Learning German, even when the job doesn't ask for it

Many jobs in Germany advertise in English, but German opens up the rest of life. Here are the levels, the public courses and the free ways to start.

This is general information. Course rules and fees change, and 2026 brought real changes; check the official pages before you sign up.

Why it still matters

A listing labelled "No German asked for" tells you what the advert said. It is not a promise that the job needs none. How we label German explains the difference.

Even where the work itself is in English, German tends to turn up in the same places:

• Colleagues. Lunch, coffee and corridor talk often switch to German, even in teams that work in English.
• Promotion. Moving up can mean managing people, clients or suppliers who work in German.
• Everyday life. Landlords, doctors' receptionists, the tax office and most letters from authorities are in German.
• Staying for good. Permanent residence and citizenship have written language requirements.^[1][2]

What the permits and citizenship ask for

The level that comes up most is B1. As at September 2026:

These are the headline rules, not the whole story. The authorities decide each case; visas and work permits has more on the permits themselves.

What A1 to C2 mean

German levels follow the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference.^[5] In plain terms:^[6]

• A1 — introduce yourself, ask simple questions, understand slow, clear speech.
• A2 — handle routine exchanges: shopping, directions, simple talk about work.
• B1 — understand the main points on familiar matters at work and in daily life, and cope with most everyday situations. This is the level most official rules ask for.
• B2 — talk with some fluency on a wide range of topics; regular conversation with native speakers becomes possible.
• C1 — use German flexibly at work and in study, without much searching for words.
• C2 — close to complete command, including fine shades of meaning.

The integration course

The Integrationskurs is the government's own course, run by the BAMF (the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees) through local providers. The general course has 600 lessons of German and 100 lessons of orientation about life, law and history in Germany.^[7][8] A lesson is 45 minutes.^[8]

Who can join. If you are from outside the EU and got a residence permit for work, family reasons or humanitarian reasons, and your stay counts as long-term, you are usually entitled to a place.^[9] The immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) confirms this.^[10]

EU citizens have no legal right to a place. The BAMF can admit them only where places and budget allow,^[11] and in 2026 those admissions were sharply limited for budget reasons.^[12] If you are from the EU, ask the BAMF or a course provider what is possible now rather than assuming.

What it costs. Participants pay €2.29 per lesson, about €1,603 for the 700-lesson general course.^[9] You can apply to be exempted if you receive certain benefits, such as basic income support or unemployment benefit, or if you work and your gross income is below a set limit.^[9][10] If you pass the final exams within the time limit, you can apply to get half of what you paid back.^[10]

The exams. The course ends with the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), which grades you at A2 or B1, and the "Leben in Deutschland" orientation test. Passing both, with B1 in German, earns the Zertifikat Integrationskurs.^[13]

Job-related German courses

Berufssprachkurse are the BAMF's courses for German at work, under a regulation called the DeuFöV. They are open to people from outside the EU, EU citizens and Germans with a migration background, and usually start at B1 or after an integration course.^[14]

If you are unemployed, the route in is your Jobcenter or Agentur für Arbeit. If you are working, contact your nearest BAMF office. Employees on lower incomes pay nothing; above the limit there is a fee of €2.56 per lesson, and half can be refunded if you pass. Places have been prioritised since 2025, so not every course type is always available.^[14]

The Volkshochschule

Most towns and cities have a Volkshochschule (VHS), a municipal adult-education centre. Many offer German at several levels, and many also run integration courses and job-related courses.^[15] Fees for their own courses are set locally; look up your town's VHS.^[16]

Free official ways to start

• vhs-Lernportal — the adult-education centres' online portal. Its German courses run from A1 up to C1 for work, and all courses on it are free.^[17] It is funded by the federal government.^[18]
• Deutsche Welle — Germany's international broadcaster^[19] runs free Learn German courses on its website and app,^[20] including the video course Nicos Weg.^[21]
• Goethe-Institut — its free practice material, including the Deutsch für dich community, covers every level from A1 to C2.^[22]

Free material is a good start and a good habit. On its own it rarely gets people to an exam; a course with a teacher usually does more.

Certificates

For a visa, a permit or citizenship, you normally need proof such as a recognised certificate, not a teacher's word.^[1] Common exam types are the Goethe-Zertifikat, telc, ÖSD and the DTZ.^[21][23][13] TestDaF is mainly used for university admission.^[23] Check which certificate the office or employer actually accepts before you book one.

How long it takes

There is no honest single number. The integration course plans 600 lessons of German to take someone from the beginning towards B1, and not everyone reaches B1 in that time — the DTZ can end at A2.^[7][13] Learning alongside a full-time job usually means slower progress than a full-time course. Plan in months, not weeks.

Learning at work

Some employers pay for German courses, give time off to attend, or bring a teacher in-house;^[24] the BAMF's job-related courses can even be held directly at the employer.^[14] It is always worth asking, in the interview or once you start.

Where to check

• BAMF: integration course for people with residence permits
• Federal portal: applying for an integration course
• BAMF: integration course exams (German)
• BAMF: job-related German courses (German)
• BAMF: citizenship (German)
• Service Berlin: settlement permit for skilled workers
• Service Berlin: settlement permit with an EU Blue Card
• Service Berlin: general settlement permit
• Goethe-Institut: levels A1 to C2
• Goethe-Institut: practise German for free
• vhs-Lernportal: course list (German)
• Volkshochschule: the national association
• Make it in Germany: German courses and employers

This guide is about Germany. Austria and Switzerland work differently — sometimes very differently. See working in Austria and working in Switzerland.

Figures on this page were checked on 23 September 2026 against the sources below. Course fees and admission rules change; check the BAMF pages before you sign up.