Many students and parents should know that German university graduates do not have to worry about employment, in fact, this is not only because of the high quality of teaching in German universities, but also because of the practice-oriented education system in Germany. For most students, there are different practical jobs that can be involved during their studies in Germany. There are also plenty of internship opportunities available.
As for whether you can work in Germany and how to accumulate internships and work experience, today I will make a brief inventory for you.
The basis of working in Germany
If you want to work or work in Germany, you need a work permit at the most basic level. As long as you work for a German company, you must have a legal work permit and cannot exceed the time limit within the specified limit.
Normally, students who are officially enrolled are entitled to a work permit of 120 full days, i.e. 960 working hours, per year, and are not allowed to work at the language level. Of course, there may be illegal workers who do not file taxes, but the wages themselves are low and there is no job security.
In addition, students who want to work will need to apply for a personal tax ID and social security number. With these, you can officially start working in Germany.
Types of Jobs in Germany
mini job
This is the most typical type of part-time job for German students, and it is sometimes called 450euro basis. It is a low-income job under German law and has a fixed monthly wage of 450 euros.
There is no tax to be paid on this type of low-income work, and pension insurance is not required. But according to the law, if you do a minijob, you actually need to pay 2% of your monthly income as tax. It is usually 9 euros, but the employer has the right to decide who will pay the money, and it is usually the employer who pays the tax directly. The length of this job is calculated within the 120-day working day allowance, and the average 450 euro mini job is 10 hours per week by default.
Common minijobs include restaurant waiters, supermarket cashiers, café waiters, clothing store clerks, processing factory workers, and so on.
werkstudent
Werkstudent can be understood as a working student, and it is also a common form of student work in Germany, generally speaking, working students are engaged in formal jobs related to their major.
Working as a werkstudent in Germany, students can earn more than 450 euros per month, but they need to pay about 93% as endowment insurance.
The same applies to the working hours limit. In addition, German law stipulates that a werkstudent must not work more than 20 hours per week, otherwise he faces a series of penalties.
Currently, according to the 2019 regulations, students do not need to pay taxes as long as their annual income does not exceed 9,168 euros. So, if you earn more than €764 a month, you'll need to pay income tax;However, if your overall income does not exceed 9,168 euros a year, you will still be refunded the taxes you paid.
For students who are engaged in WerkStudent, we still recommend filing their taxes at the end of the year, which can be consulted or checked for the local Finanzamt announcement.
hiwi
The full name of Hiwi is Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, which is also known as a research assistant. This position is mainly for university students, and we can often see it in universities. In general, information will be available on the college's information board or the school's job openings**.
In general, HIWI positions range from librarian, teaching assistant to professor, and so on. The biggest advantage of being a HIWI is that you can flexibly apply what you have learned in your work, not only to earn some pocket money, but also to further follow up on academic research in your field and consolidate your knowledge.
At present, the German regulations stipulate that if you do part-time work related to academic research, you can not work a maximum of 120 days per year. However, in practice, you still need to ask the SAFE before signing the contract, and the SAFE permission is the most confident legal basis in Germany. Inquiries can be made by e-mail.
Internships
In Germany, there are two types of internships, one is compulsory and the other is voluntary. If it is a compulsory internship, that is, an internship required by the school, then the working hours during the internship will not be counted in the 120-day working hours, but this type of internship is generally paid relatively low and requires an official certificate issued by the school.
In the case of voluntary internships (including unpaid voluntary internships), the length of time you work in the internship will count towards your 120 days.
Generally, internships are full-time. So 120 days is generally only enough for a four-month full-time internship.
Summary
I believe that through this article, you will have a general understanding of what it is like to work in Germany. There are many opportunities to work and study in Germany, and these internships and jobs can be very helpful when looking for a job in the future. At the same time, the salary you receive can also be used to support your study abroad life in Germany. For more details, please consult our customer service or continue to update ***.
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