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 task 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 worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, interactions, style
Startup jobs
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The task agreement
Things your employer requires
Things you must know
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

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

Do you need to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however a lot of companies want German speakers.

If you don’t speak German, you can still discover jobs in …

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get employed?

A few months. Even if you find a task quickly, the working with procedure is very slow.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Search for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge tasks 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 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 task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These sites only have English-speaking jobs, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks are in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking tasks
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and wage
The Local jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking jobs 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 jobs in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software designers from establishing countries discover a job and get worked with

Creative jobs: media, interactions, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup task portal.
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 temp work firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

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

2. Look 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 should go to an image studio and get a professional picture for your resume. A profession coach can help you write a better resume.

Useful links:

How to write 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 an individual intro. It describes who you are, what you do, why you get this job, and why they need to employ you.

Don’t send the exact 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 career coach can assist you compose much better cover letters.

How to compose a German cover letter – HalloGermany.
Advice for cover letters with examples – Hacker News

3. The job interview

In Germany, the interview procedure is very long. It can take a few weeks, and even a few months. You may have numerous interviews with different people. It depends upon the business and the job. You require a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a short call. An employer or working with manager will ask you a few concerns. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task deal. 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 obstacles. They verify that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to resolve a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical obstacle in your home. Some companies don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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 just talk with the team, employment or have lunch together.

4. The job offer

After your interview, the business can make a task offer.

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can work out a better income. You can also request for things like a moving perk or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

Read your job agreement thoroughly. If your employer promised something to you throughout the interview, confirm that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the contract if you agree with everything. Send the signed contract by e-mail or by post.

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

5. Get a home permit

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house permit to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your house license to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home permit

If you already have a residence license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your new task instantly. Sometimes, you must await your brand-new house permit. This can take a few weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A checking 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, employment 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 select health insurance coverage. Your employer needs this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your income. Your company can select health insurance for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you select, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, employment you must make an application for 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 as soon as monthly, 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 normally make money by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a new business, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s also more difficult to discover a home, since you do not have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany get paid trip days, and paid sick leave. You do not deal with public holidays, however you still make money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

A lot of your task search expenses are tax-deductible:3

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

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you most likely paid excessive salary tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your income tax, and get some cash back.

Need help?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

These individuals can help you get worked with. For instance, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.