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​Prima Germany

Germany is located in Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, South of Denmark. Germany’s central and southern regions have forested hills and mountains cut through by the Danube, Main, and Rhine River valleys. Germany shares borders with 9 countries namely France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Poland.

Capital city: Berlin

Largest city: Berlin

Currency: Euro

International dialling code: +49

Official language: German

Germany is a federal parliamentary democracy governed under the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (“Basic Law”), the Constitution of Germany. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet formed by the Federal Chancellor 1 and other Ministers. The President only holds a ceremonial role with limited reserve powers.

There are plenty of opportunities for the following professions in Germany:

  • Mechanical engineers
  • Automotive engineers
  • Electrical engineers
  • Electronics engineers
  • Civil engineers
  • Architects
  • Computer professionals
  • Software developers, programmers
  • IT application consultants and analysts
  • Doctors, Medical specialists
  • Elderly care workers
  • Nurses
  • Physiotherapy
  • Scientists
  • Mathematicians
  • Economists and business management experts
  • Production assistants
  • Sales representatives and assistants
  • Sales and product managers
  • Customer advisors and account managers
  • Lawyers

These are some of the Job sites in Germany:

  • LinkedIn
  • Stackoverflow
  • Xing Stellenmarkt
  • Indeed
  • Stepstone
  • Stellenanzeigen
  • Jobrapido
  • Kimeta
  • Jobvector
  • Monster Deutschland
  • Arbeitsagentur
  • Meinestadt.de
  • Jobrapido.de
  • EURES
  • Contacts & Management

These are some of the Recruitment agencies in Germany:

  • Orange Quarter
  • Designerdock
  • Euro London
  • German Jobs
  • PSD
  • Pure
  • Recruiting Germany
  • SIRE
  • Urban Jobs
  • Work in Berlin

Routes to Germany:

1) Study Route:

  • Temporary residence permits are given for students who will be completing an undergraduate, graduate, or vocational degree in Germany.
  • They usually get a residence permit for the length of their program.
  • During their education, they can work full time for 120 days or half-time for 240 days. Besides, they can engage in work-study positions.
  • After they finish their degree, students can extend their temporary permit for another 18 months to find a job in Germany.
  • If the students find a job, they can then apply for an Employment Residence Permit.

2) Work Route:

  • Finding a job in Germany qualifies you to get a temporary residence permit.
  • You can initially start your job hunt from your home country, or you can get a Germany Job Seeker Visa valid up to 6 months to go and search for a job within Germany.
  • You need to meet several requirements before being allowed to work in Germany with an employment residence permit. Some of them include:
    • German proficiency
    • Your employer must prove that the job position could not be filled by other German citizens, EU citizens, or priority workers. Priority workers are those who have been in Germany for a longer time.
    • Additionally, you must get approval from the Federal Employment Agency or Bundesagentur fur Arbeit.
    • After you get your approval and meet the requirements, you can apply for a residence permit.
    • Your employment contract determines the period of time you are allowed to hold your permit.
    • If your contract is for only two years, your permit will also be valid for two years. However, you can extend it as many times as you need as long as you maintain your employment status.
  • The EU Blue Card:
    • It is similar to the Temporary Residence Permit, but it targets a specific group of people and has longer validity.
    • The EU Blue Card is for foreign nationals of non-EU countries who are highly skilled in a profession and want to work in Germany.
    • Highly qualified employees have completed a higher education degree, such as a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. Those who are more likely to get the EU Blue Card have an IT or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) background.
    • A gross annual salary of at least EUR 44,304 (in 2021) is required for employees to get an EU Blue card.
    • If you have an EU Blue Card, you can also bring your spouse to Germany. The spouse does not necessarily need to have German proficiency and can work after you receive your permanent residence.

3. Other Routes:

  • Marrying a German citizen or a person who has a permanent residence permit in Germany allows you to stay in the country, but you will still need a residence permit.
  • There is no single German residence permit through marriage, but this means that you will get your permit to stay in the country for family union purposes.
  • Same-sex couples are also accepted in Germany and are eligible to obtain residence permits after they get married.
  • The requirements include a good grasp of the German language at a B1 level.
  • The residence permit will be temporary, but after a few years of marriage (usually two years) and time spent in Germany (three years), the spouse becomes eligible to gain permanent residence.

Top Universities in Germany for Undergraduate/Bachelor’s degree programs:

  • Universität Freiburg
  • Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
  • Universitat Leipzig
  • Berlin International University of Applied Sciences
  • Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences

Basic Entry requirements for Undergraduate/Bachelor’s degree programs:

  • High School qualifications
  • Your grades from previous education
  • Entrance Qualification – Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (HZB). HZB typically includes school-leaving certificates such as diploma certificate together with a record of all subjects/grades completed/achieved in your previous studies.
  • If you have a foreign university entrance qualification that isn’t accepted for academic studies in Germany. Typically, you’ll have to attend a 1-year foundation course “Studienkolleg”, as a preparation to sit the university entrance assessment exam “Feststellungsprüfung” for recognition. You must possess German language command of the B1 level of the CEFR or DSH II, to be able to participate in the course.
  • If you have a foreign university entrance qualification that is recognized for academic studies in Germany then you have to prove that your foreign university entrance qualification is recognized in Germany for further academic studies by providing these documents:
    • Certified copies of your foreign school-leaving certificate.
    • Statement about the equivalence of your foreign certificate with German school-leaving certificate.
    • Overall average grade of studies. It has to be obtained by the state education office “Oberschulamt” of the respective city you’ll be studying at.
    • German language proficiency
    • Motivation letter
    • References (optional)
    • Copies of ID documents

Check these scholarships for Undergraduate/Bachelor’s degree programs:

  • DAAD WISE Scholarship Program
  • EMS Undergraduate Scholarship
  • ERASMUS+ (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) scholarships
  • Deutschland Stipendium
  • Jacobs University Scholarships

Top Universities in Germany for Postgraduate/Master’s/Graduate degree programs:

  • Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Technische Universität München (TUM)
  • Universität Freiburg
  • Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
  • RWTH Aachen University
  • Freie Universität Berlin
  • Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
  • Universität Hamburg
  • ESCP Europe
  • Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg

Basic Entry requirements for Postgraduate/Master’s/Graduate degree programs:

It may surprise you that German universities usually select their applicants based on their written application only. Of course, every rule needs its exception! You may encounter some universities that will ask their students to take part in entrance examinations or personal interviews.

  • A First Academic Degree (undergraduate)
  • German universities accept Bachelor’s degrees or equivalents from all other countries
  • An English (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic) or German Language Certificate
  • A Visa or Residence Permit (if applicable)

Check these scholarships for Postgraduate/Master’s/Graduate degree programs:

  • Heinrich Boll Scholarships
  • Kofi Annan MBA Scholarships
  • ESMT Women’s Academic Scholarship
  • Goethe Goes Global Scholarships
  • WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, International Scholarships
  • Master Scholarships at University of Stuttgart
  • DLD Executive MBA Scholarship
  • ERASMUS+ (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) scholarships
  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Scholarships
  • Deutschland Stipendium

Top Universities in Germany for PhD degree programs:

  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • University of Göttingen
  • Freie Universität Berlin
  • Technische Universität Berlin
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • University of Bonn
  • University of Cologne
  • Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • Osnabrück University
  • University of Münster
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena
  • Hannover Medical School
  • Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Hamburg
  • EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht
  • University of Tübingen
  • University of Potsdam
  • Technische Universität München
  • Technische Universität Dresden
  • FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • Universität Hamburg
  • Leipzig University
  • Universität Heidelberg
  • FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • TU Darmstadt
  • University of Duisburg-Essen
  • University of Konstanz
  • Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
  • Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
  • Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • University of Stuttgart
  • University of Bremen
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
  • Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems Dresden
  • Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Garching b. München
  • Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Köln
  • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena
  • Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg
  • Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin
  • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids Dresden
  • Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden
  • Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics Freiburg im Breisgau
  • Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena
  • Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Dortmund
  • Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Planegg
  • Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research Bad Nauheim
  • Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Heidelberg
  • Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle (Saale)
  • Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter Hamburg
  • Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen
  • Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Kaiserslautern
  • Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology Potsdam
  • Max Planck Institute for Mathematics Bonn
  • German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg
  • Justus Liebig University Giessen
  • University of Hohenheim Stuttgart
  • Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) Mainz
  • Saarland University Saarbrücken
  • University of Oldenburg
  • University of Konstanz
  • Fritz Lipmann Institute e.V. (FLI) Jena
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
  • Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP) Jena
  • Hannover Medical School
  • Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin
  • Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
  • Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • Research Center caesar Bonn
  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
  • Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

There are 2 types of PhD programs

Individual PhD Degrees:

On an individual PhD degree course, you will carry out a research project under the professional provision of a personal tutor (Doktorvater/Doktomutter).

Structured PhD Degrees:

Structured PhD degrees contain a small group of PhD students who are involved in a joint PhD project with a specific topic. The team is supervised by a group of experts in that particular subject whose job is to mentor, advise and assess the progress PhD students have made at each stage.

Basic Entry requirements for PhD degree programs:

  • Master Degree recognized in Germany
  • Proof of Language Proficiency (English and German)
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Letter of Recommendation
  • Relevant Job Experience

Check these scholarships for PhD degree programs:

  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Scholarship
  • Heinrich Boll Scholarships
  • Humboldt Research Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers
  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Scholarships
  • Bayer Foundation Scholarships
  • Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ)-German Cancer Research Centre PhD scholarship
  • Einstein International Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Marie Skolodowska-curie actions
  • AICES scholarships-RWTH Aachen University

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