# finding work in Germany



## Pecosa

Hi,
We are currently looking on linkedin and other sites for jobs that might get us relocated to Berlin as we have heard it is one of the easier places to get work in Germany without knowing much German (shame on us!).
Is this true?
Our plan is to study and do some crash courses in German, but my husband needs to find work (in marketing) where English is the main language being used.
Any tips or advice?
Thanks so much,
Beth


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## ALKB

Pecosa said:


> Hi,
> We are currently looking on linkedin and other sites for jobs that might get us relocated to Berlin as we have heard it is one of the easier places to get work in Germany without knowing much German (shame on us!).
> Is this true?
> Our plan is to study and do some crash courses in German, but my husband needs to find work (in marketing) where English is the main language being used.
> Any tips or advice?
> Thanks so much,
> Beth


Berlin is definitely a good choice (home sweet home *sigh*) but many of the big cities would be similar in terms of survivability with little German skills.

Try monster.de or stepstone.de

Search for Marketing, English (NOT Englisch!) and concentrate on the ads written in English, if the ad is in German the employer will most probably expect considerable German skills.

Of course I don't know what kind of experience your husband has, so that's probably the extend of my advice. I just saw an eKomi ad and I have actually heard some good things about them. You could also try the big language schools and student exchange companies.

The Irish husband of a friend of mine worked for eBay but I heard that the truly English-speaking jobs are getting rarer and rarer.

You can also try Craigslist. It's virtually unknown to Germans but expats use it and there are quite a few ads for English-speaking jobs.

In general, employers prefer people who are already living locally but it's not quite as bad as with UK employers.

Do make sure you have a German format CV, a good cover letter (cover letters are much more detailed than UK cover letters!) and a really good application picture (think studio portrait, a bit like what you might get for a yearbook).

Give me a shout if you need any help!

Good luck


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## Nononymous

Language will likely be a bigger issue than work permits. Nevertheless, be aware of the bureaucratic hoops you'll need to jump through. Next to no hoops for EU citizens; somewhat more for Americans, though for "professional" employment requiring a native English speaker it's certainly doable. Within 90 days of arrival you'd need have a residence and work permit sorted out. You can do this all after arrival if you move before finding a job, but the clock will be ticking and you risk being sent packing if it's not approved; if you find a job first, the appropriate visas can be sorted out ahead of time.


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## Pecosa

ALKB said:


> Berlin is definitely a good choice (home sweet home *sigh*) but many of the big cities would be similar in terms of survivability with little German skills.
> 
> Try monster.de or stepstone.de
> 
> Search for Marketing, English (NOT Englisch!) and concentrate on the ads written in English, if the ad is in German the employer will most probably expect considerable German skills.
> 
> Of course I don't know what kind of experience your husband has, so that's probably the extend of my advice. I just saw an eKomi ad and I have actually heard some good things about them. You could also try the big language schools and student exchange companies.
> 
> The Irish husband of a friend of mine worked for eBay but I heard that the truly English-speaking jobs are getting rarer and rarer.
> 
> You can also try Craigslist. It's virtually unknown to Germans but expats use it and there are quite a few ads for English-speaking jobs.
> 
> In general, employers prefer people who are already living locally but it's not quite as bad as with UK employers.
> 
> Do make sure you have a German format CV, a good cover letter (cover letters are much more detailed than UK cover letters!) and a really good application picture (think studio portrait, a bit like what you might get for a yearbook).
> 
> Give me a shout if you need any help!
> 
> Good luck


Thanks so much!
My husband has a German passport though no German language and we are based in Scotland and ready to move to Germany if/when he finds a job. Not sure if having the German passport will be at all helpful.
He is head of marketing and strategy at a digital marketing firm here and was creative director at a digital marketing firm before. We are hopeful Berlin might be a good match for marketing.
Thanks for the tips on the CV (studio photo?! wow.). 
I have taught English quite a lot and have a degree in French and Spanish...my dream is to work with younger children possibly in a bilingual school setting.
Our girls and I have dual nationality with UK/US so working and living in an EU country (if we find work!) is easy enough for us.
Any advice on schooling (our youngest will still be at home and will be 11) would also be really appreciated.
Much to think about
Thanks again,
Beth


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## ALKB

Pecosa said:


> Thanks so much!
> My husband has a German passport though no German language and we are based in Scotland and ready to move to Germany if/when he finds a job. Not sure if having the German passport will be at all helpful.
> He is head of marketing and strategy at a digital marketing firm here and was creative director at a digital marketing firm before. We are hopeful Berlin might be a good match for marketing.
> Thanks for the tips on the CV (studio photo?! wow.).
> I have taught English quite a lot and have a degree in French and Spanish...my dream is to work with younger children possibly in a bilingual school setting.
> Our girls and I have dual nationality with UK/US so working and living in an EU country (if we find work!) is easy enough for us.
> Any advice on schooling (our youngest will still be at home and will be 11) would also be really appreciated.
> Much to think about
> Thanks again,
> Beth


His German passport will definitely be a big plus (but learning as much German as possible will be absolutely necessary, his chances will expand in proportion with his language skills).

A really good photo is a must. The employers who ever bothered to talk to me about these things told me that the photo determines whether they read the cover letter. The cover letter determines whether they look at the CV.

If you have teaching experience - do you have any official qualifications? - chances are actually pretty good to find work, there are lots of language schools for young children, aiming to teach through play, bilingual nurseries, bilingual private schools, etc.

Which year will your daughter be in?

Year 7 is the first year of secondary education in Berlin and there are several bilingual state schools at primary and secondary level. I have a friend with two children at Charles Dickens Primary and she is very, very pleased. Native English speakers usually get a place while native German speakers are fighting and suing to get in.

Primary:

Bildung für Berlin - Berlin.de

Secondary:

Bildung für Berlin - Berlin.de

Primary and secondary:

Neuigkeiten - NMS, Berlin

You could also expand your search for work to Potsdam, just outside Berlin with good public transport links and the capital of Brandenburg. I know a few English speakers who found work in international companies who have started branches there.


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## Nononymous

Having the German passport is more than helpful. He is legally permitted to work, period. As a spouse, you will also have the right to work. There might be a few conditions to meet, but if he's sufficiently employed to support the family then it shouldn't be a problem. Start your research at the federal government web sites, they're fairly good.

There's plenty of digital in Berlin, lots of it in (less than perfect) English with the influx of people from other parts of Europe. But don't exclude the rest of Germany - lots of expat-friendly work environments elsewhere too. Even in Berlin you'll want to learn German as soon as possible (to help stop the pestilential spread of English on the streets).

School will be an issue - what are the children's ages? Eleven is probably too old to be hurled directly into a regular school, but there are a few public bilingual options, and of course private international schools if you need to rid yourself of excess cash.

You might find more detailed information on that other famous expats-in-Germany forum that for some perverse reason I am not allowed to name here, but the title includes the words "toy" and "town" if that helps you find it.


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## Nononymous

One thing to be aware of is that for a German national to sponsor a spouse, the spouse is, I believe, eventually required to learn German to a minimum standard. If this still applies when the German national doesn't speak German, I'm not sure. But it's something you'll need to look into.


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## Bevdeforges

IIRC, Pecosa has UK nationality herself, so should be good to go on the residence front, without the need for a visa. 

Do be sure to look into the German style CV, however. There are a number of bits of information, besides the photo, that are expected: nationality, marital status, and either date of birth or age. I know my boss in Germany wouldn't look at any CV if it left those things off. (Probably not a bad idea to indicate that you, Pecosa, have EU nationality so there is no question about residence and working rights.) They also tend to want copies of all your certification documents (diplomas, etc.). They do return the package to you if your application is unsuccessful, however.

German is not an easy language to learn (thanks to the three genders and four cases) but it's probably easier for native English speakers than for native romance language speakers. Even a crash course, however, will take a bit of time. Then, there are the accents in various parts of Germany (though the Berliner accent isn't all that difficult). Those in the south, Schwäbisch and Bayern, tend to be the most difficult.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ALKB

Bevdeforges said:


> IIRC, Pecosa has UK nationality herself, so should be good to go on the residence front, without the need for a visa.
> 
> Do be sure to look into the German style CV, however. There are a number of bits of information, besides the photo, that are expected: nationality, marital status, and either date of birth or age. I know my boss in Germany wouldn't look at any CV if it left those things off. (Probably not a bad idea to indicate that you, Pecosa, have EU nationality so there is no question about residence and working rights.) They also tend to want copies of all your certification documents (diplomas, etc.). They do return the package to you if your application is unsuccessful, however.
> 
> German is not an easy language to learn (thanks to the three genders and four cases) but it's probably easier for native English speakers than for native romance language speakers. Even a crash course, however, will take a bit of time. Then, there are the accents in various parts of Germany (though the Berliner accent isn't all that difficult). Those in the south, Schwäbisch and Bayern, tend to be the most difficult.
> Cheers,
> Bev




You definitely have to include a lot more personal information in the CV's header than in US or UK CV's. Date of birth and nationality are a must, marital status is more a thing for government jobs and there even the number of children is included.

Do an image search for "Bewerbungsmappe" and be amazed. 

Before applying, call HR (if there is a telephone number in the ad, most probably only people who have called ahead will be considered) and ask about their preferred format of application - email (with scanned copies of all your references, qualifications and certificates), just papers with CV and cover letter on top or a file (Bewerbungsmappe). If this is already indicated in the ad, ask something else. Anything.

By law, companies have to return your application (but it won't be pristine enough to reuse it anyhow) and nowadays they try to get out of this considerable cost by only accepting online applications or already indicating in the ad that papers will not be returned unless you include a stamped return envelope.


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## Tellus

...for jobs in Marketing and /or Advertising have an eye for Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The majority of agencies are there. Most of them prefer native speaker because of international experiences.


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## Pecosa

*thank you*

Thank you all so much for the replies!
It is really helpful and has given us a broader range of possibilities in our search and much greater awareness about the challenges.
I really appreciate it,
Beth


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## Pecosa

*good language learning tools?*

Hi again,
So our eldest child will stay in Scotland and start university and our youngest will be just 11 when we move. I am worried about what that means for her schooling....?!
We are currently doing an online German course and have a tutor coming to start with us at home this week.
I have a UK passport so I can work in Germany IF I can find work (teaching English, working in a school, etc--no, I don't have any real qualifications other than a BA in French and Spanish, Berlitz trained for teaching English, and years doing bilingual behavioral research with young children....) and my husband has a German passport.
We are open to living anywhere in Germany IF he can find a decent paying job in marketing (creative director or head of strategy/communications, etc). His passion would be to work for one of the green energy companies if by some miracle there was one looking for a new head of strategy in the marketing dept that didn't need to be fluent in German!
I wonder if any of you can recommend good online German learning tools for adults and children?
We are currently getting his CV to be more German friendly:fingerscrossed:
Thanks again for all of the tips/advice,
Beth


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## Bevdeforges

You might try trying to attract the attention of some UK based headhunters. Best way to do that is to simply hit all the "standard" online sites (Monster, Stepstone, LinkedIn) and start searching for jobs in Germany where the posting is in English. Many times, these are handled by UK recruiters and/or headhunters.

Put in for the job, even if it's not quite what your husband is looking for (or is one or two steps up or down from what would be an appropriate job for him) particularly if the posting is through a recruiter rather than the actual employer. If his CV is of sufficient interest, you may get the headhunter to contact him with other possibilities. It sometimes takes multiple applications through the same headhunter to draw their attention, but what have you got to lose?
Cheers,
Bev


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## Nononymous

In terms of schooling, 11 is probably borderline - hard to say how she would do with the transition into a German-speaking environment, much depends on her abilities. You have the option of a bilingual German-English school if you can find a place in one near to where you are living (relatively big if) or a private English/international school if you can afford the fees.


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## ALKB

Pecosa said:


> Hi again,
> So our eldest child will stay in Scotland and start university and our youngest will be just 11 when we move. I am worried about what that means for her schooling....?!
> We are currently doing an online German course and have a tutor coming to start with us at home this week.
> I have a UK passport so I can work in Germany IF I can find work (teaching English, working in a school, etc--no, I don't have any real qualifications other than a BA in French and Spanish, Berlitz trained for teaching English, and years doing bilingual behavioral research with young children....) and my husband has a German passport.
> We are open to living anywhere in Germany IF he can find a decent paying job in marketing (creative director or head of strategy/communications, etc). His passion would be to work for one of the green energy companies if by some miracle there was one looking for a new head of strategy in the marketing dept that didn't need to be fluent in German!
> I wonder if any of you can recommend good online German learning tools for adults and children?
> We are currently getting his CV to be more German friendly:fingerscrossed:
> Thanks again for all of the tips/advice,
> Beth


Which year is she in right now? P6? P7?

Every German state has its own school system - primary school can end after 4, 5 or 6 years.

The Berlin system is quite similar to the Scottish one but they count a bit different.

If your daughter is now in P6, this would equal year 5 in Berlin. As secondary school starts in grade 7 in Berlin (yes, yes, there are a few specialised classic schools that start in 5th grade but if your daughter hasn't had any instruction in Latin and ancient Greek they are of no concern  ) schools might be eager to put her in 6th grade to be able to assess her before she goes on to secondary.

I highly recommend the bilingual Europa schools (links in one of my earlier replies) native English speakers usually have no problem there and become fluent in German quite naturally.

How about a family language holiday, hopping over to Germany for a week or two?

There are loads of language schools all over Germany offering intensive language instruction for a week, two or six. It might be a good option for all of you to get immersed in the language and maybe even do some applying/networking/testing daily life?

My older daughter just turned 12 and she spent the summer with my parents in Berlin. I booked a one week French course for her because I found the French language instruction in her school in Edinburgh lacking. She had lots of fun, enjoying some French cooking along the way.

There are lots of programmes like this also offering German as a second language, evenresidential language summer camps for children aged 11 to 16.

EDIT: Regarding green energy, there are actually quite a few "competency centres" for green energy in Berlin. You might want to monitor some of the specialised job sites:

http://www.greenjobs.de/index.html

http://www.adlershof.de/en/jobs-market/job-market/anzeigen/stellenmarktausbildungsplaetze/

http://www.eejobs.de/index.html

At a first glance, adverts in English are rare...


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## cyprusexpat

Germany have more than 8 million loosing jobs germans.

Germany looking for IT personal and peoples for dirty jobs like clean rooms cheaper than germans. 

Also hey need more old person care.


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## Pecosa

Thanks to all of you for the very useful information!
We now have a German tutor coming to the house and German language CDS (so so hard compared to Spanish and French--for me anyway!).
My husband is looking more and more aggressively for work in Germany and hopes to get a response (as suggested by Bev) from a UK headhunter by applying for numerous jobs. Would it be wise though to make contact with a headhunter based in Germany there for expats looking for work?
We will be in Berlin (first time for all of us) in February so thinking it might be useful for him to meet up with one or two headhunters.
Our youngest is currently P6 in Edinburgh and the earliest we would move would be the start of her P7 year so does that mean one year in primary school in Germany before moving up to secondary school?
Much to think about and make happen!
Thanks again,
Beth


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## ALKB

Pecosa said:


> Thanks to all of you for the very useful information!
> We now have a German tutor coming to the house and German language CDS (so so hard compared to Spanish and French--for me anyway!).
> My husband is looking more and more aggressively for work in Germany and hopes to get a response (as suggested by Bev) from a UK headhunter by applying for numerous jobs. Would it be wise though to make contact with a headhunter based in Germany there for expats looking for work?
> We will be in Berlin (first time for all of us) in February so thinking it might be useful for him to meet up with one or two headhunters.
> Our youngest is currently P6 in Edinburgh and the earliest we would move would be the start of her P7 year so does that mean one year in primary school in Germany before moving up to secondary school?
> Much to think about and make happen!
> Thanks again,
> Beth


Hi Beth 


This is tricky. It will largely depend on the school's assessment and availability of places. 

Generally, applications for secondary schools (year 7) are due by February for an August entry. About half the school places are allocated from the catchment area and also depend on school reports from the Berlin primary school (which your daughter doesn't have). The other half of the school places are by application to the school and can be filled with children from all over Berlin. 

It's very competitive and I don't even know whether you can apply without a Berlin address...

The problem here is that you don't know where you will live, so can't contact the catchment area school.

It might be a good idea to contact one or both of the English language Europa primary schools and ask them what they think about the situation, whether they would recommend a year in primary and whether they would have a place/take her.

Also, you can go to Nelson Mandela (international state primary and secondary school) and Schiller Gymnasium (bilingual grammar school) and ask the same.

Winter holidays are the first week of February 2015 in Berlin. It might be a good idea to phone them before that and make appointments where possible.

A year in a Europa primary might not be the worst situation, as they usually have places for native speakers and it would give you a year to get used to the school system, learn German and sort out applications to secondary school for the following year.

EDIT: by the way, the new school year starts 31st August in Berlin next year.


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