This page is only about Berlin. For the whole country, read our guide to English speaking jobs in Germany. For the full job search process, from job ad to contract, see how to find a job in Germany.
Key takeaways
- Berlin’s unemployment rate was 10.4 % in September 2026, with 20,707 open positions registered with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Regionaldirektion Berlin-Brandenburg, 30 Sep 2026).
- English is most common in start-ups and tech. About 5,000 start-ups are based in Berlin (Senate Department for Economic Affairs, 9 Oct 2025).
- The median full-time salary in Berlin was 4,359 € gross a month in April 2025, and 6,167 € in IT jobs (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg, July 2026).
- Apply in the language of the job ad, but keep the German structure: a clear CV, a one-page cover letter, one PDF.
- Even in English-speaking teams, some German helps. Interviewers may switch to German.
The Berlin job market in numbers
Berlin is a big labour market, but it is not growing at the moment. The latest official figures:
- People in work in Berlin (Q4 2025)2,202,300, 0.3 % fewer than a year beforeSource Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg, 19 Mar 2026
- Jobs with social insurance (July 2026, estimate)1,673,600Source Regionaldirektion Berlin-Brandenburg, 30 Sep 2026
- Unemployment rate (September 2026)10.4 %, down from 10.6 % in AugustSource same source
- Registered unemployed (September 2026)223,826, 3,639 more than a year beforeSource same source
- Open positions registered with the BA (September 2026)20,707Source same source
- New open positions reported in September 20265,149, 706 more than a year beforeSource same source
- Unemployed people who found a job in September 202615,677, the first month above 15,500 since April 2015Source same source
There is a second sign of caution. In the IHK Berlin business survey for early summer 2026, the indicator for hiring plans stood at minus four points, far below its long-term average of 13. The IHK says hiring plans have not been this cautious since the financial crisis of 2009 (IHK Berlin, retrieved 31 Oct 2026).
Tip: Companies hire carefully, and more people are looking for work than a year ago. Send one tailored application per job rather than many generic ones.
Write a cover letter that fits each job ad, in one-page German layout.
Write my cover letterWhere English is common in Berlin
Start-ups and tech
This is the biggest area for English speaking jobs in Berlin. The numbers:
- About 5,000 start-ups are based in Berlin, with around 90,000 jobs, and 498 new start-ups were founded in 2024 (Senate Department for Economic Affairs, 9 Oct 2025).
- The Berlin Startup Ecosystem Report 2025 counts 94,000 local jobs and more than 1,400 start-ups backed by venture capital. It names enterprise software, climate tech and fintech as the main growth areas (Berlin Partner, 20 Feb 2026).
- More than 150,000 people work in Berlin’s digital economy as a whole (Senate Department for Economic Affairs, 9 Oct 2025).
- In Berlin start-ups, English is the working language in 55.8 % of companies (German Startup Monitor 2024).
Key point: Look at that last number the other way round: in more than four out of ten Berlin start-ups, English is not the working language. “Start-up” does not automatically mean “no German needed”. Read each job ad.
Creative economy
Berlin’s creative economy is large. The Senate’s Creative and Digital Economy Report 2025 counts 37,102 companies and 195,326 employees with social insurance in the creative economy, with about 41.1 billion € in revenue (Senate Department for Economic Affairs, via berlin.de, 10 Mar 2026). The software and games industry counts towards both the creative and the digital economy in this report. If you work in games, design, marketing or media production, search these fields first, and check each ad for the language of the team.
Science and research
Berlin has four universities plus the Charité, several universities of applied sciences, art schools, more than 30 private universities and more than 70 research institutes outside the universities (IHK Berlin, retrieved 31 Oct 2026). The state higher education institutions alone employ 16,540 academic staff, according to the same IHK page. Check each research job ad for the working language of the group.
What jobs pay in Berlin
The best source for Berlin salaries is the official earnings survey of the Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg. It shows gross monthly pay of full-time employees in April 2025, without bonuses (Statistischer Bericht N I 6 - j/25, tables 1, 21 and 25, July 2026). The median means half of employees earn more and half earn less.
| Group (Berlin, full-time, April 2025) | Median gross per month |
|---|---|
| All full-time employees | 4,359 € (average: 5,060 €) |
| Information and communication (sector) | 5,938 € |
| IT and other ICT jobs (occupation) | 6,167 € |
| Business management and organisation (occupation) | 5,131 € |
| Professional, scientific and technical services (sector) | 4,986 € |
| Advertising, marketing and media jobs (occupation) | 4,800 € |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation (sector) | 4,100 € |
| Hospitality (sector) | 2,906 € |
| With a bachelor’s degree | 4,750 € |
| With a master’s degree or Diplom | 6,193 € |
For comparison, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit puts the German median for full-time employees at 4,217 € a month in 2025 (BA press release 27/2026, 20 Jul 2026). Destatis puts the German median at 54,066 € a year including bonuses (Destatis, 1 Apr 2026). These come from different surveys, so use them as a rough guide, not as an exact comparison with the Berlin table.
Pay for typical international roles in Berlin
The Entgeltatlas of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit also shows pay by occupation and region. These are medians for full-time employees in Berlin at the level “Experte” (highly complex tasks), on 31 Dec 2025 (Entgeltatlas, region Berlin, retrieved 1 Nov 2026):
| Role (occupation group in the Entgeltatlas) | Median gross per month, Berlin | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Software developer (software development) | 6,913 € | 6,301 € |
| Data scientist (computer science, no specialisation) | 6,767 € | 6,702 € |
| Mechanical engineer (mechanical engineering) | 6,609 € | 7,084 € |
| Electrical engineer (electrical engineering) | 6,598 € | 7,238 € |
Software developers in Berlin earn more than the German median for their job. Engineers in Berlin earn less. This table uses a different survey and date than the Amt für Statistik table above, so compare within one table, not across both.
For your own job title, use the Entgeltatlas of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. It shows the median gross monthly pay of full-time employees by occupation, currently on the reference date 31 Dec 2025. For very high salaries it only shows “> 8,050 Euro”, and it shows no data for regions with fewer than 500 employees in a job (BA, Entgeltatlas help, retrieved 31 Oct 2026).
Tip: Gross is not what you take home. Put the offer into our salary calculator Germany to see your net pay, and read how to name a figure in salary expectations in Germany.
Try the German layout
Type your jobs. Watch them turn into a Lebenslauf.
Where to search for English speaking jobs in Berlin
The job search of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit
The Jobsuche is the public job board of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. The site itself is only in German (BA, How to find a job, retrieved 31 Oct 2026). A simple way to use it:
- Enter “Berlin” as the place.
- Search for the English job title, for example “Product Manager”, and then the German one, for example “Produktmanager”.
- Add the word “English” or “Englisch” as a keyword to find ads that mention English.
- Open each ad and check what it says about German.
Employers in Berlin registered 20,707 open positions with the BA in September 2026 (Regionaldirektion Berlin-Brandenburg). Not every employer posts there, so search in more than one place.
Berlin Startup Jobs
Berlin Startup Jobs is a small job board for start-ups. Every job must be based in Berlin, ads are published in English or German only, and the site does not accept ads from third-party recruiters or headhunters. On 1 November 2026 it showed 136 jobs in 12 categories, for example IT and software development, sales, and marketing (Berlin Startup Jobs, retrieved 1 Nov 2026). For more boards, including ones with an English filter, see our comparison of job sites in Germany.
Company career pages
Many applications go straight to the employer, by email or through the company website (BA, How to find a job). Make a list of 20 to 30 Berlin employers in your field and check their career pages every week. Good starting points are the growth areas named in the Berlin Startup Ecosystem Report: enterprise software, climate tech and fintech (Berlin Partner).
Meetups, events and your university
Go to professional meetups and industry events in your field, talk to people who work at companies on your list, and ask how they hire. On Meetup you can search groups and events by interest and city (retrieved 1 Nov 2026). If you studied in Berlin, use your university’s career service. For example, HWR Berlin’s career services check CVs, share job postings of English speaking companies and run workshops in German and English (HWR Berlin, retrieved 31 Oct 2026). HTW Berlin runs free online application checks with an English section, for example on 27 January 2027, for students and for graduates up to one year after their degree (HTW Berlin, retrieved 31 Oct 2026).
The Berlin Welcome Center
The Berlin Welcome Center (Willkommenszentrum Berlin) at Potsdamer Straße 61 gives free, multilingual advice. For your job search it covers job search, training and further education, German courses and the recognition of qualifications from abroad. You can get advice on site, by phone or online (Berlin Welcome Center, retrieved 1 Nov 2026).
Read the job ad before you apply
Key point: An ad written in English can still ask for German. Paste the ad into the job ad analyzer to see which skills and which language level it really asks for.
Apply in the German format, even in English
The rule from career services is simple: apply in English for an English job ad and in German for a German one (LMU Career Service, retrieved 31 Oct 2026). Many German habits still apply when you write in English.
| Part | What German employers expect | Note for English applications |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Cover letter, current CV, reference letters, transcripts and certificates, as copies, never originals (Make it in RLP) | Notarised copies only if the employer asks for them (same source) |
| CV order and format | Reverse chronological, the same date format throughout, for example 04/2021 (KIT Career Service) | Same in English |
| CV length | One to a maximum of two pages (LMU) | KIT allows two to three pages for an English CV (KIT) |
| Photo and personal data | Common in German CVs, but optional (Make it in RLP) | For English applications, LMU and KIT advise no photo and no date of birth, marital status or nationality (LMU, KIT) |
| Language skills | Write them in words, for example “German: good”, not only “B1” (KIT) | Applicant software reads words more reliably than codes or skill bars, according to KIT |
| Cover letter | About one page (LMU) | Same in English |
| File | One PDF, unless the employer asks for something else (LMU) | Same in English |
German: [good] ([B1]) English: [very good] ([C1])
Example: An invented case. Maria applies for an English job ad at a Berlin fintech. She sends her CV in English, newest job first, with no photo and no date of birth, writes “German: good” in words, adds a one-page cover letter and sends everything as one PDF.
With the Joblumi German CV builder you enter your details once, in English or German, and get a CV in the German format. A free CV check with the (G)ATS Score (German ATS Score: how well your CV meets German CV rules and can be read by applicant software) shows what to fix before you send it. For the letter, see our cover letter for Germany.
How much German helps in Berlin
You can find a job in Berlin with English only, mainly in tech and start-ups. A survey of 203 tech start-ups in Germany found that 59 % do not need German from skilled staff, and 54 % have English as their official company language (Bitkom, 18 Sep 2023). Turned around, 41 % of these start-ups do expect German.
German helps in three places:
- More jobs to choose from. Each job ad that asks for German is closed to you without it. Your level decides how many of the 20,707 BA-registered positions in Berlin are realistic for you.
- The interview. “It’s not unheard of for the interviewer to break into German even for jobs advertised in English” (University of Siegen, retrieved 31 Oct 2026). Prepare your introduction and two or three key answers in German.
- Daily work. Even in a team that works in English, you can get documents, emails or small talk in German. Some German makes this easier.
Which level to aim for? The European scale (CEFR) gives a guide. At B1 you understand the main points of clear standard language on familiar topics, for example at work. At B2 you understand the main ideas of complex texts, including technical texts in your field (TUM Language Center, retrieved 31 Oct 2026).
Where to learn German for work in Berlin: the Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) run job-related German courses funded by the federal government. vhs Neukölln explains them in English. The main modules lead to B2, C1 or C2 and usually have 400 lessons. You need to have finished an integration course or speak German at B1 or higher, and you need a written approval from the job centre, the employment agency or the BAMF (vhs Neukölln, retrieved 1 Nov 2026).
Tip: Interviewers may switch to German, even for jobs advertised in English. Prepare your introduction and two or three key answers in German.
Practise your introduction and the questions you will likely get, in English and in German.
Practise in the Mock Interview TrainerNot sure where you stand? Take the German level test and write the result on your CV in words.
Your Berlin job search, step by step
Keep every application on one board and see when to follow up. The board is part of the pass.
Track my applicationsIf you want this as a plan with your own steps, start with the job search plan.
Put this guide to work
Start free. Build your CV and cover letter for each job ad.
FAQ
Can I get a job in Berlin without speaking German?
Yes, mainly in tech and start-ups. In Berlin start-ups, English is the working language in 55.8 % of companies (German Startup Monitor 2024). In other sectors, read each ad for the German level it asks for.
What is the average salary in Berlin?
In April 2025, full-time employees in Berlin earned a median of 4,359 € gross a month and an average of 5,060 €, without bonuses (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg). Pay depends a lot on the job. More in our guide to the average salary in Germany.
Which sectors in Berlin hire in English?
Start-ups and tech first, then the creative economy and science. The Berlin Startup Ecosystem Report 2025 names enterprise software, climate tech and fintech as the main growth areas (Berlin Partner).
Is it hard to find a job in Berlin right now?
The market is slow. Unemployment was 10.4 % in September 2026, with 3,639 more people unemployed than a year before (Regionaldirektion Berlin-Brandenburg), and the IHK says Berlin companies’ hiring plans have not been this cautious since 2009 (IHK Berlin). Tailored applications help you stand out.
Should my CV be in English or German?
Use the language of the job ad (LMU Career Service). If you apply for both kinds of jobs, keep two versions.
Do I need a photo on my CV in Berlin?
No. A photo is common in German CVs but optional. For English applications, the career services of LMU and KIT advise leaving it out.
Example CVs
Two example CVs for English speaking jobs in Berlin. All people are made up.
More on German CV examples.
Related
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Sources
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Regionaldirektion Berlin-Brandenburg: Der Arbeitsmarkt in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg, Monatsbericht September 2026, press release 20/2026, 30 Sep 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg: Erwerbstätigkeit in Berlin, press release 35/2026, 19 Mar 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg: Statistischer Bericht N I 6 - j/25, Verdiensterhebung in Berlin 2025, tables 1, 21 and 25, July 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- IHK Berlin: Aktueller Konjunkturbericht, early summer 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- IHK Berlin: Wissenschaft, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises: press release on the Economic and Innovation Report, 9 Oct 2025, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- State of Berlin: press release on the Kreativ- und Digitalwirtschaftsbericht 2025, 10 Mar 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Berlin Partner: Berlin Startup Ecosystem Report 2025, 20 Feb 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Berlin Partner: German Startup Monitor 2024, 8 Oct 2024, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Bitkom: Startup Report 2023, 18 Sep 2023, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit: press release 27/2026, 20 Jul 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Entgeltatlas and help page, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Destatis: press release 113/2026, 1 Apr 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit: How to find a job and Jobsuche, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- HWR Berlin: Career Services, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- HTW Berlin: Drop-in application check online, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- LMU Munich Career Service: Application tips for students, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- KIT Career Service: How to Write Your CV, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Make it in Rhineland-Palatinate: Tips on job applications in Germany, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- University of Siegen, FIT in Siegen blog: Job interview questions and answers in Germany, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- TUM Language Center: CEFR levels, retrieved 31 Oct 2026
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Entgeltatlas, data 2025, reference date 31 Dec 2025, regions Berlin and Germany, level “Experte”, occupation codes from BERUFENET (software developer 43414, data scientist 43104, mechanical engineer 25104, electrical engineer 26304), retrieved 1 Nov 2026
- Berlin Startup Jobs: About, retrieved 1 Nov 2026
- Berlin Welcome Center: Home and Recognition of international qualifications, retrieved 1 Nov 2026
- vhs Neukölln: German for professional purposes, retrieved 1 Nov 2026
- Meetup, retrieved 1 Nov 2026