How to find a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

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

On this page

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

Can you operate in Germany?

If you are not a person of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence license 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 need to speak German?

No, however it helps. You can discover English-speaking jobs, however many business want German speakers.

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

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

Do you require to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it require to get employed?

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

Know how much you need to earn, and how much taxes you need to pay. This helps you negotiate a much better wage.

Calculate your income tax

1. Look for tasks

General job search

Indeed.com – Job search engine. You can filter by language and set signals.
LinkedIn – Networking website with a huge tasks area. 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 listing website. Made in Berlin.
Jobted
Xing – Similar to LinkedIn. You can’t filter by language.
Glassdoor – Company evaluations, salary reports and task listings. You need an account.

English-speaking tasks

These sites only 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 jobs by language
Germany Startup Jobs – You can filter jobs by language and salary
The Local tasks – Run by a popular English-speaking paper
Jobted
English-speaking tasks 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 tasks in start-ups and tech companies
Administrator/ Web Entickler/ Entwickler Jobs – German-speaking tech jobs
Imagine Foundation – They help software developers from establishing countries find a job and get worked with

Creative tasks: media, communications, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking tasks in start-ups and tech business
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a site for business owners. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup task 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, temp work and employment 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 temperature work agency.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work firm.
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. 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 an image studio and get an expert picture 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 checklist – Imagine structure.
Lingoking – Translate your resume to German

Cover letters

Include a brief cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s a personal introduction. It discusses who you are, what you do, why you request this task, and why they must employ you.

Don’t send the exact same cover letter to everybody. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it brief and simple to check out. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can assist you compose 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, employment the interview procedure is really long. It can take a few weeks, and even a couple of months. You may have numerous interviews with different people. It depends on the business and the task. You need a great deal of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview procedure begins with a short call. A recruiter or working with supervisor will ask you a few questions. They will attempt to understand who you are, what you want, and how you fit the job offer. It’s an easy check before they welcome 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 understand how to do your task.

Technical interviews are different at every company. They may ask you technical questions, ask you to fix a problem during the interview, or finish a technical obstacle in your home. Some companies don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job deal

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

Salary negotiation

After you get the task deal, you can work out a much better income. You can likewise request things like a moving perk or more getaway days.

Salaries in Germany

The task contract

Read your job agreement carefully. If your company guaranteed something to you during the interview, verify that it’s in your contract. Only sign the agreement if you concur with whatever. Send the signed agreement by email or by post.

If you are uncertain about your contract, ask for help or talk to an attorney.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you require a home license to reside in Germany. Sometimes, you must wait for your house license to start working. It can take a couple of months.

How to get a house permit

If you already have a residence permit, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s permission to alter tasks. Sometimes, you can start your new job right away. Sometimes, you must await your new residence permit. This can take a few weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

During your first month at a brand-new business, your employer needs a couple of things:

A bank account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you need a checking 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 coverage number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you choose medical insurance. Your employer needs this number to take medical insurance payments from your salary. Your employer can pick health insurance for you, but it’s a bad concept. Ask a broker to assist you select, it’s free.
Your social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
If you have public health insurance, you get this number automatically in the mail. If you have private health insurance, you should look for it. Your employer can sometimes 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 understand

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

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

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 much easier to get fired. It’s also harder to find an apartment, because you do not have a stable job.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany earn money getaway days, and employment paid authorized leave. You don’t deal with public holidays, but you still earn money.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are sick

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

If you began working in the middle of the year, you most likely paid too much salary tax. Make a tax declaration to decrease your income tax, and get some money back.

Need assistance?

Where to get help about work

Career training

These people can help you get employed. For instance, employment they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their cost is tax-deductible.