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As a student from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, you have the same rights and restrictions as German students when it comes to working part-time during your studies. As a student from any other country, you are subject to some special restrictions.
- You are only permitted to work 120 full days or 240 half days per year.
- You are not permitted to be self-employed or freelance.
- If you want to work more than the permitted hours, you must request permission from the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) and the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde/Landesamt für Einwanderung).
- If you attend a language course or a preparatory course as an international student, you may only work (during semester breaks) with the permission of the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) and the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde/Landesamt für Einwanderung).
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The statutory minimum wage in Germany has been €12 gross per hour since 1 October 2022. At Zenjob, the average salary of many of our jobs is even higher.
Legally, there is no general income limit for students. However, there are some restrictions that you may have to observe.
- If you are entitled to BAföG, you may earn a maximum of €520.92 per month without deductions.
- If you are covered by family insurance, you may earn a maximum of €470 per month. In the case of a minijob, the amount increases to a maximum of €520 per month.
- In Germany, the basic tax-free allowance for single persons is €10,347 per year. If you want to avoid paying taxes, your total annual income must not exceed this.
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Students in Germany are only permitted to work full-time during the semester break (vorlesungsfreie Zeit).
While classes are in session (Vorlesungszeit), they are only allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week. This has to do with the so-called working student privilege (Werkstudentenprivileg), which exempts students from paying contributions to statutory health, nursing care insurance and unemployment insurance – even if they earn more than €520 per month in a minijob.
The only requirement for the working student privilege is that you devote most of your time and energy to your studies. This applies when you work less than 20 hours per week in your student job while classes are in session. Please note that special restrictions apply to students who do not come from an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland. They are only permitted to work 120 full days or 240 half days per year.
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If you work more than 20 hours per week as a student while classes are in session (Vorlesungszeit), you lose your working student privilege (Werkstudentenprivileg). You are no longer considered a proper student, but an employee who studies part-time. As a result, you lose your entitlement to compulsory student insurance and child benefit (if such entitlement exists). You will also have to pay contributions to statutory health, nursing care insurance and unemployment insurance.
Please note that this does not apply during semester breaks. During the semester break, you may work more than 20 hours per week as a student without losing your working student privilege.
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It depends on your (annual) income. If your annual income as a single person is below €10,347 (as of 2022), you do not have to pay tax. This also applies to students. This amount is the so-called basic tax-free allowance (Grundfreibetrag) which is intended to ensure that all Germans can secure a minimum subsistence level (Existenzminimum).
If your student job qualifies as temporary employment (as is the case with Zenjob), you pay income tax on your monthly earnings. However, if your annual income remains below the basic tax-free allowance, you can reclaim the income tax you paid by filing an annual income tax return at the beginning of the following year.
Find Student Jobs Near You
In the Zenjob app, you can find student jobs for international students across Germany – from large cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Munich to classic university towns like Leipzig, Freiburg, and Heidelberg. Once you’ve registered, you can book the shifts that best fit your schedule with just a few clicks! No need to write a single application.
Exam periods, presentations and group work – there are many variables that determine your schedule as a student. With Zenjob, you can take back some control! Our app lets you decide when, where and how often you work.
Student jobs via app
The days of having to coordinate your shifts with others are over. The Zenjob app doesn’t dictate when and how often you work. It’s all up to you. Do you spontaneously have time for a shift tomorrow because a lecture has been cancelled? Awesome – open the app, find a suitable job, and book it with just a few clicks. No application process. No stress.
Earn money in retail
In the Zenjob app, you can find many student jobs in retail. Working as a sales assistant in fashion retail is particularly popular because you don’t need to have any previous job experience. Your typical tasks include supporting the employees of a shop in their daily business: sorting clothes, keeping changing rooms tidy and unpacking boxes in the warehouse.
Student jobs at events
Our partner companies are always on the lookout for stagehands and other support staff for large events. These student jobs are particularly common in our app during the summer. This makes them perfect for boosting your holiday funds during the semester break.
How can I get a student job in Germany?
As an international student, it’s not easy to find a student job in Germany where you don’t need to speak German. Luckily, that’s not the case with Zenjob. Your first English student job is just a few steps away.
- Download the Zenjob app.
- Register and create a profile.
- Get verified.
- Browse jobs and book a shift with just a few clicks.
Once you’ve registered, you can book the jobs you like best – without having to submit a single application. Here’s how it works: You sign a framework agreement with Zenjob that allows you to book temporary jobs with our partner companies with just a few clicks. Our student jobs for non-native German speakers range from warehouse jobs to retail jobs.
Please note that you can only use Zenjob if you are enrolled full-time at an officially recognised university, are at least 18 years old, and have good English or German language skills.
You need a German ID or a passport and a valid work permit in Germany for your registration. You also need to have a place of residence in Germany and upload a copy of your current university enrolment certificate (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung), your German social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer), and a German tax ID (Steuer-ID) to the app.
Frequently asked questions
Jobs near you
You can find suitable student jobs in your city and all over Germany. Sign up and find jobs near you.