Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you discover a job in Berlin, from finding job 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?
The length of time does it require to get worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative jobs: 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 team
Salary settlement
The job agreement
Things your employer requires
Things you need to understand
Career training
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however a lot 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
- Customer service and call centres
- Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

The length of time does it take to get employed?

A couple of months. Even if you find a job rapidly, the employing procedure is very slow.

Know how much you ought to make, and just how much taxes you ought to pay. This helps you work out a much better wage.

Calculate your income tax

1. Look for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com - Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
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 reviews, salary 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 jobs 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 tasks by language and employment wage
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, 43,000+ members

Tech tasks

GermanTechJobs - You can filter by language and technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking tasks in startups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs - German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation - They assist software application designers from developing countries find a task and get employed

Creative tasks: media, interactions, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) - tbd * is a website for business owners. 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 - 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 agency.
Manpower (in German) - Large temperature work firm.
Randstad (in German) - Large temperature work agency.
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 tasks in Berlin

2. Get jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a picture of you.1 You need to go to an image studio and get a professional picture for your resume. A profession coach can assist you compose a 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 a personal intro. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you look for this task, and why they should hire you.

Don't send out the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it brief and simple to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can assist you write much better cover letters.

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

3. The task interview

In Germany, the interview process is long. It can take a couple of weeks, and employment even a few months. You may have multiple interviews with various individuals. It depends upon the business and the job. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a short call. An employer or working with supervisor will ask you a couple of concerns. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task deal. It's a simple check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare - Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding obstacles. They validate that you understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are different at every company. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix a problem during the interview, or complete a technical challenge in your home. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the job deal, you can work out a better wage. You can also request for things like a relocation bonus or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your task contract carefully. If your employer promised something to you during the interview, confirm that it's in your contract. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed contract by e-mail or by post.

If you are uncertain about your agreement, request for help or talk with a lawyer.

5. Get a residence authorization

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home authorization to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait for your home permit to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home permit

If you already have a residence permit, you might need the Ausländerbehörde's approval to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task immediately. Sometimes, you should wait on your new residence permit. This can take a few weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

During your first month at a brand-new business, your employer needs 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 savings 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 begin working. - More details.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take health insurance payments from your wage. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, but it's a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you select, it's complimentary.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, employment you should obtain it. Your employer can in some cases assist you with this. - How to get a social insurance number

Your company can't need an address registration certificate.5

Things you must understand

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

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer when per month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes salary tax, health 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 period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it's much easier to get fired. It's likewise more difficult to discover a home, due to the fact that you do not have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany earn money getaway days, and paid ill leave. You do not deal with public vacations, but you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

A number of your job search expenses are tax-deductible:3

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

If you started working in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your income tax, and get some money back.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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