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 finding task listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

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

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, job you need a home authorization to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There may be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can discover English-speaking tasks, but a lot of business desire German speakers.

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

Tech business
– 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?

How long does it require to get hired?

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

Know just how much you need to make, and how much taxes you need to pay. This helps you negotiate a better income.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Look for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge 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 listing site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting site. 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 websites only have English-speaking jobs, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks remain in English-speaking offices
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and salary
The Local tasks – 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 jobs

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

Creative jobs: media, interactions, design

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a website for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup task portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and salary.
Jobs – Facebook group, 56,000+ members.
Berlin Startup Jobs, Internships & Co-founders – Facebook group, 14,000+ members

Internships, temperature 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 temperature work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for restaurants 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 tasks

German resumes

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

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
Resume list – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual intro. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you obtain this job, and why they need to hire you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job deal. Keep it brief and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career coach can assist you compose 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 really long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have several interviews with various individuals. It depends on the company and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. An employer or working with supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, 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 business have technical interviews or coding challenges. They validate that you understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to resolve a problem throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty in your home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the job offer, you can work out a better wage. You can also request for things like a moving reward or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your task agreement carefully. If your employer guaranteed something to you during the interview, verify that it’s in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you concur with everything. Send the signed agreement by e-mail or by post.

If you are unsure about your contract, request assistance or speak to an attorney.

5. Get a residence permit

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home license to live in Germany. Sometimes, job you should wait for your residence license to start working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house license

If you currently have a home license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task immediately. Sometimes, you must wait for your new residence permit. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

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

A checking 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 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 begin working. – More details.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your income. Your employer can pick medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you choose, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you need to request it. Your employer can sometimes assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to understand

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

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as monthly, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, medical insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance coverage 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 simpler to get fired. It’s also more difficult to discover an apartment or condo, because you don’t have a stable task.

How does the probation period work?

All staff members in Germany earn money getaway days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t work on public holidays, however you still make money.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

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

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career training

These people can help you get employed. For example, job they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.