How to find a Task In Berlin

Greg is the co-founder of GermanTechJobs.de.

This guide assists you find a job in Berlin, from discovering task 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 jobs: 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 group
Salary negotiation
The job contract
Things your employer requires
Things you need to understand
Career coaching
Before your task search

Can you operate in Germany?

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

Do you require to speak German?

No, however it assists. You can find English-speaking jobs, referall.us however many business desire German speakers.

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

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

Do you need to speak German in Berlin?

For how long does it take to get worked with?

A couple of months. Even if you discover a task rapidly, the working with process is extremely slow.

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

Calculate your earnings tax

1. Try to find jobs

General task search

Indeed.com – Job online search engine. You can filter by language and set alerts.
LinkedIn – Networking site with a big jobs 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 listing 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 websites just have English-speaking tasks, 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 jobs 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 tasks 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 innovation.
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 designers from developing countries find a task and get hired

Creative jobs: media, communications, design

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

Startup tasks

Berlin Startup Jobs – English-speaking jobs in start-ups and tech companies
Startup Sucht (in German).
tbd * job board (in German) – tbd * is a site for entrepreneurs. You can filter by language.
Wellfound – International startup 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, 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 temperature work company.
Randstad (in German) – Large temp work company.
Craigslist – Most job listings are for dining establishments and cafés

Freelance work

Berlin Freelancers – Facebook group, 25,000+ members

Restaurant tasks

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

2. Get 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 must go to an image studio and get an expert picture for your resume. A profession coach can assist you compose a better resume.

Useful links:

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

Cover letters

Include a short cover letter (Anschreiben) with your application. It’s an individual introduction. It describes who you are, what you do, why you request this job, and why they ought to hire you.

Don’t send out the very same cover letter to everyone. Do your research, and personalise the letter for each task offer. Keep it brief and easy to read. Get feedback from other individuals before you send it. A profession coach can help you write better cover letters.

How to compose a German cover letter – HalloGermany.
Advice for cover letters with examples – Hacker News

3. The task interview

In Germany, the interview process is really long. It can take a couple of weeks, and even a couple of months. You might have several interviews with various individuals. It depends on the business and the task. You need a lot of time for this.

The phone screen

The interview process begins with a brief call. An employer or employing manager will ask you a couple of concerns. They will attempt to comprehend who you are, what you want, and how you fit the task offer. It’s a basic check before they invite you for an interview.

How to prepare – Imagine Foundation

The technical interview

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

Technical interviews are various at every business. They might ask you technical questions, ask you to resolve an issue during the interview, or finish a technical challenge at home. Some business don’t have technical interviews.

Meet the group

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

4. The job offer

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

Salary settlement

After you get the task offer, you can negotiate a much better income. You can also request for things like a relocation reward or more holiday days.

Salaries in Germany

The job contract

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

If you are not exactly sure about your contract, request for aid or talk to an attorney.

5. Get a house license

If you are not a resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a home authorization to live in Germany. Sometimes, you should await your house license to begin working. It can take a few months.

How to get a residence authorization

If you currently have a house authorization, you might need the Ausländerbehörde’s consent to alter jobs. Sometimes, you can start your new job right away. Sometimes, you should wait on your new house permit. This can take a couple of weeks.

How to alter tasks

6. Start working

Things your company needs

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

A savings account.
Your employer will pay you by bank transfer. For this, you require 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 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 information.
Your health insurance number (Krankenversicherungsnummer).
You get a Krankenversicherungsnummer 2 to 7 days after you select medical insurance. Your company requires this number to take health insurance coverage payments from your wage. Your employer can pick health insurance for you, but it’s a bad idea. Ask a broker to help you select, it’s complimentary.
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 should make an application for it. Your employer can often 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 people are paid when monthly, normally 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 get paid by bank transfer.

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

Income tax calculator

How taxes work

During your first 6 months at a new business, you remain in your probation duration (Probezeit). 2 During that time, it’s easier to get fired. It’s likewise more difficult to find an apartment, because you don’t have a stable job.

How does the probation duration work?

All staff members in Germany get paid vacation days, and paid sick leave. You don’t deal with public vacations, but you still get paid.

How to take getaways

What to do when you are ill

7. Make a tax statement

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

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

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

Need assistance?

Where to get assist about work

Career training

These individuals can assist you get hired. For instance, they can examine your resume and cover letter. Their charge is tax-deductible.