasks

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 designers from developing nations find a job and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, interactions, design

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

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 website for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup job portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary.
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 firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
Craigslist – Most job 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 dining establishment tasks in Berlin

2. Make an application for jobs

German resumes

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

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you request this job, and why they should employ you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it brief and easy to check out. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A career 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 task interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is very long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have several interviews with different individuals. It depends upon the business and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. A recruiter or employing manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job 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 validate that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix a problem during the interview, or finish a technical challenge in your home. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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 simply talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the job deal, you can work out a much better income. You can likewise request for things like a relocation reward or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your task agreement 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 everything. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are not sure about your contract, ask for assistance or talk to a legal representative.

5. Get a house authorization

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

How to get a home authorization

If you currently have a house authorization, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to change jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your new task instantly. Sometimes, you must await your new house license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

During your very first month at a brand-new company, employment your company requires a couple of things:

A savings account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a savings 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 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 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 medical insurance payments from your income. Your employer can pick medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you need to get it. Your employer can in some cases assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you need to understand

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

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer once monthly, on the first day of the month.4 Your company 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 new business, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to find a house, due to the fact that you do not have a steady job.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany make money vacation days, employment and paid sick leave. You do not deal with public vacations, but you still earn money.

How to take trips

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

Much of your job search expenses are tax-deductible:3

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

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much income tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your earnings tax, and get some money back.

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

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