Tips to Find English-Speaking Jobs in Germany [2024] - Navigate Germany

Germany has a lot of opportunities for English speakers but it depends on your field, skillset, and professional training. Most of the jobs require candidates who know German, but you can find English speaking jobs too. Finding such jobs can be complicated, so follow this guide to make job hunting easy.

Professions Requiring Fluent German

Management jobs such as HR, digital marketing, or sales require German fluency as they have to deal with the German clients. However, professions like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as these jobs do not require interaction with German clients that’s why you can easily find such jobs.

How Many English Jobs Are Available in Germany?

Landing an English speaking job is easy but not impossible. According to the data from the German Federal Employment Agency in 2018, around 12% of people employed in Germany are expats. 31,000 Blue cards were issued by the German Federal Office of Migration and Refugees in 2019 that provides residence permits to highly skilled workers from non-EU countries. A lot of opportunities are announced but they all require both English and German. According to a survey held in 2018, around 2000 employees were interviewed. English is the most commonly used language in German offices along with French and Russian. 27% of people shared that English is used in office meetings. Around 47% of employees use other languages to communicate with International colleagues. Big cities such as Berlin or Munich have more English jobs as per study that shows that 14% of job ads were from Berlin and 11% from Munich and Frankfurt.

Germany’s Job Market Share in Europe

Germany is the fifth largest economy in the world and the biggest in Europe. You will find a lot of jobs for skilled and unskilled workers, but speaking German to a minimum level is a must. Monthly income on average in Germany is €4,021 but this is dependent upon regions, gender and job sector. Unemployment rate in Germany is 3.9% as of May 2022 and even lower in southern parts of Germany. There are a lot of global companies such as Volkswagen, BMW, Siemens, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, and Daimler that are based in Germany. 90% of businesses are SMEs so they are taking almost 90% of the market share in Europe.

Tips to Find an English Speaking Job in Germany

Strategy Planning

Be specific when finding an English speaking job in Germany. Usually, people try to get a job in a big company as they find English speaking candidates, but getting a job in a multinational company is comparatively tough as many people are applying on the same position. Stand out from the competition to get an English speaking job by showing your creativity in your application. Prepare an amazing CV and cover letter according to the job rather than making a a generic CV and covering letter. This will increase chances of getting an invitation for the interview.

german cv & Cover Letter

Being an applicant, you must prepare your CV according to German standards. Hiring manager should see the necessary details in the first look so you must understand the way to prepare your documents before you start your application. Germans love to see your Picture, DOB, and Hobbies on your CV which should never be longer than 2 pages. Do not apply if you do not have CV or cover letter.

Job Roles

Senior job roles do not require to have fluency in one language as they have to communicate and involve themselves within multiple countries. Language skills are needed when employee have to interact with the staff daily. Job roles that are less dependent on client interaction, German language is not necessary. These job roles include IT programmer, or software engineer. If you are applying for a job role where you need to interact with German clients such as sales and marketing jobs, you need to be able to communicate in local language too. Jobs in educational departments or charitable organizations prefer English-speaking candidates.

Job Experience

Professional experience increase your chances of getting an English speaking job even if you are less fluent in German. Fresh graduates find it difficult to get an English-speaking job. They need to apply for entry-level jobs which require English skills to deal with the international market.

Profile Related to Job Description

Your profile must match the job description. Apply for all jobs where you meet the eligibility requirements, even if that is not your dream job. Getting a desired job in a specific discipline is not easy in Germany. So, don’t be so choosy at the start as it is good to be on job than to stay unemployed. Switch to the better job opportunity once you are stable and experienced.

German Course

Do not think that you have an English speaking job so you do not need to learn German. Learning German is important for your career growth so learn it along with your job and get good German language skills. You can enroll yourself in German classes at a school and share this in your interview to increase your chances of hiring.

Stay Connected

If you are a student, stay connect at your university to get help from your professors. They can refer you to their strong connections and write a good recommendation letter which will benefit you in finding a job.

Networking

Build a strong network of friends and colleague to get a better job than your current job. Your friend or friend of your friend can recommend you to a vacant position. Have connection with your university alumni or join social media groups. Your valuable contacts might help you to get a job in Germany.

Search Online

Rather than looking for a job physically, it is always good to find job at online platforms. Different online platforms and reliable websites are available where you can select filters according to the desired jobs. Make your LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date to apply for vacant positions. Xing is also a reliable platform and competitor for LinkedIn. Mid-sized companies hire people through Xing whereas big companies get employees from LinkedIn.

Startups

According to German startup Monitor, over 2000 startups were created and more than 33,500 people were hired by them in 2021. The German government supports the startups where the management prefers to have a diversified team and residents get jobs there.

Bigger Cities, Bigger Chances

Big cities such as Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Hamburg have more job vacancies. Munich have companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Frankfurt is the banking Capital. Berlin is the city for startups. Hamburg offers a lot of industrial jobs in renewable energy, aviation and sports. Dusseldorf is also a city of startups and offer jobs in sectors like media, telecommunication, and fashion.

Public Job Portals

Federal Employment Agency provide most of the jobs in Germany through its large network of more than 700 agencies and offices. All information related to casual opportunities is available at International Placement Service. Post your profile on the portal and see the job roles in multiple companies according to your interest.

Employland & ImmigrantSpirit

These are two best candidate matching platforms where you can find English-speaking jobs. These services allow individuals to register by creating profiles and upload their CVs and cover letter for free. All paperwork for immigrants is done by them and they do the legal work in Germany.

Facebook & Twitter

You will find a lot of german facebook groups and job posts on Twitter. Job roles especially entry-level positions are listed on these platforms. English speaking jobs in Munich, English speaking jobs in Hamburg, English speaking jobs in Berlin, English speaking jobs in Munich, english speaking jobs in germany, English and International jobs in Frankfurt are few groups on social media. You can also search with the relevant tags such as #English #jobsinGermany.

Conclusion

Finding an English-speaking job can be challenging but, think positive, stay motivated, and apply on the right position with the right CV and an amazing cover letter. If your direction is right, you will get your dream job soon. Follow the tips given in this guide to enhance your chances of selection at a well reputed organization in Germany.