Living & Working in Germany. Sabine Seidler, Welcome to Germany!

Transcription

1 Living & Working in Germany Sabine Seidler, Welcome to Germany!

2 Agenda ZAV The International Placement Services of the German Federal Employment Agency Some facts about Germany and it s labour market Working in Germany rules and regulations Looking for jobs in Germany The application process Seite 2

3 ZAV our services for jobseekers The International Placement Services (ZAV) EURES Germany Provides services for: jobseekers from abroad German employers Our responsibilities include: Placement for jobseekers from abroad Specific recruitment events in country of origin Consulting for foreign graduates of German universities Information and advice about the German labour market and employment opportunities Seite 3

4 Some facts about Germany Surface area: km² Population: 82.6 million ~ 15 mill. with a migration background Capital: Berlin 16 federal states Seite 4

5 The German Labour Market Unemployment rates in September 2012: Germany: 7,3% Western States: 6,2 % Eastern States: 11,9 % number of unemployed persons: =2.8 Mill.) Seite 5

6 The German Labour Market: where is the demand right now? Labour shortage mainly in the following technical occupations: Engineers in metal construction and in welding engineering Engineers in mechanical engineering and in the automotive sector Engineers in mechatronics, electronics and in the energy sector Engineers in technical research & development (R&D) Engineers in construction departments including model making Experts in computer science, SW-development/programming and IT-consulting Seite 6

7 Local shortage of engineers (in mechanical, automotive and electronic engineering) and IT-experts Engineers,June 2012 Mechanical Engineers and Automotive Engineers Engineers in Mechtronics, Energy Sector and Electronics Computer Science, Softwaredevelopment, IT- Consulting Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Bremen Bremen Bremen Niedersachsen Berlin Niedersachsen Berlin Niedersachsen Berlin Brandenburg Brandenburg Brandenburg Sachsen-Anhalt Sachsen-Anhalt Sachsen-Anhalt Nordrhein-Westfalen Nordrhein-Westfalen Nordrhein-Westfalen Sachsen Sachsen Sachsen Thüringen Thüringen Thüringen Hessen Hessen Hessen Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinland-Pfalz Saarland Saarland Saarland Bayern Bayern Bayern Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg = real shortage (Period of a vacancy is at least 40% longer than average period regarding all occupations and there are less than150 candidates per 100 registered job offers or there are less candidates than job offers) = signs for a real shortage = no shortage yet = no results indicated due to too few data Arbeitsmarktberichterstattung@arbeitsagentur.de Datenquelle: Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit Seite 7

8 Legal access to the German Labour Market rules and regulations Free access to the German labour market for citizens of EU/EEA member states (except Bulgaria and Romania until 2014) A members of a third party country (= anybody who is not an EU/EEA citizen), who is interested to work in Germany, usually needs a residence permit work including a work permit Two sources with important regulations: Aufenthaltsgesetz(AufenthG), Beschäftigungsverordnung(BeschV) The work permit is part of the residence permit. It will be issued by your Ausländeramt Seite 8

9 Legal access to the German Labour Market regulations regarding third party countries recent changes Article 16 AufenthG, Section 3: while studying you will now be allowed to work 120 days annually or use half-day jobs for a period of 240 days to earn some additional money (it used to be 90 days resp. 180 half-days) Article 16 AufenthG, Section (4): After successful completion of your studies, the residence permit may be extended by up to 18 months for the purposes of seeking a job corresponding to your qualification. Work in any job is allowed now during this period! Article 18b AufenthG: Settlement permit (unlimited stay) earlier than before when graduated from a German university + holding a valid residence permit Living & Working in Germany, HOGA, March 2012 Bundesagentur für Arbeit Seite 9

10 Legal access to the German Labour Market regulations regarding third party countries recent changes (2) Article 18c AufenthG: University graduates, no matter if they hold a German or foreign diploma, will be issued a residence permit for 6 months in order to look for a suitable job in Germany. Working is not allowed during this period. Article 19a AufenthG: The Blue Card EU is a residence permit including work permit. The law has become effective August 1st, It is valid for Germany exclusively for the first 18 months and would then apply to other EU-countries as well. will be valid according to the limitation of the contract plus three months. The maximum period of validity is 4 years Living & Working in Germany, HOGA, March 2012 Bundesagentur für Arbeit Seite 10

11 High Potentials Legal Access to the German Labour Market Qualification Salary ZAV s participation Residence Permit Blue Card EU German university degree or settlement permit after 33 at least No ZAV confirmation graduated from a foreign university or more in 2013 required * resp. 21 months (if German ( 3a Nr.1 BeschV) language skills at level B1) German university degree + job offer in a job according to the academic training ( 3b BeschV) - No ZAV confirmation required * residence permit including work permit; settlement permit after 24 months German university degree + job offer in one of Blue Card EU the occupations where Germany has a big at least No ZAV confirmation settlement permit after 33 demand (STEM-jobs; like Mechanical and in 2013 required * resp. 21 months (if German Electrical Engineers, IT-Experts, Physicians, or more language skills at level B1) etc.) ( 3a Nr. 2 BeschV) Blue Card EU Foreign university degree + job offer in one of the occupations where Germany has a big demand (STEM-jobs; like Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, IT-Experts, Physicians, at least in 2013 or more check of the employment s conditions by ZAV settlement permit after 33 resp. 21 months (if German language skills at level B1) etc.) ( 19a AufenthG; 27 Abs. 2 BeschV) Foreign university degree + job offer in any Less than Labour market check + check residence permit; settlement other occupation ( 27 BeschV) in 2013 of the employment s conditions permit after 5 years * = new: the Ausländeramt is allowed to ask for ZAV s participation ( 72 (7) AufenthG) Seite 11

12 How much do I earn? - Salaries in Germany There is no general minimum wage regulation (Exceptions for special branches) Wages depend on collective agreements (Tarifvertrag) which exist for most sectors Regional differences (East-West/North-South) Wages: monthly salary (gross) the net salary is lower Seite 12

13 How much do I have to deduct from my Salary? Social Security System: Health Insurance 15,5 % Unemployment Insurance 3,0 % Pension 19,9 % Long-Term Care Insurance 1,95 % Work Accident Insurance paid by employer Taxation Income tax 14 % - 42 % (Depending on income and marital status) Church tax 8 % - 9 % of income tax Solidarity tax 5,5 % of income tax Automatically deducted from the salary Registration to the social insurance system is done by the employer Seite 13

14 Project-Engineer in the Automotive Sector, up to 2 years work experience, single, no kids, in NRW, tax class 1, 40 h-week - Sample Salary Statement: Month Year Salary 3583, ,- Social security contributions Pension Plan (Rentenversicherung, -19,6 %) 351, ,04 Unempl. insurance (Arbeitslosenvers., - 3 %) 53,75 645,00 Health insurance (Krankenversicherung, - 15,5 %) 293, ,08 Long-term care insurance (Pflegevers., -2,2 %) 43,90 526,80 Total Social Contributions 742, ,92 Taxation Solidarity tax (Soli-Abgabe) 34,86 418,27 Church tax (Kirchensteuer) 50,70 608,40 Income tax (Lohnsteuer) 633, ,00 Total Taxation 719, ,67 Salary after deductions 2.121, ,41 Seite 14

15 Project-Engineer in the Automotive Sector, 3 to 5 years of work experience, single, no kids, in NRW, tax class 1, 40 h-week - Sample Salary Statement: Month Year Salary 4083, ,- Social security contributions Pension Plan (Rentenversicherung, -19,6 %) 400, ,04 Unempl. insurance (Arbeitslosenvers., - 3 %) 61,25 735,00 Health insurance (Krankenversicherung, - 15,5 %) 313, ,92 Long-term care insurance (Pflegevers., -2,2 %) 46,86 562,32 Total Social Contributions 821, ,28 Taxation Solidarity tax (Soli-Abgabe) 43,74 418,27 Church tax (Kirchensteuer) 63,62 608,40 Income tax (Lohnsteuer) 795, ,00 Total Taxation 902, ,30 Salary after deductions 2.358, ,42 Seite 15

16 The Job Portal of the German Federal Employment Agency choose language Register/ Log in Quicksearch/ advanded Search Seite 16

17 Looking for jobs German companies (global players) - well known worldwide: Mercedes Benz, BMW, SIEMENS, Volkswagen, BASF, BAYER Why are you thinking of those big companies when it comes to looking for jobs in Germany? There are good reasons to turn to small or medium sized companies and see what they can offer! (KMU = kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen) Seite 17

18 Looking for jobs Many German companies belong to the group of world champions in the global market - mainly in the following branches: Machine-building Industry, Car production and Car parts Electrical Industry/High-Tech Pharmaceutical und Medical Technology Chemical Plants Construction There are about German companies in total and among them there are companies belonging to the group of smaller or medium sized companies!!!! Seite 18

19 The application process: Define your position first Your self check Who am I? How does my life plan look like? What can I offer? Where do I want to be 5 years from now? What s my aim regarding my professional career? Your individual concept for the future Do I have to go on learning? What about my deficits? How does my profile look like the one I can start with applying? Seite 19

20 The application process: How to read a job offer The offer at a first glance Living and Working in (region, town, city) Requirements all that is a must Qualifications which can be an asset My qualifications/experiences vs. the requirements The aim: a congruence of 70% Any additional qualifications you can offer Are there any questions left after you read the job offer carefully? Seite 20

21 The application process: CV and cover letter Recommendations and No-Gos Recipient of your application (name, address, position ) Structured design uniform appearance Your contact information are you available any time? Cover letter related to the requirements Work experience when important for the future job CV: No photo from your last vacation It does not make sense to spread a generalised application Apply the way the employer has indicated! Don t waste the employer s time by providing unnecessary information! Seite 21

22 The application process: Meeting the employer You should be prepared to answer to the following questions: Would you please tell us about your strengths and weaknesses? How would your friends describe your character? What has been your biggest success or failure to date? Why of all things did you choose this subject of study? Do you think your study progress has been consistent? Are you satisfied with the results achieved (grades)? How do you picture your daily work in this position? Why did you apply to our company? What is your desired salary? Seite 22

23 ZAV our services for jobseekers Finding a suitable job is not as simple as it looks like. Except for a few jobs you will have to prove good German language skills. By the way: it is never too late to start learning German. You have to be proactive! We provide information and give advice to you and this is meant to enable you to help yourself. It is up to you to take advantage of what we recommend. Seite 23

24 Usefull links online application training y=bewerbungstraining online application training for academics _bewerbungstraining/index.htm Looking for jobs: -> Jobboerse Living and working in Germany: Seite 24

25 Additional Websites for further Information The EURES-website also features a search engine to help you find jobs in Germany: For more information on living and working in Germany check links below: Seite 25

26 Contact Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung Internationaler Personalservice Villemombler Str Bonn Germany Phone: Seite 26

27 GOOD LUCK Seite 27

28 Living and Working in Germany Thank you for your attention!