Jobs
Germany has a legal minimum wage, so even a simple job pays properly. Right now it is €13.90 an hour, going up to €14.60 in January 2027.
Office & corporate
Working student (Werkstudent) jobs in companies. Great for your CV and your career after the degree.
Hospitality & retail
Restaurants, cafés, shops. Fastest way to earn, and it helps you learn German a lot.
Know the different work-hour rules
- Immigration rule for non-EU students: you can work 140 full days or 280 half days per year without extra permission. The exact rule is noted in your residence title.
- Working-student (Werkstudent) rule: if you work up to 20 hours a week during the semester, your studies count as your main occupation and you keep the working-student privileges in social insurance. In semester breaks, and for evening or weekend work, more hours are allowed under the 26-week rule.
- Student health insurance: student rates apply while your studies are clearly your main occupation. If you regularly work more than 20 hours a week, check with your health insurer whether you move into employee insurance.
Office & corporate jobs
- Your resume must be in German format. Copy the layout from the sample resume.
- Volume beats everything for working student roles. Do not wait for the perfect job.
- Find jobs on LinkedIn, StepStone, wherever. But always apply directly on the company's own careers site.
- Always attach an application package in the "Additional Documents" section.
Your application package
Enrollment Certificate
Immatrikulationsbescheinigung. Download it from your university's online portal.
Bachelor consolidated transcript
All your bachelor grades in one document.
Arbeitszeugnis
A reference letter from a previous employer.
The reference letter must follow the German format
A recommendation letter in the style used back home will not land well. Ask your old employer for an Arbeitszeugnis in the German format. It can be written in English: on company letterhead, with a signature and the company stamp.
German references use fixed grading phrases. Recruiters read them like marks, so the letter should use this language:
Very good (sehr gut)
"always to our fullest satisfaction" (stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit)
Good (gut)
"always to our full satisfaction" (stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit)
Aim for "very good" wording in the performance and conduct sections. See the sample Arbeitszeugnis for a full example in English.
Volume is what makes the difference
What makes a difference is how many jobs you apply to. If you don't start from day 1 and get your numbers up, you will find it difficult later.
Hospitality & retail jobs
- Every day, pick one area of the city.
- Start with the food court at a mall. After that, areas further from the center are better: fewer students asking.
- Walk into each restaurant and ask for a job, in German.
- It doesn't matter if you speak fluently, what matters is to show you can try.
What to say
You
"Ich suche einen Teilzeitjob. Suchen Sie jemanden?"
I'm looking for a part-time job. Are you looking for someone?
They
Reply something, probably fast.
You
"Entschuldigung, mein Deutsch ist nicht perfekt, aber ich kann arbeiten."
Sorry, my German isn't perfect, but I can work.