Working Holiday in Berlin / Germany
Big city charm, an exciting cultural scene and vibrant multicultural vibes: Berlin is undoubtedly one of the hippest cities in Europe. With a mix of modern architecture and retro charm, a booming start-up scene, street art and a deeply rooted music and party culture, the German metropolis is a hotspot for artists and a magnet for young people from all over the world.
Our Working Holiday Program Berlin helps you gain a foothold in this fascinating city! We do not only help you with the inscrutable bureaucratic jungle, but also to find a job to fund your stay. With us you will learn how to live comfortably in Germany and make the most of your year of Working Holidays.
Who can join our Working Holiday Program in Berlin?
- Citizens of the European Union (EU)
- You can participate if you can get a Working Holiday Visa. This is possible for citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, who are between 18 and 30 years old, can prove financial means (about 2000 EUR), are in good health and have no criminal record
- As a Canadian you can join our program making use of the Youth Mobility Visa that you can get if you are 18-35 years old. For a small extra fee, we can arrange the Youth Mobility Visa for Canadians. This will make it not necessary for you to travel in person to the German Embassy in Canada.
Which Working Holiday job can I do?
It is much easier to find a job once you are already in Germany. The usual steps are: (1) You apply for your Working Holiday Visa in your home country, (2) You travel to Berlin and complete all formalities (registration and registration of your address, registration of your tax number, German telephone contract and bank account), (3) and then you look for a job in Germany.
This order makes sense, because many potential employers prefer you to attend a job interview in person, and they want to make sure that you have a visa which allows you to work legally in Germany. Having a registered German residential address, tax number and bank account are also a requirement to get any employment contract.
Many jobs are possible. The jobs possible in your case depend on your language skills, professional qualification and work experience. For some nationalities, there are certain restrictions on the type of job, maximum duration of employment, and weekly working hours. Individuals of certain nationalities, while on a Working Holiday Visa, are also allowed to work as self-employed in Germany.
Typical working holiday jobs that do not require formal qualifications or previous work experience include:
This order makes sense, because many potential employers prefer you to attend a job interview in person, and they want to make sure that you have a visa which allows you to work legally in Germany. Having a registered German residential address, tax number and bank account are also a requirement to get any employment contract.
Many jobs are possible. The jobs possible in your case depend on your language skills, professional qualification and work experience. For some nationalities, there are certain restrictions on the type of job, maximum duration of employment, and weekly working hours. Individuals of certain nationalities, while on a Working Holiday Visa, are also allowed to work as self-employed in Germany.
Typical working holiday jobs that do not require formal qualifications or previous work experience include:
- Hotel and tourism-related jobs jobs. Many cafes, restaurants and bars in Berlin have international staff. You often don’t even need any German language skills.
- Childcare, babysitting, seasonal babysitting (for example in summer camps)
- Pet care (e.g. walking dogs)
- Teaching English and other foreign languages, and providing homework support
- Cleaning personnel, e.g. in supermarkets, apartments, offices
- Delivery services and moving companies
- Salesperson in stores (if German language skills are sufficient)
- Factory work: e.g. Pack, load and unload goods
- Farm work (outside of Berlin, for example harvesting asparagus)
Do I have to know German to join the program?
In many everyday situations, you will probably get along well without speaking any German. Many Germans, especially the younger generations, have a reasonable level of English, and at least in larger cities there are international communities of English speakers and also jobs for which no German language skills are required.
Nevertheless, it is a good idea to learn some German when you come to Germany! It definitely increases the choice of available jobs.
If you do not have any knowledge of German, we recommend you to attend a German language course during your first weeks in Berlin or even longer. You can book German language lessons with us.
What do we offer you as a participant of our Working Holiday Program in Berlin?
We have put together a support package that saves you a lot of time and alleviates all the difficulties that participants who are not familiar with the German bureaucracy and are not totally fluent in German have to deal with.
The Working Holiday Support Package Berlin includes:
- 30 nights in a 1 bedroom studio apartment of high standards in a central location with large bed, fully equipped kitchenette (microwave, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, coffee maker, kettle), private bathroom with shower and TV. Towels are provided.
- The landlord will issue the certificate that you need for resident registration in Germany (“Anmeldung”)
- Making an appointment at the residence registration office in charge for you as well as filling of your residence registration forms
- English and German speaking online support team: Our multilingual team will help you with any questions you may have before and during your Work & Travel stay in Germany. You can reach us by e-mail, Skype and WhatsApp.
- Access to our comprehensive and mobile-friendly Knowledge Base Germany with all the information you need to organize your stay as well as living and working in Germany, such as:
- Travel Preparation: Booking flights, choosing an insurance, applying for the visa, packing list
- Job hunt: detailed information about how to find jobs, preparing your German CV/resume, tips for a successful job interview, etc.
- Living in Berlin and Germany: finding accommodation, public transport, residence registration, mobile phone contract, learning German, opening a bank account, taxes, travel, sports, leisure, culture.
- List of short-term to medium-term accommodation options in Berlin that offer you the possibility to register your address. The registration of your address is absolutely necessary in order to be able to accept any job in Germany at all. With hostel or Airbnb accommodation this is not possible!!
- Templates of all relevant forms with English translation (eg application for residence permit, visa application) as well as templates for your CV/resume in German format
- Help with booking a German language course: Basic knowledge of German is of course helpful to find your way around Germany and also to make new friends! We can book language lessons for you at an inexpensive and centrally located language school in Berlin. You can choose between morning and evening courses to match your working hours in Berlin!
- CO2 compensation: For the CO2 compensation of your long-haul flights, we plant 10 native trees per participant on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Arrival is possible on any day. You must register at least one month prior to the planned arrival and we must confirm availability of the accommodation.
Working Holiday Support Package Germany
1 Person 1790 EUR, 2 Persons (sharing the apartment) 1440 EUR p.p.
Please submit below form to contact us about this program (※日本語での問い合わせも可能です):