Finding work in Munich

Hi - I'm currently living in London, working in banking and thinking about moving to Munich but not sure how easy it would be to find a job (I don't speak German yet). Any advice / info would be hugely appreciated - such as, is it better to try to line up a job before arriving, or to search for a job once I get there? Also, assuming I probably wouldn't be able to get a banking job without being able to speak German, what types of jobs are available to English speakers?

Have a look at this discussion: London to Munich: 10 Reasons to Move

This might also interest you: Learning German in Munich on a budget

And: American or International Companies in Munich - seek American firm or international company that uses English as the internal language.

Hello All,

I will be graduating from college in May (BA in Political Science and German) and would love to move back to Germany. I studied in Berlin last year, and am dying to return. However, after a year there, Berlin's not-so-hot job market made an impression on me, and the relative affluence of Munich was often mentioned. Is there any hope for an American like me to find decent job in Munich? A good friend of mine recently moved there, and offered me a place to live for a few months while trying to find work.

I've done well in college - summa cum laude, honors, co-authored articles with professors. I speak a little French as well. My intention is not to brag, but instead to ask if any of this matters to a German employer; I know they're not always convinced by an American BA. I also had a short internship in Berlin last year, but my "real-life" experience is fairly limited. I'm not expecting some 50k Euro job, but would like do something besides wait tables.

Given a few months, and a lot of determination (can't count on luck), would I have a decent shot at finding a job? Or would my american citizenship (non-EU ) and lack of work permit prevent me from doing anything besides good ol' Schwarzarbeit?

Thanks so much for your advice!

Start reading here: Jobs in Munich, then you can also check out the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and other online job searches.

You don't need a work-permit to look for a job, so the best strategy is take up your friend on their offer and give it a shot. Lots of us have managed, so it isn't impossible.

As a poli-sci/german major and new graduate, you're definitely not in a great position to look for work. A BA is esteemed at relatively the same level as an Fachhochschule Diploma. That's not bad, but means less money than a german undergrad degree. The basic problem is that your degree has not prepared you for any particular job, so you'll need to do a better job of explaining how and why you are more qualified for a position than other candidates.

Bring lots of official documentation on your grades and current experience. Here are some tips (in german) on applying for jobs and writing a german resume).

Poli Sci major - check
German minor - check
Year in Germany - check
Want to come back - check
Offer of place to crash - check

That was me 16 years ago. I'm still here - and there were some very lean years - but life is cool. Be open minded about where you live (for example, I had wanted to go to Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Hamburg or Berlin, never Munich - go figure), and what you do and then be prepared to teach yourself whatever job you end up doing (why on earth they still offer poli sci majors and sell them as a ticket to any job is beyond me - IMHO it's only good as a pre-law major, unless you quit before law school as yours truely, but I digress)
Anyway, take your friend up on the offer and think about any other skills you have. Big important question I didn't ask myself for a long time - what work would you do if you were to stay in the country? Build on that as well. Good luck. PM me if you have any other questions..

EDIT : I just saw your profile page - do not be proud and DO take advantage of all the offers you get as a "young person" ( I didn't) . Germans your age are just starting university and you will not be taken seriously as an employee for a long time (this could vary in some companies). I was 22 when I started at the company I, still, work for - the first 3 years do not count towards my retirement, I was paid considerably less than others because of my age only, etc. Enroll at the hochschule for politik (downtown munich) and work part time (I almost did this semester but I can't cut my hours at work ) If I had it to do over again, I would. But then again, I was so busy partying then... And do not be offended if none of your studies are recognized there, or only a few courses are. (Took me awhile to get over that myself - especially since I studied 'Politik' for two years in Heidelberg and know what they actually did... )

I discovered in an interview last week that a lot of companies are looking for skilled programmers etc, but dont bother advertising because there simply arent any skilled programmers etc sitting there unemployed looking for jobs. Instead they keep an eye on companies that might soon go broke and lay off workers, or rely on word of mouth, or people contacting them directly. So if thats the area you are looking at then it might pay to ask around, or ask a company directly.

a website with terrific job lisitngs for germany is monster.co.uk

check under international, list germany, munich and type of job (but dont narrow search too much you might unnecessarily be limiting your options) then under special key word search put "English" -this either provides a list of the jobs where that is a requirement, if you dont speak german and if you do, you at least know the employer is international friendly/experienced and more apt to be willing to provide a work visa for you

hi...
i am new here and i thought i might ask you guys how you got a job here. my boyfriend is american and has no german citizenship as i do. we are both not at the point yet to marry but do not wanna be apart till i am done with college. has anybody an idea who offers jobs for a young man without a college digree? he has worked at a bank, landscaper, is personal trainer and works with dogs. i really appriciate every answer!
thanks ina

someone is looking for a poster guy, check that out. search crazy legs.

there is also someone looking for english speaking help on Munich tours, just search munichtours

good luck