How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you find 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 need to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
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 group
Salary settlement
The job contract
Things your employer needs
Things you should know
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a citizen 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 instance. There may be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking jobs, but the majority of business desire German speakers.

If you don’t speak German, you can still discover tasks in …

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

The length of time does it require to get hired?

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

Know just how much you need to earn, and just how much taxes you must pay. This assists you negotiate a much better income.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Search for tasks

General task search

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

English-speaking jobs

These sites only have English-speaking tasks, or let you filter by language:

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks are in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and wage
The Local jobs – 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 jobs

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application developers from developing nations find a task and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, interactions, design

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

Startup tasks

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.
Wellfound – International startup 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 job internships.
Adecco (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for restaurants and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

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

2. Get jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and an image of you.1 You ought to go to a picture studio and get an expert picture for your resume. A career coach can help you compose a better resume.

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual intro. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you use for this job, and why they must employ you.

Don’t send the very same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for job each task deal. Keep it short and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career coach can help you compose better cover letters.

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

3. The job interview

In Germany, the interview process is very long. It can take a few weeks, job and even a couple of months. You might have numerous interviews with various people. It depends upon the company and the job. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. A recruiter or employing manager will ask you a few questions. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task offer. It’s a basic check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

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

Technical interviews are different at every company. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to solve a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical challenge in the house. Some companies do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary negotiation

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

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

Read your task agreement carefully. If your employer guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, validate that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the contract if you agree with everything. Send the signed contract by email or job by post.

If you are unsure about your agreement, request assistance or talk to a lawyer.

5. Get a home authorization

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

How to get a house permit

If you already have a residence license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to change tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new job immediately. Sometimes, you should wait on your brand-new house license. This can take a few weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A checking account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a bank 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 begin working. – More info.
Your medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select health insurance coverage. Your company requires this number to take health insurance payments from your income. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, 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 private health insurance, you must make an application for it. Your employer can sometimes assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you need to understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid as soon as each month, typically on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You typically earn money by bank transfer.

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as monthly, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes salary tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and joblessness insurance from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new business, job you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to find an apartment, due to the fact that you don’t have a stable task.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany earn money holiday days, and paid sick leave. You do not work on public holidays, but you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax declaration

A lot of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3

Relocation costs
If you move better to your brand-new task, you can subtract your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, professional pictures, translations, printing expenses, job search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking fees to go to task interviews.

If you started working in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much income tax. Make a tax statement to lower your earnings tax, and get some money back.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

These people can help you get worked with. For instance, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.