How to Discover a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you discover a job 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 need to speak German?
How long does it take to get employed?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking jobs
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, interactions, style
Startup tasks
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 contract
Things your company needs
Things you should understand
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a home authorization to work 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 helps. You can find English-speaking tasks, but 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
– Customer care and call centres
– Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

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

A couple of months. Even if you discover a job rapidly, the hiring procedure is extremely slow.

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a big tasks section. 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 website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, wage reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking jobs

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

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

Tech jobs

GermanTechJobs – You can filter by language and innovation.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software application developers from developing countries find a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, interactions, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups 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 start-up job website.
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs 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 company.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp 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 tasks in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking restaurant tasks in Berlin

2. Make an application for tasks

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a photo of you.1 You need to go to a picture studio and get an expert portrait for employment your resume. A profession coach can assist you write 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 brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you get this task, and why they ought to hire you.

Don’t send the same cover letter to everyone. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it brief and simple to read. Get feedback from other people before you send it. A profession coach can help you write much 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 procedure is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have multiple interviews with different people. It depends on the business and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a short call. A recruiter or hiring manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will try to understand who you are, what you desire, and how you fit the job deal. It’s a simple check before they invite you for employment an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding challenges. They validate that you know how to do your job.

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

Meet the group

Most companies have a team interview. You fulfill your future group to see if you work well together. This 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 job offer.

Salary settlement

After you get the job deal, you can negotiate a much better salary. You can also request things like a moving bonus offer or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

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

If you are unsure about your contract, request for assistance or speak with a lawyer.

5. Get a home license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a residence license to live in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait for your residence license to start working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a residence license

If you already have a house permit, employment you may need the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can begin your new job immediately. Sometimes, you should wait for your new house authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

During your first month at a brand-new business, your employer requires a few things:

A checking account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require 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 begin working. – More information.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose health insurance. Your employer requires this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your income. Your employer can pick health insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you must apply for it. Your company can in some cases assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you need to know

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

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer once per month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes wage tax, medical insurance, pension insurance coverage 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 easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover an apartment, because you don’t have a steady task.

How does the probation period work?

All workers in Germany get paid getaway days, and paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, but you still earn money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

Relocation expenses
If you move more detailed to your brand-new task, you can deduct your moving costs
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume composing, professional pictures, employment translations, printing costs, task search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs to go to job interviews.

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

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career coaching

These individuals can help you get employed. For instance, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.