Work, education and career
Working and pursuing a career is another important topic in Germany. On this page of our Roadmap, you will find a lot of information about working in Germany, about professional training and qualifications, and about options for getting your own professional qualifications from your home country recognised.
The procedure for getting a work permit in Germany depends first of all on your county of origin. Citizens of a European Union member state, a country of the European Economic Area, or Swiss citizens can work in Germany without restrictions
British citizens who establish a domicile in Germany, who take up work here, or are posted to Germany ("New British”) on or after 01/01/2021 generally require a residence permit entitling them to work. "New British" can enter Germany for up to 90 days without a visa and look for a job. Once you have found an employer, you will need a residence permit entitling you to work, which you must apply for at the local immigration office in Germany. If you would like to work immediately upon entering Germany, you must first apply for a visa at the relevant German embassy or consulate abroad; this document will entitle you to work.
Persons from all other countries of origin need an appropriate residence permit. Asylum seekers or persons with a stay of deportation are generally allowed to work in Germany after three months. As soon as you meet this requirement, we advise you to inform the Federal Employment Agency that you are looking for a job. To do so, make an appointment with your local employment agency. You can find the contact details on our map under "Work".
The Federal Employment Agency and the Job Centre are the labour management authorities in Germany. They help people find work, if necessary, for example, through opportunities for qualification. They also support companies in finding employees
A large network of other counselling services is also available to support your professional integration. You can find the career counselling offers on our interactive map under “Career Counselling”.
The advisory services include the Youth Migration Services for young people up to the age of 27 and Specialised Migration Integration Services (IntegrationsFachDienste Migration, IFDM). These services support adult migrants with all questions relating to their job search. Together with you, they will help develop your individual prospects for successful integration into the working world.
The Job Network for Refugees (Netzwerk Arbeit für Flüchtlinge, NAFplus) helps refugees in particular find schooling, vocational training or employment. The project network in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania includes the operators of the IFDM (VSP gGmbH, Genres e. V., Migra e. V.), the Agentur der Wirtschaft (Business Agency) and the Flüchtlingsrat M-V e. V. (Refugee Association of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Immigration of skilled workers
The Skilled Workers Immigration Act entered into force on 1 March 2020 (more information about this can be found in the FAQ on the Skilled Workers Immigration Act on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Construction and Home Affairs). It provides skilled workers with qualified vocational training or a university degree from non-EU member states with a legal route for immigrating to Germany. A residence permit generally entitles you to work as well. In addition, the law provides for the instrument of an accelerated procedure for skilled workers, thus enabling faster entry. To obtain a corresponding residence permit, the foreign professional qualification must be recognised. You can find more information about recognition under "Professional Recognition".
Foreign skilled workers may also be eligible to receive a six-month residence permit to look for employment. It is also possible to get a residence permit to participate in qualification activities or to seek apprenticeship or a place at a university. In addition, academics from nonEU member states can also gain easier access to the labour market via the so-called "EU Blue Card".
The Working and Living in Germany hotline of the Make it in Germany portal provides advice in German and English to interested professionals from abroad on the topics of job searching, working, recognition of foreign professional qualifications, entry and residence, as well as learning German.
The Welcome Centres in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which are available in several regions, will also help you with starting or restarting your life in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Vocational training
The dual training system in Germany works differently from that in most other countries. In the dual system, training takes place at two learning locations: the company and the vocational school. This means that on the one hand, the necessary skills and knowledge are gained through practical experience at a training company, while on the other hand theoretical training is provided at a vocational school.
Are you interested in an apprenticeship? Then get advice on your options and the next steps from an Employment Agency, a Job Centre or another career counselling service
In addition, Youth Migration Services advise persons between the ages of 12 and 27 on the subject of vocational training, among other things. You can find the locations on our Map under "Youth Migration Services".
Learn about various professions on the "BERUFENET” of the Federal Employment Agency. Further information on vocational training is available at planet-beruf.de.
To start an apprenticeship, you may need to have your foreign schoolleaving qualification recognised. Information on the recognition and application process in MV for the recognition of school-leaving qualifications can also be found on the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Education Server.
Professional recognition
If you wish to work in Germany with your professional qualification obtained abroad, it is advisable – in some cases even essential – to have your occupation recognised. If you are already in Germany, you can get advice from the IQ Network (IQ – Integration through Qualification) on the procedure for recognition and any missing qualifications that need to be obtained. You can find the service points of the IQ network in MecklenburgWestern Pomerania on our map under “Career Counselling”.
You can also contact the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen, ZAB), which will prepare an equivalency decision on request based on the documentation you provide. This decision determines the equivalence or partial equivalence of your professional qualification to German professional qualification (reference occupation). If only partial equivalence is determined, you will be informed which qualifications you will need to complete for full equivalence.
The Central Service Point for Professional Recognition (Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung, ZSBA) was set up to make it easier to learn more about professional recognition in the context of skilled immigration. The ZSBA advises specialists abroad and builds on the initial advice provided by the Working and Living in Germany hotline. Among other things, the ZSBA also assists with compiling and forwarding the necessary documentation. If you have not yet decided on a particular federal state to settle in, the ZSBA can also provide advice to assist you with this decision.
The multilingual portal Recognition in Germany also offers information on how foreign professional qualifications can be recognised if necessary.
Setting up your own company
The Federal Employment Agency will also advise you on setting up your own company. Additional assistance is available from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Chamber of Trades. In addition, if you want to do business in Germany you can also take advantage of the Single Point of Contact (Einheitliche Ansprechpartner, EA).