Working as an integrated expert – Answers to the most frequently asked questions.

To apply for a position as an integrated expert, you must:

• have the citizenship of an EU or EFTA country;
• have relevant professional experience;
• wish to work abroad in a key position in the field of development.

Integrated experts perform a wide range of tasks covering a wide variety of occupational groups. In each case, it is important that integrated experts have several years’ professional experience and specialist knowledge that is not available on the local labour market in the country of assignment. A working knowledge of the international language of communication in the partner country is a must, and professional experience working in a foreign country is an advantage.

Via our online application portal. Please do not submit applications through any other channels. On the online portal, you will be asked to provide all necessary details about yourself and your qualifications and to upload the required documents (cover letter and CV).

No. If a vacancy is advertised on our online jobs portal, the position is available and you can apply for it.

CIM/GIZ invites suitable applicants to a one-on-one interview and presents the employer with a list of candidates once the selection process is complete. The employer then decides whether or not to take on a candidate based on their application documents and CIM’s recommendation.

You enter into an employment contract with a local employer based on local law. You work for and are managed by the employer and are completely integrated into their organisation. You receive a salary at the local going rate that is topped up by CIM/GIZ. In many cases, local employers are ministries, authorities, state organisations, associations or chambers of commerce that play a role in development cooperation.

No. If an employer in another country is looking for an expert, they initially contact GIZ’s local country office to register their interest and get the ball rolling. If the position to be filled is in line with the German Government’s development objectives, the vacancy must be advertised before the selection process for this position can begin. The post is advertised on our online job portal:

CIM/GIZ offers an attractive salary top-up and a wide range of social benefits. It also covers travel and transport costs for you and your family and helps you to prepare for your assignment and establish a network of contacts in the field of German international cooperation. During your assignment, we ensure that our staff are on hand to support you.

CIM/GIZ welcomes applications from people who are in employment and able to take a leave of absence to work in one of GIZ’s partner countries. However, the decision as to whether you can take leave must be made by your employer. Assignments facilitated by CIM/GIZ fulfil the criteria of the Regulation on Special Leave (Sonderurlaubsverordnung) for public sector employees.

Before you leave, you will be thoroughly prepared for your assignment by CIM/GIZ in Eschborn or through online training courses.

Depending on the individual circumstances and in agreement with your project manager, it may be possible for you and your accompanying partner to complete further preparatory courses.

Information on your destination country is available from the German Federal Foreign Office, among others.

No. You are responsible for finding accommodation to meet your needs. Your employer or GIZ’s local office can usually provide support in the form contact details for estate agents or networks.

That depends on the country of assignment. Your family can accompany you to most countries. We provide lump-sum travel and relocation allowances for accompanying partners and children too. However, there are a few countries that are not suitable for accompanying partners and children for safety and security reasons. This is specified in the job advertisement.

CIM/GIZ provides an allowance towards the cost of school fees in the country of assignment for accompanying children of school age.

Yes. As an integrated expert, you benefit from the same safety and security precautions and measures as GIZ employees in the same country. You will receive information and advice about this before you leave and, where appropriate, will also receive special safety and security training. If you have any questions about this before submitting an application, please contact the person specified in the job advertisement.

CIM/GIZ will provide lump-sum allowances for your old-age pension, health and long-term care insurance payments for the duration of your assignment as an integrated expert.

Your vacation and working time rules are generally determined by the standard local regulations and are set out in your local employment contract. However, there are CIM/GIZ guidelines for local employers that enable vacation and working times to be based on German standards.

That depends on a number of factors. If your local employer and the responsible GIZ offices in the country of assignment wish to extend the assignment and the commissioning German ministry agrees and provides the necessary funding, it is possible to extend your assignment as an integrated expert. However, you can only work as an integrated expert for a maximum of six years and cannot be considered for another assignment until at least two years have elapsed since the previous assignment.

Business Scouts for Development are experts in the field of development policy who are working in about 40 countries worldwide. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), they advice German, European and local companies on development policy issues and promote responsible economic engagement through cooperation projects. The Business Scouts for Development work closely with partners from the economic sector and vocational education and training organizations in Germany and on site. Within the framework of the programme, Business Scouts are placed as integrated experts by the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM) at foreign chambers of commerce (AHK) and delegations of the German economy.