How to find a Job In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get employed?
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 jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary negotiation
The job agreement
Things your company needs
Things you need to know
Career training
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house license to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. There might be a minimum income or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, employment however it helps. You can find English-speaking jobs, but a lot of companies want German speakers.

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it take to get worked with?

A couple of months. Even if you find a job quickly, the hiring procedure is extremely sluggish.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Search for jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a big 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 noting 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, salary reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking jobs

These sites just 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 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 start-ups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application designers from developing countries find a job and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task 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, temperature work and employment 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 firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work agency.
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.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant tasks in Berlin

2. Obtain 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 must go to an image studio and get a professional picture for your resume. A career coach can help you compose a much 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 an individual intro. It describes who you are, what you do, why you use for this job, and why they ought to employ you.

Don’t send out the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for employment each task deal. Keep it brief and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you write much 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 process is very long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a few months. You may have several interviews with various people. It depends upon the company and the job. You need a great deal of time for employment this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. A recruiter or working with manager will ask you a couple of questions. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the task deal. 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 difficulties. They validate 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 during the interview, or finish a technical difficulty in the house. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a much better salary. You can also request for things like a relocation bonus offer or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your task contract thoroughly. If your employer guaranteed something to you throughout the interview, confirm that it remains in your contract. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed contract by e-mail or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, request for assistance or speak with a legal representative.

5. Get a house permit

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

How to get a house authorization

If you already have a residence license, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to change jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your new job instantly. Sometimes, you must wait on your new house authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A bank account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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 start working. – More information.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can choose health insurance coverage for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you must obtain it. Your company can often assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you should understand

In Germany, many people are paid as soon as monthly, generally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your very first income after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You usually make money by bank transfer.

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer when monthly, on the very first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your income.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new business, you are in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s also more difficult to find an apartment, since you do not have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany make money getaway days, and paid ill leave. You do not deal with public holidays, however you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax declaration

Many of your task search costs are tax-deductible:3

Relocation costs
If you move more detailed to your new task, you can subtract your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, professional pictures, translations, printing costs, job search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, 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 excessive salary tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your income tax, and get some money back.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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