Would you like to work in Germany?

In the following paragraphs you will find comprehensive information enabling you to find your way round the German labour market after May 1st 2011.

The Union-guaranteed right to free movement around EU countries has led to new legislation in Germany, which came into full effect on May 1st 2011. Seven years after Slovakia joined the EU,  the German labour market has now been opened to Slovak citizens. This means that since the above date, Slovak citizens have been able to work in the country with no restrictions and without the need to have a work permit. All that is now required for entering the country is a valid travel document, i.e. an identity card or passport.

If you travel to Germany in search of work without having first received a specific job offer, you need have no fear about staying in the country. You now have the right to reside in the country for up to a minimum of three months as long as you can demonstrate that you are actively and intensively looking for work and are likely to be successful. After three months the foreign police department may ask you to produce documents proving this.

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If you have found a job, however, you must declare your residence in person as soon as you start working. You should submit your application at the local Einwohnermeldeamt office or at the section of the foreign police in your place of residence in Germany.

We would recommend you, however, not to travel to the target country until you have first spoken to a specific employer or ideally,  signed a temporary work contract with him/her.

If you are looking for vacancies in Germany, representatives of the EURES network in Slovakia will be happy to help you. You can find EURES advisors or assistants in almost every branch office of the Department of Work, Social Security and Family in Slovakia.
EURES, or the European Employment Service in full, is made up of a network of mutually supporting organisations whose aim is to facilitate the free movement of labour across the European Economic Area (EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechstenstein) and Switzerland.

If you prefer to look for job offers alone, one good source for you will be the www.eures.sk webpage. You should also check the European portal for work mobility, another EURES site at  www.eures.euro­pa.eu.

You can also use the website of the German Labour Agency; check the JOBBÖRSE subpage (http://jobboerse.arbeitsagentur.de/…rtseite.html?…). Job seekers will find here information about the latest job offers in Germany.

Information about job vacancies can also be found in the daily press or at the following internet sites: www.zeit.de, www.stepstone.de, www.jobpilot.de, www.moster.de, www.jobware.de, www.stellenan­zeigen.de, www.placement24­.com, www.adecco.de, www.jobsintow­n.de, www.stellenblat­t.de, www.arbeit-regional.de, www.newjob.de, www.careerjet.de, www.bau.net, www.automotive-job.net, www.semica.de, www.medizinische-berufe.de, www.health-job.net, www.lebensmit­teljob.de, www.agrijob.de, www.hotel-career.de, www.hotels-deutschland.de, www.joborama.de, www.fvw.de, www.aktuelle-jobs.de

Most German employers do not state any pay conditions for the specific jobs they advertise or only say that pay is negotiable. It is therefore important that you are aware of the following facts when planning to work there.

1.    There is no minimum wage in Germany
2.    Minimum pay conditions are set for each sphere and trade/profession in so-called higher collective agreements
3.    The average monthly wage in Germany last year was 3077,–€ gross

Below we offer an overview of average monthly gross wages (2010) for qualified personnel in various trades and professions in Germany:
IT engineer -4583,–€, construction engineer – 4349,–€, translator – 4053,–€, graphic designer – 3680,–€, accountant – 3427,–€, dental technician – 3384,–€, butcher – 3092,–€, cook 2980,–€, waiter – 2762,–€, electrician – 2633,–€, laminate floor setter – 2557,–€, bricklayer – 2533,–€, painter – 2339,–€, baker – 2161,–€, shop assistant – 1841,–€, tailor/seamstres­s – 1722,–€, qualified hotel staff – 1519,–€, chambermaid – 1487,–€, hairdresser – 1178,–€

Employers have the fundamental right to request from applicants knowledge of the German language but only to the extent that such knowledge is adequate for carrying out the relevant occupation. Employers fully exercise this right and in certain cases the need for language proficiency is justified. It is, however, unreasonable and unacceptable to require job applicants to speak German as well as they speak their own mother tongue.

If you choose to apply for a so-called reglemented position, you must ensure that all your qualifications entitling you to do such a job are properly verified  before starting work. A list of so-called reglemented occupations in Germany can be found on the  www.anabin.de website under the heading „Zuständige Stellen in Deutschland“. You will also find here a list of offices which carry out verification of your qualifications.

If you are not applying for a reglemented position, you do not need to have your previous qualifications verified. However university graduates aiming to improve their chances when applying for work may ask the „Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen“ (Centre for Foreign Education Systems) to assess their degree certificate.

Advice on verifying qualifications is provided by the Central Foreign and Specialist Work Dept. of the federal work agency (Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung ZAV).

Remember that when you travel to Germany you must have enough money to last you for at least one month. You are only entitled to German unemployment benefit if you have recently worked in Germany and fulfil all conditions for claiming such benefit; EU citizens who have never worked in Germany are automatically ineligible. You may however transfer to Germany your unemployment benefit from your country of origin and receive payments for three, or in some cases,  six months. First though you must register as unemployed in your country of origin and fill in all necessary forms at the relevant office.

In adherence to the second volume of the German Social Code (SGBII), no foreigners, including Slovak citizens, have the right during their first three months of residence to receive social aid provided by the German authorities. If citizens have travelled to Germany purely in search of work, they are not entitled to basic provision of this even after the termination of this period.

More info: www.eures.sk

Author:Mgr. Denisa Hudáková – EURES advisor Levice
Photo: EURES

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