Part-time jobs for students in Germany

Before you start looking for a part-time job, take some time to read this article to find out all the essential information about where to find a job, the expected income, and above all, the legal regulations that apply to students who take on part-time work.

Where Can I Get Information About Jobs?

• Your university's student services and the local representative of the Federal Employment Agency can give you information about jobs available to students.

• You can also check job offers online on your university's website and on digital media managed by student services.

• In addition, you'll find postings on the bulletin board (schwarzes Brett) — the large information boards — located in various places on campus.

• Some well-known job seeker sites: indeed, monster, Joblift, Stellenangebote, Stepstone, Xing, LinkedIn, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, etc.

What Part-Time Jobs Can I Take?

During your studies, you can work part-time as:

• Mini job employee

• Midi job employee

• Werkstudent (student worker)

• HiWi - wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft (academic assistant)

• Intern

As a mini job employee:

• You can earn up to 520€ per month — with no taxes to pay.

• You don't have to pay pension insurance.

• To learn more, you can read this article.

As a midi job employee:

• You can earn up to 2,000€ per month.

• You pay a lower percentage of social security taxes.

• You pay little or no income tax.

• You benefit from state health insurance.

• To learn more, you can read this article.

As a Werkstudent:

• You can launch your career and learn a lot.

• You have no income limit.

• You must pay pension insurance.

• You'll have to pay income tax if your salary exceeds 10,908€ per year.

• To learn more, you can read this article.

As a HiWi:

You'll work at your university. Your responsibilities might include working as a librarian, teaching assistant, or research assistant for professors. The big advantage is that you can apply what you've learned at university while working as an academic assistant.

For example, giving tutorials is a great way to put your knowledge to the test — since you can only teach if you're truly competent — and review your courses at the same time. It's a huge advantage to be able to combine work and studies.

You can stay constantly informed about new vacant positions by visiting your department, or you can find the information on bulletin boards that are everywhere in the university.

As an Intern:

There are two types of internships: voluntary internships and mandatory internships. They are very different in terms of regulations as follows:

A voluntary internship (including unpaid work): every working day will be deducted from your 120-day limit because this type of internship is considered regular work. A mandatory internship is an internship you must complete during your university studies. If that's the case, you're allowed to work extra hours and the internship won't affect your 120-day limit.

You're probably wondering what the 120-day limit is and what it has to do with internships, right? Here's the answer to your question!

The general rules applicable to students from countries outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland are as follows:

• You're entitled to 120 full working days or 240 half working days

• You must not be self-employed

• For additional working hours, you'll need approval from the local employment office (Agentur für Arbeit) and the foreigners' registration office (Ausländerbehörde).

• University assistants are exempt from this 120-day limit rule; however, for more working hours, they still need the approval of the foreigners' registration office.

You can also check the supplementary sheet (Zusatzblatt) of your German residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) to find out how many working hours are authorized for you.

Taxes and Insurance for Mini Job Employees

As we mentioned above, regardless of whether you're a German/EU student or not, you can take a mini job where you can earn up to 520€/month. You always have to pay taxes, but it's much less complicated than the income taxes you earn in other types of employment.

If you have to pay taxes, the first question is how much you have to pay. We have the answers for you in this article! You'll pay either a 2 percent or 20 percent tax — this is called "Pauschsteuer" in German. Here's how it works:

• 2% tax: this applies when you only have one mini job. Your employer will decide who pays this tax. For example, your salary is 520€ and you handle the tax yourself, then your actual salary is around 509.60€. In the case where your employer takes care of your taxes, you'll receive a full 520€ per month.

• 20% tax: If you have a full-time job and an additional mini job or if you have multiple mini jobs, you'll have to pay a 20% tax. In this case, your employer must register with the tax office (Finanzamt) to pay your Solidaritätszuschlag (solidarity surcharge) and Kirchensteuer (church tax). But it's not that common to pay these taxes in Germany.

What the different types of taxes in Germany are and how to pay them is one of the most frequently asked questions if you decide to work in Germany. As a permanent employee in Germany, you must pay social security contributions that include health insurance, nursing care insurance, pension insurance, and unemployment insurance. But if you take a mini job, you won't need to pay for all of this — just pension insurance. But it's not mandatory. Normally, before starting your mini job, you must inform your employer whether or not you want to pay it. If yes, a sum of 3.6% will be deducted from your monthly salary to pay for pension insurance.

A Little Tip

You can find all the essential information online about German taxes and tax offices (Finanzamt). Just type on Google "Finanzamt + the name of the city", and you'll find where your "Finanzamt" is located. So if you still have questions about paying taxes, you can go there and ask for detailed explanations.