Career Advice: Finding work in Germany
In spite of the present unemployment rate which has risen to approximately 12% Germany still remains a very attractive country to settle down for foreigners. What makes a job in Germany so desirable is that it still has one of the highest salary and wage levels worldwide. Moreover, employees are granted up to 30 leave days per year and due to the strong influence of trade unions within numerous business sectors working schedules are limited to 40 hours per week in most jobs.
Despite the high unemployment rate some sectors are in desperate need of highly qualified specialists. This especially applies to doctors and engineers since the number of university graduates in these sectors cannot meet the huge demand anymore. For this reason, the tendency to hire staff from other countries has grown in the last years and Rumania’s specialists are highly appreciated in the German job market. This is related to their abilities, their willingness to learn and their strong motivation.
Language
A number of conditions have to be fulfilled in order to take on a job in Germany. Talking about language the general requirements are the following:
Most of the highly qualified positions like for instance medical doctors require a B2 level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) of German. You can receive a diploma proving that state of knowledge at the Goethe Institut (http://www.goethe.de/) either in Rumania or Germany. Of course you also may participate in a language course in Germany if you wish to. Apart from the Goethe Institut, the most renowned language schools are the following:
http://www.inlingua.de
http://www.berlitz.de
http://www.sprachcaffe.de
Besides those mentioned above, there are several more throughout the country. Many local language schools have a good reputation too. But generally speaking it is recommendable to consult online forums and the schools themselves for further information before actually booking a course.
General inquiries and information
The employment agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) has set up the "Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV)" in Bonn as its central office for most organisational issues and inquiries regarding jobs in Germany and interested foreign specialists. You will find further information when clicking on this link: http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/nn_29928/Navigation/Dienststellen/besondere-Dst/ZAV/ZAV-Nav.html.
Conditions for Rumanian citizens
It is no longer necessary to hold a visa as soon as you only stay for a maximum of 12 months. But if you would like to work in Germany during that period, your employer would have to fill in a declaration of acceptance which would have to be sent to the ZAV in Bonn as well as to the "Foreigners’ Office" (Ausländerbehörde) which is situated in any larger German town or city. This declaration officially gives you the permission to work. But please be aware of the fact that this regulation may be subject to change due to future alterations in European policy.