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 job search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you need to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, interactions, style
Startup jobs
Internships, temp 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 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 residence license to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, job for example. There might be a minimum salary or .

Do you need to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however many business want German speakers.

If you do not speak German, you can still discover tasks in …

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it require to get employed?

A few months. Even if you discover a job quickly, the working with process is really slow.

Know how much you should earn, and job how much taxes you must pay. This assists you work out a much better wage.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking site 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 listing site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, income reports and job listings. You require an account.

English-speaking jobs

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most tasks are in English-speaking offices
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter tasks by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter tasks by language and salary
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, job 89,000+ members
English jobs in Berlin – Facebook group, 43,000+ members

Tech jobs

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and technology.
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 developers from establishing nations find a job and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, interactions, design

dasauge (in German) – Media-related jobs
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 start-up job portal.
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, job 14,000+ members

Internships, temp work and minijobs

Zenjobs.
BSIG – Berlin Startup Internships – Facebook group, job 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 temperature work firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Craigslist – Most job 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. Apply for 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 need to go to an image studio and get a professional portrait for your resume. A career coach can assist you write a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to compose a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
Resume list – Imagine foundation.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you make an application 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 each job deal. Keep it short and easy to read. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A career 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 procedure is very long. It can take a couple of weeks, job and even a few months. You may have several interviews with different people. It depends on the company and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a brief call. An employer or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job 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 challenges. They confirm that you understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They may ask you technical concerns, ask you to resolve a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical obstacle in your home. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The task deal

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

Salary settlement

After you get the job offer, you can negotiate a much better salary. You can likewise ask for things like a relocation benefit or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

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

If you are not sure about your agreement, request assistance or speak with an attorney.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or job Switzerland, you require a residence authorization to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait for your residence permit to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a home license

If you already have a residence permit, you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to change jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your new job immediately. Sometimes, you need to await your new home authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

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

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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 information.
Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick health insurance coverage. Your company needs this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your salary. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you must request it. Your employer can in some cases help 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, a lot of people are paid as soon as each month, normally on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first income after 30 or 45 days after you begin working. You typically 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 company takes wage tax, health insurance, pension insurance and joblessness insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new business, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover a home, because you don’t have a stable job.

How does the probation period work?

All workers in Germany make money holiday days, and paid authorized leave. You do not deal with public vacations, however you still make money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

Many 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 costs
Coaching, resume writing, professional photos, translations, printing costs, job search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking fees to go to job interviews.

If you started working in the middle of the year, you probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax statement to reduce your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

These people can assist you get hired. For instance, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.