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 discovering task listings to your very 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 hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, interactions, style
Startup jobs
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 task agreement
Things your employer needs
Things you should understand
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home license to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, employment for instance. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

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

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get worked with?

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

Know how much you must make, and how much taxes you ought to pay. This assists you negotiate a much better wage.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge tasks area. 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 website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, wage reports and job listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These websites just have English-speaking jobs, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most jobs are in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
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 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software developers from developing nations find a job and get hired

Creative jobs: media, interactions, style

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 site for business owners. You can filter by language.
International startup job portal.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and employment income.
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 temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant tasks in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking dining establishment tasks in Berlin

2. Apply for tasks

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 an expert picture for your resume. A profession coach can assist 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 introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you use for this job, and why they ought to hire you.

Don’t send the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each task deal. Keep it short and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can assist 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, the interview process is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with different individuals. It depends upon the company and the job. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process starts with a short call. An employer or working with supervisor will ask you a few concerns. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job deal. It’s a basic 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 validate that you understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to solve an issue during the interview, or finish a technical obstacle in your home. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most companies have a team interview. You meet 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 job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task offer, you can work out a better income. You can also request things like a moving benefit or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your job contract thoroughly. If your company assured something to you during the interview, confirm 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 unsure about your contract, ask for aid or speak to an attorney.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license to reside in Germany. Sometimes, employment you must wait on your residence license to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house license

If you already have a residence authorization, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to change tasks. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new job instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your brand-new home license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A savings 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 begin working. – More info.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose health insurance. Your company requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your wage. Your company can choose medical insurance for employment you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you select, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you should make an application for it. Your employer can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you should know

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

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer once monthly, employment on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes salary tax, medical insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new company, you remain in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s also more difficult to discover a home, since you don’t have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany get paid trip days, and paid ill leave. You do not work on public holidays, however you still make money.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax declaration

Much of your task 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, professional photos, translations, printing expenses, task search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to task interviews.

If you began working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much salary tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your income tax, and get some refund.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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