It is difficult to find a job in Germany without knowing German, but easier with English.
In the current English Proficiency Index ranking, which compares the level of English proficiency among adults in 100 countries, Germany ranks eighth, behind the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, Austria, and Portugal. Overall, as Deutsche Welle notes, the level of English proficiency in Germany is rising. Knowledge of English is often included in the list of requirements for German employers.
Six months ago, the association of recruitment specialists BAP analyzed more than 900,000 job advertisements. In about every fifth ad, knowledge of this foreign language was mandatory, with half of such ads aimed at young professionals. Most often, these were vacancies in IT and telecommunications, science, marketing, PR, or consulting. Least often – in medicine and nursing care, for social workers, builders, and craftsmen.
What are the chances of employment if a foreign specialist, besides their native language, only knows English?
Where in Germany is it easier to work with English
“It all depends on the company,” says Maxim Radomsky, a programmer from Ukraine. He started looking for a job in his field in Bonn while still a master's student at the University of Bonn. His knowledge of German at that time was minimal. And since ads requiring only English were rare, Maxim sent his resume everywhere that matched his profile.
His first employer was a small company engaged in outsourcing, mainly fulfilling orders from German companies. “They were just looking for a student studying computer science. At work, we mostly communicated in English, but one of the employer's wishes was that it would be nice to learn German over time,” the young specialist says. He showed little initiative in learning German, and when the company's business deteriorated and layoffs were necessary, Maxim was fired.
In software development or programming, knowledge of English alone is often sufficient. But if in the same IT field you have to work with clients from Germany, German may be a necessity, notes employment expert Walter Feichtner in an interview with DW. The labor market in Germany has changed in recent years, he says.
Globalization is observed in almost all spheres worldwide, and due to migration, there are more and more foreigners among the working population in Germany. “The main role in employment is played by qualifications, professional background, and experience of the specialist. Language skills are important, but to varying degrees – depending on the field, type of activity, and company,” agrees a career consultant from Munich.
In large companies with headquarters or clients and suppliers in another country, English is often the working language. Its knowledge is needed, for example, in sales or procurement departments. But in medium-sized businesses, it is difficult without knowledge of German, as the market for small firms is mainly regional. Knowing German is also more important for representatives of blue-collar professions – if an employee is directly involved in production, on the assembly line, or in the warehouse.
Berlin and Munich – the most English-speaking German cities
Analysts of the large employment portal Indeed analyzed in which German cities job advertisements are specifically aimed at foreign specialists. Conclusion: it is too early to talk about great openness of employers. The Indeed study covered 88 cities, and on average across the country, of all ads analyzed by the portal's specialists from May 2020 to April 2021, only 2.5 percent were not in German, but mainly in English.
At the same time, the study revealed significant differences between cities. Most often, an English-language job ad can be found in Berlin – 14 percent of those analyzed by Indeed. In Munich and Frankfurt, about every tenth ad is in English.
But in Hamburg and Cologne, which are among the five largest German cities, only four percent were found. However, the top five most “English-speaking” German cities included Kaiserslautern and Göttingen, with populations of about 100,000. Indeed specialists explain the relatively large share of English-language ads in these cities by the fact that Kaiserslautern hosts a large university and one of the institutes of the Fraunhofer Society. In addition, the US Ramstein Air Base is located near the city. Göttingen is also a university city with a number of research institutes where scientists from around the world work.
Best of all – English in addition to German
The leadership of Berlin and Munich in the Indeed ranking does not surprise Walter Feichtner. Berlin has long become popular with specialists from abroad, and the Bavarian capital houses divisions of international corporations, in particular, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. However, he does not believe that if a job ad is written in English, the offered work will only involve that language. The employment expert is confident that by addressing potential employees in this way, companies are specifically looking for those who are proficient in English – in addition to German.
Among the clients of his consulting firm Karrierecoach München, 25 percent have migration backgrounds. And their experience shows that without knowledge of German, it is not so easy to get an invitation for an interview. “Competition is high, and the more attractive the employer, the more interesting the position and the more complex the tasks, the more important knowledge of German becomes. In top management, for example, both languages are equally important,” emphasizes Walter Feichtner.
Job Search in Germany: A Successful Tactic
At the second job, which Maxim Radomsky was soon able to get, knowledge of German was required. By that time, he had already been living in Germany for two and a half years and had become better at understanding the language by ear. At the interview, he preferred to discuss technical questions and his previous experience in English, but when they moved on to personal preferences and hobbies, he was asked to speak German.
"What saved me was that I wasn't embarrassed to use English words when I couldn't remember the German term," Maxim reveals his tactic. Despite the fact that even now he works in programming, he has to participate in meetings and conduct business correspondence in German.
Finding a job in Germany without knowing German is difficult, the specialist concludes. "And even if you don't know German well enough, try to make them believe that you do," Maxim says half-jokingly. Part of his tactic was also a resume and cover letter in German—friends helped translate from English.
For those who still decide to apply for a vacancy in English, Walter Feichtner, who himself worked for some time as an HR specialist and headhunter, advises adhering to the same formatting requirements and the same structure as in a German-language resume. In addition, according to his observations, anonymous resumes have not yet taken root in Germany: employers still consider it important to see a photo of the applicant, information about gender and age. Small details, but they can also influence the recruiter's decision.