Station 4 · The first weeks

Do I need German for an IT job in Germany?

In short

For many IT jobs, English is enough at work. Programming languages and tools are international, so teams can be staffed across borders. Before you accept, clarify which language the team, meetings and documentation use. Outside work, a lot happens in German: letters from public offices and your landlord, the doctor’s practice, daycare and sometimes lunch with the team. Of immigrants who have left Germany again, about one in three would have liked more support with learning German.

Source: IAB-Kurzbericht 10/2026

34%

of immigrants who have left Germany again would have liked more support with learning German.

20% name difficulties with the German language as one reason for leaving. Immigrants from all countries of origin, 403 people who had left.

Source: IAB-Kurzbericht 10/2026, retrieved on 26 October 2026.

Where German counts, even if the team speaks English

Letters from public offices, the health insurance fund and your landlord
Appointments at the doctor’s, at daycare and at school
On-call duty, when tickets and documentation are in German
Conversations on the side: lunch, the corridor, parents’ evenings

Integration course with an EU passport

As an EU citizen, you have no legal entitlement to an integration course. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) can admit you if your German is not yet sufficient, you are particularly in need of integration and places are available. Your own contribution is €2.29 per teaching hour. The general course has 600 hours of language course and 100 hours of orientation course, so €1,603 in total.

Three views of this station

IT professional

“Do I learn before the move or only once I am there?”

What helps: Both work. Basics before the move make the first appointments at public offices easier. Once there, add a course, including one from your employer if they offer it.

Partner

“Who reads the letters while you are at the office?”

What helps: A course of their own. Family members of EU citizens are among the groups the BAMF considers first for integration courses.

Company

“Do we speak English at lunch, or is that odd?”

What helps: Agree before day one which language meetings, tickets and on-call duty use.

How we work at this station

For you: On request, we arrange suitable language courses, remotely before your move or in person in your new city.
Settling in: If you wish: expat contacts and an overview of your clubs and groups.
Language: Greek, Spanish, English or German: you talk to us in the language you think in.

Not in our hands: Whether someone belongs in the team is decided in the team.

The path

Circles: the five stations. Diamonds: our check-ins in weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12. Numbers below: months after the start.

Before you acceptCan my family come with me, and can my partner work in Germany?
Before you signWhat is left of an IT salary in Germany once the rent is paid?
Moving weekWhen do I have to register my address in Germany?
The first weeksDo I need German for an IT job in Germany?You are here
Month 6How long is the probation period in Germany, and what applies during it?

How does moving to Germany as an IT professional work?

Calculate your own path

With your city and your salary: comparison calculator. Talk your path through with us: write to us. Who we are: home page.