How to Discover a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you discover a task in Berlin, from discovering task listings to your first day at work.

On this page

1. Before your job search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
How long does it take to get worked with?
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 jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary negotiation
The task contract
Things your employer requires
Things you need to know
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home authorization to work in Germany. You can get a work visa or a Blue Card, for instance. There may be a minimum salary or education requirement.

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking jobs, but most companies want German speakers.

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

Tech business
– 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?

For how long does it take to get worked with?

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

Know how much you should make, and just how much taxes you need to pay. This assists you negotiate a much better salary.

Calculate your income tax

1. Try to find tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big tasks 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 noting site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, salary reports and task listings. You require an account.

English-speaking jobs

These sites only have English-speaking tasks, 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 income
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking paper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation – They assist software developers from establishing countries discover a job and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, interactions, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * task board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup job 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, 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 temperature work agency.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temperature work firm.
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 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 picture of you.1 You should go to a photo studio and get a professional picture for 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 structure.
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 discusses who you are, what you do, why you look for this task, and why they must employ you.

Don’t send the very same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it short and simple to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you compose 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 procedure is very long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have multiple interviews with various individuals. It depends upon the company and the job. You require a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a short 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 task 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 obstacles. They verify that you know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to fix a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical challenge in the house. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the team

Most business have a group interview. You satisfy your future team 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 business can make a task deal.

Salary settlement

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

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your task contract carefully. If your employer guaranteed something to you during the interview, confirm that it’s in your contract. Only sign the contract if you concur with everything. Send the by email or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your agreement, request for assistance or speak to a lawyer.

5. Get a home license

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house authorization to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait on your house license to begin working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a residence license

If you currently have a home license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to change jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new task immediately. Sometimes, you should wait on your brand-new house authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A savings account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For referall.us this, you require a savings 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 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 medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your income. Your employer can select medical insurance for you, however it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you choose, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have personal health insurance coverage, you should obtain it. Your company 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 need to know

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

Most employees in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as per month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your employer takes wage tax, health insurance coverage, pension insurance coverage and joblessness insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a new business, you remain in your probation period (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s also more difficult to find a house, since you don’t have a steady job.

How does the probation duration work?

All employees in Germany get paid trip days, and paid ill leave. You do not deal with public holidays, however you still make money.

How to take holidays

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax declaration

A number of your job search costs are tax-deductible:3

Relocation costs
If you move closer to your brand-new task, you can subtract your moving costs
Job search costs
Coaching, resume writing, expert photos, translations, printing expenses, job search services …
Travel expenses.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking charges to go to task interviews.

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

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 fee is tax-deductible.