Facts about Germany Surface Area: 357.000 km² Population: 82.6 Million Capital: Berlin with 4.3 million inhabitants 16 Federal States (Bundesländer)

Labour Market Unemployment Rate 8,6 % Seasonal adjustment -89,000 West Germany: 7,0 % East Germany: 14,8 %  about 3,6 Million unemployed persons Employed: 38,2 Million About 933.000 open positions in Jan. 2008 The current number of unemployed persons is further decreasing.

Labour Market Where are the jobs? – For University Graduates: Construction, Mechanical & Electrical Engineers, Project, Development & Testing Engineers et al. , IT-Specialists Medical Doctors Also Spanish Teachers Specialists in Metal Work

Labour Market The following jobs are hard to find – University Graduates: Architects and Civil engineers Masters of Arts and Social Sciences Geographists and Geologists Biologists Journalists Lawyers Public services

Social Security 5 branches of the Social Security System: ( Employer – Employee = 50 : 50) rates: Health Insurance 12 – 14,7 % Unemployment Insurance 3,5 % Pension 19,5 % Care Insurance 1,7 % Accident Insurance (Employer) 100 % Please find detailed information in English and French as well on www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de

Taxes P. A. Y. E. (Pay As You Earn) Automatically deducted from employee’s salary: Income tax  16 % - 45 % Church tax  8 % - 10 % of income tax Solidarity tax  5,5 % of income tax

Example Salary Calculation Salary pre-tax 3520,00 € Income Tax 722,25 € Church Tax ~ 9% 65,00 € Pension ~ 10% 350,24 € Health Insurance ~ 12-15% (50% employer) 274,56 € Unemployment Insurance ~ 3,3% (50% employer) 58,08 € Care Insurance ~ 1% 30,00 € Solidarity tax ~ 5,5% (of Income Tax) 39,72 € ___________________________________________________________ Salary after tax 1971,43 €

Finding a Job in Germany Job Searching Methods: Internet: www.arbeitsagentur.de ( German employment service) http://eures.europa.eu (EUropean Employment Services) www.ba-auslandsvermittlung.de Job fairs : www.careergardens.de Newspapers: A list of all German and also international newspapers can be found under: www.bsz-bw.de Yellow pages : www.gelbeseiten.de

Applying for a Position What do German employers expect from you? Good German skills English skills Professional experience Motivation Team Spirit

Applying for a Position Basic-Rules: Application materials should be short and precise Documents should indicate a differentiated picture of the applicant Letter of application should be unique to the employer and the position No mistakes should appear in the application (grammer/spelling)

Applying for a Position In a DIN A 4 folder (usually plastic) you should send the following: Cover letter (typed) CV/Resume (tabular) Passport-Photo! (nice and serious looking picture) Copies of School, University diplomas and any professional training Copies of testimonials and letters of references (Only mentioning names is not enough!)

Applying for a Position The CV/Resume should be written in the following order: Name / Address / Date of birth / Marital status Schooling Training / University Practical training Work experience Others (Ex. Military Service, voluntary work) Languages Other Skills (Ex. Computer, Hobbies) Location, Date, Signature  not more than 2 pages!

When you have found a position: When you have found a job ... ... the employee: Receives an income tax card from the local authorities and gives it to the employer Registers with a health insurance institution and informs the employer Receives a social insurance number and card (through the employer) Registers the new employee with the social insurance institutions (public or private). Health insurance, Pension insurance and unemployment insurance