Cara-cara mencari pekerjaan di Jerman dari Malaysia

Penulis telah biasa menerima mesej-mesej di platform sosial media seperti X (Twitter), facebook dan TikTok, yang bertanyakan tips atau cara-cara mencari pekerjaan di negara Jerman. Dalam tulisan ini, penulis cuba untuk memberikan cara-cara dan pendekatan yang seumum mungkin, semoga bermanfaat untuk semua pembaca.

Penulis di atas kapal Primus-Linie di sungai Main, Frankfurt, Sep. 2019.

Latar belakang pendidikan tinggi penulis

Penulis ingin memaklumkan pembaca bahawa penulis mula bekerja terus di Jerman sejak pertengahan 2015, selepas tamat pengajian universiti di sini, tanpa pulang ke Malaysia terlebih dahulu.

• Ijazah sarjana muda Dipl.-Ing. (FH) kejuruteraan mekatronik, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen
• Ijazah sarjana M. Sc. Computer Vision and Photonics, Hochschule Darmstadt.

Bacaan sampingan pilihan

Penulis menggalakkan para pembaca untuk meluangkan masa membaca di laman-laman ini:

• How to find a job n Germany, deutschland.de, 21.12.2023
• Five steps to finding a job in Germany, deutschland.de, 12.01.2023
• EU Blue Card 
• Bekerja di Jerman: Pengalaman lazim - tulisan penulis pada tahun 2021, masih lagi relevan.
  

Langkah-langkah mencari pekerjaan di Jerman

(Penulis menggalakkan pembaca menggunakan fungsi terjemahan ke dalam bahasa Inggeris, kerana laman-laman web berikut kebanyakannya berpaksikan negara dan bahasa Jerman.)

1. Memulakan pencarian di portal-portal karier

• Monster
• StepStone
• Xing - mirip LinkedIn, popular di Jerman
• LinkedIn
• Bundesagentur der Arbeit - agensi di bawah Kementerian Pekerjaan dan Sosial negara Jerman (peringkat persekutuan).

2. Belajar bahasa Jerman, contohnya di Goethe Institut

Walaupun ada sesetengah iklan pekerjaan di Jerman (terutamanya bidang IT) tidak meletakkan pengetahuan bahasa Jerman sebagai syarat kelayakan, keupayaan berbahasa Jerman sangat berharga, lebih-lebih lagi dalam menempuhi kerenah birokrasi dan cabaran kehidupan seharian di Jerman ini.

Soalan: belajar bahasa Jerman sampai tahap berapa?

Penulis mencadangkan sekurang-kurangnya tahap A2 sebelum berhijrah ke Jerman.

Tahap-tahap pengetahuan bahasa Jerman, dari terendah A1 hingga tertinggi C2.

3. Memohon pekerjaan

Melalui portal-portal ataupun e-mail kepada syarikat-syarikat sasaran, menggunakan bahasa Inggeris formal, memautkan salinan sijil-sijil seperti ijazah dan resumé/CV.

Contoh resumé/CV dalam bahasa Jerman.

 

4. Memohon visa pekerjaan dan permit residensi sementara

Setelah mendapat surat tawaran pekerjaan, anda harus memohon visa di Kedutaan Besar Jerman untuk memasuki negara Jerman sebagai pekerja asing. Lazimnya Kedutaan Besar Jerman di Kuala Lumpur akan memberikan tarikh temujanji untuk pertemuan empat mata dengan setiap bakal pekerja asing.

Contoh permit residensi (kad elektronik).

5. Penyedian dokumen-dokumen rasmi

Lumrah kerenah birokrasi Jerman - selalunya kita akan diberikan senarai yang sangat terperinci tentang dokumen-dokumen yang perlu kita serahkan ketika temujanji di Kedutaan Besar Jerman. Kemungkinan besar kita juga dikehendaki untuk mempunyai insurans kesihatan yang cukup untuk permulaan kehidupan kita di Jerman (sebelum menukar ke insurans yang lain).

Contoh - skrol ijazah sarjana muda milik penulis.

6. Persediaan berhijrah ke negara Jerman

Setelah mendapat visa, cabaran berikutnya ialah mencari tempat tinggal di Jerman. Topik ini sangat sulit, malah juga untuk kami yang telah pun berada di Jerman. Penulis berpendapat, bakal pekerja asing harus bersikap terbuka untuk menerima tempat tinggal yang sementara (3 bulan, 6 bulan, atau setahun) untuk bertapak di Jerman. Ada juga kemungkinan untuk tinggal agak jauh dari tempat pekerjaan, tetapi ini bukanlah masalah besar, apabila kita mempertimbangkan kemudahan jaringan pengangkutan awam di Jerman.

7. Usai ketibaan di Jerman

Setiap pendatang asing, terutamanya pelajar dan pekerja, harus mendaftarkan diri di jabatan pendaftaran penduduk di bandar atau pekan masing-masing (sila bersedia dengan istilah seperti Bürgeramt atau Meldeamt).

Selepas itu, kita harus membuka akaun di mana-mana bank Jerman seperti Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse, Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank, dan lain-lain. Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, neobank N26 juga sudah menjadi trend baru dan alternatif kepada bank-bank fizikal.

Antara bank-bank yang ada di Jerman.

 

Kita juga digalakkan untuk melanggan insurans kesihatan tempatan yang ada di Jerman.

Antara insurans-insurans kesihatan di Jerman.

Akhir sekali kita mesti mendapatkan temujanji dengan pejabat imigresen tempatan untuk mendapatkan permit residensi (tidak sama seperti yang diberikan oleh Kedutaan Besar Jerman).

Gambar ditangkap oleh penulis: Suasana di luar jabatan imigresen Frankfurt pada 6.30 pagi sebelum waktu buka 7.30 pagi, 24.12.2018.

Kesimpulan

Tiada cara atau jalan yang terang dan nyata tentang mencari pekerjaan dan berhijrah ke negara Eropah seperti Jerman ini. Para pembaca digalakkan untuk banyak membaca sendiri di laman-laman web seperti deutschland.de dan BlueCard-EU. Jalan paling mudah, pada pendapat penulis ialah melalui syarikat-syarikat konsultan yang ada di Malaysia (tidak dapat dinamakan oleh penulis di sini atas sebab-sebab tertentu).

Jika ada lagi soalan-soalan mudah, penulis dapat dicari di sini:

• X (Twitter): @HafizVonPJ
• TikTok: @HafizVonPJ
• facebook: Hafiz Jaafar (Hafizus Jaafarius) 

Akhir kata: selamat berjaya, Viel Erfolg!

Bekerja di Jerman: Pengalaman Lazim

Dalam artikel ini, penulis ingin berkongsi pengalaman lazim atau tipikal yang dihadapi oleh semua orang yang bekerja di negara Jerman ini. Penulis mengolah tentang dokumen-dokumen rasmi, pencarian pekerjaan dan suasana di tempat kerja secara ringkas.

Steueridentifikationsnummer - nombor identiti cukai

Lambat laun apabila seseorang warga asing, terutamanya pelajar, tiba di negara Jerman, akan sampai surat daripada Bundeszentralamt für Steuern atau BZSt (Jabatan Pusat Persekutuan untuk Percukaian Jerman). Surat itu mengandungi nombor identiti seseorang dalam sistem percukaian negara Jerman, yakni Steueridentifikationsnummer. Nombor ini haruslah dijaga setiap masa, kerana akan diperlukan setiap kali kita mendapat pekerjaan yang sah di negara Jerman ini.

Nombor identiti ini ada 11 aksara, unik, dan kekal sepanjang hidup (Sumber: Was ist eine Steuer-ID und wo bekomme ich her? 2021-05-23).

 

Sozialversicherung - social security

Bagaimanakah BZSt mendapat tahu alamat kita masing-masing di sini? Barangkali daripada agensi insurans kesihatan kita, data kita akan dikongsi bersama-sama jabatan-jabatan kerajaan Jerman yang lain, seperti Sozialversicherung (social security). Sozialversicherung ini bertanggungjawab untuk menerima insurans pencen seseorang (Rentenversicherung). Ada satu dokument penting iaitu Sozialversicherungsausweis (social security pass) - yang akan diterima oleh masing-masing ketika menerima pekerjaan yang pertama sekali di Jerman (Sumber: Deutsche Rentenversicherung, 2021-05-23).

Contoh Sozialversicherungsausweis - social security pass (Sumber: Deutsche Rentenversicherung, 2021-05-23).

 

Führungszeugnis - certificate of conduct

Führungszeugnis ini ibarat sijil kelakuan baik di negara Jerman ini. Sijil ini boleh didapati daripada Bürgeramt (majlis perbandaran) dalam lokaliti masing-masing, dengan bayaran tertentu yang tidak mahal pun. Jika sijil ini diperlukan oleh majikan anda, kosnya akan dibayar semula oleh majikan tersebut. Jika anda mewakili pertubuhan-pertubuhan sukarelawan, seperti penulis yang merupakan pastor kecemasan untuk komuniti Muslim Frankfurt (Salam e.V. Frankfurt), sijil ini akan diisukan secara percuma.

 

Führungszeugnis ini akan menyatakan sama ada seseorang itu ada dalam rekod polis di mana-mana atau tidak. Sijil ini juga diperlukan untuk penulis yang bekerja dalam bidang perkhidmatan kewangan (financial services) di Frankfurt.

Contoh Führungszeugnis - sijil kelakuan negara Jerman (Sumber: Bundesamt für Justiz, 2021-05-23)

 

Arbeitsvertrag - kontrak pekerjaaan

Sama ada pekerjaan di Jerman itu tetap atau sementara, setiap pekerjaan itu mesti disahkan dengan sesuatu kontrak bertulis - yakni Arbeitsvertrag. Kontrak ini merupakan satu dokumen perjanjian antara majikan dan pekerja - menyatakan perkara utama seperti hak masing-masing, bilangan hari cuti, dan angka gaji.

Kontrak ini selalunya diperlukan untuk menyokong permohonan visa dan permit pekerjaan daripada Ausländerbehörde (jabatan imigresen).

Contoh Arbeitsvertrag atau kontrak kerja (Sumber: IHK Offenbach - Arbeitsvertrag (Muster), 2021-05-23)

Arbeitserlaubnis - permit pekerjaan

Dokumen ini diisukan oleh Ausländerbehörde dalam bandar masing-masing. Selagi anda belum mendapat taraf pemastautin tetap atau Permanent Residentship, selagi itulah anda harus pergi memperbaharui Arbeitserlaubnis anda sebelum memulakan pekerjaan baru di Jerman ini.

Permit pekerjaan untuk pelajar asing

Untuk seseorang pelajar asing di Jerman ini, terutamanya yang bukan dari negara Kesatuan Eropah (European Union), visa pelajar masing-masing selalunya juga ditambahkan satu ayat yang ringkas - pelajar ini hanya dibenarkan bekerja tidak lebih 120 hari atau 240 setengah hari dalam setahun. CUKUP - ayat ini berserta visa pelajar asing itu telah menjadi dokumen permit pekerjaan di Jerman (Sumber bahan bacaan: Deutsches Studentenwerk - Arbeiten im Studium, 2021-05-23).

 

Tempoh 120 hari itu harus dikira secara literal - iaitu 120 darab 24 jam - maka seseorang pelajar asing bukan warga EU itu boleh bekerja sambilan tidak lebih daripada 2880 jam setahun.

 

Pencarian pekerjaan di Jerman

Penulis pernah berkongsi tentang pengalaman mencari kerja pada tahun 2015: Job Hunting in Germany. Dari zaman penulis sebagai pelajar universiti, pelbagai cara digunakan untuk mencari pekerjaan di negara Jerman ini. Ketika zaman universiti, penulis rajin ke career fair - di bandaraya Köln, Stuttgart, Frankfurt dan Darmstadt.

 

Penulis juga dulu suka melihat-lihat papan kenyataan di fakulti universiti - ada-ada sahaja iklan untuk pekerjaan sementara (Werkstudenttätigkeit), latihan praktikal, dan penulisan tesis yang ditujukan khas kepada pelajar-pelajar fakulti.

Selain itu, ada laman-laman web seperti StepStone, Monster, dan Accenture juga menjadi enjin pencarian pekerjaan di Jerman ini. Syarikat-syarikat besar seperti Daimler, BMW, Continental, Siemens, dan ThyssenKrupp, selalunya mempunyai portal pencarian pekerjaan sendiri.

Tiga dokumen penting dalam misi mencari kerja di sini:

• Motivationsanschreiben - surat pengenalan
• Lebenslauf - resumé atau curriculum vitae (CV)
  
• Zeugnisse - sijil-sijil

Motivationsanschreiben boleh dijadikan penulisan utama dalam e-mail terus kepada syarikat yang menjadi sasaran kita. Sepanjang pengetahuan penulis, penulisan ini TIDAK perlu seperti karangan berjela-jela. Cukuplah dengan 1 perenggan permulaan, perenggan utama yang dibuat dalam bentuk bullet point, dan perenggan terakhir.

Contoh perenggan utama dalam Motivationsanschreiben.

 

Pertaruhan utama pencarian pekerjaan ialah Lebenslauf/resumé masing-masing.

Resumé penulis dalam bahasa Jerman.

 

Temuduga kerja

Jika seseorang itu mendapat jemputan untuk datang ke sesi temuduga secara bersemuka, itu ialah petanda yang sangat baik, kerana proses penapisan permohonan selalunya dilalui dengan ketat.

 

Kos pengangkutan - untuk datang ke temuduga di bandar lain bukanlah sesuatu yang murah. Selalunya syarikat Jerman yang menjemput anda untuk bertemuduga, akan menawarkan penanggungan kos pengangkutan seperti tiket keretapi dan bayaran teksi.

Pakaian - dari dulu sehingga sekarang, penulis berpakaian secara smart-casual untuk temuduga jawatan jurutera dan software engineer/developer. Sudah memadai dengan kemeja berlengan panjang (digosok), seluar jeans gelap (yang tidak lusuh atau bertompok-tompok), dan kasut kulit hitam.

Julai 2017: Penulis di Old Town Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt - setelah baru pulang dari satu temuduga yang berjaya di bandar Rüsselsheim, berpakaian smart-casual.

 

Suasana di pejabat

Perkara utama pada hari pertama anda pergi bekerja di Jerman: di pejabat sudah disediakan air minuman - sama ada air mineral dalam botol, dari mesin dispenser, ataupun air paip yang sudah disahkan sebagai bersih dan selamat untuk diminum terus.

Kadangkala, majikan memang bermurah hati dengan menyediakan mesin kopi untuk pekerja-pekerja. Malahan ini juga ditekankan sebagai bahan tarikan oleh sesuatu syarikat dalam iklan pekerjaan masing-masing: kopi dan buah-buahan segar percuma untuk setiap pekerja.

Mesin kopi berkualiti tinggi di pejabat penulis.

Harijadi di pejabat dalam Jerman - mengikut budi bicara masing-masing, harijadi akan dihebahkan sebagai berita baik dalam pejabat, selalunya dalam jabatan sendiri. Rakan-rakan sekerja akan datang bergilir-gilir menghulurkan salam (the famous German handshake, sumber: German culture greetings, 2021-05-23 ) dan ucapan tahniah. Si fulan yang menjadi birthday kid hari itu lazimnya membelanjakan kek untuk rakan-rakan lain.

Febuari 2020 - Donut yang dibelanjakan oleh seorang rakan sekerja penulis sempena harijadinya.

2017 - Kek yang dibelanjakan oleh penulis di pejabat sempena harijadi ke 3*. Sebelah kiri ialah Rhabarberkuchen (rhubarb pie) dan sebelah kanan ialah Streuselkuchen - kedua-duanya dibeli daripada satu bakeri Jerman di Darmstadt.

Pergaulan di pejabat selalunya bersifat profesional. Kita tidak bertanya soalan-soalan peribadi kepada seseorang rakan sekerja - adakah dia telah berkahwin, berapakah anak yang dia ada, dan sebagainya, melainkan rakan itu sendiri yang membuka mulut berkongsi sendiri hal peribadinya.

 

Rakan-rakan sekerja TIDAK akan menjadi 'friends' di facebook (jika ada akaun) - kerana bersifat peribadi. Tetapi platform LinkedIn dan Xing diterima tanpa banyak soalan.

 

Ada event tertentu menjadi tempat untuk bergaul mesra dengan rakan-rakan sekerja tanpa tekanan, seperti larian maraton dan barbeku.

Jun 2019 - Penulis (kiri) di belakang rakan-rakan sekerja ketika menyertai larian JP Morgan di Frankfurt.

Disember 2017 - penulis dan rakan-rakan sekerja ketika operasi perpindahan syarikat ke bangunan baru di Frankfurt.

 

Kesimpulan

Bekerja di Jerman ialah suatu pengalaman yang tidak ternilai bagi penulis. Penulis bersyukur dengan rezeki diterima bekerja di negara ini selepas tamat pengajian universiti.

Events during my blogging hiatus: Part 4 (final)

Part 4: Career change into financial services.

After years of commuting almost everyday from the city Frankfurt to Darmstadt, first for my graduate school at Hochschule Darmstadt and then to my jobs in that city, I had a thought of finding a job in Frankfurt, where I live since October 2013.

Switching field

I reckon that the Hessian cities Darmstadt, Rüsselsheim, and Wiesbaden are suitable for people looking for engineering jobs, whereas Frankfurt is more to financial industry, especially banking. The first challenge is to convince prospective employers to hire someone from an engineering background like myself.

I can still recall my last conversation with a senior colleague from my previous job in Darmstadt-Eberstadt, during our train ride after work. I told him about my wish to jump into finance, to which he said go ahead - "In the end of the day, what counts is the money you bring back to your dinner table."

TLDR

Late July 2017, I received a job offer as a junior developer in a financial services company, here in Frankfurt.

Sometime later in October 2017, I moved into a new rental apartment in the Frankfurt's district Gallus with another fellow Malaysian.

After 2 years living there, we moved elsewhere separately, having made our jobs stable.

Now in 2020, I am still working at the same place and satisfied being there. I have had eventful challenges at this job, but I thrived. There are always rooms for improvement.

I have also been spending some hours once every week attending Japanese language class in the city center. I intend to travel alone to Japan in the future, taking at least one full month away from my work.

Conclusion

I have not entirely changed my career: I still practice software engineering albeit in an entirely different field. What I have abandoned are the fields of robotics and computer vision. I doubt that I will return to either of those two fields, especially considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Events during my blogging hiatus: Part 3

Part 3: A job at an industrial computer vision company.

The drawing sketch I made for my personal business card.
It features a 3-degree-of-freedom robotic hand
and the camera Kinect for XBOX 360.
This is a symbolism for my background in mechatronics and computer vision.

 

I have decided to skip this part, because I prefer to tell it verbally to whomever asking me about it face-to-face. To ensure that my story would not deviate even as little as possible, I wrote down notes about this experience for future reference.

TLDR:

The experience in the period between January 2017 and June 2017 made me considering to switch to other sectors, particularly finance. I ended up joining a financial service company in Frankfurt in August 2017.

Next post - working in Frankfurt am Main

The next post should be about my experience working in a financial service company in the European financial hub city: Frankfurt am Main.

Events during my blogging hiatus: Part 2

In Germany, within 3 days after being jobless in October 2016, I had to register myself at the 'Agentur für Arbeit' - the agency for job. It turned out I was eligible to claim for certain benefits, e.g., unemployment pay (Arbeitslosengeld) and counseling.

My former employer Bionic Robotics GmbH, through its insolvency administrator, issued certain certificates for all of us the ex-employees, which we had to attach upon our registration at the said Agentur. I went to the one branch in Frankfurt due to my status as a resident in this city.

Agentur für Arbeit, Frankfurt am Main. Author's own photo.

I went there as early as 7 a.m. on that day. The door was to open at 7.30 a.m. Being as one of the first persons to arrive there, I just waited and looked at my phone the whole time. Few minutes before 7.30 a.m., I turned my head around and looked the queue behind me. The line was already long.

After my registration at the counter inside, I was told to enter my data into the computer room nearby. And then I had to wait to be called into an officer's room for a quick talk. The officer told me that the Agentur offers counseling and trainings for unemployed to rejoin the job market. She read my academic credentials and recent experience, before remarking positively that I would not be needing the agency help that much.

Nevertheless, I was expected to do my own initiatives in finding the next job. The Arbeitsagentur gave me a form to keep track of my job applications. This form 'Nachweis Eigenbemühungen' (proof of own efforts) needs to be presented to the Arbeitsagentur, if I were called to report myself there for counseling.

Nachweis Eigenbemühungen (filtered): proof of own efforts.
A spreadsheet to record my job applications,
to be presented to the Arbeitsagentur during counseling session.

A few days later, I received a letter from the Agentur about the calculation of the monthly 'Arbeitslosengeld' (unemployment allowance) that I would receive for a certain period of time, until I gain another full-time employment elsewhere.

Here is an example of the estimation of the 'Arbeitslosengeld I': for which a person has been employed for 12 months for the last 2 years before entering unemployment. During the 12-month employment, the person has paid 'Arbeitslosenversicherung' - unemployment insurance.

Gross estimation of the monthly unemployment allowance.
Certain conditions do apply here.[1]

In the second month of my jobless period (December 2016), I received 2 job offers, both in the state of Hesse. One in Eberstadt district of Darmstadt, another in Wiesbaden.

I accepted the offer in Darmstadt-Eberstadt and turned down the other offer as politely as I could.

The new job was to commence in January 2017. I used the time left to refresh my knowledge of computer vision and the programming language C++.

Next: a job at a industrial computer vision company.

Sources:

[1] Arbeitslosengeld 1 Rechner: https://www.brutto-netto-rechner.info/arbeitslosengeld-I-rechner.php

Events during my blogging hiatus: Part 1

My previous post was on August 20, 2016.

I went to a hiatus from blogging for certain reasons.

Follow @HafizVonPJ

The fall of a small robotics company

In July 2015, I joined a small robotics start-up company called Bionic Robotics GmbH in Darmstadt. The company was not really that young at that time. It started as a spin-off project from the Technical University of Darmstadt. I found the job there as a software engineer satisfying, despite the under-average salary.

At the end of August 2016, the company's financial status forced it to file for a temporary insolvency. Unfortunately in October 2016, the final negotiation with the only remaining possible new investor hit the wall. Consequently the company had to be shut down.

I could have prepared myself during the temporary insolvency to look out for a new job. But I did not, because I wanted to remain loyal and I was optimistic of the company's future. After all, we did sell most of our robots.

Reflection

I took pride in staying with the company till the very end. The experience from working there was absolutely educative.

I learned to use Linux, coded with Python, worked with the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework, improved my skills with the Qt framework, and most important of all: I did delve into robotics. My job there covered the software development, as well as the practical handling of the robotic arms. I can say that I did practice my profession as a mechatronics engineer.

As an employee of a small and understaffed company, I acknowledged that I was expected to do more than just software development. I was sent out for integration and reparation jobs at customers' sites and support the company's booth at certain industrial fairs.

My last outstation assignment was in Switzerland, where I spent one day to conduct an instruction course for our Swiss customers - in full German.

Next: Being jobless for two months in Germany.

Job Hunting in Germany

The author has started to look for a job as soon as he graduated in the end of January 2015. The job search started seriously in February and then became more aggressive from April 2015 until the middle of May 2015. This post summarizes the process of job hunting by the author. With pleasure, the author has ended this hunt recently. The rōnin has finally found a new master to serve.

 

Online Profile

As suggested by local peers, the author has set up his profile on the website XING.com, considered as the top network site in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It turned out to be positive, as the author has been approached by recruiters per e-mails and telephones. Apart from that, other websites have also been used, namely StepStone.de, MONSTER.de, and access.de. The author strongly  advises readers to avoid their facebook profiles from being accessible to prospective employers.

 

Resumé / CV

The author has prepared 2-page CVs - in German and English. The 2 pages were due to the intention of being simple and direct / straight to the point, as these are common in Germany. One of the recruiters, hinted on how the author's resumé / CV can be improved. The recruiter suggested to add the summary of the 2 theses written by the author into the CV. Consequently the author added 2 more pages to each CV - 1 page of summary for each thesis. The following figures give an overview of the author's German CV.

Figure 1 - The author's CV, written in German.

Figure 2 - 2 summaries in the CV for the 2 theses by the writer.  

Results

The following figure sums up the job applications sent by the author.

Figure 3 - The numbers of sent job applications, rejections, and interviews experienced by the writer from February 2015 until middle of June 2015.

  Interviews

Prior to certain face-to-face interviews, there were phone interviews. Regardless of the type of an interview, job hunters must do their homework ahead. The expected questions were - academic background, projects, earlier experience, thesis/dissertation, expected salary, etc.

If an interview is conducted far away from the residence of the job hunter, reimbursement for the travel expenses can be requested after the interview. Regarding the travel method, there were 2 times when the author had to switch to express bus, instead of long distance train. These were due to the strikes by Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer or GDL (trade union for German train crews).

The author went as far as to München / Munich for a job interview. There were also interviews in the cities Herzogenaurach (near Nürnberg / Nuremberg), Rüsselsheim, and Stuttgart. Finally the author has landed a job in Darmstadt, near to his former college.

 

Salary, Taxes, and Living Costs

This article by IngenieurKarriere.de can help engineering graduates to estimate an expected salary for entry level. On the other hand, several websites also provide assistance in calculating monthly income after taxes, e.g., Steuerklassen.com and Brutto Netto Rechner.

The main factor for the author to estimate an expected salary is the total of living costs per month. This consists of:

• rent and utilities,
• broadcasting services tax,
• cellphone bill,
• laundry,
• commute/train ticket, and
• workdays' expenses.

 Save before spending. Spend what is left after saving.
[Credits to Warren Buffett]

Apart from that, savings money for general purposes and investments is also crucial.

 

Conclusion

It has been very adventurous and challenging in finding a job in Germany. Foreign job hunters are advised to sharpen and refresh their German language skill, which will be definitely advantageous during any interview. The author looks forward to share this experience with other Malaysian students, probably in a formal presentation session or talk.