How to Discover a Job In Berlin
Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.
This guide assists you discover a job in Berlin, from finding task listings to your very first day at work.
On this page
1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
How long does it take to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
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 team
Salary negotiation
The job agreement
Things your company needs
Things you need to understand
Career training
Before your task search
Can you operate in Germany?
If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home authorization to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.
Do you require to speak German?
No, however it assists. You can find English-speaking tasks, however most business desire German speakers.
If you don’t speak German, you can still find tasks in …
Tech business
– Companies with English-speaking workplaces
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Client service and call centres
– Restaurants and bars
Do you require to speak German in Berlin?
For how long does it take to get worked with?
A few months. Even if you find a task quickly, the employing process is very slow.
Know just how much you ought to make, and how much taxes you should pay. This helps you negotiate a better wage.
Calculate your income tax
1. Try to find jobs
General job search
Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking site 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.
Job noting 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, salary reports and job listings. You require 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 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 jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking jobs 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 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 developers from developing countries find a task and get worked with
Creative tasks: media, communications, design
dasauge (in German) – Media-related tasks
Mediengestalter Jobs (in German) – Creative tasks
Startup jobs
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a site for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup job website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary.
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 agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for dining establishments and employment cafés
Freelance work
Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members
Restaurant jobs
Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant tasks 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 a picture studio and get an expert picture for your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a better resume.
Useful links:
How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine foundation.
Resume checklist – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German
Cover letters
Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you make an application for this job, and why they should hire you.
Don’t send the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it short and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can assist you compose better cover letters.
How to write a German cover letter – HalloGermany.
Advice for cover letters with examples – Hacker News
3. The job interview
In Germany, the interview procedure is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with various individuals. It depends on the business and the task. You require a lot of time for this.
The phone screen
The interview process starts with a brief call. A recruiter or working with manager will ask you a few questions. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It’s an easy check before they invite you for an interview.
How to prepare – Imagine Foundation
The technical interview
Most tech business have technical interviews or coding challenges. They verify that you understand how to do your task.
Technical interviews are different at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or finish a technical obstacle in your home. Some business do not have technical interviews.
Meet the group
Most business have a team interview. You satisfy your future group to see if you work well together. This interview is more unwinded. You may simply talk with the group, or have lunch together.
4. The task deal
After your interview, the business can make a job deal.
Salary settlement
After you get the task offer, you can negotiate a much better wage. You can also request things like a relocation reward or more holiday days.
Salaries in Germany
The task contract
Read your task contract thoroughly. If your company guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, confirm that it remains in your contract. Only sign the contract if you agree with everything. Send the signed contract by e-mail or by post.
If you are uncertain about your contract, ask for help or talk to a lawyer.
5. Get a house permit
If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait on your house license to start working. It can take a couple of months.
How to get a home permit
If you currently have a house permit, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task instantly. Sometimes, you must wait on your brand-new home authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.
How to change tasks
6. Start working
Things your employer requires
During your first month at a new business, your employer needs a couple of things:
A bank account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For employment this, you need a checking 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, 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 choose health insurance. Your company needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your income. Your company can select health insurance coverage for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal health insurance coverage, you should make an application for it. Your company can often assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number
Your employer can’t need an address registration certificate.5
Things you must know
In Germany, many people are paid when monthly, usually on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You usually get paid by bank transfer.
Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer when monthly, on the very first day of the month.4 Your employer takes income tax, health insurance, pension insurance coverage and unemployment insurance from your paycheck.
Income tax calculator
How taxes work
During your 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 find a home, employment since you do not have a steady job.
How does the probation period work?
All staff members in Germany make money vacation days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, but you still earn money.
How to take trips
What to do when you are sick
7. Make a tax declaration
Many of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3
Relocation expenses
If you move more detailed to your new job, you can subtract your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume composing, expert images, translations, printing expenses, task 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 probably paid too much salary tax. Make a tax statement to lower your income tax, and get some refund.
Need aid?
Where to get assist about work
Career training
These people can help you get employed. For instance, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.