How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you find a job in Berlin, employment from discovering job listings to your first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you work in ?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, interactions, style
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 negotiation
The task agreement
Things your company requires
Things you should understand
Career training
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, employment you require a house permit to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There may be a minimum wage or education requirement.

Do you need to speak German?

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

If you don’t speak German, you can still discover 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?

How long does it take to get worked with?

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

Know just how much you ought to earn, and how much taxes you ought to pay. This helps you negotiate a much better income.

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a big tasks 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 site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, wage reports and job 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 jobs remain 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 income
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks 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 tasks in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application developers from developing nations find a task and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, communications, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a website for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup task website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks 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 firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature 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 dining establishment tasks in Berlin

2. Look for jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, employment your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You ought to go to a photo studio and get a professional 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 foundation.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you apply for this job, and why they must hire you.

Don’t send out the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for employment 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 write 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 couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have numerous interviews with different individuals. It depends on the company and the job. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a short call. A recruiter or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of concerns. They will try to understand employment 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 know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to resolve an issue throughout the interview, or finish a technical difficulty in the house. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The task deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task offer, you can work out a better income. You can likewise ask for things like a relocation bonus or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

Read your job agreement carefully. If your company promised something to you during 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 unsure about your contract, request for help or speak with a lawyer.

5. Get a house authorization

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must await your residence permit to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home authorization

If you already have a home permit, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new job right away. Sometimes, you must await your new home authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

During your very first month at a new business, your company needs a few things:

A checking account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require a checking account that supports SEPA transfers. Any European bank 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 pick medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your company can select health insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you need to apply for it. Your employer can in some cases 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 once monthly, employment generally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first paycheck after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You generally earn money by bank transfer.

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage 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 new company, you are in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s also harder to discover an apartment, due to the fact that you don’t have a steady task.

How does the probation period work?

All workers in Germany make money trip days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, however you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

If you began working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much wage tax. Make a tax declaration to decrease your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need aid?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

These people can help you get hired. For example, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.