Berlin at a Glance
Health Insurance and Expat Jobs in Berlin
The Adlershof is Germany's biggest technology park.
Health Insurance
The health insurance system in Germany is the world’s oldest universal health-care system, dating back to 1883. There are two types of health care in Germany, the gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (public) and the private Krankenversicherung (private). All citizens and legal residents of Germany are entitled to health care. It has in fact become illegal not to be insured and it is thus a requirement when applying for a job.
All salaried workers in Germany whose gross annual income is less than 49,500 Euros are publicly insured. The percentage they owe to the state health-care system is taken out of their monthly pay.
If you are self-employed or you have a job in Berlin that earns you more than 49,500 Euros annual gross income, you are required to pay for private health care. A well-known private German health insurance company with branches all over the world is Allianz. You can also find a list of local doctors and hospitals in Berlin on their website.
Applying for Health Insurance
Applying for health insurance, be it public or private, is quite simple. As everyone is entitled to it, you need only make an appointment with a regional insurance office (make sure to distinguish whether it is private or public, depending on your preconditions). Bring along your residence and work permits and passport to fill out the according paperwork.
It has recently become illegal to turn someone down for health insurance in Germany. Private health insurances will request you to fill out a questionnaire concerning your medical history as well as that of your parents. Depending on whether or not serious illnesses exist, the premium for your insurance may be hiked up drastically.
Finding Work
Finding a job in Berlin pretty much requires the same technique as in other cities around the world. Look at the Berlin website for a list (in German) of job offices that have lists of vacancies. Their employees may be able to help you improve your résumé and tailor it to fit German standards. If you are interested in how an interview in Germany works, have a look at this overview of typical (and tricky!) questions and answers for job applicants (German only).
Looking in the classifieds section of newspapers, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine or the Handelsblatt, is usually also very helpful. Local Berlin newspapers also offer a number of job listings, as well as online job sites such as monster.de.
Berlin also hosts many trade fairs. It would be wise to check out the career fairs where you can make connections with potential employers and pass out your résumé. Just keep watching for upcoming events.
The Job Market
As the capital of Germany, Berlin is the hub of the German economy. This broadens the spectrum of potential jobs for you.
As it has been governed under two different regimes after the Second World War, Berlin had to sort of start from scratch after Germany’s reunification in 1990. For this reason, Berlin has become a fruitful ground for new startup companies to sprout up all over the city. Innovative ideas have blossomed, making Berlin the capital of small and medium sized enterprises, which continue growing year after year.
Despite the rather high local unemployment rate of 14%, the private sector in Berlin has been able to offer people hundreds of thousands of jobs in the last decade. Exports play a major role in Berlin’s economy, so if you have experience in the export sector, this city could be your proverbial goldmine.
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