Any Germans here? Level of German needed in Frankfurt.

I'm an American and I can't speak any language besides English. Is it likely I'll be able to work in Frankfurt (IB, Investment Mgmt) after a Master's degree with only A1 or A2 German? Do you have coworkers who only speak English? Were they hired from grad programs within Germany or were they transferred by your company?

Anyone have experience learning German while studying? How doable is it since getting up to A2 requires 8 hours per day?

I'm currently rooming with an Indian guy who told me that tech workers here don't need any Germany but I wonder if that's also the case for front office jobs.

4 Comments
 

Germany also gives foreign students 18 months post graduation to find a job. Since I don't know any German, do you think it's better to 1. go back home to the US, learn German and then enroll in 2018 or 2. stay in Germany, study German intensively, and then apply (even applying 18months post graduation)?

I'm not really having too much trouble with ethnic Germans because they all speak English perfectly (except the accent) but not everyone, especially other migrants like service sector workers from E. Europe, who work at grocery stores and older people.

I want to make it here and give a good impression so what do you think is best?

 

In Big4 finanical advisory we have quite some British people. The language spoken in the team depends on who is the boss. As the partner moved to Frankfurt from the London team, the whole team started speaking English and also more English-natives were recruited. Though keep in mind that many clients demand German speaking people and accordingly you might not get staffed on some deals. Overall your German needs to be really good. Especially when you have to write reports or read more technical documents you b2 level won't really help. But if you are serious about learning German, I guess that during your studies you can manage. Think about taking some German courses as well. good luck

 

Cum numquam eos ducimus vero ullam id suscipit. Vel itaque ea optio laudantium voluptas quia.

Distinctio incidunt delectus qui delectus. Est corporis dolores quia eos quisquam. Et aut harum modi. Velit enim earum rem autem consequatur quasi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (55) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”