How to find a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide helps you discover 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 need to speak German?
For how long does it require to get hired?
Salaries in Germany
General job search
English-speaking tasks
Tech jobs
Creative tasks: employment media, interactions, employment 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 know
Career training
Before your task search

Can you work in Germany?

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

Do you need to speak German?

No, however it assists. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however the majority of companies desire German speakers.

If you do not speak German, you can still discover jobs in ...

Tech companies
- Companies with English-speaking workplaces
- Delivery services like Lieferando, Wolt and Flink
- Customer support 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 discover a job rapidly, the employing process is very slow.

Know how much you need to make, and just how much taxes you ought to pay. This helps you work out a better salary.

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find tasks

General task search

Indeed.com - Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set informs.
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 listing site. Made in Berlin.
ArbeitNow - Job noting site. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing - Similar to LinkedIn. You can't filter by language.
Glassdoor - Company reviews, income reports and job 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 jobs remain 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 wage
The Local tasks - 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 technology.
Berlin Startup Jobs - English-speaking jobs in startups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs - German-speaking tech tasks
Imagine Foundation - They help software application developers from developing nations find a task and get hired

Creative tasks: employment media, communications, 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 business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound - International startup job website.
Germany Startup Jobs - You can filter jobs by language and wage.
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 temp work agency.
Manpower (in German) - Large temp work company.
Randstad (in German) - Large temp work agency.
Craigslist - Most job listings are for restaurants and employment cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers - Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

Berlin Food Stories - Restaurant jobs in Berlin.
Huntler - English-speaking restaurant tasks in Berlin

2. Get jobs

German resumes

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

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It's an individual introduction. It explains who you are, what you do, why you get this task, and why they must employ you.

Don't send out the exact same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each job offer. Keep it short and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can assist you compose much better cover letters.

How to write 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 might have numerous interviews with various people. It depends upon the company and the job. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a short call. An employer or working with supervisor will ask you a few questions. They will try to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job offer. It's a basic 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 validate that you understand how to do your job.

Technical interviews are different at every business. They might ask you technical concerns, ask you to solve an issue throughout the interview, or complete a technical difficulty 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 unwinded. You may simply talk with the group, or have lunch together.

4. The job deal

After your interview, the business can make a task deal.

Salary settlement

After you get the job offer, you can work out a better income. You can also request for things like a moving reward or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The job agreement

Read your job agreement . If your company guaranteed something to you during the interview, confirm that it remains in your agreement. Only sign the agreement if you agree with whatever. Send the signed agreement by e-mail or by post.

If you are not exactly sure about your agreement, request help or talk with an attorney.

5. Get a residence authorization

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

How to get a house license

If you currently have a home authorization, you might need the Ausländerbehörde's authorization to change jobs. Sometimes, you can start your brand-new job instantly. Sometimes, you must wait for your brand-new house authorization. This can take a few weeks.

How to change jobs

6. Start working

Things your employer requires

During your first month at a new company, your company needs a few things:

A checking 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, you can still begin working. - More info.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you pick medical insurance. Your employer requires this number to take health insurance payments from your salary. Your company can select medical insurance for you, but it's a bad concept. Ask a broker to help you choose, it's totally free.
Your social insurance coverage 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 need to obtain it. Your company can in some cases help you with this. - How to get a social insurance number

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

Things you need to know

In Germany, many individuals are paid once each month, generally 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 get paid by bank transfer.

Most workers in Germany are paid by bank transfer as soon as per month, on the first day of the month.4 Your employer takes income tax, medical insurance, pension insurance coverage and employment 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 duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it's easier to get fired. It's also more difficult to find an apartment, due to the fact that you don't have a stable job.

How does the probation period work?

All staff members in Germany earn money trip days, and paid ill leave. You don't deal with public vacations, however you still earn money.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax declaration

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

Relocation costs
If you move closer to your new task, you can subtract your moving costs
Job search costs
Coaching, resume composing, 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 probably paid excessive income tax. Make a tax declaration to reduce your earnings tax, and get some cash back.

Need help?

Where to get assist about work

Career coaching

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