How to find and apply for a Job in Germany

Germany, is the fifth largest and the driving force of the European economy, and has some of the leading global companies based here. Currently, Germany unemployment rates are at the lowest, but with the growth in businesses as well as the shortages created post-Covid, the local workforce is unable to keep up with the demands of the economy. This coupled with the fact that Germany, has an ageing society has aggravated this problem, of labour shortage for the country. This is one of the main reasons for the country to open its immigration gates, especially to skilled foreign workers, to fulfil this demand and supply shortage. Although German remains the main business language, in most companies, yet there are a lot of international companies as well as start-ups, especially in the larger cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Frankfurt, which are actively using English for conducting their business, especially in the technology field. Having said that if finding a job only in English is your criteria, then start-ups, a company’s digital department, technology and research-based companies might be your best bet, although if you would like to work in Government based jobs or as a lawyer, doctor financial sector etc (where one needs to deal with the German laws), then a high degree of German knowledge becomes essential. If you are interested in taking up the language, then we can recommend an online portal Babbel Some of the global powerhouses, such as Adidas, Daimler, Bosch, Allianz, BMW, Siemens, Volkswagen etc are all founded and based in the country. The main reason for this is Germany’s strong economy which provides these companies financial security, stability and productivity, which as a by-product then drives innovation and research. Also considering that Germany is located in the heart of Europe, and its greatest strength is exports, gives it a logistical advantage across the continent, only reinforcing its position as a global leader. Being a foreigner, hunting for jobs, in Germany can be daunting, especially if you are limited to English-speaking jobs only. But, if you are well qualified, have sufficient experience, and have at least a basic understanding of German, then you enhance your chances of finding a job, infinitely. The reason for this is that, even though these companies might advertise for only English-speaking jobs, still, some amount of their day-to-day operations might be in German, so your knowledge of the language, only strengthens your chances of being picked, in this competitive market. So when you decide to come to Germany, and are looking to enhance your German language skills, then you can join both online or offline courses. To reach a basic conversational level of German, you need a minimum of B1 certification, which can take up to 6 months of learning. For full fluency, at least C1 would be required, which can take up to a year thereafter. There are many offline schools available in the major cities of the country. For an online course, Babbel is quite effective.In fact Indeed, one of the leading job search portals here, in its most recent study published that the city with the maximum number of job posts in English was Berlin (14%) followed closely by Frankfurt and Munich (11% each)

A few tips on how to look for English-speaking jobs in Germany

-Social media is the way to go for many companies, so make sure your professional profile is up-to-date and strong, especially on sites such as LinkedIn and Xing – Update your CV and your cover letter, to German expectations. There will be a little bit of tweaking to your CV and cover letter, to be done as, did you know that almost as high as 40% of recruitment managers, will ignore an application without a cover letter? If you are not sure, then take the help of some online tools for this such as JobScan or BewerbungsSchreiber. They not only help you in optimising and bringing your resume up to date but for example, JobScan even optimises your CV for ATS(  applicant tracking system) which many of the Fortune 500 companies use nowadays. -A lot of companies also share their job advertisements in their personal networks. So apart from networking events and conferences also following employers, influencers or recruiters on social media is key to finding the right opening. – Also joining various groups on social media can help you in finding the right job – Learn some working knowledge of German, as this will not only help you in finding a job but also in settling and integrating, with the local community, thus giving you a more immersive experience of life, by better understanding the locals and their culture, once you move here -Probably looking for jobs in start-ups, is easier than in the bigger established organisations, as the start-up companies mostly have English as their business language -When you move to Germany first, try for opportunities in some of the larger cities first, as obviously the number of options here will be far greater –Berlin (Start-up capital of Europe apart from being also the cultural capital of Germany) Frankfurt (Financial capital of the country) Munich (companies like BMW, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon are based here) etc being some of the options available. —–Subscribe to newsletters

What is the Average income in Germany?

According to Stepstone (another popular recruitment portal) 2021 salary report, here are a few professions and their average salary in Germany. Do keep in mind, that the figures are only an average and will vary depending upon the City, age, experience, qualifications etc. Actual individual salaries can vary from these figures

Occupation	Average Salary p.a.
Doctor	89.539
Finance	73.847
Law	68.642
Consulting	64.173
Banking	62.744
Engineering	62.564
IT	60.563
Marketing	60.174
HR	58.029
Research	56.399
Logistics	50.538
Design	48.574
Media	45.121
Wholesale	45.067
Administration	43.788

Do keep in mind, larger the city higher the package (to cover for higher living costs). Also generally speaking jobs in Eastern Germany, have a lower salary package as compared to the west.

Where can one apply?

We are going to list out a few sites where one can possibly start searching for Jobs. Social media – www.xing.com www.LinkedIn.com Both of these being very popular with recruiters in Germany General platforms- www.indeed.de www.stepstone.de www.monster.de www.kununu.com www.stellenanzeigen.de www.joblift.de Software development- www.honeypot.io www.joinimagine.com Creative fields- www.dasauge.de Internships and working students www.absolventa.de www.jobteaser.com Apart from these you can also try with your university’s job portal, on which the local companies, will normally advertise openings. Start-ups- www.gruenderszene.de www.angel.co www.arbeitnow.com www.jobooh.de Management Jobs- www.jobware.de www.experteer.de Only English-speaking jobs- www.englishjobs.de Jobs for Helpers (Babysitters, Au Pair, Nannys , Pet Sitters, Senior care etc) – www.betreut.de www.hallobabysitter.de These of course are only a few of the many options available to you, for your job hunt. You can also approach some private recruitment agencies for the same, although there might be some fees involved, so do check upfront. Visting job fairs or conferences might be another way to go as well.. Also after finding your dream job, if you are wondering about sick leave or sick leave benefits (krankengeld), then read up here. Also, in the unfortunate event of losing your job in Germany, you are entitled to social benefits. We have written a comprehensive guide on how to tackle this event and you can read about it in detail here Wishing you all the best, in your job search!!