r/Germany_Jobs

Hello!

I was just wondering if anyone has insight into this - my bestie is "planning" (very tentatively) on moving (back) to Germany in about 5 years.

She was born in the US to a German National (at that time) and a US citizen, and later lived alternately in the US and Germany as an adolescent, eventually settling in Germany from about age 15 to 27ish. Both of her parents later lived in the US as US citizens, though both have since passed.

She previously had a German passport, and she says she had "dual citizenship", until she "had to choose," ultimately choosing US citizenship. She moved to New York with her daughter (who was born in Germany but is a US citizen as she was born to 2 US nationals in a military hospital) a while back and has lived in the US since that time. She has another much older adult child (a German citizen) who lives in Germany with her own family.

She will have lived in the US for around 20 years at the point she wants to move back. She is considered a US citizen (though it is not clear if she ever formally "gave up" German citizenship); she still has her old expired German passport from when she was younger, if that matters. She does not have any specialized training or degrees (she did not finish high school), and works in hospitality. She is fluent in both English and German.

She seems to think she can just decide to go back and will be able to get work and have no problems. I think that it may be more difficult than she expects. She says that since her older daughter (an adult with her own family) lives there, and she used to live there, it will be an easy move.... Does anyone have any insight into this?

Hi! I am a non-EU resident, and I have an offer to study Neurosciences at LMU Munich. My goal is to land a job in the neuro-tech/med-tech sector. I have read that Munich has a lot of up and coming startups in the field, in addition to companies like Siemens, Roche, etc.
How likely it is to find a job in Germany after graduating from LMU? (given that I obtain B2/C1 German proficiency)

I have a 3 year work experience as a software engineer in a big multinational company.

Thank you

Hi everyone,

I am currently running an eBay e-commerce store and am looking into expanding operations specifically within Germany.
Since I want to make sure I navigate local logistics and operations correctly, I am looking for advice from locals or other entrepreneurs here. What are the best platforms, forums, or local networking groups in Germany to connect with people who are interested or experienced in the e-commerce / online retail space?

Any tips on standard practices for collaborative e-commerce setups here would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

I recently finished my Master’s degree in Chemical Biology with a 3.9/4 GPA and I’m currently applying for PhD positions in Germany.

During the past year, I did not hold a formal research job or position. Instead, I spent this time:

• Travelling
• learning and reviewing research techniques (molecular/cell biology methods, lab skills, etc.)
• preparing and applying for PhD positions

I’m wondering how this kind of gap is viewed in German PhD admissions. Will it negatively affect my chances, or is it generally acceptable as long as the Master’s and research experience are strong?

Would really appreciate any insight from people who went through similar situations or are currently working in German labs.

Hello,

I just wanted to share how I landed my first job in Germany based on my own experience; and I hope this post would be helpful to some of you.

Before coming to Germany, I lived in France for some time , then I came to Germany but I made sure to learn German and reached C1.

Job searching was very exhausting, as my previous internships in France were not recognized, so I started as a fresh person with literally 0 experience.

I sent around 366 applications(I save all my applications and all details in an Excel), had 30 Interviews and received two offers.

What really helped me? Here are some points

• German: If you have no German, then your chances will drop by 80%, as soft skills including proper German/Cultural fit are as important as your hard skills. Most of the interviews were in German, except in some situations where the company doesn't mind English.
• Flexibility: Once you reach advanced rounds, in most cases they asked me to come on site for an interview with the Ceo, and I had to do hundreds of Kms, sometimes I spend the night in the stations, and if I have some money I book an hotel, so it depends on the situation, and I know this might be a bit wrong, but showing that you are open to come on-site is a good sign.
• Technical Interviews: It honestly depends on your profile, but to me all technical interviews were basic, 90% of them were live coding challenge. Coding challenges aren't about delivering perfect code or a working solution, but it is more about how you solve the problem, the way you think, and how you communicate, and AI was not allowed, even though all companies are abusing AI usage during their workflow, but technical interviews are a different story, as they need to check your skills.
• My CV: I have a tabular CV, no icons, no charts, just a simple and well structured CV, I used to apply only on roles that exists on my CV, this means that I don't apply on something I do not know or understand, a role that perfectly matches my CV. I used to customize my CV a bit, and regarding motivation letter, I never sent a standard one, I always customize it depending on the role I am applying for.
• Salary negociation: If you don't have an idea regarding how salaries work in Germany, then it's better to check it before applying. For master's degree I am not allowed to get less than 48000 Eur Brutto a year, this means that some roles are limited to a lower range, and in that case you can get rejected just because of your Diploma. Another issue I discussed with my friends is salary negociations, as some people think that asking for a lower salary will get them the job which is not true and it is actually the opposite. If you ask for a salary lower than what your master’s degree qualifies you for or permits, this can create a significant issue. First, the employer may perceive it as a sign that you are undervaluing yourself. Second, even if both parties agree on the salary, the Ausländerbehörde and the Bundesagentur für Arbeit may not approve it.

What I didn't like:

• Ponctuality: I attended my interviews on time, as I prefer to come early, and enter the building or the online meet 5 minutes prior, but in most cases there is alwasy 15mn delay, and in some cases the recruiter never shows up.
• Ghosting: I've done 3 rounds interviews and until this day I didn't get any reply, and that's why I always advice people to keep applying and never trust verbal promises, you stop applying only when you sign the contract yourself.
• Multiple Interview Rounds: It's a pain in the a$$, especially reaching 3 rounds interview and still a couple of them, but usually the average rounds are between 3 and 4, and in some companies for specific roles 7 rounds( I gave up on the 4th)

What helped me during that depressive period:

• I love Germany, but I never considered it my home. I see myself as a guest, and I probably always will. That means I am not willing to sacrifice my mental or physical health for it. I also never paid much attention to what my family said. Most of them encouraged me to hold on and keep applying, but I still remember the moment I was packing my things and preparing to return to my home country. I have seen many people damage their mental health in similar situations, and in my view, it is simply not worth it. What also helped me was the fact that I had done everything imaginable to find a job.
• I tried every possible way, and I had always been a hardworking student, so I had no regrets. I believe that sense of having truly given it your all is something many people are missing.

I hope this helps a bit eventhough I know it's hard.

Good luck!

Field : IT | Full Stack Dev

Siemens has just dissolved Evosoft Germany, effectively laying off nearly 400 employees. The future of Evosoft Hungary remains uncertain, but based on vague statements from management, it is possible that the same fate awaits it.

I’m a Siemens employee, and today we had a hybrid meeting. I was standing a short distance away from company management, reading the questions that were being asked online. The most frequently asked question was, “Will there be more layoffs?” Management responded to this question very curtly and instead shifted the discussion to the integration of AI into daily work, stating that at least 80% of employees must use AI tools. I’ve been working at Siemens for several years, and it’s never been this bad. If you're thinking about joining Siemens, I'd think twice if I were you.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a 3rd-year Computer Engineering undergrad at HKUST in Hong Kong focusing on AI. My long-term goal is to move to Germany, do an English-taught Master's (Applied Sciences preferably and in AI/DS), and settle down there.

My plan is to take a 1-year gap year working full-time in HK right after graduation to build my portfolio, and aggressively grind German before making the move.

By the time I move, I'll have:

• A BEng in CompEng + AI ✅
• 2-3 AI/LLM development internships ✅
• 1 year of full-time ML engineering experience (hopefully)
• A couple of local hackathon wins and some cloud certs (AWS/Oracle) ✅
• Aiming to clear C2 as i already cleared A1, and prepping for A2

I want to know if this strategy makes sense to people actually working in the German tech scene right now:

1. How much does 1 year of full-time HK tech experience matter? Will German employers value it for Werkstudent (working student) roles while I do my Master's, or should I just move sooner?
2. How brutal is the AI/ML market right now even for German speakers?
3. Generative AI vs. Core Dev: My internship background is heavily in LLMs and ML. Given the current market in Germany, should I double down on that during my gap year, or focus on general Software/Data Engineering to be safe?

Would love any brutal honesty or advice on what I should focus on during my gap year. Thanks!

Hello. I currently work from home in Germany and I was wondering if anyone has done side jobs or mantained two full timne jobs at once? My friends back in India are saying if I work from home I should be doing at least 3 jobs. I will just stick to trying to find 2. I work in IT currently and most of the time I can just blend into the background and do my work with very few meetings. I figured why can't I try to find another job just like this? What are the tax implications of two jobs? Will the second job inform the first job without my realizing it?

Are the notes from uni a very big factor during recruitment for a job in Germany? Are they very relevant for the companies?

Hello! I am a 28-year-old female who moved to Germany 9 months ago, thinking I would build the career I always dreamed of. Unfortunately, nothing has worked out so far; I have sent hundreds of applications and received no replies. Because of this, I stopped relying only on English and focused on learning German to reach the B2 level. I hold a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences from Syria and an honors master's degree in medical biotechnology from Moscow, Russia. How would you advise me to get into Regulatory Affairs in Germany? Do you think I should consider other fields as a biotechnology graduate eager to enter the German job market? I just want to know what the right steps are. Thank you all in advance for any piece of information!

Hi, I applied for a job role (werk student/ Masters thesis) in Siemens Healthineers, Fürth, Germany. After applying, job status changed to In process(Hiring Manager). It’s been more than two weeks, Should I consider it as a rejection?

Hello I applied for job seeking visa on 22nd of march. My student residency ended on 1st of april. I sended emergecy request on 11th may.

I can’t find a job due to my situation. I can’t visit my family. Probably will have hard time finding a place because my rental contact will end. I’m so stressed.

Hey there! Receiving no answers anymore since a few weeks. Do you observe the same?

And one more thing:

Since last month, I ve received about 2, 3 replies like this, has anyone else had a similar experience?

“No more hiring this year / No remaining staffing budget for 2026 “

I applied to a company for a software developer working student role.

2 weeks later they scheduled an interview.

2 weeks later they sent me a mail asking about

- my working hours that I will be available considering my course schedule.

- asking to send my enrolment form from my uni.

- willing to come to office regularly etc.

I just replied back with all the answers.

What does this mean?

Did I get the job or not?

Fyi,

The position has been marked filled on all platforms.

I've posted about this before, and I'll remind you again:

GERMANy is a country where speaking GERMAN matters. 10 years ago it was fine, if you spoke 3 words, the rest was translated and some sign language.
Today? We have this thing called "Arbeitgebermarkt". The companys can be VERY PICKY with who they hire. They can find the 9.8/10 fit for the position. 10 years ago, they needed workers. Right now its the opposite.

Germany has many people coming to study and hope for a better life, which is understandable, we need young people to fuel the economy. BUT:
Not everyone can be in IT and Engineering. Those jobs, are disapearing due to bad economy. Companys hold off investments for anything they can. That also includes creating jobs.

Those are my top tips for people that still try to find a job here.

#1 Learn proper german, and get the certificate with it. Dont make up better language skills than you have, if you get an invite to an interview, and they find out you lied, goodbye your chance.

#2 Be honest. You can tweak your CV, as the companys tweak their job ad. Just dont throw in 25 years of experience if you have barely 2 years.

#3 Networking is very important. Linkedin, Xing are the important ones. Its just like back in 2010, where you added everyone on facebook for fun. Thats how Vitamin "B" aka Bekannte / Referal in english roughly translated. You basically know someone that knows someone that can help you land a job.

#4 Use a ATS friendly german CV. So many people post here daily, but they cant figure out that its not even a german cv. Dont need to go all fancy, just get the basics right. You can prolly use google to find websites.

#5 Adjust your CV to the company you are applying to. Look for buzzwords on the job ad, and try to build them in with your skills. That helps. Always offer a trial day.

#6 Anschreiben: Even if not expected in many job ads, you can always send one in. A few words about your motivation, what you done before, why you want to work there.

#7 There is a high chance, that someone with better skills in any regard will get the job.

Last winter semester, there were about 2.8 million people enrolled into uni.

Q4/2025 shows that there were about 1.2 million open jobs.
Roughly 90% of those jobs, are not for the avg uni student. Blue Collar jobs for example. Yes there are people that go there after uni, but thats a very small fraction 0.x%.

Aktuelle Ergebnisse - IAB
I took this, and some other statistics out there.

Germany just does not have the jobmarket for the amount of people coming fresh out of uni. With automotive industry heavy under pressure, it being our biggest industry.. yeah.

Consider other countrys also EU wide if you have a work permit. Or are a living resident in EU.

Good luck

Hi all,

I have been looking for a job for almost 13 months, but I still haven’t had a successful application. I’ve had a few interviews, but unfortunately no positive feedback so far.

I feel like I might be missing something, but I’m not sure what it is.

I’m mainly looking for roles in robotics and embedded systems with 1-2 years experience.

Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.

Note: I don’t speak German yet. Could that be the main issue?

Pretty much the title.