Once you have found the right international skilled worker for your company, you can then officially offer them the post and agree when they will start working. It might be helpful to the new recruit to provide the work contract in English or to discuss certain points with them.
When writing up the employment contract, specifically make sure to describe the future occupation and the field of employment as detailed and precise as possible.
Employing the qualified professional
You have found a suitable skilled worker? Congratulations! Read more on how you can ideally organise the further procedure.
Good to know
During the visa procedure, the German missions abroad assess the plausibility of the desired occupation. In some cases, they may demand proof of the required language skills for the occupation. The assessment of the missions abroad may differ from the legally required language skills. This could be the case if the skilled worker is supposed to be employed in a field with an intense focus on communication, and the mission abroad assumes that German language skills are necessary, for example.
If the skilled worker is primarily supposed to work in customer communication in English or their native language, you should also mention that in the employment contract to demonstrate the plausibility of the employment relationship clearly.
When signing the work contract, tell your new recruit about the legal aspects, for example the statutory insurance and taxation in Germany. These arrangements may be quite different in their country of origin. This is why you should appoint a fixed contact person for queries. Find out here how to support your qualified professional with legal and administrative formalities.
Please beware
A qualified professional from a non-EU country is (subject to certain conditions) allowed to sign a work contract before they obtain a visa. A work contract is often a prerequisite for obtaining a work visa and must generally be submitted to the respective German embassy or foreigners authority. You can note in your work contract that it will only take effect once a valid visa has been obtained. Find more information on this topic in the "Entering and working in Germany" section.
Information on the web
- Federal Employment Agency (BA) Information on admission to the labour market
- KOFA (centre of excellence for securing a supply of qualified professionals) Recruitment procedure – judicious recruitment of qualified professionals (available in German)
- Recruiting from abroad – efforts to secure skilled labour without borders (available in German)
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