# Job eligibility question



## JazzyK (Sep 12, 2014)

Hello fellow expats,

Seeking an advice. I'm looking for a job in the IT sector in Germany, have been applying aggressively for the past couple of weeks. 
The two standard responses I get are:
1) If I know German
2) If I have a work permit, because the company wouldn't provide/sponsor that.


1)I do have some German skills, but I cannot speak much because I can't practice it. I do have proof to show that I have studied German as a language in school, but no standardized tests I have taken. Should I inform that I do know some German, or should I just stick to English?

2)As per my understanding, process for acquiring the work permit is that the employer just has to give an offer letter for employment, which should be more than the threshold salary, and in the industry which has skill shortages. That way I can apply for a visa to get in the country, and subsequently apply for EU Blue Card.
So all the headache is left to the employee/candidate.

Am I missing something here?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Practically speaking, you really do need a decent level of German to live and work in Germany. Even if the "working language" of the company is English, you still have to rent a flat, buy your groceries and get through the administrative stuff in German most of the time. Take a look at the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and pick the level that corresponds to your ability in German. You can report this back to potential employers (and, in fact, you probably should put this on your CV).

I'm not sure how Germany handles these things, but sponsoring a visa for a foreign job candidate is rarely as simple as just giving someone an offer level at the right salary level. And most employers are going to want to see the candidate at least once in person for an interview before they'll be willing to make a firm offer. You may want to find a way to "visit" Germany in order to make yourself available for interviews at some point in the job hunting process.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

JazzyK said:


> Hello fellow expats,
> 
> Seeking an advice. I'm looking for a job in the IT sector in Germany, have been applying aggressively for the past couple of weeks.
> The two standard responses I get are:
> ...


It depends very much on the specifics of the job.

The employer might or might not have to perform a resident labour market test which takes six weeks. They also usually need to obtain a sort of no objection certificate from the Federal Agency for Employment.

It can potentially be quite complex.


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