Why International Students Struggle to Get a Job in Germany

Summary

A German degree can improve an international student’s job prospects, but it is not enough on its own. The video argues that successful graduates build a broader employment profile while studying, including German-language skills, relevant work experience, professional connections, and familiarity with Germany’s hiring process.

The discussion draws on a survey of more than 6,400 international respondents. Nearly one in five international job seekers had been looking for work for over a year. Students who studied in Germany were about three times as likely to find a job as people who came directly to Germany to search for work. Studying gives them more time to learn the language, gain experience, and understand the local market.

Practical Job-Search Playbook

• Learn German early and consistently. Better German was associated with stronger employment outcomes, even though 52% of employed respondents said English was the main language they used at work. German can broaden access to job listings, recruiters, interviews, networking, and local employers beyond highly competitive English-language roles. The speaker cautions against waiting until a few months before graduation to start aiming for B2 or C1.
• Build relevant experience during university. Seek internships, practical projects, field-related working-student jobs, and opportunities to write a thesis with a company. A company-based thesis can provide hands-on experience, a résumé credential, and a connection to a potential employer; it may also be paid.
• Prioritize work related to your intended career. The speaker recommends looking for a working-student role in your field rather than relying only on unrelated side jobs. Restaurant, delivery, or retail work can help cover expenses, but may provide less direct evidence of readiness for a professional role in your field.
• Network through genuine professional relationships. Talk with people about your skills, build useful connections, and make it easy for others to refer you. Networking can expose you to roles circulated through word of mouth rather than posted publicly.
• Prepare before graduation. Use your years at university to learn how German applications work, gain experience, and develop a credible professional profile—not just to earn a qualification.
• Treat the degree as one part of a complete candidate profile. Grades and advanced degrees can help, but a STEM qualification alone does not guarantee employment. Language skills, experience, and connections still matter.

Findings and Metrics Cited

• Around 1.85 million STEM professionals are expected to retire in Germany over the next decade; about 55% of international students study STEM subjects.
• Students spend about four years in Germany on average, compared with about 1.4 years for people who arrive directly to search for work.
• About 80% of international respondents studied in English, while only about 15% said German classes were mandatory in their degree program.
• Respondents’ reasons for learning German included better job prospects (67%), navigating daily life (61%), integration (60%), and making friends more easily (about half).
• 39% of working graduates had written their thesis with a company.
• Students with a job related to their field had an 84% higher chance of finding a job than those without one. These figures describe associations in the report, not a guarantee for any individual.
• 22% of working international respondents found their job through people they knew.
• Graduates with better grades had better job prospects. Master’s graduates were about 1.6 times more likely to find work than bachelor’s graduates. Studying STEM alone did not predict whether someone would find a job.
• The median starting salary for employed international graduates was €45,000–€50,000 gross per year. Nearly 24% earned below €35,000 in their first professional job. The video says STEM master’s graduates commonly reached the €45,000–€50,000 range, while bachelor’s graduates and non-STEM graduates were more often in the €40,000–€45,000 range.
• About 46% planned to stay permanently when they first arrived. Among roughly 2,000 people who initially planned to stay temporarily, about 26% changed their minds after finding a job. Employed internationals were 60% more likely to plan to stay permanently than those still searching.
• Among 175 people who had left Germany, 43% said they had planned to leave after studying; almost half said leaving was not really their choice. Reported obstacles included visas, language, finances, weak job prospects, mental health, and social isolation.

The speaker also stresses that responsibility is shared: universities, employers, and government all have roles in improving international graduates’ outcomes. However, students should not wait for system-wide changes before preparing for the job market.

Presenter/source: Max Yoko; findings attributed in the video to a survey of more than 6,400 international respondents.