Starting working as a dentist in Germany

 Hello dear collegues ,

In this article i wanted to write  down a few things about moving to Germany and starting working as a dentist. It is compelling as it is the dream of lots of young professionals to move over to the stable and better income of Germany combined with the learning opportunities , but from the other hand there is the 'german language' , 'german bureocracy' and 'german weather' which can be a big obstacle.

I hope you can find some hints and leading points in my personal experience.

I travelled to Berlin in September of 2015 , two weeks after i received my diploma and i couldn't speak the language almost at all, except from 5-10 words that i was remembering from the german school course from back in the days. I have to confess, i had a big advantage in the start , as i was allowed to live for small money at an aunt of mine. 

First thing i did was, finding a school where i could study intensively (25h a week) the languageso i could get the B2 or even better the C1 language certificate that is needed in order to apply as a dentist to the dental council in Germany.

Secondly i had somehow to make some small money , couldn't rely on my parents for ever . Therefore i started sending CVs as a dental assistant in all (or almost all) the dental offices in and around Berlin. It was really hard at the beginning as most of them couldn't understand why a dentist would like to apply for an assistant position and at the same time couldnt speak properly the language. For my good luck a dentist that was speaking my language took me in . There i would work for 18 hours a week and make 666! € Brut per month with payed health insurance, i could learn slowly how the german insurance system works and at the same time learn the german dental terminology among with the language studies. 

7 months later i had the B2 certificate in my hands and the real torture was just starting. I had to apply for the Zahnärztliche Approbation to the german ministry of health. The papers they needed were :

• Diplom translated with Hague Stamp (from the country of origin) 
• Attachment to the Diplom with notes translated with Hague stamp
• Booklet with all the subjects and content of studies 
• Studies conformity document translated with a Hague stamp
• Criminal record from your country and/or country of studies and/or Germany translated with Hague stamp
• Certificate of good standing from the countries you have worked in the past 
• Copy of id or passport
• Medical certificate which confirms that you are healthy mentaly and physically in order to practice the profession
• CV
• Birth certificate translated with Hague stamp
• Fee of 192€

After collecting all those papers and giving them to the Ministry of Health, only then you are eligible to apply for the 'Fachsprachprüfung' or 'Specialised language Exam' to the German dental council which costs  420€ . After passing this exam, you ONLY then receive the long awaited Appobation zur ausübung der Zahnheilkunde.

From this point on i was sending lots of CVs initiatively or responding to job ads and the journey started. At some point i found a job where i started working and collecting experience.

Just an advise : Don't try to find a job based on the salary BUT on the opportunities you have to learn at your own pace. After that it will come the time where you can make the good money out of it.

The first two years as a dentist in Germany are called Vorbereitungszeit. As this word proposes , these two years are meant to get you prepared for the real thing. In this time try to learn how the insurance system works and build up your routine protocols in order to be better and faster. In this time the salary you're going to receive will be most probably between 1800-2500 € Brut for the 'Probezeit'. 

By the way the first six months in a new position are called 'Probezeit'. This means literally probation period, when you and your boss are trying to find out if this is going to work between you two. In this time you mostly have a 'Kündigungszeit' or 'notice period' of 2 weeks. After the Probezeit ends, then the notice period will change to 1 month or even 3 months, this is a important thing you should be aware of before signing a contract.

Urlaubszeit or vacation changes between the lands of Germany. I would recommend a minimum of 25 days . 

I hope you could find some of the information writen useful, in case you liked it then follow my blog for weekly updates. If you have personal Questions or need a private dental career coaching session then dont hesitate to contact me .

Cheers !