Berlin is the capital of Germany and also its largest city, a beautiful city full of culture, art, music and literature. This makes it one of the most fascinating cities in Europe, and many people move to Berlin working here.
It is a city full of life, parties and events, and in recent years it has become one of the main destinations for young people from all over Europe and beyond. This intense emigration has created a truly multicultural city, where different traditions and cultures live together in mutual respect.
Berlin is also one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe. If you want to live and work in Berlin, you should know the German language to have a good chance of finding a job, as the unemployment rate in the city is far above the national average. This is also due to the large number of emigrants who come to this city every year. Berlin is not Frankfurt, Munich or Hamburg, but it is a city in the heart of the former GDR and still has a long way to go to reach the level of Western cities.
High unemployment means that salaries are low on average, while rents continue to rise due to high demand, and it is not at all easy to find an apartment in Berlin. Many come to Berlin attracted by the artistic and cultural life, but many of them end up surviving by working in a restaurant or a call center because it is impossible to get a cultural job due to the competition and the lack of German language skills.
Best working sectors in Berlin
Berlin is home to many startups due to its low operating costs and availability of many highly skilled people. According to one report, 35% of the employees of all startups in Germany come from abroad. In Berlin, this share is as high as 45%. The administration is doing everything it can to encourage new companies to locate and develop here. The main source of employment in Berlin is still government-related jobs, so startups are very important for the city because they diversify and expand the range of jobs.
Work in a startup in Berlin
Here are some websites with job opportunities in startups:
Creative jobs
Given the intense cultural and artistic life in the city, it may seem easy to work in the artistic-creative field in Berlin, but the competition in this field is very high. Many artists have come here hopeful and full of dreams, but many of them have had to adapt and survive. Instead, many freelancers working remotely have moved to Berlin to enjoy the atmosphere of the city and benefit from the low taxes.
Here are some websites for creative jobs
- Creative City, artistic job offers
- Music Job, music job offers
- Dasague, offers creative work for Berlin and other German cities
- Kultur, creative jobs
- Art Connect, artistic job offers, internships and collaborations
- Precore, artistic job
- Thea Polis, musical and artistic job offers
- Saw World, musical and artistic job offers
- Buelmen Jobs, job offers for musicians, dancers, directors, actors
- Stage Pool, for artists, producers, theater workers and the media
- Stage Entertainment, artistic world
- Berlin Art, website containing a lot of artistic information
- Berlin University of the Arts, offers scholarships for study in Berlin. These scholarships are aimed at citizens of all nationalities and are conditional on the submission of projects.
If you are an artist or an art student or if you want to live in Berlin for a while, you can apply for the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, (DAAD), scholarship for new artistic talent in the visual arts, literature, music, film, and dance. The duration of these scholarships is usually one year.
Although there is certainly no shortage of competition, Berlin could offer good opportunities for those who have innovative ideas and want to start a small business. Thanks to the fast bureaucracy and the German tax system that helps new businesses, the business can be successful.
Working in Berlin, searching jobs websites
Here are some useful websites:
- Gruenderszene, a website that contains information about employment in Berlin and job offers
- Hotel Career, hospitality jobs in Berlin
- Zalando, multinational fashion company based in Berlin
- Pay Pal, Berlin office, job offers
- Ebay, at the German headquarters of the online auction giant in Berlin you can sometimes find job offers
- Booking com, vacancies at the company’s call center
- Arvato, a global service company headquartered in Germany.
- Movinga, starup for removals or trips
- Flixbus, sometimes there are job offers for english speakers
- Amazon, vacancies at its Berlin office
- Jobs in Berlin, job offers for English speakers
Employment Agencies in Berlin
- Robert Half
- Talent-Berlin, website, also in English, full of information, tips on how to live in Belino, how to find accommodation and with a large section on work, very useful.
Another way to find a job in Berlin is to visit job fairs. Large and small companies from all sectors participate in job fairs: transportation, catering, hotels, finance, construction, etc. Not only companies, but also temp agencies, (temporary employment agency).
For those interested in finding a job in Berlin, it may be a good idea to spend a weekend in this city and visit one of these fairs. Here is a link:
If you want all the information on how to work in Germany I suggest you read the Guide to working in Germany
