Guides
Plain-words pages about working in Germany without German. Checked against official sources, and updated when the rules change.
Before you move
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For English speakers
What that phrase can honestly mean here, and where to start.
5 min read -
Visas and work permits
The Blue Card, the Opportunity Card, and what each one asks of you.
5 min read -
Getting your qualifications recognised
Whether your degree or trade needs formal recognition, and where to start.
6 min read -
Where the jobs are
Which cities and which industries actually hire in English.
4 min read
Getting the job
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Applying in Germany
What a German employer expects in an application, and what they don't.
5 min read -
Your job contract
Probation, notice, holidays and hours — what the contract says and what the law guarantees.
6 min read -
Salaries and pay
Gross, net, tax classes and deductions, and how to check a fair range.
6 min read -
Job interviews
How a German interview runs, the questions that come up, the ones that may not, and who pays the fare.
5 min read -
Salary negotiation
Which number to give, how to find it, when to say it — and what else is on the table.
4 min read -
Your German payslip
Steuerbrutto, SV-Brutto, LSt, KV, RV — every line of the Gehaltsabrechnung, top to bottom.
5 min read -
Working while you study
Working-student jobs, Minijobs and internships, and the limits on a student permit.
6 min read -
The German CV
What goes in a Lebenslauf, line by line — and when to send an English CV instead.
5 min read -
German words in job adverts
Werkstudent, m/w/d, Probezeit, verhandlungssicher — the words you will meet, one at a time.
10 min read -
Freelancing
Freelance or employed? The tax office, false self-employment, insurance and the freelance visa.
5 min read
Living here
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After you arrive
Anmeldung, tax number, health insurance — the first few weeks.
6 min read -
Health insurance
Choosing a Krankenkasse, the two-week deadline when you start a job, and how to switch later.
4 min read -
Changing jobs
What to tell the authority when you change employer on a Blue Card, or find work on an Opportunity Card.
4 min read -
Lost your job
The three deadlines after a dismissal, unemployment benefit, your permit, and free advice.
5 min read -
Finding a flat
Cold and warm rent, the papers landlords want, deposits, and how to spot scams.
6 min read -
Learning German
Why it still matters, what the levels mean, and the public courses.
6 min read
Austria and Switzerland
Calculators and checks
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Opportunity Card points check
Count your points for Germany's job-search card against the 6 you need.
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Blue Card salary check
Check a German job offer against this year's EU Blue Card salary line.
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Notice period calculator
The earliest legal last day when you resign, or are let go, in Germany.
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Holiday entitlement calculator
Germany's legal minimum days off, for part-time and part-year jobs.
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Red-White-Red Card points check
Count your points for Austria's work permit: key workers and the very highly qualified.
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Does this advert need German?
Paste a job advert and see every sentence about German, read by the same rules as this site.
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Which work visa fits me?
A few questions point you to the Blue Card, the Opportunity Card or a skilled-worker visa.
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Minijob and working-student check
Hours and pay against the 20-hour rule and the minijob limit, for 2026 and 2027.
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Reference letter decoder
What the grade phrases in a German Arbeitszeugnis mean, in English.