Rules for Working while Studying Abroad in Germany and Basic FAQs

You may not know much about Germany but it is one of the best places on earth for international students. Germany is not only home to one of world’s top ranked universities but it also provides extra facilities for students. Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich of Germany is ranked 30^th in world. Out of 16 states of Germany, 11 states provide totally free education, however, you have pay about 17,000 to 28,000 rupees services fee each semester. In other five states you have to pay about 500 Euro per semester that is equivalent to about 57,000 rupees. Germany specially offers English-taught courses for international students. If you are proficient in German than you can attend German-taught courses too.

Following are some questions you might have in mind.

Am I Allowed to Work in Germany?

Yes! Pakistani students are allowed to work in Germany. However, there is a time restriction and some rules that you must abide by. Before you start a job you must get work permit from Federal Employment Agency and the foreigners' authority. If there is no problem in local job market, you will be issued a work permit.

·         [Read about How to get Germany Student Visa.]

Rules for Working While Studying in Germany:

There are just following basic rules you must follow unless you want to be terminated from university and deported back to Pakistan.

1. You must not start work before getting permission from Federal Employment Agency and the foreigners' authority.
2. You can only work 120 full days or 240 half days per year. This about 3 - 4 hours a day.
3. If you need to work more than 120 full days, you must acquire a special permission from government of Germany.
4. In addition, international students are not permitted to work in a self-employed or freelance capacity.
5. This does not include work as a research assistant. No time limits apply for this activity. However, you will still need to inform the foreigners' authority.
6. You can only work in lecture-free periods.
7. It is essential that you comply with labor laws for international students.

You might think 20 hours per work is too less, according to international students studying in Germany, this can also be pretty difficult and stressful to handle with work.

How Do I Find a Job in Germany?

What and how do you get a job mostly depends on you and your skills. However, you don’t have to be multitalented like me just to get a job. There are always plenty of opportunities, you just have to find it. The Federal Employment Agency also helps find jobs for students.

You can do freelancing, work as a waiter, personal secretary or a research assistant and many more things whichever better suits your requirements and needs. Some students work as university research assistants. This can be pretty handful. They work as supervisors in the library, give tutorials or research literature for the professor.

·         [Read about How to apply for a German University.]

How Much Can I Earn in Germany?

It also depends most on your skills and experience. The more experienced you are the more you get paid and you know, different jobs pay different. More the technical stuff, the higher the pay. Five to ten euros an hour is usual. Research Assistants earn between five and 15 euros an hour.

You can also get paid more than 10 euros. If you work as a waiter in cafe or restaurant that can also be very beneficial as you also get extra tips. There tips are not like the Pakistani one, don’t worry about that. So an international student generally earns about 450 to 800 euros per month.

Remember, a Euro is 114.27 Pakistani Rupee at the time of writing this Article.

·         [Read about Student Living Cost in Germany.]

Do I have to Pay Taxes?

If you work for less than two consecutive months or 50 days over a period of one year, you do not have to pay any social security contributions. Anyone who is employed or holds a mini-job for a longer period of time normally has to make pension insurance contributions. If you work more than 20 hours a week, you generally also have to pay health, unemployment and nursing care insurance.

[Here is a Complete guide to Study abroad in Germany.]