Country Guides
Our expert ECCE members have compiled country specific guides to support interns and job seekers with useful tips and resources. Countries listed are: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. These country guides will enable interns and job seekers to prepare for initial research about:
- the labour market,
- common selection methods,
- job sites to explore,
- living in one of these countries,
- culture,
- professional and social networking and
- entrepreneurship.
- Visit one of the country pages to explore further:
Germany
Context & Employment Trends
In order to secure an internship or an entry level position in Germany it is crucial that you understand how the German labour market actually looks like.
You don’t need to be a labour market expert but we’d recommend that you keep some rules of thumb in mind. Consider them rough guidelines framing your search – they should not discourage you from trying your luck for example in the German capital but they should help you to adjust expectations and diversify your job hunting strategies.
First very rough rule of thumb: Generally speaking in economic terms – the west and the south of Germany are the strongest developed regions. Unemployment rates (as well youth unemployment) are the lowest, average net-incomes the highest (even after deducting essential cost of living like housing and food) and most open positions can be found there. Just a comparison: Compared to Bavaria in Berlin the unemployment rate is 3 times higher, the amount of open positions 3.5 times lower, the free disposable income is in Berlin about a third lower.
Second rule of thumb: If you are interested in a specific industry start researching for clusters. If interested in Finance – Frankfurt might be the place to go. Entrepreneurship? Berlin or Munich have a lot to offer. Automotive? Explore the south!
Third rule: Look closer. Everybody knows the top brands, the biggest players. But: about 90 % of all jobs are offered by SMEs – they are the backbone of the German labour market. Germans are proud of their products and their strength in export. Many producing SMEs are operating internationally, even globally. Look for so called hidden-champions: market leaders in their respective sector. Though the fastest growing sector is the service industry by far, the production sector is still growing too.
If you want to compare regional labour market markets in more detail, check in English here for example.
When looking specifically at graduate recruitment trends most entry positions are by far for graduates of business studies, followed by engineers, computer engineers, law graduates, scientists and social scientists/humanists. Though that sounds great for business students, one has to consider that this is as well by far the academic field that “produces” most graduates – so the competition for entry level positions (even internships) is high (even fierce in popular cities and for positions in companies with a strong employer brand). The 197 companies participating in one of the most popular graduate recruitment studies received in 2015 about 161000 applications, about 11 % made it to the interview and about 21 % of those actually signed the contract in the end (ca. 3500).
Selection Methods
CV, Cover letters & Applications
In our experience, international students react sometimes a bit surprised to the fact that in Germany applying for a job or even an internship requires a bit more documentation than what they may be used to. German companies often ask you to submit an application folder (portfolio) that includes a cover letter, a CV, a passport photograph, copies of educational certificates and testimonials of previous employment.
Our advice to you as an International Student with no or only limited German is to compose your application documents in English.
The cover letter (or letter of motivation) provides you with a platform to promote yourself. Please stick to 1 page A4 max – keep it as brief and concise as you can. The recruiter needs to be addressed by name and title if he/she has one. Do your research and find out who is in charge of the recruitment – a generalised “Dear Recruiter” or “To whom it may concern” is unacceptable. Don´t shy away from picking up the phone to find out who to address. Also, it´s common to sign your cover letter at the end. Each letter needs to be tailored individually – We can´t stress this enough! Most important for both national and international applicants alike is RESEARCH, to draw a connection between the company you are applying at and yourself. Emphasise what makes you unique and what you are bringing to the table – what´s is your UPS (=Unique Point of Sale)? Why should someone hire you and not one of the many other applicants?
Composing a “German style” CV and having the information where the German recruiter is used to finding it would be a good start. Ideally limit your CV to 1 page (at most 2 pages). Don´t forget to finish off at the bottom with place, date and your signature.
Work experience is highly valued in Germany and job titles are also of importance. Gaps should be avoided, but if you have any that´s no problem either as long as you can explain them.
The German CV can really be seen as a data sheet set out as a two-columned table. In the left column use the following headings: personal details, education and training, professional experience, languages and IT skills, interests/ miscellaneous. Underneath each of these headings on the left, exact dates are stated. On the right side, more specific information is given.
If you have little or no work experience, use the chronological style. If you come with a lot of previous work experience, compose your CV reverse chronologically (which means listing the most recent experience first). Use bullet points to list responsibilities and achievements in these jobs.
Through it is not a must, it is still common practice in Germany to include a professional taken photograph in your CV.
Often applicants have to undergo several rounds of interviewing stages. Initially, there would be a (short) phone call to check you out or proper phone interview before you get invited to an interview in person. The personal interview may take place between yourself and the recruiter and/or between yourself and multiple interviewers (so called panel interviews). If this is the case, pay attention to everyone and don´t forget eye contact with everyone! Reply to questions that the interviewing person asked, but also look at the other people every now and then and don´t ignore them. There could be a 2nd round of another personal interview in which follow-up questions get asked and/or you get to introduced to future work colleagues etc. Assessment Centers are also quite common in Germany, especially in bigger companies or businesses with American structures.
Of course, there are always exceptions, but the typical interview could be described as quite formal, pretty much straightforward following a certain procedure (greetings and introduction, quick small talk, questions about your qualifications and career, possibly a working probation, check of languages, possibility to ask questions yourself). The most important pieces of advice for an interview in Germany are being on time (which means being 5min early), shaking hands firmly, dressing appropriately, communicating directly and explicitly, providing examples to demonstrate achievements, carrying extra copies of CV and cover letter. Also, body language is of importance (good posture and sitting straight, smiling, maintaining eye contact etc.).
If you are wondering about the timing of your application or when to apply for a job or an internship best, then there is good news for you! In Germany, you can apply pretty much anytime – most companies operate on a rolling intake basis.
Often bigger companies, especially in the finance and consulting sector, run several rounds of application stages and therefore require an earlier application (6 months ahead of your preferred start date). Small and medium sized companies may only need you to apply 3 months in advance. Especially start-up companies are ok with applications on short notice and/or to start straight away.
Our most important advice to you: Don’t wait for companies to answer you back, but send out applications continuously until you have really secured a position. Finding yourself later in the uncomfortable position to have several job offers, is considered a “good problem”. Be patient, it is actually common to send out 50 and more applications.
Have you ever heard of so called speculative or unsolicited applications? This is something most applicants (also Germans) shy away from because it´s personal, you need to be pro-active and put yourself out there. Does this sound scary at first? Yes, definitely. But it really does works! Be brave and call a company to enquire about possibilities for International students and who to direct such an application to.
Job sites
Different job portals and newspaper ads cater to different audiences and you might waste your time if you do not pick the right medium from the start.
Let´s make you familiar with the most popular major job databases in Germany which are:
Of course, you can go job hunting with the above databases and try your luck there. But our advice to you as an International Student would rather be to use more specialist databases such as:
You probably won´t find your dream job there (if you do, well congratulations), but you will identify companies that are generally open to the idea of hiring English speakers.
If you prefer speaking to potential employers in person, career fairs are the way to go. They can be a great chance to get a first impression of the job market in Germany as well as selected companies. Different career fairs take place pretty much all year around in all major cities. If you are focusing on the Berlin area, you could check out the following career fairs:
Karrieretag Familienunternehmen
You can also get in touch with a company directly or have a look at their website. Big global companies often advertise new jobs on their homepage. Also, you could contact your chamber of commerce in Germany and similar institutions.
In addition, for internships you could also check out the following sites:
For specific graduate programmes and trainee schemes, please have a look at the databases below:
Living in Germany
Cost of living
In comparison to other European nations, the cost of living in Germany is quite reasonable.
When considering where to move to in Germany, you need to keep in mind that the West and South are the strongest developed regions. Through this means that unemployment rates are the lowest, average net-incomes the highest and most open positions can be found there, it also means that the cost of living there is higher compared to the rest of Germany.
In 2016, the cost of living was highest in Frankfurt, followed by Stuttgart and Munich. Fourth came Düsseldorf und fifth Cologne.
Check out Numbeo for more information on the cost of living in Germany and average prices for individual goods and services. You can also compare companies to each other there.
Many internationals come to Berlin, not only because it is the capital and considered multi-culti and really hip, but also because it is relatively cheap (but: wages are lower and it is a very competitive market). Through the cost of living has risen in the past few years there too, compared to other European capitals Berlin is very affordable – speaking from our own experience here too.
Housing
Sometimes finding accommodation can be tricky and time consuming, so let´s give you some pieces of advice on how best to approach that subject.
One website in English for finding accommodation at reasonable prices is Uniplaces.
If you only stay for a limited period of time and perhaps complete a 3-month-internship, you could check out agencies that offer furnished flats and sometimes even a cleaning and/or laundry service (at an extra charge of course). Here´s a good selection to start with:
If you stay for longer than 3 months, the above might be a bit pricey, so you would be better off checking out the following sites.
To actually give you a number to work with, we would say that you should calculate approx. 450€/month for renting a room in a shared flat in Berlin.
Getting Around
Bigger cities in Germany have great public transport systems. For example in Berlin, there are U- and S-Bahns, trams as well as buses that take you quickly around the city. At night, there are night buses and at weekends, services run all night long. If you stay for a few months, you might want to check out a monthly ticket which you can get at any selling point. If you prefer getting around by bike, you can get a good value deal in many places for a bicycle.
To travel within Germany, you could either go by rail with the Deutsche Bahn or use Flixbus which offers really low bus fares to all major cities.
Shopping for groceries and eating out
You can do your grocery shopping at many different small retail outlets and supermarkets. There are also weekly (farmers) markets where you can get a reasonable deal for local products. For vegans, vegetarians and people with food sensibilities Germany is a great place as there are options for everyone (at least in bigger cities).
You should also keep in mind that the VAT is relatively high in Germany, at 19% of the net price. For selected goods, such as dairy products or tickets for local public transportation, the VAT only amounts to 7%.
If you want, you can eat our relatively cheap – there are great low budget lunches and dinners available. In Berlin, you can grab a light lunch from 5€+ and dinner from 6 or 7€ onwards. You can get a decent coffee for 1,50-2€.
Culture
Germany offers a lot in terms of literature, theatre and music. Visitors from abroad will soon find that there is a lot to learn about German culture including social customs, religion and art. So get ready for your life in Germany: there is a lot to discover!
Art, music, literature and theatre have a long and proud tradition in Germany. There is a reason, after all, why Germany is also referred to as the country of poets and philosophers. Book fairs, music festivals and outdoor summer cinema make Germany a cultural hot-spot.
Germans are big fans of all kinds of athletic activities. No matter if you like to kick back with a cold beer and watch a soccer game with your friends or if you’d rather get active yourself, you will definitely find your place in Germany. Soccer is probably by far the most popular spectator sport in Germany.
There are plenty of stereotypes and one won´t encounter them all or in high density, but generally speaking you should be prepared for them.
We Germans are said to be rather serious, dour and even humourless. While this is not entirely true, German people do indeed need some time to warm up and keep a polite distance when dealing with strangers. On the upside, once you’ve cracked a German’s hard shell, we warm up quickly and can be great fun!
By foreigners Germans are considered masters of planning as it provides us with a certain sense of security. Many aspects of work life are defined and regulated by structure and therefore we may appear less flexible and spontaneous. Don´t underestimate that Germany is heavily regulated and bureaucratic. Business is considered a serious matter. Many Germans communicate rather directly and straight to the point which doesn't necessarily mean rudeness. Personal and work life are rigidly divided, privacy is highly respected.
German business etiquette is also rather formal, given you are not employed with a young startup company or in the IT industry, the atmosphere there is rather casual.
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in a nutshell
There are countless possibilities for start-up funding in Germany. The best overview in English you will find here: http://www.germaninnovation.org/resources/entrepreneurship-funding. The most famous startup city in Germany is Berlin, other major hubs Hamburg and Munich.
In order to get a current national overview in English, check here: http://www.gemconsortium.org/country-profile/64
What city makes the most sense for your endeavor depends highly on the industry you are aiming at. A common obstacle is again language – many administrative issues are hard to tackle if you have no one helping you, since local administrations are not able to provide services in English. That might be painful at times but many succeeded anyways. Again, often google (or bing) is your friend. A simple search “Entrepreneurship Germany” or “startup ecosystem Germany” will provide helpful content. For a good but mainly Berlin specific overview in English check here: http://www.businesslocationcenter.de/en/business-location/business-location/start-up-capital. You’ll find information about most relevant aspects of the eco-system like venture capital, incubators, infrastructure, events etc.
Whilst administration often is a burden, the networking possibilities really have to be commended. We talk to many people in Berlin’s entrepreneurship scene and they all stretch one point: networking, networking, networking. There are countless events (check for example www.berlinstartup.events/events in English or brows the pages of local incubators, communities and hubs such as http://factoryberlin.com/about/ or http://www.businesslocationcenter.de/en/business-location/business-location/start-up-capital/education-networks-events). Often they are in English since internationals are an essential part of Berlin’s startup ecosystem. The scene takes pride in being approachable and being helpful – so reach out!
Check as well Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Xing etc. There you’ll be able to establish contacts early on.