How to find a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you operate in Germany?
Do you require to speak German?
The length of time does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech tasks
Creative tasks: media, communications, design
Startup jobs
Internships, temperature work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant tasks
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the team
Salary settlement
The task agreement
Things your employer requires
Things you need to understand
Career coaching
Before your job search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you need to speak German?

No, however it assists. You can find English-speaking jobs, but a lot of companies desire German speakers.

If you do not 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 require to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get hired?

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

Know just how much you must earn, and how much taxes you ought to pay. This assists you negotiate a better wage.

Calculate your income tax

1. Look for jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge 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 listing 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, wage reports and job listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These websites just 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 tasks by language and salary
The Local jobs – Run by a popular English-speaking newspaper
Jobted
English-speaking jobs in Berlin – Facebook group, 89,000+ members
English tasks in Berlin – Facebook group, 43,000+ members

Tech tasks

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 developers from establishing countries discover a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, style

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business
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 salary.
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 firm.
Manpower (in German) – Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work agency.
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 dining establishment tasks in Berlin

2. Obtain jobs

German resumes

German CVs are longer than American resumes. They include your date of birth, your citizenship and a picture of you.1 You must go to a picture studio and get a professional portrait for your resume. A career coach can help you compose a much better resume.

Useful links:

How to write a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine foundation.
Resume list – 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 describes who you are, what you do, why you obtain this task, and why they need to hire you.

Don’t send the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research study, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it brief and simple to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A career 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 job interview

In Germany, the interview process is extremely long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have several 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 process starts with a short call. A recruiter or working with manager will ask you a few questions. They will try to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job deal. It’s a simple check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech business have technical interviews or coding difficulties. They confirm that you know how to do your task.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty at home. Some companies don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

Most companies have a group interview. You fulfill your future group to see if you work well together. This interview is more unwinded. You might simply talk with the team, or referall.us have lunch together.

4. The task deal

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can work out a better salary. You can also request for things like a moving reward or more trip days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

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

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

5. Get a home permit

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

How to get a residence license

If you already have a residence license, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s approval to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new task instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your brand-new house authorization. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

During your very first month at a new business, your employer needs a few things:

A savings account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a savings 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 start working. – More details.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your income. Your employer can choose health insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, it’s totally free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number instantly in the mail. If you have private medical insurance, you must request it. Your employer can in some cases assist you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you need to know

In Germany, many 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 start working. You typically get paid by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a brand-new business, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover an apartment or condo, since you do not have a stable job.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany earn money getaway days, and paid ill leave. You do not deal with public holidays, however you still make money.

How to take trips

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax declaration

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

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

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

Need aid?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

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