Working in Germany
Welcome to the world’s fourth largest economy!
Germany is home to some of the best-known companies: Volkswagen, Daimler-Benz, Bosch, Bayer, BMW, Siemens, Adidas, and many others, are German.
These companies depend on millions of highly skilled employees for their success. But with many Germans retiring early and Europe as a whole becoming an aging society, Germany faces a serious shortage of skilled workers.
To solve this problem, the German government has recently made it easier for skilled employees from all over the world to work and live in Germany.
Work and living in Germany has become a lot easier than going, say, to the US, Australia, or many other countries.
Why would you want to work and live in Germany? How does Germany compare with other countries, such as the US, UK, Australia, Thailand, and others?
Here are just a few points:
Germany has one of the highest living standards in the entire world. Salaries in Germany are among the best, and compensation includes generous paid vacation and family times.
The education system is top-notch and is mostly free (unlike in the US, for instance, where education is hugely expensive).
The healthcare system is among the most advanced, and Germany provides government-funded health insurance. Sorry, again, US and many other countries: Few match the quality and low cost of German health care, which is one reason Germans live longer and healthier lives.
Germany is welcoming of immigrants and has strong laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, or country of origin. It’s also one of the safest countries to live and raise a family in.
And with Oktoberfest approaching, let’s not forget about German beer!
If that sounds like a good possibility, let's look at a few ways you can look for a job in Germany and the kinds of work and residence visas available to you.
What country you are from does not matter, but rules may be a bit different based on your country.
In this article, I will share some essential information.
Remark: The below information is not related to nationalities from EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Main check points:
1) Requirements
2) How to look for job
3) Visa
4) Types of residence permits
1) Requirements
1.1 educational qualification
You must hold an academic or a vocational qualification.
You are IT- specialist with no educational qualification. However, you can
work in Germany, if you have working experience for 3 years within last 7
years.
Your qualifications must be acknowledged and recognized by German Authority, if they are not achieved in Germany.
Please check at the below link for recognition of your documents
Remark: Recognition of qualification is not needed for the nationalities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro till 2023.
1.2 language requirement
Academic qualification – no language requirement except medical field
IT specialist without educational qualification – must have German language skill (B1 level)
Vocational qualification – it depends
2) How to look for job?
Option 1: You look for jobs via online German job portals: first link & second link
After receiving job offer from German employer before coming to Germany, the most important things are detailed concrete job contract and recognition of qualifications. Without them, you cannot apply for visa.
Option 2: You come to Germany with 6-month-visa to look for jobs.
Remark: The better job opportunity is mainly dependent on your qualification and occupation that match with the demanding occupational fields in Germany.
3) Visa
If you are nationality of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the USA, you do not need the visa.
Otherwise, you must apply for visa.
Please check the visa requirement.
4) Types of residence permits
Academic qualification: If you have already found an employer willing to hire you in Germany, you can work and live in the country with a “Blue Card.” This applies to other EU countries, too (sorry Ireland and Denmark, you are the exceptions).
But not just any job qualifies: Your minimum salary must be at least 3,500 euros per month in the sciences and engineering, and about 4,600 euros per month in other fields. These salaries are in line with what German college graduates typically earn.
Blue Card is issued for maximum 4 years and can be extended if the requirements are met.
And there’s more good news: You don’t need to speak German to be eligible for a German Blue Card (except in the medical fields). But if you have the below German knowledge, you can apply to German permanent residence.
A1 – can apply for PR after 33 month-working in Germany
B1 – can apply for PR after 21 month-working in Germany
Vocational qualification - If you have already found an employer willing to hire you in Germany, you can work and live in the country with a “normal work permit card”.
You can apply for permanent residence after working for 4 years. The big issue is enough income to live in Germany.
Skilled IT specialist without educational qualification - If you have already found an employer willing to hire you in Germany, you can work and live in the country with a “normal work permit card”.
You can apply for permanent residence after working for 5 years. The big issue is enough income to live in Germany.