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How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

germantechjobs.de

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Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#91

Post by KptMarchewa »

dagw wrote: post #66
frockington1 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know if Europe's negative rates have made mortgages more or less challenging to receive. I can see it going either way as any interest is better than negative bond yields but how much effort are you going to put in if a mortgage rate is suppressed as well?

At least in Sweden they have made the rules around getting a mortgage stricter and stricter over the past 4-5 years. The income requirements have gotten stricter, they're requiring that you put down more money up front and that you make larger monthly principal payments.

No longer >100 year loans?

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#92

Post by KptMarchewa »

dcolkitt wrote: post #24
rapsey wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you are not taking into account is that health care costs compared to the US are almost nothing. So is the cost of higher education.

I don't want to rehash the many long debates about whether it's better to be a SWE in Europe or America. There are arguments both ways, and it's been pretty well discussed. My interest is largely orthogonal to that discussion. Assuming you're not leaving the continent, why would anyone (besides those who are very passionate about software) choose to be a European SWE instead of a European actuary?

Because I'm extremely unpassionate about being an actuary.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#93

Post by mgraupner »

estaseuropano wrote: post #41
lbrito wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume engineering positions are on the top bracket of salary distribution. If not even this is enough to pursue home ownership, what kind of people are able to afford a house? Honest question.

Price/sq meter varies between 100-2000€, so it really depends on your region, lifestyle and choices. If you have a normal salary (or both working) you can afford a small house. Mortgages also tend to be reasonable in Germany.

A flat in a horrible region of Regensburg (a very nice and very old Roman town in Bavaria) right beneath the rail tracks costs 5000-6000€/m2 (they will have nice interior though). And Regensburg is not even a high income city for software engineers in Germany.

If you do not inherit a good amount of money or earn incredible well (like >100.000€) you will forever be a "poor" man in Germany or you can sell your soul for a house and pray that you earn enough till you retire to pay back your mortgage. Taxes are just too high and income too low...

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#95

Post by martin_a »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #84
sdevonoes wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, I don't know about Austria. But at least in my experience in Germany, France, and the Netherlands I always got around 28-30 days of vacation per year. Overtime is perhaps more about the company and oneself, but in my experience is something you decide to do it or not. If you do it companies pay for overtime. I never done overtime (because companies pay pennies for it :) )

> Overtime is perhaps more about the company and oneself Well that was my point. There's no EU law that prevents you from having to do overtime.

Well, in Germany there's the Arbeitszeitgesetz ("work time law") which handles some of those things. I think unpaid overtime is not really common in Germany, especially in "better jobs".

Also agreements with trade unions etc. take care of a sane base-level of holidays and payment.

Germany is also "heavy regulated" in the sense that good people will just choose a job with a competitor who gives you 30 days of free time and paid overtime, although he might pay less.

I think work-life-balance tips slightly over to the worker in a welfare state, because you can choose to earn 100 Euro/month a less but have more holidays AND still have not to worry about paying doctor bills.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#96

Post by scanny »

My 2 cents: Just finished my first month in Munich as a Web Dev after moving from Australia.

Company is great and colleagues are lovely. German bureaucracy sucks but apart from that it has been an experience of ‘the more things change the more they stay the same’ when it comes to the job and culture.

Honestly linkedin has had the best results for jobs, that and using a template for CVS and cover letters.

There’s plenty of work and plenty of good companies, just keep applying and keep the effort in each application low.

I interviewed the same here as I did anywhere else, job is at an English speaking company and my German level is still only at basics but that’s something to build when you arrive.

Just apply from stability overseas and have them fly you out and sort the visa, don’t take a big risk at a time like this otherwise.

Taxes and, as Allendoerfer rightly corrected me, the various social securities (unemployment insurance, healthcare, pension ect.) which you benefit from are almost half of your income, living expenses are high in some cities (Munich rent is mental). 58,000 euros is the normal minimum for a blue card, lower for tech jobs, but I would advise not taking less otherwise you’ll have serious stress by not having a decent income on top of the cultural change and no support network.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#97

Post by rurban »

catdog wrote: post #86
DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I mean you can definitely earn more than 60k in Germany. exactly. I made that as a Junior in my first full-time job in Munich in 2000 already. Then moved on to freelancing and for the next decade never invoiced less than EUR 12K/month (average was actually EUR ~16K). I did a lot of hours and paid a lot of tax but it also got me fast cars, holidays in Italy, Austria or Switzerland (just for the weekends) and a nanny…

Freelancers in Germany also have a problem which is called "Scheinselbstständigkeit". If you do too much work for only one client (there are no clear rules to follow) the public social security system might decide you are to be treated like an employee and your client suddenly has to pay pension insurance and health ensurance for the time you worked for them. Companies fear that because it's a huge chunk of money and…

Only if your company has a base in Germany. In my case I worked remote for a US-only company as Scheinselbstständiger, got the full US rates (ie 3x higher than german rates), and paid normal insurance. They had to pay nothing into the German SS system.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#98

Post by mgraupner »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #49
carlmr wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean you can definitely earn more than 60k in Germany. I don't know about Berlin though. In Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Munich this would be too little to get a senior developer. Most of the other professions pay less. From the list you gave, and the people I know, I would assume the sorting is roughly: * physical therapists (can't go much lower in pay) * pilots (there are just way too many, except for those in old con…

Most of the perks you listed like 6 week vacation and 35h workweeks are not the norm, not even for devs, but exception that some good companies offer. 25 vacation days per year and 40h plus overtime included sometimes are more the current norm for most dev positions on the market now.

30 days of holidays are pretty easy to come by, 35h however is rarely the case. 40h and more is more or less the norm here.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#99

Post by martin_a »

dsnr wrote: post #51
querez wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can make a very decent living on an SWE salary in Germany, and still get to live in a social democracy with a stronger emphasis on "social" than the US (i.e., very solid public services like transportation, education or health care) with a work/life balance that's more strongly tilted in favor of "life" than the US, from what I understand. It's a trade-off, but it's worth it for many.

You’re saying it like everyone can’t wait to live in a welfare state and having to provide for the “welfare” of others. I for one am not looking for anything else than good healthcare. There’s nothing “tilted” for life when you struggle to make ends meet while paying sky-high rent and having no prospects of ever owning your home.

> having to provide for the “welfare” of others.

It's only fair. Once you get old, the young and healthy will pay for your hospital stay, too, through the insurance mix.

But we could also just let you die because you can't pay the treatment.

You'll have to decide, there's no free cake in the end.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#100

Post by martin_a »

scanny wrote: post #96

My 2 cents: Just finished my first month in Munich as a Web Dev after moving from Australia. Company is great and colleagues are lovely. German bureaucracy sucks but apart from that it has been an experience of ‘the more things change the more they stay the same’ when it comes to the job and culture. Honestly linkedin has had the best results for jobs, that and using a template for CVS and cover letters. There’s plen…

Good to hear that you like it. Munich can be lovely in the summer, you'll surely enjoy it. Also: Enjoying a real bavarian Biergärten is something I really look for after Corona.
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