How to Discover a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

1. Before your task search Can you work in Germany?
Do you need to speak German?
How long does it take to get worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative jobs: media, communications, style
Startup jobs
Internships, employment temperature work and employment 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 needs
Things you need to know
Career training
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

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

Do you require to speak German?

No, but it helps. You can find English-speaking jobs, but a lot of business want German speakers.

If you don’t speak German, you can still discover jobs in …

Tech business
– Companies with English-speaking workplaces
– Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
– Client service and employment call centres
– Restaurants and bars

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it take to get worked with?

A few months. Even if you find a job quickly, the employing process is extremely sluggish.

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

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for jobs

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge jobs section. Incredibly 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 website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to . You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company reviews, wage reports and job listings. You require an account.

English-speaking tasks

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

Tech tasks

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

Creative jobs: media, interactions, design

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

Startup jobs

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 business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International start-up task 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, employment 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 temp work firm.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for restaurants and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant jobs

Berlin Food Stories – Restaurant tasks in Berlin.
Huntler – English-speaking dining establishment tasks in Berlin

2. Look 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 should go to an image studio and get a professional portrait for your resume. A profession coach can assist you write a better resume.

Useful links:

How to write a German resume – HalloGermany.
German resume examples – Imagine structure.
Resume list – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you make an application for this task, and why they need to employ you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it short and easy to read. 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 process is long. It can take a couple of weeks, employment and even a couple of months. You might have numerous interviews with various people. It depends upon the company and the task. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a short call. A recruiter or hiring supervisor will ask you a few questions. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task deal. 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 confirm that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every company. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix a problem throughout the interview, or finish a technical challenge in your home. Some business do not have technical interviews.

Meet the team

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a better income. You can likewise request things like a relocation reward or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

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

If you are uncertain about your contract, ask for aid or speak with a legal representative.

5. Get a house license

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

How to get a home permit

If you already have a home permit, you may require the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to change tasks. Sometimes, you can begin your brand-new task instantly. Sometimes, you need to wait for your new residence license. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to change tasks

6. Start working

Things your company requires

During your very first month at a brand-new business, your company requires a couple of 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 savings account will work.
Your tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer).
You get a tax ID when you register your address for employment 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 medical insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose health insurance coverage. Your employer requires this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can choose health insurance coverage for you, however it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you pick, it’s free.
Your social insurance coverage number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance coverage, you get this number immediately in the mail. If you have personal medical insurance, you must make an application for it. Your employer can sometimes help you with this. – How to get a social insurance coverage number

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

Things you must understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid as soon as monthly, 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 usually earn money by bank transfer.

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer when per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes income tax, health insurance coverage, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a brand-new company, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s simpler to get fired. It’s also more difficult to discover an apartment, since you do not have a steady job.

How does the probation duration work?

All workers in Germany earn money holiday days, and paid ill leave. You don’t deal with public vacations, but you still make money.

How to take trips

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

Relocation costs
If you move closer to your brand-new task, you can deduct your moving expenses
Job search expenses
Coaching, resume writing, professional images, translations, printing expenses, job search services …
Travel costs.
Fuel, train tickets, hotels, meals and parking costs 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 declaration to lower your income tax, and get some refund.

Need aid?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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