Guides to working in Germany

This is what we have learned helping people find jobs in Germany. The guides explain how the German job market works and always point to the official source so you can confirm rules that change often.

Guias em portuguêsRatgeber auf Deutsch

• How to write a German CV (Lebenslauf) that recruiters actually read

  Structure, section order, photo, personal details and the most common mistakes people make when adapting their CV to the German format.

  8 min read

• German cover letters (Anschreiben): structure and useful phrases

  When a cover letter is still expected, how to build each paragraph and which opening and closing phrases to use in German and English.

  7 min read

• Glossary: how to read a German job ad

  The terms that appear most often in German job postings — from (m/w/d) to befristet, Tarifvertrag and verhandlungssicher — explained in English.

  9 min read

• Getting your degree recognised in Germany: when it's required and how

  Regulated professions, the anabin database, the ZAB Statement of Comparability and the Recognition Finder explained step by step.

  8 min read

• Work visas for Germany: an overview of the main options

  EU Blue Card, the skilled worker visa and the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte): who each one is for and how the process works.

  9 min read

• Salaries in Germany: gross, net and deductions explained

  Why pay is negotiated as annual gross, what tax classes are, how social contributions work and how to estimate your monthly take-home pay.

  7 min read

• Job interviews in Germany: stages, questions and etiquette

  How German hiring processes are structured, the most common interview questions, how to talk about salary and what to ask at the end.

  8 min read

• What level of German do you need to work in Germany?

  CEFR levels A1 to C2 in practice, accepted certificates, fields where English is enough and how to plan your learning during the job search.

  7 min read

• Where to find jobs in Germany (and how to avoid scams)

  Official portals, job boards, professional networks, company career pages and recruiters — plus the warning signs of fake job ads.

  6 min read