Working in Bavaria

Students from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland benefit from unrestricted access to the German labour market and have the same rights as German citizen students. If they work more than 20 hours per week they must pay certain insurance contributions (like German students).

For your employment you need to provide a German tax identification number ("Steuer-IdNr."). You usually receive this after the registration of a place of residence at the local residents' registration office ("Bürgeramt"). Learn more about the first steps of working in Germany as a student.

For students from outside the European Union, special legal regulations apply based on the purpose of their residence permit. If your residence permit has been issued for studying in Germany these regulations apply:

Generally, in each calendar year you may work up to a total of either 140 full days or 280 half-days without prior authorisation.

• The day restrictions above do not apply if you are working as a scientific or academic student assistant or as a tutor. However, you still have to inform the municipal immigration office ("Ausländerbehörde").
• The day restrictions above do not apply if you carry out your Bachelor's or Master's thesis or compulsory internship with a company as part of your degree programme. You need no prior authorisation.
• Other working student activities, voluntary internships, short-term jobs and employments with a company - whether paid or unpaid  - come under the 140/280 day regulation above.
• You are not allowed to be self-employed or work as a freelancer.

If you are working more than 140 full days or 280 half days, you must apply for an exceptional work permit by the municipal immigration office ("Ausländerbehörde"). Learn more about the first steps of working in Germany as a student.

If your residence permit has been issued for other purposes (such as asylum or family reunion in Germany), different laws apply and you must apply for a work permit at the municipal immigration office ("Ausländerbehörde") and you may also need permission from the federal employment agency ("Bundesagentur für Arbeit"). The 140/280 day regulation does not apply.

In a mini-job, you can be employed in companies or private households. The minimum wage is 12.41 EUR gross per hour (as of 2024). You do not pay social security contributions, i.e. you also have more net pay from your gross salary.

• Part-time employment (during the semester): You may earn up to 538 EUR/month, i.e. work up to a maximum of 43 hours per month. This is particularly popular in shift models and service work. ("Geringfügige Beschäftigung")
• Short-term employment (during the semester break): You may earn more than 538 EUR/month, but not longer than three months or 70 working days in a calendar year. Typical examples are temporary workers during production peaks in industry or agriculture. ("Kurzfristige Beschäftugung")

This model is particularly suitable for the earlier semesters of your studies.

As a working student ("Werkstudent*in"), you are enrolled at the university and can work in a company to earn a living and gain work experience at the same time. The minimum wage is 12.41 EUR gross per hour (as of 2024). Compared to a regular job, you only have to pay into pension insurance and therefore have a higher net salary.

To qualify for working student status, you must not work more than 20 hours a week in total. If you exceed the 20 hours per week limit in the course of a calendar year, you may not be employed for more than 26 weeks with a total weekly working time of more than 20 hours. The hours limit should be exceeded mainly at weekends, in the evening and at night or during lecture-free periods. Attention: other jobs in the calendar year are also included in the hours limit.  You are responsible for adhering to and keeping track of the hour limits.

This model is particularly suitable for the later semesters of your studies.

As a student assistant or tutor, you can contribute to the university and earn money at the same time. This is practical because the distances between lectures and work are short.

Tutors help with lectures and exercises and supervise other students. Student assistants work in the academic field or provide administrative support. Depending on their classification and degree, they earn different wages.

Faculties and departments are looking for student support, check the dashboard for open positions.

You may have agreed to the employment contract in writing or verbally. However, your employer must provide you with the terms of the contract in writing no later than one month later.

The employment contract does not have to be written in English or another language.

The employment contract cannot place you worse off than the applicable law, e.g. less vacation entitlement or pay below the minimum wage.

You can find more information and the mandatory contents of every employment contract at Bundesagentur für Arbeit.

The average working hours in Germany is 8 hours per day. This can be extended to up to 10 hours per day for a short period, with a rest period of at least 11 hours between two shifts.

If you work between 6 to 9 hours a day, you are entitled to a 30-minute break after no later than 6 hours. If you work more than 9 hours a day, the break is extended to 45 minutes. It is not allowed to take a break at the end of the working day in order to leave early. Breaks are not paid.

You are entitled to paid leave. This is at least 2 days for each month in which you work full time. If you work on Sundays or public holidays, your employer must offer you a corresponding number of days off within 8 weeks.

You can find more information at Bundesagentur für Arbeit.

You or your employer may terminate your employment before the contractual end. The notice periods are stated in your employment contract.

A notice of termination is only valid if it can be proven to have been handed over. Notice of termination by email is not deemed to be written notice of termination and is therefore invalid.

You can find more information at Bundesagentur für Arbeit.