The Importance of German for Job Seeking

Job Search in Germany: Federal Employment Agency

If you intend to work in Germany, you can find a job in various ways. Online job portals are a good option.

The largest German online portal for job searching is operated by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) with its job board. The job postings are often in German and are updated daily. You can also upload your applicant profile there so that German companies can contact you.

If you are looking for detailed information about professions, you can find it on the BA's "BERUFENET" website. There, you can learn what your profession is called in Germany and what it entails in this country.

Multilingual Job Portal "EURES"

EURES (EURopean Employment Services) is a multilingual job portal that promotes professional mobility between Germany and other European countries. EURES regularly organizes job fairs in many countries and online.

Company Websites

Company websites are a good way to find out about job openings. Look under "Job Offers," "Careers," or "Vacancies." An unsolicited application can also be worthwhile.

Personal Consultation – "Make it in Germany"

The "Make it in Germany" platform offers consultation services:

• By email: "make-it-in-Germany(at)arbeitsagentur.de"
• By phone: "Hotline Working and Living in Germany"
• Phone +49 30 1815 – 1111 (German and English).

For Applicants Already in Germany

• The Employment Agencies (branches of the Federal Employment Agency) offer free consultations for job seekers in almost all German cities.
• At job fairs, you can talk to employers.
• Private recruitment agencies also offer job search and placement services. Before using their services, clarify whether fees apply for job search and placement.

Why Are German Skills Important?

If you want to live and work in Germany, it is a great advantage to understand and speak the local language. This helps you communicate in everyday life. It will be easier to make contacts and friendships. German skills are also helpful for dealing with authorities, visiting doctors, and finding housing. They are also important for education and work – even if not always explicitly required. Including a certificate of participation in a German language course with your application can positively impact your chances. After completing your education, good German skills can also improve your career prospects.

German Skills for Healthcare Professions

For the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, especially in regulated professions, German skills are required. This particularly applies to professions in the healthcare sector such as

• Doctors
• Nurses.

Depending on the federal state where you want to work in a healthcare profession, a language level of B1 or B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is required. Certificates from the Goethe-Institut or a telc-certified institute are accepted as proof. The telc GmbH (telc = "the European Language Certificates") is a provider of language tests that, together with the Goethe-Institut, developed and conducts the German Test for Immigrants (DTZ).

German Skills for Trainees and Students

Trainees generally need sufficient German skills to begin their training in Germany (B1).

University Applicants:
The language of instruction at German universities is German in most programs. For cultural and social science subjects, you usually need better German skills (speaking and writing) than for natural science subjects. However, many English-language programs are also offered. For these, you usually do not need German skills (only for everyday life), but very good English skills are required.

Depending on the university and program, you need official language certificates, usually at level B2. Common certificates include:

• the "German Language Examination for University Admission of Foreign Applicants" (DSH)
• the "Test of German as a Foreign Language" (TestDaF)
• the passed "telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule" exam
• DSD II (German Language Diploma of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, at CEFR level B2/C1)
• Goethe Certificate C2.

German Skills as a Requirement for Obtaining a Visa and Recognizing Foreign Professional Qualifications

When applying for a visa to search for a job in Germany, proof of German skills may be required. If foreign professional qualifications are to be recognized in Germany, a language level of at least A2 usually needs to be demonstrated. Skilled workers from third countries applying for a visa to enter Germany generally need to prove German skills at least at level B1.

What Are the Options for Learning German?

For newcomers from third countries, as well as migrants who have been living in Germany for a longer time, there is a nationwide, modular German language promotion program.

As a basic offering, integration courses teach language skills at level B1, as well as knowledge of the legal system, culture, and history of the Federal Republic. The goal is to enable independent action in everyday life.

Integration courses are followed by job-related language courses, which aim to improve participants' chances in the training and job market. These courses teach German skills at levels B1 to C2. Participation in job-related language courses for newcomers from third countries, EU citizens, and Germans with a migration background is generally free of charge if, for example, they are registered as seeking training, seeking employment, or unemployed, or are undergoing training in the dual system.

You can also take a German exam in your home country, for example, at one of the 157 Goethe-Institutes worldwide.