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 discovering job listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it take to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, interactions, 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 negotiation
The task agreement
Things your employer requires
Things you must understand
Career training
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 authorization to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. 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 most companies want German speakers.

If you don’t 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 require to speak German in Berlin?

The length of time does it require to get employed?

A few months. Even if you discover a job quickly, the employing process is very slow.

Know how much you must earn, and just how much taxes you must pay. This helps you negotiate a better wage.

Calculate your income tax

1. Look for tasks

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big jobs 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 . Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, income reports and task listings. You require an account.

English-speaking tasks

These sites only have English-speaking tasks, 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 jobs 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 tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 43,000+ members

Tech tasks

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They help software developers from establishing countries discover a task and get hired

Creative tasks: 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 business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a site for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and income.
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 company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for restaurants and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant jobs 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 picture of you.1 You should go to an image studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a much 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 brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you apply for this job, and why they should employ you.

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

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a short call. An employer or employment hiring supervisor will ask you a few concerns. 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 companies have technical interviews or coding obstacles. They confirm that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to fix an issue during the interview, or finish a technical challenge in your home. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can work out a much better salary. You can likewise request for things like a relocation perk or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your job contract carefully. If your company guaranteed something to you during the interview, confirm that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are not sure about your contract, ask for assistance or speak to a legal representative.

5. Get a home license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a house permit to live in Germany. Sometimes, you need to wait on your home license to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house permit

If you already have a home permit, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new task instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your new residence license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your company needs

During your very first month at a brand-new company, your employer requires a few things:

A savings 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, employment you can still get a tax ID. If you can’t get a tax ID, you can still begin working. – More information.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take health insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can choose medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you need to make an application for it. Your employer can sometimes assist 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, many people are paid when each month, typically 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 generally earn money by bank transfer.

Most staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer once per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage 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 new business, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s also harder to discover an apartment, because you don’t have a stable job.

How does the probation duration work?

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

How to take trips

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

Much of your task search expenses are tax-deductible:3

Relocation expenses
If you move better to your new job, you can deduct your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, expert photos, translations, printing costs, task search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, employment train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to job interviews.

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

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

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