Yes, you can get a job in Germany without learning German. However, your opportunities will be limited if you do not know the language. The most widely used foreign language in Germany is English. Additionally, French and Russian are used to a lesser extent. In terms of job preference, English comes second to German. If I look at statistical data, I see that only 20% of jobs prefer English. For 80% of jobs, you need to know German. In other words, while it is possible to find a job without knowing German, it can be challenging to find one.
Factors you should consider
If you want to find an English-speaking job, you must keep a few things in mind:
- Place
You will not find English-speaking jobs everywhere in Germany. You can find English-speaking jobs only in big places like Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich. This is because there is a large international audience there. Most of them speak English, and they use English for jobs. So, if you want to come to Germany without learning German, you should consider the place factor.
- Job Type
Generally, there are two types of jobs. One type involves dealing with clients, and the other does not involve any client communication. Jobs that require client handling naturally require knowledge of the German language because most of the clients will be German. Therefore, if you do not know German, you should look for jobs that do not require much client communication. These types of jobs are more commonly found in the IT sector (data science, data analysis, coding). Additionally, you can look for jobs that do require client communication but are in places with a higher international audience (such as restaurants). This is because you will find more international audiences there.
- Experience
As mentioned earlier, even though there are English-speaking jobs, it is still difficult to get one. Therefore, you should gather some experience before coming to Germany. You must also be very skilled in that specific job. If so, it is expected that you will easily find an English-speaking job.
If you keep all these factors in mind, you can quickly find an English-speaking job without knowing German. Therefore, give importance to these factors to find an English-speaking job.
Which sector has the most opportunities?
The sector with the most opportunities is the IT sector. This is because most employees in this sector are foreigners and they prioritize English in their jobs. IT sector jobs include programming, digital marketing, web development, SAP, etc. This does not mean that you will not find English-speaking jobs in other sectors. English-speaking jobs are available in other sectors as well. To get a job in other sectors, you will have to search a bit more and be patient. And, of course, you should consider the place factor.
Where you can find English-speaking jobs
There are many websites on the internet where you can find English-speaking jobs. The most used site among them is LinkedIn. Make sure to keep your LinkedIn profile well optimized. Additionally, there are many other sites where you can find English-speaking jobs in Germany. Here is a list of a few:
- Indeed
- Stepstone
- Jobrapido
- Experteer
- Kimeta
- Jobborse
- English jobs
- ZipRecruiter
- Makeitingermany
- Eurojobs
On these sites, you can find the English-language jobs of your choice. Of course, remember to match your CV with the job requirements. Therefore, before applying to each job, you must optimize the CV for that job. This will make it easier for you to get the job.
The problems you will face
You will find English-language jobs even if you do not know German, but one thing must be kept in mind: if you want to stay in Germany and get a job promotion, it is important for you to know German.
If you do not know the German language, you may find that your scope in the job is very limited. And your company doesn’t want to give you a promotion either. So you should learn German at a basic level, even if you have a little difficulty. This will increase your opportunities.
My experience
I know many people who work in Germany without knowing the language. From them, I have learned that if you do not know German, you cannot do well in Germany. You won’t be able to interact with German people or adapt to their culture easily.
Many of them are now making efforts to learn the German language themselves. Because they believe if you can’t speak German in Germany, you will miss out on many good opportunities. If you want to enjoy German culture, you need to understand the language. This way, you can easily interact with Germans and integrate into their culture.
My thoughts
Wherever you go in Germany, everywhere you see is written in German. Train stations, bus stations, restaurant menus, markets—everywhere things are written in German, nothing is written in English. So if you don’t know German, it will be a little difficult for you to move on in everyday life.
So I recommend you learn the German language, even if it is a basic level. It shouldn’t take you more than a month to complete B1. So I request you to learn German to enjoy your life in Germany.
Also, if you can learn German up to B1, you will see that your job opportunity is much higher than before. So I think you should learn German if you want to come to Germany.
