About Us

How to find a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you find 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 worked with?
Salaries in Germany
General task search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: media, interactions, design
Startup tasks
Internships, temp work and minijobs
Freelance work
Restaurant jobs
German resumes
Cover letters
The phone screen
The technical interview
Meet the group
Salary settlement
The task contract
Things your employer needs
Things you must know
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you need to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can discover English-speaking tasks, however a lot of companies want German speakers.

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

How long does it take to get employed?

A couple of months. Even if you find a job quickly, the employing procedure is extremely sluggish.

Know just how much you ought to earn, and how much taxes you should pay. This assists you work out a better income.

Calculate your income tax

1. Search for tasks

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a big tasks area. 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 website. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow – Job noting 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 offices
Englishjobs.de – Only English-speaking jobs
JobsInBerlin.eu – You can filter jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary
The Local tasks – 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in startups and tech business
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They assist software designers from developing countries find a task and get employed

Creative jobs: media, interactions, style

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

Startup jobs

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in startups 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 startup 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, 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 firm.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
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 ought to go to an image studio and get an expert portrait for your resume. A profession coach can help you compose a better resume.

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you make an application for this job, and why they should hire you.

Don’t send out the exact same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task deal. Keep it brief and easy to check out. Get feedback from other individuals 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 job interview

In Germany, the interview process is long. It can take a few weeks, and even a few months. You might have numerous interviews with different people. It depends upon the business and the job. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. An employer or employing supervisor will ask you a couple of questions. They will try to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job deal. It’s a simple check before they welcome you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

Most tech companies have technical interviews or coding difficulties. They confirm that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are various at every business. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to fix an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty at home. Some companies do not 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 relaxed. You may just talk with the team, or have lunch together.

4. The task offer

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can negotiate a much better wage. You can also request for things like a relocation bonus or more vacation days.

Salaries in Germany

The task agreement

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

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, ask for help or speak with a lawyer.

5. Get a residence permit

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a house permit to live in Germany. Sometimes, you need to wait on your house permit to start working. It can take a few months.

How to get a house authorization

If you already have a house permit, you might require the Ausländerbehörde’s authorization to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new task immediately. Sometimes, you need to wait for your new residence license. This can take a few weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

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

A bank account.
Your company will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need 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, job you can still begin working. – More details.
Your health insurance coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select medical insurance. Your company needs this number to take health insurance payments from your income. Your company can select health insurance coverage for you, but it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to assist you select, 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 personal medical insurance, you should obtain 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 should understand

In Germany, the majority of people are paid as soon as each month, job 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 staff members in Germany are paid by bank transfer once each month, on the very first day of the month.4 Your company takes income tax, health insurance coverage, pension insurance and unemployment insurance coverage from your paycheck.

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your very first 6 months at a new business, you are in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s much easier to get fired. It’s likewise harder to discover a home, due to the fact that you do not have a steady task.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany earn money vacation days, and paid sick leave. You don’t work on public holidays, however you still earn money.

How to take vacations

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

Much of your task search costs are tax-deductible:3

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

If you began operating in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much wage tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your income tax, and get some refund.

Need help?

Where to get help about work

Career training

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