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 finding task listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
For how long does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, communications, design
Startup jobs
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The task contract
Things your employer requires
Things you should know
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a house authorization to operate in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for example. There might be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

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

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

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

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get hired?

A few months. Even if you a job quickly, the working with procedure is very sluggish.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge jobs 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 noting website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job listing website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, salary 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 tasks remain in English-speaking workplaces
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking tasks
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary
The Local jobs – 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 jobs in start-ups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software designers from establishing nations find a task and get worked with

Creative jobs: media, interactions, design

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a website for entrepreneurs. 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 temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
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 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 an image of you.1 You ought to go to a picture studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can help you write a 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 brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you obtain this task, and why they need to employ you.

Don’t send out the same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it brief and referall.us simple to read. Get feedback from other people 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 job interview

In Germany, the interview process is extremely long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with various individuals. It depends on the company and the task. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a brief call. A recruiter or hiring supervisor will ask you a few questions. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you want, 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 difficulties. They verify that you know how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every company. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to resolve an issue during the interview, or finish a technical challenge in your home. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most companies have a group interview. You fulfill 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 job deal

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

Salary settlement

After you get the job offer, you can work out a much better income. You can also request things like a moving perk or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

Read your job agreement thoroughly. If your employer assured something to you during the interview, verify that it’s in your agreement. Only sign the contract if you concur with whatever. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

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

5. Get a house license

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence permit to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you should wait on your house license to start working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a home license

If you already have a home authorization, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new task instantly. Sometimes, you must wait for your new residence license. This can take a few weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

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

A checking account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a bank 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, you can still get a tax ID. If you can’t get a tax ID, you can still start working. – More details.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your wage. Your company can pick health insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you pick, it’s complimentary.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you need to get it. Your employer can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to know

In Germany, a lot of individuals are paid when monthly, typically 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 earn money by bank transfer.

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as each month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your employer takes salary tax, medical insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage 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 much easier to get fired. It’s also harder to find an apartment or condo, due to the fact that you do not have a steady job.

How does the probation period work?

All employees in Germany get paid getaway days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t 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

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

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

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you probably paid too much salary tax. Make a tax declaration to decrease your income tax, and get some refund.

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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