Recruitment · 1 min read
Recruiting international nurses: the first steps
What a facility should clarify before its first job advertisement appears abroad.
International recruitment begins not with searching for applicants, but with an honest assessment within your own facility. Clarifying needs and internal capacity early helps avoid later delays.
1. Describe your needs clearly
Which departments, wards, or routes need staff? How many working hours, and from when? The clearer the needs, the easier it is to develop a requirements profile and timeline.
2. Define the requirements profile
Alongside formal qualifications, experience, specialisation, and language proficiency matter. Separating essential criteria from desirable ones is helpful.
3. Understand legal pathways
Whether a nurse arrives with recognised qualifications or completes recognition in Germany affects their residence permit, role, and procedure. The appropriate pathway depends on their country of origin, qualification, and current rules. Official guidance from Make it in Germany and the Federal Employment Agency provides an overview.
4. Plan internal resources
Who coordinates internally? Who supports new colleagues day to day? Integration takes time and dedicated contacts; plan for this from the outset.
5. Ensure fair recruitment
Transparent conditions, clear cost allocation, and honest communication underpin long-term cooperation. The criteria of the quality seal “Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland” offer guidance.
Note: requirements depend on the country of origin, qualification, procedure, and current rules. This article is not legal advice.