International Students – Jobs and Internships while studying
Working in Germany as an international student
Students who wish to work alongside their studies must be aware of a number of regulations: As a general rule, every employee in Germany should obtain and sign a written employment contract. To take up employment, you will also need your own bank account, a certificate stating your health insurance and a social insurance number provided by the social insurance authority through the responsible public health insurance company (Krankenversicherungsbescheinigung mit Angabe der Sozialversicherungsnummer). In addition, a confirmation concerning your electronic tax card (Bescheinigung für den Lohnsteuerabzug) is required, which can be applied for at the tax office in your place of residence. The number of hours worked and the amount earned affect potential deductions for income tax, health and long-term care insurance, as well as unemployment and pension insurance. Further information can be obtained from your employer. Good German language skills are required for many jobs; otherwise, the choice of jobs is often very limited.
Whether and for how long international students are permitted to work depends on their individual residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel):
Students with EU/EEA or Swiss Citizenship
Students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland are permitted to undertake employment and internships in Germany to the same extent as German students.
Students without EU/EEA Citizenship
Students holding a residence permit for study purposes (§16b) are permitted to undertake dependent employment (i.e. non-self-employed work) for up to 140 full days or 280 half days per year. A record of working days must be kept for this purpose: days with up to four hours of work count as half working days, while days exceeding four hours count as full working days. No additional work permit is required for this type of employment.
Please note:
- During the lecture period, only a job of up to 20 hours per week may be carried out. If a student works 20 hours per week, 2.5 working days per week are counted towards the record of working days, regardless of how the working hours are distributed.
- Students wishing to work more than 140 full working days per year require approval from the local Foreigners’ Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) and may have to apply for a permit from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit – Arbeitsamt).
- Employment as a student assistant at the university (studentische Hilfskraft), as an assistant at the Studierendenwerk InfoCenter or ICI, or as a dormitory tutor may be undertaken in addition to the 140 working day rule.
- Self-employed or freelance work must be approved by the local Foreigners’ Registration Office.
Internships while studying in Germany
Mandatory Internship
If an internship is required by the examination regulations of the degree programme, it is considered a compulsory internship and may be completed by students without EU/EEA citizenship in addition to the 140 working day rule outlined above.
If a mandatory internship is voluntarily extended (e.g. from four to six months), the additional period is no longer considered part of the mandatory internship but is treated as a voluntary internship instead. Students without EU/EEA citizenship should note that this additional period (in this example, two months) will be counted towards the 140 working days permitted per year.
Voluntary Internship
Internships that are not required under the examination regulations are generally considered voluntary internships, even if they are recommended in the examination regulations or by the faculty. For students without EU/EEA citizenship, this means that the duration of the internship counts towards the 140 working days permitted per year. Once these days have been used up, no further secondary employment is permitted within the same year. If a voluntary internship exceeds the 140 working day rule, approval from the local Foreigners’ Registration Office must be obtained before the internship begins. Students must submit a current certificate of enrolment as well as confirmation from the academic adviser stating that the internship is academically beneficial and will not significantly hinder or delay the student’s studies.
Leave of Absence Due to an Internship
Students may apply for a leave of absence for a mandatory internship if the internship contract shows that they are employed full-time for at least eight weeks during the lecture period.
In the case of voluntary internships, students holding a residence permit for study purposes may only apply for a leave of absence semester if prior approval for the voluntary internship has been obtained from the local immigration authority.
Internship After Starting Studies in Germany
Students planning to undertake an internship abroad should familiarise themselves with the visa regulations of the destination country and check whether a work permit is required there. In addition, students should note that a German residence permit generally becomes invalid if the holder remains outside Germany for more than six months, regardless of the original expiry date. In such cases, a new visa must be applied for at the German embassy abroad, including all required documents and allowing for the usual processing time that also applied to the initial application. To avoid this, students should obtain approval for the extended stay abroad from the local Foreigners’ Registration Office before their departure.
For further questions regarding jobbing and internships,
international students enrolled at Heidelberg University may contact the International Relations Office / Ms Kumler: andrea.kumler@zuv.uni-heidelberg.de
Support for Finding Jobs and Internships
The following platforms provide job and internship offers in Heidelberg and the surrounding area:
