How to Discover a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you discover a task in Berlin, from finding job listings to your very first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you work in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
How long does it take to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, communications, employment 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 task contract
Things your company requires
Things you should know
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in ?

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

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it assists. You can find English-speaking tasks, but many companies want German speakers.

If you don’t speak German, you can still find jobs 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?

The length of time does it require to get worked with?

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

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set notifies.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a huge jobs section. 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 listing site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, wage reports and job listings. You need an account.

English-speaking jobs

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

Berlin Startup Jobs – Most jobs 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 jobs by language and salary
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking paper
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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software developers from developing nations find a task and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, interactions, style

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

Startup tasks

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 entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task portal.
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 agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temperature work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work company.
Craigslist – Most task listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant jobs 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 must go to a photo studio and get an expert picture 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 structure.
Resume list – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal intro. It explains who you are, what you do, why you obtain this task, and why they should employ you.

Don’t send the very same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it short and simple to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you write better cover letters.

How to compose 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 few weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have numerous interviews with various people. It depends on the business and the task. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure starts with a brief call. An employer or working with manager will ask you a few concerns. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job offer. It’s an easy check before they welcome 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 questions, ask you to fix an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical obstacle at home. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most companies have a team interview. You fulfill your future team 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 deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task offer, you can negotiate a better salary. You can likewise request for things like a moving bonus or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

Read your task agreement carefully. If your company assured something to you throughout the interview, verify that it’s in your contract. Only sign the contract if you agree with whatever. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your agreement, request for help or speak to a legal representative.

5. Get a residence permit

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

How to get a home license

If you already have a residence license, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task right away. Sometimes, you need to await your brand-new house license. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your employer needs

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

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For employment this, you require a bank 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 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 medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your salary. Your company can choose medical insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, 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 medical insurance, you must obtain it. Your employer can in some cases help you with this. – How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you should know

In Germany, the majority of people are paid once each month, usually on the 1st or 15th day of the month. You get your first income after 30 or 45 days after you start working. You typically make money by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new company, you are in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover a house, since you don’t have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany get paid holiday days, and paid authorized leave. You do not deal with public vacations, but you still get paid.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

A lot of your task search expenses are tax-deductible:3

Relocation expenses
If you move more detailed to your new task, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, employment expert photos, translations, printing expenses, job search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking fees to go to job interviews.

If you started working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid excessive wage tax. Make a tax declaration to decrease your earnings tax, and get some refund.

Need aid?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These individuals can help you get employed. For example, they can evaluate your resume and cover letter. Their fee is tax-deductible.