Guide ·
Questions worth asking before you accept a German offer letter
Before you sign, ask about variable pay timing, probation expectations, and what “all-in” actually includes.
Offer letters in Germany often look complete while leaving important details in side conversations. Before you accept, clarify when any bonus is paid, whether it is discretionary, and what happens if you leave mid-year.
Ask how overtime is handled for your role. Some contracts point to Betriebsvereinbarungen; others stay silent. Silence is not neutrality — it is ambiguity you will live with later.
Probation (Probezeit) wording deserves a careful read. Confirm notice periods during probation and whether a planned salary step after probation is written or only verbal. Verbal promises belong in your follow-up email, restated politely.
If relocation or remote days were discussed, get them into writing. Hiring managers move on; HR works from the document you signed.
You do not need to negotiate every line. You do need to understand which lines are fixed by policy and which still have room. That distinction changes how you phrase your reply — and whether a conversation is worth requesting at all.