Hire proven ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) experts in Essen, DE, matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.
Bring in freelancers who understand software test basics, defect reporting, test design techniques, and the role of quality in agile and classic delivery. Get fast, precise matching with vetted CTFL professionals who are ready to join your project.
About the certification
What CTFL means
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level, usually called CTFL, is the entry-level certification in the ISTQB software testing scheme. It shows that a person understands the core language of testing and can work with test cases, defects, test levels, and basic risk-based thinking. For companies, it is a clear sign that the freelancer knows how to support quality work from the start.
Core skills
- Test principles and why testing is needed
- Static techniques such as reviews and early defect detection
- Test design techniques for selecting useful test cases
- Test management basics, reporting, and defect handling
- Agile test awareness and collaboration with developers and analysts
These topics make CTFL useful in project teams that need structured testing without heavy process overhead.
Typical profiles
CTFL is common among manual testers, QA analysts, test coordinators, and professionals moving into software quality from development or business analysis. It also fits freelancers who work across web, mobile, ERP, and internal business applications. In Essen and across Germany, companies often look for CTFL holders when they need reliable support for local project teams and clear communication with German-speaking stakeholders.
Where it helps
- Functional testing of business applications
- Regression testing before releases
- User acceptance support and defect triage
- Agile sprints with close team coordination
- Migration and change projects where coverage matters
CTFL does not make someone a test architect or automation specialist by itself. It tells you the freelancer understands the basics well enough to work in a real delivery setup and follow a shared testing approach.
What companies can expect
A freelancer with the CTFL certificate should be able to read requirements critically, prepare sensible test cases, report defects clearly, and speak about test levels and techniques in a structured way. That makes hiring easier when you need someone who can join quickly, work with your QA lead, and keep testing consistent. It is a strong signal for teams that want dependable execution rather than theory alone.
Exam and renewal
The ISTQB CTFL exam is a theory-focused foundation exam. It is usually taken after preparing with the official syllabus, practice questions, and hands-on test work. There are no strict job prerequisites, but real project exposure helps a lot. For professionals, the certification is often the first step before moving on to more advanced ISTQB specialist or advanced-level paths.
Meet FRATCH ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
Arndt Maas
Project Manager for ServiceNow Vulnerability Response
Last position:
Project Manager for ServiceNow Vulnerability Response at Union Investment Services & IT GmbH
- Led the subproject for implementing Vulnerability Response as part of DORA
- Documented the current processes in compliance, risk & security
- Created the functional design for introducing application, infrastructure, and cloud vulnerabilities
- Agile management of the integration service provider, the technical department, and the company's cross-functional teams
- Integrated the V scanners Tenable, Qualys and Defender, as well as NVD and CISA/KEV
- Integrated GitLab Ultimate for importing and processing SBOMs
- Developed automation rules to match scan results with CIs in the CMDB, assign vulnerabilities and remediation tasks, handle approvals (false positives, exceptions) and closures
- Calculated multiple risk scores and priorities
- Defined dashboards and reports (Workspaces, Performance Analytics)
- Aligned the new processes, especially to improve the CMDB data quality (according to CSDM)
Jens Schneeweiß
Software Developer for C, C++, C++/CLI and C#
Last position:
Network Technology at ISP, Internet Service Provider, BGP Peering
- Optimization of the transmission media of the data links in the Ruhr area
- Configuration/expansion of switches and routers for an autonomous system AS
- Improve the network protocols used Layer 2/3 (OSI model), RSTP, broadcast, etc.
- Laying cables, crimping, antennas, routers, switches
- Maintenance, expansion, selection and prioritization of troubleshooting measures for network monitoring (PRTG, The Dude)
- Organization and new connection of another BGP peering, data center, NGN fiber optic
- VPN IPSec site connections for 6 sites with PFSense, Fritzbox
- Configuration of WLAN devices (Mikrotik, UBNT
Label: TCP/IP, VLAN, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VPLS, routing protocols, WLAN, EoIP, PPPoE, routing, SNMP, DHCP, DNS, NAT, native IP, VLAN, Ethernet, VoIP., switches and routers from: Nortel, Cisco, MikroTik, UBNT., network management systems: The Dude, PRTG, UISP
Adem Susam
ISTQB® Certified Tester, Advanced Level - Test Analyst
Last position:
IT Consultant (Test Manager) & CEO at Trikolon Consulting GmbH
- Development and implementation of test concepts for complex, multi-layered systems
- Creation of regular management reports and presentations for stakeholders and clients
- Technical and disciplinary leadership of international test teams (coordination, coaching, resource planning)
- Responsibility for quality assurance across multiple test levels (unit, integration, system, and acceptance tests)
- Design of test cases and test plans in Azure DevOps; ensuring traceability and coverage
- Use of BDD approaches (Gherkin/Cucumber) to prepare test automation
- Building a test automation architecture with Playwright and integrating new tests into CI/CD pipelines
- Performing API tests (REST) and tests for mobile/PWA applications
- Setup and maintenance of test environments across multiple stages (integration, QA, UAT, pre-production)
- Test data management (synthetic and production-like data), ensuring consistency and reproducibility
- Collaboration with DevOps teams for containerization (Docker/OpenShift) and CI/CD integration
- Working under SAFe & Scrum, closely coordinating with product owners and DevOps teams
- Active participation in PI plannings, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
- Promoting an agile QA culture through coaching and knowledge sharing
- Introducing scalable test automation with Playwright → significant reduction of manual testing efforts
- Increasing test transparency through clean defect and reporting management in Azure DevOps
- Improved release quality through an end-to-end QA strategy and automated regression tests
- Strategic leadership of Trikolon Consulting GmbH and responsibility for finance, personnel, and business development
Aladdin Alzoubi
Technical Consultant
Last position:
Technical Consultant at NFON
- Presentations and workshops regarding different VOIP products and technologies
- Design of VOIP and network solutions from core to premium solutions and necessary non-standard solutions
- Processing of tenders
- Development of VOIP and network technical implementation of customer requirements
- Implement and configure different UC products on cloud
Mustafa Köse
Consultant (MBR Designer)
Last position:
Consultant (MBR Designer) at Bayer AG
Introduction of an MES system in pharmaceutical production.
Support in replacing existing recipes by introducing an MES system.
Focus on converting cleaning and manufacturing AKBs into MBRs.
System environment: Werum PAS-X MES, GMP, SAP, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), XML
Daniel Jüntgen
Information Security Consultant
Last position:
Information Security Consultant
- Enhanced quality assurance of documents, processes and required evidence in preparation for the upcoming KRITIS audit 2025.
- Reviewing and commenting on all relevant documents.
- Advising authors and document owners on inquiries and during the creation process.
- Supporting departments with IT security inquiries.
- Used tools/Frameworks MS Office, SharePoint, Jira, Confluence, ISO27001+, NIS-2 (EU 2022/2555), B3S (Statutory Health & Private Health Insurance), BSIG / IT-SIG 2.0, BSI-KritisV, BSI-C5, BSI Baseline Protection (200-2, 200-4), ServiceNow, RCE (EU 2022/2557), SGB, GDPR
Humayun Shaukat
Test Manager
Last position:
Test Manager at ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE
- Quality assurance for 7 apps and websites as well as Galileo
- Designing, planning and executing tests
- Designing the test strategy in an agile team
- Planning, monitoring and coordinating test activities
- Reviewing and matching test cases
- Documenting test results
- Reviewing found defects
- Collaborating with developers
- Conducting regression tests
- Creating test summary reports
- Participating in various meetings with all stakeholders
- Approach, tools & systems: Jira, Android Studio, iOS, Android, Agile-Scrum
Daron Bedikian
Digital Director
Last position:
Digital Director at Bowl of Beauty
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ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
23 years
Position duration
2.1 years
Positions per freelancer
21
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Quality Assurance
Top industries
Information Technology, Telecommunication, Manufacturing
Certification focus areas
Quality Assurance, Information Technology, Project Management
Bachelor's degree or higher
86%
Master's degree or higher
29%
Certifications per freelancer
7
Most common languages
German, English, Turkish
Speak two or more languages
100%
Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers holding this certification are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to learn more? Find helpful information about FRATCH
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) validates that a professional understands the basics of software testing. That includes test principles, test design, defect reporting, and the role of testing across the delivery cycle. For companies, it signals a shared testing vocabulary and a structured way of working.
Yes. In practice, CTFL is the common name for the ISTQB Foundation Level certification in software testing. People may also refer to it simply as ISTQB Foundation Level or the old “Certified Tester” foundation exam. The meaning is the same: entry-level ISTQB testing knowledge.
CTFL is a good fit for manual testers, QA analysts, test coordinators, and business professionals who take on test-related work. It is also useful for freelancers who support agile teams or join projects where testing needs to be structured and traceable. If you need someone to help with quality from day one, this certificate is a strong signal.
CTFL covers the fundamentals. Higher ISTQB levels go deeper into areas such as test analysis, test management, automation, or specialized testing topics. If you need broad base-level testing support, CTFL is relevant; if you need advanced leadership or deep specialization, look for an ISTQB advanced or specialist certificate as well.
A candidate for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) should be comfortable with basic software project terms and ready to learn a formal test vocabulary. Prior testing experience is helpful, but the certification is designed as a foundation path, so it is also suitable for people entering QA from other roles. Good preparation usually means studying the syllabus carefully and practicing how to design and explain tests.
CTFL is generally treated as a foundational certification rather than a credential that is tied to a short renewal cycle. That said, professionals should keep their practical knowledge current as testing methods, tools, and delivery models change. Companies usually care most about whether the freelancer can apply the basics well in the current project context.
CTFL matters most in projects where testing needs to be clear, repeatable, and easy to explain. That includes business software, web and mobile releases, migration work, and agile delivery teams. In Essen and other German project environments, it also helps when freelancers must work closely with local stakeholders and document defects precisely.
CTFL is not an automation certification, but it still helps in automation projects. It gives the freelancer the test foundation needed to decide what should be automated, how to structure test cases, and how to understand test results. For hands-on automation work, companies usually pair it with tool-specific or coding skills.
The average hourly rate for freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE is 100 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 797 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE, 86% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 29% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE have 23 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.1 years.
The most common languages among freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE are German (100%), English (100%), and Turkish (38%).
The most common industries among freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE are Information Technology (100%), Telecommunication (75%), and Manufacturing (63%).
The most common business areas among freelancers with ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) in Essen, DE are Information Technology (100%), Product Development (88%), and Quality Assurance (88%).
FRATCH ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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FRATCH CEO
