Finding a job in Germany has become easier for foreign specialists
As Deutsche Welle reminds us, since July 2012, highly qualified personnel can obtain a "Blue Card." A higher education diploma is one of the mandatory conditions. The other two are having an employment contract and a gross annual salary of at least 49,600 euros or 38,688 euros per year if it concerns representatives of professions particularly in demand in Germany: doctors (excluding dentists), mathematicians, architects, IT specialists, and natural scientists. In terms of the number of Blue Cards issued so far, Russians rank third, followed by Ukrainians.
Since 2013, access to the German labor market has been simplified for specialists from outside the EU who have completed vocational training. To do this, the applicant must find a job in Germany and undergo a qualification verification procedure. An important requirement is that their profession must be listed in the so-called "white list" (Positivliste). This list of the most sought-after specialists is available on the website of the Federal Employment Agency at www.arbeitsagentur.de/positivliste and is updated every six months. Currently, it includes more than three dozen fields.
And in October 2016, an opportunity to find employment in Germany appeared for all other specialists with vocational training. However, the employer company must be located in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. In this region, a new program called PuMa will be tested. Its full name is punktebasiertes Modellprojekt für ausländische Fachkräfte – a pilot project for foreign specialists based on a points system. What is special about this innovation?
As already mentioned, the project is currently limited to one region. "Given the good economic situation in Baden-Württemberg (as in Bavaria), the unemployment rate is very low. Many companies need new employees," explains Beate Raabe from the press office of the Federal Employment Agency in an interview with DW.
Baden-Württemberg has a well-developed industry. Not only giants like Daimler, Bosch, or IBM Deutschland are located here, but also many small and medium-sized enterprises in the automotive and mechanical engineering, metalworking, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. A shortage of personnel could worsen the situation, and the PuMa program is intended to counteract its growth.
But the main goal of its initiators, according to Beate Raabe, is to test how a completely new model will work in addition to existing ones. The program is currently planned for three years. Applicants can submit their applications from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2019. Those who manage to secure a job during this period will have the opportunity to extend their work visa after the program ends. Representatives of all professions that are not covered by Blue Card requirements and are not included in the Federal Employment Agency's "white list" are invited to participate in the program.
The best chances of getting a job are for those who are considered most capable of integrating quickly in Germany. Candidates are evaluated on a 100-point scale, and to pass the program, they need to achieve the maximum score. The main criterion is knowledge of the German language: proficiency at level B2 immediately provides 100 points. Knowledge at level B1 gives 50 points, at level A2 gives 25 points. Applications from candidates with a level below A2 are not accepted.
Language skills can be confirmed using certificates from the Goethe-Institut, TestDaF, DSH, DSD, ÖSD, or a German school leaving certificate (Abitur). The language diploma must have been obtained no later than one year ago.
For those whose language skills are below level B2, there is an opportunity to make up the necessary points through other criteria. For example, knowledge of English or French at level B1 gives an additional 25 points. Having relatives up to the second degree of kinship (parents, children, siblings, grandparents) living in Baden-Württemberg guarantees 50 points. Previous work, study, or internship in Germany totaling at least 12 months (can be divided into a maximum of three periods) gives another 50 points. Experience of staying in one of the EU countries (at least six months, divided into a maximum of two periods) also counts: it brings 25 points to the total.
An indispensable condition for applicants is having a diploma of vocational education. A minimum of two years of training is required. It is important to note that in some professions in Germany, vocational training takes place without interruption from production, while in other countries they are taught at universities. In such cases, access to the program is also open to applicants with higher education, but they will have to prove work experience.
You can check how your diploma is evaluated according to German standards on the website www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de. The diploma must be confirmed by the relevant German authority, the address of which can be found on the same website.
For questions regarding employment in Germany and particularly participation in the PuMa program, please contact the Virtual Service Center (Virtuelles Welcome Center) by phone at +49 228 713-1313, by email at [email protected], or via the contact form on the PuMa program website: https://regional-skilled-workers-initiative.de/kontakt/
Specialists from the Federal Employment Agency will help clarify the requirements, explain the procedure, and if you achieve the necessary 100 points, even assist in finding an employer. According to Beate Raabe, in 2016, 700 people from CIS countries called to inquire about their chances in the German labor market. There has also been interest in the new PuMa program, but so far no applications have been submitted.