Finding ANY jobs in Berlin: Tips for non-German speakers

[uxiizo 2]

hi,

 

I'll be moving to Berlin for a few months to explore and (hopefully) learn some German. I'm arriving on the 8th of January. After reading these forums I've come to believe, and hopefully mistakenly, that jobs are really hard to come by in Berlin particularly if you don't speak the language. Am I right in thinking this? Will I be in hopeless or do any English (ou Français..) exist for 20 somethings looking to just make ends meet..?

 

Thanks for any and all feedback!

 

-Matthew

[alice r 163]

Did you really "read these forums"?? There is a thread two topics below yours that should give you an overview of the situation here - people may not be arsed writing back specifically to your question as it has already been asked and answered. And no, people are not being nasty, negative or discouraging - they are being honest.

[swimmer 3,706]

 

After reading these forums I've come to believe that jobs are really hard to come by in Berlin ... Am I right in thinking this?

No. You are completely wrong. People just spend hours posting on this forum writing total lies about the compexities in finding work in Berlin for a joke. We like a good laugh. It's just our German sense of humour. Unemployment and poverty are always a good for humour, of course. We are just trying to fool people like you. In reality, any non-German speaker who fancies coming to Berlin can expect to walk into the job of their choosing. That's because Berlin is the richest city on earth (don't let the widespread poverty fool you). No worries. Just book your ticket.

 

The bit about 16% unemployment as a whole and 33% for immigrants may have been published in Stern. That doesn't mean you should in any way believe it. Sterns spends its time trying to fool you as well.

 

Really - as alice says- why on earth did you feel the need to post this?

[HAL9000 359]

Matthew: If you want any chance to make it in Berlin or anywhere else on the planet then try and get your reading and comprehension skills sorted out.

[Chocky 1,223]

Jesus! I wasted 30 seconds of my life reading the post of someone who hasn't trawled through thousnds of other posts written by opinionated, grumpy farts whose drab existences are made briefly more interesting by the possibility of attacking someone on an internet forum.

To the OP: Berlin is no longer cool, there is very little work here unless you speak the language or have a phd in engineering. My advice; stay where you are. :)

[boxer 35]

Three choices: 1. Bring your income with you. 2. Work your arse off in a sh*tty job for 400 euros per month. 3. Have enough capital investment to start your own business

[Conquistador 11,153]

OP- are you counting on supporting yourself entirely with a job, and are you coming here on the holiday working visa?

[Guest]

 

Berlin is no longer cool

Yah? Thank God, because that actually contributes greatly to Berlin's continuance of being great FUN!

 

OK, easy for me to say as a 2nd home owner only, I know... but still, at least I'm not competing with you guys for those precious jobs, huh?

 

To the OP: yes, you're spot on in thinking that.

[the science eel 47]

He obviously hadn't read the other threads. He's probably a newbie here. There's no reason at all for the eye-rolling and groaning - replying with brief and helpful comments is easier, in fact.

[paulbb 85]

Hi Matthew -

 

I've had four jobs in two years, with very little German, two of which came from the classified ads here and two from the classified ads in exberliner. I'd advise selling yourself as a native English speaker. There are jobs going in teaching at schools (assimng you're not a sex offended of course!!) and I know people who do it with no experience whatseover. Call centres also recruit naitve speakers to call the UK/US and conduct surveys or customer services.

 

The job situation isn't great, mainly because of the recession, but there are jobs out there.

 

Good luck!

 

P.

[ecleary 67]

Nice one Paul.

 

Finally someone who has decided to be helpful. And what a surprise! Matt has been able to find work. This positive attitude probably helped get Matthew the jobs he's aquired here. Like Matt I too stayed positive and managed to find a number of jobs since arriving here in September 2008, working up way up from a pretty crappy job delivering pizzas, which helped get me by, to now working in the field in which I'm qualified working through English.

 

Matt, since you speak French I recommend you apply for a position in this company, who I believe are always looking for French speakers: www.otest.fr

Do ensure to have plenty of savings before coming though, just in case you don't get a job for a while.

 

Also check out this site that lists sites on which you are more likely to find English Language Jobs in Berlin.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy Berlin. It's a great place to live.

 

Cheers,

Evan

[ecleary 67]

 

No. You are completely wrong. People just spend hours posting on this forum writing total lies about the compexities in finding work in Berlin for a joke. We like a good laugh. It's just our German sense of humour. Unemployment and poverty are always a good for humour, of course. We are just trying to fool people like you. In reality, any non-German speaker who fancies coming to Berlin can expect to walk into the job of their choosing. That's because Berlin is the richest city on earth (don't let the widespread poverty fool you). No worries. Just book your ticket.

 

The bit about 16% unemployment as a whole and 33% for immigrants may have been published in Stern. That doesn't mean you should in any way believe it. Sterns spends its time trying to fool you as well.

 

Really - as alice says- why on earth did you feel the need to post this?

 

Hey Swimmer,

 

Just because 100s of disillusioned unemployed Berlin residents have posted about their experiences and the job situation as they see it, doesn't mean there's new point in posting the question again. There's always new people joining this forum and maybe he hoped someone would see his post and give him some positive feedback. And evidently two people did: me and Paul. So maybe your not, God forbid, always right about absolutely every conceivable topic on this forum.

 

Evan

[HAL9000 359]

 

Matt has been able to find work. This positive attitude probably helped get Matthew the jobs he's aquired here. Like Matt I too stayed positive and managed to find a number of jobs since arriving here in September 2008

So ecleary can't read either.

[RNH 23]

Matthew

 

Be in no doubt, the situation here is desperate beyond all measure. Having said that i have just emerged from unemployment and have now found my second job in the two years i have lived here - but i am lucky talented intelligent and resourceful. If you want to come to germany, for heavens sake DONT cme to Belrin - go to Hamburg or Munich or the ruhrgebiet...ANYWHERE but Berlin! CLear?

[the science eel 47]

Ignore him, Matthew. He's scared of competition.

[blue78 254]

 

Be in no doubt, the situation here is desperate beyond all measure. Having said that i have just emerged from unemployment and have now found my second job in the two years i have lived here - but i am lucky talented intelligent and resourceful. If you want to come to germany, for heavens sake DONT cme to Belrin - go to Hamburg or Munich or the ruhrgebiet...ANYWHERE but Berlin! CLear?

AS i posted in the other post.. OP Please Read! we are not being dicks we are TRYING to tell the truth no matter how hard the pill may be to swallow..

 

Honestly listen... WE LIVE HERE! every day, not just a 90 day wonder that fell off the plane yesterday and is an 'Artist' etc, living in P berg... Berlin is not the best place to be at the moment for a job, Period! in fact it is so bad that many people i know and others have said the same thing, and have moved or commute to Hamburg for work because there actually is work there.. Please we are not trying to diswade you from coming, but the reality is totally not nice here work wise, unless you have a skill 25,000 other Germans do not have, and have work permission!

 

The problem is, there are tooo many english speaking people here in the last 2 years (mass exodus) that are well educated and out of a job. Not to mention all the other nationalities you are competing against. Berlin has become a 'Trend' city of sorts in the last year or so.. where the people from western countries come here for a 2 week vacation, fall in love with the city then just MUST live here, without knowing fluent German, having enough money, etc... This takes what little jobs there are away from the expats that have been established here for years (married Germans, etc)

 

Please truly consider your options first, maybe try the west as previously said.. get a good feel for the country, find a good job in say Köln or Hannover and then transfer to Berlin in a year or two.. get decent German that is the key, and go from there..

 

We are not attacking or questioning your reasons, but we have all been down this road before with hopes and dreams, and we know how this bad movie ends..

 

just my 2 cents worth :)

[Keefy 3,577]

 

[-snip-]

where the people from western countries come here for a 2 week vacation, fall in love with the city then just MUST live here, without knowing fluent German, having enough money, etc...

[-snip-]

 

This man Blue 78, he no spik with forked tongue. He tell truth!

 

Without trawling through the myriad of previous posts on this and very similar topics (for yea, verily, they are as legion as the grains of sand in the desert), the least any prospective settler here could do is to learn the language. Moreover, "I want to be an 'artist'" reminds me of the old joke about the two London city gentlemen chatting to each other on a commuter train - one says to the other: "I'm writing a book" and the other says: "Neither am I".

 

Get real - and if you do, you may stand a chance. I was one who fell in love with Berlin at first sight - although it took me 27 years before I actually moved here. Despite "Wings of Desire"/"Himmel über Berlin" there ain't no hovering angels here, waiting to envelop the clueless in their wings. BUT - if you're clued up, motivated, have ideas - clear ideas about what you want to do, what sort of person you are, your direction in life, what you have to offer as well as what the city has to offer you, you may still have a chance. You might even leapfrog over those who forever moan: "Mwwwaaahhh! I can't get a job." And all the very best to you if you can soul-search sufficiently to do what's necessary.

 

But don't, please don't, come to Berlin and expect the place to wipe your arse/ass. First of all, you have to learn to wipe your own.

[black1 1,696]

 

This man Blue 78, he no spik with forked tongue. He tell truth!

 

"I want to be an 'artist'" reminds me of the old joke about the two London city gentlemen chatting to each other on a commuter train - one says to the other: "I'm writing a book" and the other says: "Neither am I".

That reminds me of the old Zille picture of 2 young Germans getting married - and the caption reads - Er war Kunstler. Sie hat auch nichts. - (He was an artist. She had nothing too). That was the situation in Berlin a hundred years ago or more and some things echo today. Zille was very perceptive.

[Zobirdie 110]

Uxiizo, as a fellow Canuck- it's pretty hard to get a job here with all the visa issues. The people answering you, not that they are wrong, appear to have the magic EU citizenship. If you have it, then that's one thing. If you don't, it becomes a sod of a lot more difficult.

 

Not trying to be a downer, but people on here forget that we aren't all in the EU. *sniff* *sob* And we can't just work anywhere. Even finding places for 'downlow' work is tricky.

[dessa_dangerous 13,315]

I can!! I can work anywhere!!! Just got my shiny new visa today!!!

 

*goes off to look for jobs scrubbing toilets*