How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
How long does it require to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, interactions, style
Startup tasks
Internships, employment 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 contract
Things your employer needs
Things you must understand
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to operate 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 require to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can find English-speaking jobs, but many companies desire German speakers.

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

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

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it require to get hired?

A couple of months. Even if you find a task quickly, the working with procedure is really sluggish.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Search for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge jobs section. 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 website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, 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 tasks are 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 income
The Local tasks – 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 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 designers from establishing nations find a job and get hired

Creative jobs: media, interactions, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups 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 start-up job portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs 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 temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant tasks 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 a picture of you.1 You should go to a picture studio and get an expert picture for employment your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a better resume.

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you get this task, and why they must employ you.

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

The phone screen

The interview process starts with a brief call. An employer or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job offer. It’s an easy check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

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

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

Meet the group

Most business have a team interview. You satisfy your future team to see if you work well together. This interview is more relaxed. You might just talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The task offer

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a better income. You can likewise request things like a relocation perk or more holiday days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your job agreement carefully. If your company guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, verify that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the contract if you concur with whatever. Send the signed agreement by e-mail or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, ask for help or talk with a legal representative.

5. Get a home license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence permit to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait on your house authorization to start working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a house permit

If you already have a residence license, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your new task instantly. Sometimes, you should wait for your new home license. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A checking account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a savings 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 start working. – More information.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick health insurance. Your employer needs this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your income. Your can pick medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you select, it’s free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal health insurance, you need to use for it. Your company can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you should know

In Germany, most people are paid as soon as per month, generally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You typically get paid by bank transfer.

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as each month, on the first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, health insurance coverage, 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 easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to find an apartment or condo, since you don’t have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany make money trip days, and paid sick leave. You don’t work on public vacations, however you still make money.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

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

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

If you began working in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your income tax, and get some refund.

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These individuals can assist you get hired. For example, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.