Municipal hospitals, public care providers, utilities, public transport companies and municipal Kitas face the same shortages as private employers — often more acutely. Many have begun recruiting internationally. The legal routes for Indian workers are the same as in the private sector, but public employers work under additional rules that shape how a programme is designed.
Pay Scales
Public employers pay under collective agreements: the TVöD for the federal government and municipalities, the TV-L for most federal states, and separate agreements in some states and for sectors such as public transport. Pay is set by pay group and experience level.
This has two consequences for international hiring:
- Visa thresholds are easier to evidence, because the applicable agreement is clear and binding
- Pay group classification matters. The pay group depends on the duties and the qualification. For workers whose qualification is not yet recognised, the employer must decide how to classify them during recognition. See the Tarifvertrag guide.
Crediting Experience Abroad
Public pay scales place new employees in an experience level. The rules on how far previous relevant experience counts — including experience with employers abroad — differ between agreements and sometimes leave room for discretion. For an experienced Indian worker, this can make a significant difference in pay. Decide and document the approach before the offer.
Employee Status, Not Civil Service
Indian nationals are hired as employees (Tarifbeschäftigte), not as civil servants. Appointment as a civil servant generally requires German or EU/EEA nationality, with limited exceptions. For the roles relevant here — nurses, care staff, educators, drivers, technicians — employee status is the norm anyway.
Staff Councils
Public employers have staff councils (Personalrat) under federal or state staff-representation laws rather than works councils. Staff councils usually have co-determination or participation rights in hiring, classification into pay groups and working-time arrangements. As in the private sector, involving them early avoids delays; the principles in our works council guide apply by analogy.
Fair Selection
Public employers must select on the basis of aptitude, qualification and professional performance, and generally advertise vacancies publicly. International recruitment fits within this: the vacancy is advertised, and candidates recruited in India are assessed against the same criteria. Document the selection process carefully.
Procuring a Recruitment Partner
Engaging a recruitment agency is a procurement of services. Depending on the value, public procurement law applies — EU-wide procedures above the EU thresholds, national or state procurement rules below them. Common approaches:
- A framework agreement covering several cohorts
- A competitive procedure for a defined programme
- Direct awards for small contracts within the limits of procurement rules
Procurement takes time. Start it well before the intended first cohort.
Internal Timelines
Budget approvals, committee sessions and staff council meetings often add more time than the visa process itself. Public employers that run these steps in parallel with procurement, instead of one after another, can save several months before a single candidate is selected. Put the internal calendar next to the recruitment timeline from the start.
Public Transport
Municipal transport companies recruiting bus drivers face long training and licence conversion periods. See our bus driver page.
Hospitals and Care
Municipal hospital groups often recruit nurses in cohorts. Ethical recruitment standards and the voluntary quality seal for international care recruitment are frequently part of tender requirements. See our fair recruitment guide.
Kitas
Municipal Kita providers recruiting childcare educators face state-level recognition rules and language requirements. See our childcare educators page.
Housing
Public employers sometimes have access to municipal housing companies — a significant advantage. Coordinating with the housing company before the cohort arrives can solve the hardest part of international recruitment. See our housing guide.
A Realistic Sequence for a Public Employer
1. Political or management approval for international recruitment 2. Staff council briefing 3. Procurement of a recruitment partner 4. Classification and experience-credit rules agreed 5. Housing coordinated 6. Cohort selection, language training and visa filing 7. Arrival and onboarding
Next Step
We can provide the information procurement teams usually request — service description, process, timelines and fee structure. Contact us via the Germany hiring page.
