Guest post by Nenad Franjic, founder of Job Badger
Finding a job in Germany without German may be easier than you think. I ran my own job search this year, which ended with a new contract that starts in January. Along the way I looked at close to 90 roles in detail and turned what I learned into a free job search tool. While building it, I tested 26 job board APIs and analysed more than 15,000 job ads. I made a few interesting discoveries, and I want to share some tips to help you find a job that doesn’t depend on you speaking perfect German.
Start with the official sources
Most people start on LinkedIn or Indeed, but two of the biggest sources are free public services. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit runs one of Germany’s largest job boards (arbeitsagentur.de/jobsuche). It’s in German, so search for the German job title as well as the English one. Be careful with the location filter: it’s fuzzy. When I tested it, “Zurich” turned into Aurich, a small town in East Frisia. Check which place it actually searched before you trust the results.
EURES is the EU’s job portal and includes the vacancies of the German employment agency. The site is in English, but the postings stay in their original language. You’ll often find the same job on both portals, so don’t count it twice or apply twice. EURES also adds the official job category in brackets after the title, for example “(Maler/in und Lackierer/in)”. That’s a classification, not part of the job title.
Running every search twice, in two languages and on two portals, gets old fast. That’s one of the reasons I built Job Badger, which searches EURES, the Arbeitsagentur and other job boards at once and translates your English keywords into German. Full disclosure: I’m its founder. Make it in Germany, the government’s portal for skilled workers, is also worth a look for research and resources.
Search for the right words
English listings are a good first sign that a position uses English as its working language. Don’t skip the German job descriptions, though, or you might miss out on opportunities. Look for “German is a plus”, “German not required” or “English is our working language”, in both English and German (“Deutschkenntnisse von Vorteil”, “keine Deutschkenntnisse erforderlich”, “Unsere Arbeitssprache ist Englisch”). If you speak German at a certain level, say B2 or C1, use that as a keyword as well. Also try keywords such as “EMEA”, “Global” and “International”. A lot of companies only require a basic understanding of German, not fluency. When using Google, search for “site:companywebsite.com” and add those same keywords. That will help you find job descriptions directly on the company’s website.
Be careful with “remote”, though. When I analysed 993 remote listings, only about one in four was open to someone living in Germany. The biggest group was US-only. Check the location line before you get your hopes up.
How to read a German job posting
Most German postings follow the same structure: “Ihre Aufgaben” (your tasks), “Ihr Profil” (what they want from you) and “Wir bieten” (what they offer). In the profile part, watch for words like “von Vorteil”, “wünschenswert” or “idealerweise”. They all mean nice-to-have, not must-have, so don’t rule yourself out too quickly.
Language requirements are rarely given as a level, so here’s roughly what they mean: “Grundkenntnisse” is basic, “gute Deutschkenntnisse” is around B2, “sehr gute” or “fließend” is around C1, and “verhandlungssicher” means good enough to negotiate in. Treat them as a hint.
“Werkstudent” jobs are only for enrolled students. “Quereinsteiger willkommen” is good news, because it means career changers are welcome. And the “(m/w/d)” after every title is just the legal gender-neutral tag.
Also check whether the job is “befristet” (fixed-term) or “unbefristet” (permanent). And if the ad names a contact person (“Ihr Ansprechpartner”), address your cover letter to them.
Which companies hire non-German speakers?
More than you think. Many German brands are trying to grow in foreign markets, which you might know well and can help them with even if you don’t speak perfect German. Foreign companies entering the German market, on the other hand, will often use English as their working language. Look for announcements about expansions, new country manager hires and, of course, openings. If you speak a third language, look for German companies operating in those markets too, or for companies whose employees come from your home country.
Apart from the positions you’re qualified for, look for English postings in other departments. They tell you the company works in English. You can keep an eye out for a position that fits your expertise, or send a cold application to the department of your choice. Another thing you can do is look at company pages and posts on LinkedIn, X, Reddit and other platforms. Your chances are good if the recruiters post in English, but founders and employees can be an indicator as well. You can also reach out to employees without actually applying. Show genuine interest in the company and ask if they know of any teams that work at least partially in English. Some companies offer “friends recruit friends” programmes, which give employees an incentive to refer candidates.
Common mistakes
In my own search, the remote roles at international startups mostly brought rejections or silence. One rejection arrived just 15 hours after I applied. My interviews came from companies based in Germany. A few mistakes worth avoiding:
Not answering what the ad asks. This covers both skills and experience and administrative details. Many German ads ask for your salary expectation (“Gehaltsvorstellung”) and your earliest start date (“frühestmöglicher Eintrittstermin”). If you leave them out and your profile isn’t a perfect fit, you’re easy to skip. And don’t wait for the ad to tell you the pay. In my analysis, about half of the German vacancies on EURES stated it, but at the German offices of international tech companies it was about one in ten. Do your research and name a number.
Missing documents. Most importantly for foreigners: your work permit has to be in order. German employers also often want certificates and references from previous jobs (“Arbeitszeugnisse”). For regulated professions like nursing, medicine or teaching, your qualification has to be recognised first (anerkennung-in-deutschland.de). A photo and your date of birth are common on German CVs, but not required.
More places to look
Don’t rely on one source for your job search, especially when you’re looking for a niche position with any kind of limitation, such as language. Scan all the relevant job boards, aggregators and sources you can find. A few smaller ones are Berlin Startup Jobs, English Jobs in Germany and GermanTechJobs.
Searching in a language you don’t fully speak takes longer, but the jobs are there. Good luck!
About the author
Nenad Franjic is a Serbian-born senior performance marketer based in Germany. He is the builder behind Job Badger, a free tool that searches several job boards in one go.
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