Engineers
Participate in Industry 4.0 and energy transition in Germany. The engineering sector offers you many career paths.
Germany is famous for its engineering expertise and the quality of its machines and plants, electrotechnical products and cars. The use of digital technologies leads to diverse new perspectives and business models for companies and their employees, especially for engineers.
Facts and figures on engineering in Germany
Career opportunities for engineers at a glance
Germany offers you many career prospects to engineers; in many economic sectors, your qualifications are in demand. The field of research and development (R&D) currently has a great number of vacant jobs in higher positions for engineers. The following occupations are also particularly in demand:
- Automation technology
- Supervision of construction planning and architecture
- Automotive industry, including electromobility and autonomous driving
- Renewable energies and environmental protection
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
As an engineer, you can work in various fields, for example in technical production planning and management, in quality assurance, in construction or in machine and model construction. Many well-qualified engineers work in leadership positions.
Working in Germany: When do you need a visa?
As a citizen of the EU or an EFTA member state, you do not require a visa or a residence permit in order to work in Germany. Citizens of other countries do require a residence permit for that purpose. You can find more information on the work visa for qualified professionals and the EU Blue Card in the "Visa" section.
Job search in Germany after graduation
If finding a job position from abroad appears to be challenging, it is possible to enter Germany for up to one year after completing your studies in order to look for a job. You can find out which requirements need to be fulfilled to apply for a job search opportunity card in the "Job search opportunity card" section.
Visa options for research-oriented engineers
Would you like to work in research as an engineer and need a visa to work in Germany? Then you have two options. You can either apply for a visa for research or the EU Blue Card for this purpose. You should therefore check the requirements for each residence title and whether you fulfil them.
Ask me anything: with the Opportunity Card to Germany
I wanted to work here in Germany, because I wanted to keep developing my professional life. And I believe Germany is the right country.
My name is Christopher. I am from Costa Rica, from the mountains of Heredia. I have lived here in Germany for a year. Right now, I live in Frankfurt and work as a civil engineer. Where I work, we build data centres.
Why was the Opportunity Card the right path to Germany for you? When I looked for information, I found many options for coming to Germany. Still, the Opportunity Card was the easiest way for me to come here, because I had the money, I had the qualifications, the time to come here and, most importantly, the language. So for me, that was the easiest option.
What was the job search in Germany actually like for you? In my case, I felt really excited, because I found so many job offers. So I applied for a lot of them. In the end, it only took three months.
Looking back, what was the biggest challenge? For me, the biggest challenge was the language. For example, whenever I had a job interview, I had to know all these technical terms.
How are you improving your German in everyday life at the moment? Well, I usually listen to a lot of podcasts in German, read a lot of books in German and, of course, work in German. That helps me improve my language skills. And in everyday life, I have many friends I speak only German with.
And what helped you most with your job search? What helped me most were my acquaintances and friends here in Germany. They helped me with applications and job openings. I found a lot of information on the "Make it in Germany" website. This website helped me a great deal.
Getting started as a civil engineer in Germany with the Opportunity Card
What's next: Your future as an engineer
✔ Your career prospects: with our Quick-Check, you can find out about the opportunities available to you for working and living in Germany.
✔ The German employment market: find more information on job-hunting and get useful tips in our “Looking for a job” section.
✔ Apply now: find a suitable position in our "Make it in Germany" job listings and use our tips for a successful job application in Germany.
German language skills as a helpful start
Knowledge of the German language is not mandatory to work as an engineer in Germany. However, speaking German will make your entry into the labour market and your day-to-day life in Germany easier. You can find more information on learning opportunities in the "Learning German" section.
Do you have any questions?
Receive advice on your opportunities to work and live in Germany. Expert support is offered for questions regarding job search, visas, recognition of qualifications and learning German.
