Now that you know how much it will cost to survive in Frankfurt (roughly!), you probably need to know how much you need to earn and how much you can ask for. And bear in mind that this is specifically for the Frankfurt area as the salaries do vary around the country.
Salary negotiations in Germany are notoriously difficult for foreigners particularly those moving from overseas. German job adverts rarely show salary and potential employees are often expected to state their salary requirement either before or during the interview. This can be advantageous if you know what the going rate is and how much to push it. But more likely, you will either ask for too much and have to climb down (or miss out entirely) or ask for too little and miss out on a few thousand that would have made your life a lot easier.
€25-35,000 – Lowest level entry salary for junior admin position
€35-45,000 – Semi-skilled technical or office position with at least a couple of years experience, probably with BA degree
€45-55,000 – entry level Masters graduate in international company
€45-55,000 – Office administrator, possibly managing 1-2 juniors, several years experience, possibly specific technical skills required
€55-90,000 – at least 5 years relevant experience, team lead/office head position
€80-100,000 – consultant in international company, at least 2 years relevant experience
€80,000+ – at least 8 years relevant experience, mid- to senior management, probably holding Masters, MBA or equivalent, or with 10+ years relevant technical/specialist skills. A bonus of 10-20% would not be uncommon.
Note: student part-time work tends to be between €8-12 per hour and is fixed by each University as a standard fee.
This is a rough guide that will vary between industry and company, particularly in Frankfurt’s finance industry, so don’t hold me to it….
Living in Frankfurt 
Hi,
Thank you so much for your post! I am considering to move to Frankfurt, and after frustrating days of researching on the Internet, I finally find your blog, which I think is extremely helpful.
I am going to study Master of Finance at Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and I am a bit confused about the salary after graduation. My friends said that salary can range from 2000-3000, other sources on the Internet say 35k/yr for Master degree at entry level. Could you please share with me more detail about what should be the proper salary range for entry level Master graduates? I would expect to have only limited German language proficiency (say, B1 or B2)
Again, I really appreciate your sharing, and I look forward to hearing from you
Tuan
Hi Tuan,
There is always a big ‘it depends’ involved in predicting salaries, but I would say that 35K is more like a BA entry salary and 2-3000/mth is definitely too low for a Master graduate in the finance industry. If that is your starting salary then you have sold yourself cheap. If you have done a Masters at Frankfurt School then you probably already have a finance or similar BA degree. Most of their graduates end up in the finance sector in Frankfurt where a reasonable entry salary would be 40-45k. Maybe a little higher if you have some relevant experience as well.
The language deficiency could be a bottleneck in more generic positions but not if you are applying for jobs requiring quant heavy skills. Then language really won’t be a sticking point.
Good luck!
Thanks a lot for your quick reply! That surely helps me to be less nervous 😀
Hi, could you add one important information. Is this a gross or net salaries ? PS: I know that taxes can have some differences but I’m asking “about”. Thank you for the answer. John
Hi John, these are gross salaries. There are too many possibilities on the net salary. There are also some pretty convenient tax calculators online if you want to figure out how much you’ll have at the end of the month for your situation.
Hi,
I am not sure whether this page is still active. But thought I would give it a go. I accepted an opportunity to join a firm in Frankfurt and will be relocating with my wife shortly. My question is basically whether a yearly gross salary of EUR58 000 would be sufficient (comfortable) for the two of us during our first months until my wife finds employment.
I would appreciate your inputs.
Regards,
Peter
Hi Peter,
yep, the page is still actively although maybe I should write an updated version!
The job offer is definitely well above the poverty line but no one would say that you will be rich in Frankfurt. It is a good salary for someone without children but you will definitely notice a big difference once your wife is also earning. Part of question will be how much you are willing to spend on accommodation since between €600-€800 per month will be difficult to find somewhere. Above €1000 a month is easier but you may start to find that a little difficult on just one salary. It is worth going for it though if you think that your wife will get a job soon.
Good luck with the move!