Hello expats!
Long time and no posts! 
After almost moving to Turkey I took a job position in Russia as a qualified primary teacher and do love it but I feel it might be the time to move on.
I am applying for a position in Germany that I have wanted for the longest time. Unfortunately the first time I applied (3 years ago) I simply did not have enough professional experience.
Things have changed quite a bit, I have been working in my field for about a year now, improved a great deal in my German language skils and made a couple of trips to Germany one of which was professional development oriented.
I am so worried that my cv and cover letter will go unrecognised again.
Main questions:
What are some good ways in both the style of my cover letter and CV to stand out without being tacky or over eager?
I have done a "Europass" style CV which appears to me to be the best format and does a great deal to highlight foreign language competency. Your thoughts on how this format is accepted in Germany?
The institution has asked applicants to submit all materials via email attachment...once again I am worried about being looked over. What is some decent advice about how to title email/ put in body of email to increase my visibility?
Thank you
Before I submit my CV, any advice or insight appreciated!
it's very hard to give advise without knowing the background. I gathered from your post you applied to a school as a teacher. or to a university as a lecturer. is that correct? is your application in german, or english?
the europass style CV is a little bit different than the usual german style CV, but the formats are slowly changing. depending on the company you apply for the europass CV will either be looked at at modern, or they might think you don't know the german style of a CV. so that's really hard to say. if your application is in english I think the europass CV will be fine. cover letters in germany seem to be more formal than the ones in the US. in general, germany is more formal. you would never address someone (for example a recruiter) by his first name.
maybe you can give some information on what type of institute you applied for.
Thank you Vroni. I did a bit more research and submitted my application materials a day ago.
Open question to anyone: on average how long does one typically wait to hear back from company?
Is it customary to send an email about two weeks after application submission or would this be a faux pas?
Thanks everyone
Which CV is or isn't appropriate highly depends on the style and personal preference of the company/hirer, which of course you don't know. The only general rule I found is that, in Germany, a CV must have your picture (which is a no-no elsewhere, e.g. USA).
In previous times (pre-Email), an application needed to include all certificates, diplomas, etc. and all applications were answered and certificated returned by mail. But this no longer applies, although a lot of companies (but not all!) still reply to all applications received.
If you know the person in charge of the hiring process, it is a good idea to write or call about the status, especially if you didn't hear from them after an interview.
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