The 30-second check
- Read the title. “DACH”, “German-speaking”, “(German)” or a German job title (“Werkstudent”, “Vertriebsmitarbeiter”) means German is required, whatever the ad says later.
- Check the ad's language. An ad written in German is aimed at German speakers. An ad written in English is not proof the job is in English: 28% of English-language ads in our data still require German.
- Find the language sentence. It's usually the last bullet under “Requirements”, “Your profile” or “What you bring”.
- Match each qualifier to its language. “Fluent in English and German” is fluent in both. “Fluent English and basic German” is not.
- Check the heading above it. “Nice to have” or “Bonus points” makes everything under it optional.
- Look for who you'd talk to. German customers, partners, authorities or “the DACH market” mean German matters, stated or not.
English phrases, decoded
These are real formulations from job ads we've read, grouped by what they mean for someone without fluent German.
- “German is a plus”Apply
- Optional. Apply. Same for “nice to have”, “an advantage”, “beneficial”.
- “German is a strong plus / preferred / ideally German”Depends
- A German speaker has an edge. Apply if the rest of the ad fits you well — especially for internal-facing roles.
- “Fluent in English and German”Needs German
- C1 German. The word “fluent” covers both languages. This is the most common way English ads ask for German.
- “Fluent English and basic German”Depends
- Only “fluent” belongs to English; “basic” belongs to German (roughly A2). Read qualifiers language by language.
- “Business-fluent / business-level German”Needs German
- C1: meetings, email and negotiation in German.
- “Working knowledge of German”Needs German
- About B2 — you can work in German, not just get by.
- “Languages: English, German”Depends
- A bare list under “Requirements” usually means both are required. Under “Nice to have”, German is optional. Check the heading.
- “You'll manage our DACH customers”Needs German
- DACH = Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Customer-facing German-market roles almost always need German, even when the ad doesn't say so.
- “Our working language is English”Apply
- The strongest signal an ad can give. Apply.
- “We offer German classes”Apply
- A benefit, not a requirement — if anything, a sign they hire people who are still learning. Don't let it scare you off.
From our own data
Our first version of the rules counted “we offer German language courses” as a German requirement. It isn't — and fixing it turned dozens of postings from “German required” into English-friendly jobs. Offers to teach German are one of the easiest things to misread in a hurry.German phrases, decoded
Many international companies in Germany post some roles in German, and bilingual ads often switch to German for the requirements. The key vocabulary:
- “Keine Deutschkenntnisse erforderlich”Apply
- No German required.
- “Unsere Arbeitssprache ist Englisch”Apply
- Our working language is English.
- “Deutschkenntnisse von Vorteil / wünschenswert”Apply
- German is an advantage / desirable — optional.
- “Grundkenntnisse in Deutsch”Depends
- Basic German, about A1–A2.
- “Gute Deutschkenntnisse”Needs German
- Good German — about B2.
- “Sehr gute Deutschkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift”Needs German
- Very good spoken and written German — C1.
- “Fließende Deutschkenntnisse”Needs German
- Fluent German — C1.
- “Verhandlungssichere Deutschkenntnisse”Needs German
- “Negotiation-proof” German — C1 to C2.
- “Deutsch auf muttersprachlichem Niveau”Needs German
- Native-level German.
What the CEFR levels mean at work
Most ads that name a level use the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). What each level usually means in an office job:
| Level | At work, roughly |
|---|---|
| A1–A2 | Small talk, simple emails, getting around. Rarely a job requirement; sometimes “basic German” for a non-customer-facing role. |
| B1 | Follow team meetings on familiar topics, write routine messages. The lowest level most “German required” ads accept. |
| B2 | Work in German with some effort: discussions, documentation, phone calls. Often written as “good German” or “working knowledge”. |
| C1 | Present, negotiate and write professionally. What “fluent” and “business fluent” usually mean. |
| C2 / native | Legal, editorial and senior customer roles; “verhandlungssicher” at the top end. |
When an English-language ad in our data requires German, 80% of the time it asks for C1 or higher. So “German required” in an English ad usually means fluent, not “a bit”. The full numbers are in How many English job ads still require German?
Source: Berjobs analysis of active job postings from the employers we track, as of 29 September 2026. How we count
When to apply anyway
- “A plus”, “nice to have”: always, if the rest fits.
- “Preferred”, “strong plus”: yes, when you match the core requirements well — and say what German you have and that you're learning.
- “Fluent German required” or a DACH customer role: usually not. These roles are screened on language first.
- Nothing about German at all: apply. Most English-friendly jobs never mention German; in our data that's 59% of them.
If you're just starting out, read Can you get a job in Germany without German? for the fields where English works best.