IT and digital experts

Excellent IT specialists are trained in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Russian and Ukrainian education standards in science subjects are among the highest in the world. Among the top 10 countries with the best software developers, Poland ranks third in 2020 and Ukraine fifth. Eastern European developers are extremely ambitious in developing their skills and, accordingly, are often hired by leading technology companies. Apart from a first-class education, 80 per cent of developers have a medium to high level of English, which ensures smooth communication with foreign colleagues.

Our applicant pool primarily includes IT experts with excellent language and technical skills in.

University graduates with IT qualification are generally entitled to take up employment in Germany. Depending on origin, place of residence and residence status, a certificate evaluation may be necessary. If this is not the case, it is still advisable to apply, as it brings decisive advantages to all parties involved: employers can better assess the qualification awarded and subsequently, the applicant’s chances of employment increase. Those who have completed training may have to have it duly recognised before entering Germany.

The Blue Card in Europe is almost the same as the Green Card in the USA. Since 2002, university graduates from third countries have been able to apply for such a special residence and work permit in Germany and any other EU country. In addition to having completed their studies, applicants must have a job, earning at least € 55,200 gross per year. For so-called shortage occupations, such as doctors, engineers and IT specialists, the lower limit for the annual salary is lower – they only have to prove annual earnings of at least € 43,056. In this case, however, a comparability check is first carried out by the Federal Employment Agency. The working conditions, such as working hours and salary, are checked. The Federal Employment Agency must also give its approval for the Blue Card to be issued. Whether there is a shortage of labour or not, the Blue Card offers further advantages. Permanently employed academics, for example, can apply for a residency permit after 33 months, and after 21 months, if they can prove they have the necessary German language skills.

Salaries for IT specialists in private sector vary. If the company is bound by collective agreements, the provisions of the collective agreement apply to Eastern European employees. In public sector, the TVöD (collective agreement of the federal government) or TV-L (collective agreement of the federal states) apply. The classification is based on many variables, such as experience and previous career. Salaries have only recently been raised. In order to become more attractive as an employer for highly specialised IT staff, the federal government has established even more financial incentives from 2019. The specialist allowance, for example, which adds € 1,000 per month to the accounts of IT experts. In individual cases, recruitment and retention bonuses will be paid as well.

We follow a proven three-step strategy to provide companies with the experts who are the perfect fit for them. To do this, we interview all candidates in a three stage process. This allows us to evaluate the candidates from different perspectives.

• Our first interview is a conversation on a cultural level. This allows us to better understand the candidate’s personal background.
• The second interview is designed to assess the applicant’s technical skills. This interview is a mixture of technical questions and an assessment of previous experience.
• The third interview is dedicated to behavioural questions. Here we also check references. It is important to us that candidates have excellent soft skills and are good team players.