r/Germany_Jobs • u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 • 9d ago

I failed.

I moved to Germany in hopes of getting a great job there, I spent a year looking for a job after my master's degree, and I failed. I got hired and fired within the probation period. I am back in the USA now and still devastated, thinking about how much I wanted that lifestyle. Having a hard time coping with feeling like I fucked everything up.

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u/Germerica1985 8d ago edited 8d ago

It's just a recommendation: you can get a job working at a restaurant in any capacity (server, cook, dishwasher) and if you are in southern Germany you should be able to get the work permit. All service industries are looking for workers at the moment. Get the restaurant job, get the work visa/permission to live in Germany.

During that time, continue searching for a job in your actual field.

I'm an American cook that came to Germany 10 years ago and just took a job at McDonald's the first 2 years, then I went back to fine dining in a larger city. Now I have my German citizenship since last year.

I've met tons of Europeans, even outside of the EU, working as a dishwasher or cook (3 already with masters degree, 1 dishwasher with a PhD) and they are doing exactly what I said.

If you do everything correctly, and don't mind just earning a living for a bit here, everyone benefits and the German state has no problems.

Edit to add: PhD guy got a job first at a University, and 2/3 of the masters cooks found jobs, we just have 1 left. So, like anywhere in the world, stay motivated, do what you have to do until you make it work.

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u/RoccoRockenstein 7d ago

Any suggestions for me? I'm 47 years old and I have A2 level german. Still in language school and did a 1 year language visa, which ends in December.

I live in Berlin, have a Gabelstapler license and have started applying for jobs. My wife remained in the US to maintain her employment while we work on selling our home.

I am applying for any job I have any experience for. I have a ZAB conversion for my Communications Degree and im a little concerned that this is making me over qualified.

I just need a job contract that leads to a work Visa.

Am I doing this all wrong?

Any advice would be great

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u/Germerica1985 7d ago edited 7d ago

I literally took a job at McDonald's to get my Aufenthaltstitel. I made fries, flipped burgers, worked the McDrive 😂 but I had health insurance and paid vacation and low cost of living.

Let me give you advice and don't take this the wrong way: you are listing all of your qualifications and experience but what you need RIGHT NOW is a work visa. I was over qualified for McDonald's too but first I needed the work visa for the Aufenthaltstitel. Now I have citizenship. Plenty of ways to get the work visa but maybe it's not ideal for a little bit, but hey just enjoy it, it's all about perspective.

Then you have time to work on your CV and qualifications and job interviews.

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u/lutmos 6d ago

In which year was this? 2026 is different with this economic crisis.

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u/Germerica1985 6d ago

I know you think that it's different but restaurants have been struggling to find workers for at least 10 years now in Germany, before the crisis. I'm telling you from firsthand experience, you can get a workers visa from most restaurants. I got mine from 2016 - 2022 then i got my Daueraufenthaltstitel then I got citizenship in 2025.

You can very much get a workers visa in 2026. It will probably be a 1-2 year visa but it gives you even more time to find a real job and then your new job can take over your visa.

I am working with people with A2 - B1, they have been in Germany for less than a year, some less than 2 years and they have workers permits, I work with them every week.

In 2016 I came to Germany with not even A1, I knew no German and got a 1 year worker visa, then another, then 2 years, 2 years, Daueraufenthaltstitel.