Jobs for International Students in Germany - Which ones can I seek?

Germany is one of the major Economies in Europe! So it is natural to assume that the cost of living in this country of wonders is high as well. While the nationals of this country can do pretty well themselves, the same cannot be said for the international students. Sure the education is mostly free and you do get healthcare insurance that covers the basics - but you need food, shelter, educational equipment, and entertainment as well. Due to this reason, many foreign students in Germany Seek part-time jobs. However this being said, there are a few restrictions and limitations on jobs for international students in Germany.

While you can survive with around 850 euros, this is far from enough to enjoy your life out there or fulfill your additional needs. With this amount, the only things that you will be able to afford are cheap rent, cheap food, thrift store clothes, and a bit of free entertainment. 

Taking this into consideration, it is understandable why many foreign students seek part-time jobs. But as we mentioned there are a few limitations on jobs for international students in Germany. Let's take a look at them before we talk about the actual jobs. 

Some Limitations on Jobs for International Students in Germany

Although international students can do virtually any job they want, there is a limitation on how much they can work. Under the current regulations, international students are only allowed to do 120 days of full-time jobs or 240 days of part-time jobs.

Besides this, there are virtually no restrictions. While you, as an international student will be restricted by your skills in finding and doing the jobs, as long as you have the skills, it shouldn't be hard to land a high-paying job. Talking about payment, it is a good idea to keep in mind that the average hourly pay for an international student ranges from 5 Euros to 15 euros. Given the fact that Germans are allowed to work only 8 hours per day and 5 days a week, your income will be somewhat limited. If you want to work for more than this allocated time, you will need to apply for permissions at local employment agencies along with the foreigners' registration office.

Even if you get a high-paying job, you will only earn around 120 Euros per day full-time and 60 euros for a part-time job. So it would be a good idea to learn some skills and aim for high-paying jobs as an international student in Germany. Along with this, it should be noted that if you earn above 450 euros per week, you will need to pay taxes as per the legal regulations.

What are the available jobs for international students in Germany?

Now that you know your expected payment and time for working in Germany, its' time to talk about the jobs themselves. The first thing you should consider before seeking any form of job is your skillset. Not everyone who goes to Germany for education is highly skilled. Some may just be talented in their field of education without external knowledge. Thankfully, Germany has a wide range of jobs available for international students that include options for semi-skilled and skilled students alike. 

However, it would be a good idea to find a job that aligns with your course of education. Not only will you be able to learn from the job and apply your knowledge to practice, but you may also be able to add credit to your studies. As for the actual jobs, there are 7 common and popular jobs for international students in Germany that pay fairly well without exceeding the limitations. Let's take a look at them now. 

1) Tutor

This is a rather simple profession that is quite popular among all the students in Germany - not just foreign students. In this profession, you teach juniors for a fee. Of course, you do need to be an expert in the subject that you will be tutoring about. Along with this, to be a tutor, you will need to have ab excellent grasp of the German language as well. This is because, for the most part, you will be teaching small kids who are in elementary and middle school. If you don't know what elementary and middle school is, they are terms used to segment the level of education in international standard. 

While the exact grades in each segment may vary, elementary school generally ranges from kindergarten to grade 4. As for middle school, generally consists of grades from 5 to 8 or 9. This is one of the most popular jobs for international students in Germany because it not only pays a rather high amount but is also good for revising your basic knowledge and building connections. As of 2021, the average earning of a tutor is 17 euros per hour which is a good amount to earn as a student, As long as you manage your tutoring time well, you can earn the highest amount possible without the taxes through this job.

2) Academic Assistant

If you are confused about what an academic assistant is, you are not alone. This job simply consists of assisting a teacher or a faculty in an educational institute. As an academic assistant, you may have to grade papers, help the teacher to grade papers, print their documents, assist in database planning, provide support for educational material planning, and proofread their response before they send them. 

As you may have guessed, being an academic assistant will help a student to get more insight into their field of education. Along with this, a student enrolled in this profession can get close with the staff of an institute and open up a path for their future employment there. Needless to say, this is one of the most sought jobs for international students in Germany. But there is a small drawback - money. A recent estimate states that the hourly pay for an assistant with less than a year of experience is only 12.17 euros per hour. This will amount to 486 euros per week for full-time and 243 euros per week for part-time.

This amount is still quite adequate since you will earn the necessary amount for basic survival in Germany within 2 to 4 weeks.

3) A staff member at the university’s history museum (Museum Associate)

These are the primary workers of a museum who interact with the guests who visit. As many universities in Germany have their historical museum filled with artifacts and items from the past, working as a museum associate can be one of the best jobs for international students in Germany. You can stay connected with your educational university, get paid a decent amount, and not be connected with your field of study. 

This job is perfect for those who cannot study all the time yet are information seekers. This is one of those high hourly paying jobs that are quite high in demand as well. As per the recent estimates, you can earn around 15 euros per hour by working in this job - which is a good amount for an international student. In hindsight, a museum associate falls under those jobs that offer the best of both worlds. You won't need to be fully involved in education and exhaust yourself to earn a decent payment while still being connected with the university you are studying in. 

That being said, should there be any damages to the artifacts and/ or mishaps under your watch, you will be questioned and reprimanded. So while this is an attractive job prospect, you should always be on your toe.

4) Newspaper distributor

We all know what this job is - you pack up newspaper, pick your ride, finalize your route and start distributing the newspaper. Although Germany has gone digital for the most part, many people still rely on physical newspapers for their daily dose or recent activity. While this job is indeed frowned upon in countries like ours, it is one of the most sought jobs for international students in Germany. Why?

Well depending on whom you work for, you can get paid as much as 11 to 17 euros per hour. And even better, you can work for multiple newspaper delivery companies within a day since you will likely be done with one company after an hour or two. Not only will the international students have multiple sources of income, but they also have a lot of freedom in this line of work. They don't need to be bound within a confined space for their job and they get to see a free view of the local landscapes while getting paid. Of course, you will need to fulfill your task but you will get a free view and fresh air. 

While the earnings are certainly not uniform and adverse weather or traffic can affect it, there is freedom and high pay in this line of work- which is why newspaper delivery is one of the most sought jobs for international students in Germany.

5) Waiter

This is probably the first job that comes into your mind when you think of jobs in Germany for International Students. And you are right to think so. This is one of the most sought-after jobs for international students in Germany. You don't require many qualifications to do this job, it pays fairly well and you get to each a bunch of good food for free if you pick the right place to work in. 

Should you work as a waiter or a waitress, your hourly wages will be somewhere around 12 euros per hour excluding tips. While the actual payments can increase or decrease by a few euros, it is still a good-paying job for an international student, particularly if you count on tips as well.

This being said, you still do need a decent bit of training in delivering food, knowing the food, and how to respond to your customer. At the same time, you will be the first to bear the brunt of the customer's dissatisfaction should any mishap happen. It would be a good idea to keep these things in mind while you seek this job since being a waiter/waitress is not everybody's cup of tea. 

6) Bartender

Being a bartender is, in a lot of ways, similar to being a waiter. In both of these professions, you serve your customers with food and beverages. The only difference is that while you serve prepared meals as a waiter, the primary job of the bartender is to provide various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to the customer. As a bartender, you should be able to prepare various cocktails and mocktails in the organization you work at as well as know different types of drinks.

You may still earn an average of 9 euros per hour as per the recent estimates. Although it may seem a bit less when compared to the jobs that we have listed so far, do remember that this is the amount earned by a lot of German Natives as well.

Besides the payment, one of the primary reasons why this is among those seeking jobs for international students in Germany is because of the working hours. An average bar operates from 6 PM to 12 AM in Germany. Because of this, students involved in this profession get the payment as well as time to study and explore. 

7) Babysitter

As the name says, in this job you will need to take care of someone else's baby while the parents are away. While this is not the most sought job for international students in Germany, it sure is among the higher-paying ones. The reason why this job was made onto this list is because of its convince. You don't need to have any skills to get this job. As long as you can take care of the babies by entertaining them, keeping them filled and safe, as well as cleaning after them at times, you are all good to do. 

While this job is heaven for those who love children, we don't recommend you to work as a babysitter if you get easily annoyed or can't handle some mess. As for the payment, as per recent estimates, a babysitter earns an average of 11 euros per hour. It is not extremely high on the pay scale but it's free money if you get along with the babies. 

There is one small catch for this job. Should anything happen to the babies while you are in charge, you will be held responsible.

In the End,

Getting a job as a student in Germany is not only a wish but like a necessity. As we mentioned, you can do well without these jobs but for that, you either need to compromise on virtually everything or have a big pocket - both of which are pretty unusual for international students. So, most rely on part-time jobs for sustenance and entertainment. These jobs for international students we mentioned here are all highly sought after because of their convenience and pay. That being said, the average earnings we mentioned here are subject to change since they are sourced from various websites.  

Hope this was helpful for you. And if it was, why not follow this with some of our other articles below?

• The Secrets to Cost of living in Germany: The Ultimate Guide!

• Health Insurance in Germany for Students - A mandatory requirement

• What is Life in Germany like for a Foreign Student?