Jobs in Germany

Reference profiles for working in Germany: what a profession actually involves, how you qualify for it, what it pays, and what a foreign-trained candidate has to do to be allowed to practise it.

Written in English, with German terms kept in place — you will meet those terms in job ads, on authority websites, and in application forms, so translating them away is unhelpful.

The source is on GitHub: rjcndev/jobs-in-germany.

Browse by category

Cross-reference tables

Once you are comparing professions rather than reading up on one, start here:

  • Language requirements — what each authority legally demands vs. what the job realistically takes. The two differ, and the gap is where people misjudge their preparation.
  • Language certificates — which paper proves it: Goethe vs telc vs TestDaF vs DSH and who accepts which, what the Fachsprachprüfung actually is, and the funded Berufssprachkurse most arrivals never claim.
  • Employment basics — Probezeit, the notice ladder, the three-week deadline for contesting a dismissal, working-time and holiday law, and how to read the coded grading in an Arbeitszeugnis.
  • Visa and residence routes — which AufenthG paragraph applies per profession, whether the EU Blue Card is reachable, and the recognition requirement that applies even to unregulated work.
  • Beamte vs. Angestellte — civil-servant status: Besoldung instead of tariff, Ruhegehalt instead of a pension, no right to strike, and an EU-citizenship requirement that permanently changes the deal for third-country candidates in teaching, policing and the fire service.
  • Ausbildung — the dual system: what “3 years, paid” legally means, the statutory minimum training wage, what the contract protects, and Ausbildung as the §16a immigration route.
  • The Meisterbrief — the ladder above it, why Anlage A trades need it to open a business, the four ways in without one, how the state funds it, and why it ranks with a Bachelor.
  • Occupational certificates — the short tickets that gate the activity rather than the title: Staplerschein, ADR, Code 95, Hochvolt, §34a, EFK. Cheap, usually employer-funded, mostly expiring, almost never transferable.
  • How retraining is paid for — Bildungsgutschein, Aufstiegs-BAföG, the unclaimed Bildungsurlaub, and Qualifizierungsgeld for sectors that are shrinking under the people working in them.
  • Who recognises your qualification — three chamber systems, the Kammern of the freie Berufe, the state authorities, and why ZAB/anabin is not professional recognition. Plus the professions where no procedure exists at all.
  • Shift work and supplements — what the pay table leaves out: the verified TVöD Zeitzuschläge and Schichtzulagen, and the fact that §3b EStG makes most of them tax-free, so they are worth more than the same euro of salary.
  • Health insurance — GKV vs PKV, why free family cover has no private equivalent, and why going private is a decision for the next forty years rather than the next payslip.
  • Versorgungswerke — the Kammerberufe are exempt from the statutory pension and belong to their profession’s own scheme instead. The exemption must be applied for, and re-applied for on every job change.
  • Minijob and geringfügige Beschäftigung — the ceiling is indexed to the Mindestlohn, the pension opt-out is a trap, and a Minijob builds no unemployment entitlement at all.
  • Tax and net pay — what comes off the gross figures in this repo, the Steuerklasse III/V trap, the Kirchensteuer question on your Anmeldung form, and the income here that is not taxed at all.
  • Choosing a Bundesland — which professions the state decides and which it barely touches, what else is state law, and why tariff-paid workers are better off in low-cost regions.
  • The Bauhauptgewerbe — construction’s own architecture: SOKA-BAU, which makes holiday travel between employers, the AEntG minimum wage above the statutory one, and a funded winter.
  • Glossary — the German terms this repo keeps in place, defined and cross-linked.
  • Pay — every profession on one comparable monthly-gross scale, what the base figures leave out (shift supplements, tax-free Spesen, the 13th month), and an explicit account of which figures are checkable against a published tariff and which are market estimates.

Professions covered

healthcare

See the sector overview — recognition is near-identical across most of these and is collected there, along with the two exceptions that are not regulated at all.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Medizinische/r Technologe/Technologin (MT / MTA) Medical Technologist Yes Yes
Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann Registered Nurse Yes Yes
Arzt / Ärztin Physician Yes Yes — Approbation
Apotheker/in Pharmacist Yes Yes — Approbation; ownership also reserved
Notfallsanitäter/in Paramedic Yes Yes
Physiotherapeut/in Physiotherapist Yes Yes
Hebamme Midwife Yes Yes — and a doctor may not conduct a birth without one
Psychotherapeut/in Psychotherapist Yes — Approbation Yes; and the statutory-patient licence is separately rationed
Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin Dentist Yes — Approbation Yes; plus two years’ Vorbereitungszeit for an own licence
MFA — Medizinische/r Fachangestellte/r Medical Assistant No No to work; yes for the visa — via the Ärztekammer
PTA — Pharmazeutisch-technische/r Assistent/in Pharmaceutical Technical Assistant Yes Yes — and the training is unpaid
Pflegefachassistenz / Pflegehelfer/in Nursing Assistant Under state law — sixteen versions No to work; a one-year qualification supports no visa
ATA / OTA Anaesthesia and Surgical Assistants Yes — since 2022 Yes; the procedure itself is new
Logopädie / Ergotherapie Speech and Occupational Therapy Yes Yes — and check the Schulgeld position in your Bundesland

education

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Lehrer/in Teacher Yes — under state law Yes; and Verbeamtung needs EU citizenship
Erzieher/in Early Years & Social Education Practitioner Yes — under state law Yes, and it varies by Bundesland
Sozialarbeiter/in Social Worker Title yes — under state law A degree is not enough: the staatliche Anerkennung is a separate act

it

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Softwareentwickler/in Software Developer No No
Fachinformatiker/in IT Specialist, dual-trained No No

engineering

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Ingenieur/in Engineer Title only No — but title use is restricted
Architekt/in Architect Title yes (state law) — and Bauvorlage is a reserved activity Listing needs a degree plus ~2 years’ practice
Bauzeichner/in Construction Draughtsperson / BIM Modeller No No to work; yes for the visa — IHK FOSA

industrial

See the sector overview for the Handwerk vs. Industrie divide — different chamber, tariff, pay and self-employment rights.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Elektroniker/in für Betriebstechnik Industrial Electrician No — but DGUV V3 gates the work No to work; yes for the visa
Mechatroniker/in Mechatronics Technician No No to work; yes for the visa
Industriemechaniker/in Industrial Mechanic No No to work; yes for the visa
Zerspanungsmechaniker/in Precision Machinist / CNC Machinist No No to work; yes for the visa
Werkzeugmechaniker/in Tool and Die Maker No No to work; yes for the visa
Konstruktionsmechaniker/in Structural Metalworker / Fabricator No — welding certificates gate the work No to work; yes for the visa
Elektroniker — Automatisierung, GSI, Industrieelektriker Electronics Technician (other specialisations) No — but DGUV V3 gates the work No to work; yes for the visa. GSI is Handwerk, the others IHK

skilled-trades

See the sector overview for the Anlage A rule: employment is free, self-employment needs the Meister.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Elektroniker/in Energie- und Gebäudetechnik Electrician Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Anlagenmechaniker/in SHK Plumbing, Heating & AC Technician Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker/in Vehicle Mechatronics Technician Self-employment only No to be employed; HV work is separately gated
Metallbauer/in Metalworker / Structural Smith Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Maurer/in Bricklayer / Mason Self-employment only No to be employed; and read the Bauhauptgewerbe reference first
Zimmerer / Zimmerin Carpenter Self-employment only No to be employed; Bauhauptgewerbe, unlike Tischler
Dachdecker/in Roofer Self-employment only No to be employed; own sector fund (SOKA-DACH), not SOKA-BAU
Gerüstbauer/in Scaffolder Self-employment only No to be employed; but erecting scaffold requires German training
Straßenbauer / Beton- und Stahlbetonbauer Road Builder; Concrete and Reinforced Concrete Worker Self-employment only No to be employed; municipal Bauhof work is TVöD
Tischler/in — Schreiner/in Joiner / Cabinetmaker Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Raumausstatter/in Interior Furnisher / Soft Furnishings Fitter Self-employment only — re-regulated in 2020 No to be employed; and Bestandsschutz means two classes of owner
Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaikleger/in Tiler Self-employment only — re-regulated in 2020 No to be employed; knee damage is a recognised occupational disease
Fleischer/in — Metzger/in Butcher Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Bäcker/in Baker Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Konditor/in Pastry Chef / Confectioner Self-employment only No to be employed; yes to run a business
Friseur/in Hairdresser Self-employment only No to be employed; Stuhlmiete counts as self-employment

commercial

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Kaufmann/-frau für Büromanagement Office Management Clerk No No to work; yes for the visa
Industriekaufmann/-frau Industrial Clerk No No to work; yes for the visa
Steuerfachangestellte/r Tax Clerk No — but Steuerberater above it is No to work; yes for the visa
Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte/r Legal Secretary / Paralegal No — but Rechtsanwalt above it is No to work; yes for the visa
Bankkaufmann/-frau Bank Clerk Title no — advisory activity yes (BaFin) No to work; registration to advise
Immobilienkaufmann/-frau Real Estate Manager / Agent Title no — activity yes (§34c GewO) No to work; yes for the visa. The permit is the firm’s
Kaufmann/-frau für Versicherungen und Finanzanlagen Insurance and Financial Services Agent Title no — activity yes (§34d/f/i) No to work; yes for the visa. Supervised by the IHK, not BaFin
Wirtschaftsprüfer/in Statutory Auditor Yes — the statutory audit is reserved Yes; EU auditors take an aptitude test instead of the full exam
Notar/in Civil-Law Notary Yes — a capped public office with a reserved activity No equivalence route: both German state law exams, and EU citizenship

logistics

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Berufskraftfahrer/in Professional Truck / Bus Driver Title no — licence yes Licence and code 95 are mandatory
Triebfahrzeugführer/in Train Driver Title no — licence yes (TfV) The EBA licence travels; the employer’s route certificate does not
Pilot/in Airline Pilot Title no — EASA licence yes Licence, medical and type rating; training is self-funded at six figures
Fluglotse / Fluglotsin Air Traffic Controller Yes — licence with unit endorsement No practical foreign route; selection, not qualification, is the filter
Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik Warehouse Logistics Specialist No No to work; yes for the visa
Kaufmann/-frau für Spedition und Logistikdienstleistung Freight Forwarding Clerk No No to work; yes for the visa

green (Grüne Berufe)

See the sector overview — a third chamber system: the Landwirtschaftskammer, and only in some Bundesländer.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Forstwirt/in Forest Worker No — but chainsaw and pesticide certification gate the work No to work; yes for the visa
Landwirt/in Farmer / Agricultural Worker No — but Pflanzenschutz-Sachkunde gates pesticide work No to work; yes for the visa
Gärtner/in Horticulturist / Landscape Gardener No — but pesticide and chainsaw certification gate parts of the work No to work; yes for the visa
Winzer/in Winegrower No No to work; yes for the visa — and the competent body differs by wine region
Tierwirt/in Livestock Farmer No No to work; yes for the visa
Pferdewirt/in Equine Professional No No to work; yes for the visa — and a Trainer licence is not one
Fachkraft Agrarservice Agricultural Contracting Technician No — but driving licences gate the work No to work; yes for the visa
Fischwirt/in Fisheries and Aquaculture Worker No — but sea-going work needs maritime certificates No to work; yes for the visa
Hauswirtschafter/in Home Economics / Institutional Housekeeping No No to work; yes for the visa — and the body is agricultural, not the care regulator

services

See the sector overview — the folder for occupations that belong to no chamber-defined sector, including two files with no qualification to write about.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Gebäudereiniger/in Building Cleaner No — Anlage B1, so self-employment is free too No to work; yes for the visa
Reinigungskraft Cleaner No — no qualification exists None to work; and none supports a visa
Haushaltshilfe Domestic Cleaner / Household Help No — no qualification exists None; the legal question is declared or not
Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in Research Associate / Academic Staff No — but the WissZeitVG modifies employment law No; §18d is the route built for researchers
Fachkraft für Veranstaltungstechnik Event and Stage Technician No — but the venue’s competent person must hold the Meister No to work; yes for the visa

public-service

See the sector overview — Beamten careers: you are appointed as a paid Anwärter, not hired into a job.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Polizist/in Police Officer Yes — Beamtenrecht No recognition route exists; citizenship is the gate
Feuerwehrmann / Feuerwehrfrau Firefighter Yes in the professional service A recognised trade comes first; volunteer service is open to anyone
Zollbeamte/r Customs Officer Yes — Beamtenrecht No recognition route; federal, so one system not sixteen
Steuerbeamte/r Tax Official Yes — Beamtenrecht No recognition route; state-level, so sixteen systems

security

See the sector overview — §34a GewO gates the activity, not the title: a 40-hour Unterrichtung for basic guarding, an IHK Sachkundeprüfung for door work, patrols and retail.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Sicherheitsmitarbeiter/in Security Officer, Door Supervisor, Night Guard Activity-gated (§34a) §34a compliance; Unterrichtung is not a qualification for the visa
Fachkraft für Schutz und Sicherheit Security Specialist Activity-gated (§34a) No to work; recognisable for §18a

hospitality

See the sector overview for the 2022 restructuring, minimum wage and working-time facts.

Profession English Regulated Recognition needed to work
Koch / Köchin Chef / Cook No No to work; yes for the visa
Fachmann/-frau Restaurants und Veranstaltungsgastronomie — “Kellner” Restaurant Specialist / Waiter No No to work; yes for the visa
Hotelfachmann/-frau Hotel Specialist No No to work; yes for the visa
Barkeeper/in Bartender No No German qualification exists — no §18a route

The one distinction that matters

German professions fall into three groups, and conflating them wastes people months:

  1. Regulated professions (reglementierte Berufe) — healthcare above all. You need a state licence before you may work at all. Recognition is mandatory, state-bound, and slow. Erzieher/in is regulated too, but under sixteen separate Länder laws rather than a federal one, which makes it the most fragmented case of all.
  2. Title-protected only — Ingenieur. You may do the work; you may not use the word. And the protection is frequently state law, not federal. Ingenieur/in and Architekt/in are both protected by sixteen separate state statutes, with entry in a state chamber’s register as the condition of using the word — so the answer to “am I allowed to call myself this?” depends on which Bundesland you are standing in. Sozialarbeiter/in works the same way through the staatliche Anerkennung.
  3. Free professions — IT, commercial and logistics roles, hospitality. No licence, no recognition, no title protection. The only paperwork is the visa.

The fourth pattern: the gate is on the activity, not the title

A fourth pattern sits outside the three, and it turns out to be the most common of all: regulation that attaches to an activity or a licence rather than the job title.

Berufskraftfahrer/in has a free title but a tightly regulated licence, and a third-country C/CE licence usually cannot be exchanged at all. Bankkaufmann/-frau has a free title, but giving investment advice requires personal BaFin registration. Security work is gated by §34a GewO whatever the job is called. Architekt/in adds a reserved activity — Bauvorlageberechtigung — to a protected title.

And beneath those sit a dozen short certificates that decide, case by case, who may do a particular piece of work: the Elektrofachkraft rule under DGUV V3, Hochvolt for EV systems, Code 95, ADR, the Staplerschein, the §43 IfSG food briefing, Pflanzenschutz-Sachkunde, welding and radiation-protection certificates. Occupational certificates collects them, because individually they look like trivia and together they are the rule rather than the exception.

Check what is actually being controlled, not what it is called.

Handwerk trades are a special case: free to be employed in, licence-bound to be self-employed in.

And none of this is permanent. The Anlage A list is not a settled fact about which trades are dangerous or skilled; it is a political decision that has been taken twice in opposite directions. In 2004 Germany deregulated 53 trades. In 2020 it restored the Meisterpflicht for twelve of them, grandfathering the businesses that had opened meanwhile — so Raumausstatter and Fliesenleger now contain two classes of owner operating side by side under different rules. ATA/OTA shows the same movement in healthcare, becoming a regulated profession only in 2022. Regulation here tightens and loosens; check the current position rather than the general reputation of a trade.

And one trap cuts across the whole “free” group: unregulated does not mean paperwork-free for non-EU citizens. Nobody needs recognition to cook or to work a hotel reception — but the skilled-worker visa requires a recognised qualification anyway. Employers will hire you without it; the Ausländerbehörde will not issue the permit. Sort recognition first.

Sources worth citing

Disclaimer

Reference material, not legal or immigration advice. Verify against the competent authority before acting on anything here.