Getting a job in Germany

What is the minimum wage in Germany?

€13.90 per hour gross, effective 1 January 2026. The Mindestlohngesetz itself doesn't fix a number in its text — it sets up a Mindestlohnkommission that recommends a rate every two years, which the federal government then sets by ordinance. €13.90 is the rate the commission recommended on 27 June 2025 and the government adopted for 2026; a further rise to €14.60 is already scheduled for 1 January 2027.

“der gesetzliche Mindestlohn zum 1. Januar 2026 zunächst auf 13,90 Euro je Zeitstunde angehoben”

This is a rate set by ordinance, not a number in the statute text — it will move again on 1 January 2027. Confirm on bmas.de before relying on it for a contract or a payslip dispute.

How much can I earn in a Minijob before it stops being a Minijob?

€603 per month, for 2026. § 8 SGB IV does not set a euro figure directly — it defines the Minijob ceiling as a formula: the statutory minimum wage x 130, divided by 3, rounded up to the next full euro. At the 2026 minimum wage of €13.90/hour that computes to €602.33, rounded up to €603. Because the formula is tied to the minimum wage, this number moves whenever that does — most recently it changed alongside the 1 January 2026 wage rise.

“Sie wird berechnet, indem der Mindestlohn mit 130 vervielfacht, durch drei geteilt und auf volle Euro aufgerundet wird.”

Derived: €13.90 x 130 / 3 = €602.33, rounded up per the statute's own rounding rule. Re-derive this whenever the minimum wage changes rather than trusting a cached figure — including ours.

How many hours can I work as a Werkstudent without losing student status?

20 hours per week during lecture periods (Vorlesungszeit). Go over that regularly and the Werkstudentenprivileg lapses — your studies are no longer considered the main focus of your time, and you become liable for the full employee share of health, nursing-care and unemployment insurance contributions, not just pension insurance. You can work more than 20 hours/week during semester breaks (Semesterferien) without losing the privilege. If you hold more than one job, your employer must check the combined hours across all of them, not just the one you're being paid for at that employer.

“Während der Vorlesungszeit darf die Beschäftigung 20 Wochenstunden nicht überschreiten.”

This is Deutsche Rentenversicherung administrative guidance, not a statute section with its own paragraph number — we cite it as 'official', not 'statute'.

How many days a year can an international student work in Germany?

140 full days, or 280 half days, per calendar year — tracked on what the immigration office calls an Arbeitstagekonto (work-day account). A day with up to 4 hours worked counts as a half day; more than 4 hours counts as a full day. This limit applies to non-EU/EEA/Swiss students on a study residence permit; it does not apply to EU, EEA or Swiss citizens, who have unrestricted access to the German labour market. Work beyond the 140/280-day limit needs prior approval from both the Ausländerbehörde and the Bundesagentur für Arbeit — exceeding it without approval can carry a fine of up to €5,000.

“Die Aufenthaltserlaubnis berechtigt nach Maßgabe der folgenden Sätze nur zur Ausübung von Beschäftigungen, die insgesamt bis zu 140 Arbeitstage im Jahr nicht überschreiten dürfen (Arbeitstagekonto).”

Applies to non-EU/EEA/Swiss students only. On-campus student assistant jobs (studentische Nebentätigkeiten/Hiwi-Jobs) are generally exempt from the day count — confirm your specific case with your university's international office or the Ausländerbehörde before assuming either way.

Tabellarischer Lebenslauf: reverse-chronological, in a table, one to two pages

German CVs are almost always a tabellarischer Lebenslauf — a dense, table-like reverse-chronological list, not the prose-style resume common elsewhere. Two columns per entry: dates on the left, description on the right. No objective statement, no first-person narrative.

A photo is still common, though not legally required

Including a professional photo (Bewerbungsfoto) in the top corner remains widespread German practice, especially for domestic applications, even though the Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (anti-discrimination law) means employers cannot require one. International and startup employers are far less likely to expect it. When in doubt, check whether the specific employer's application portal has a photo upload field — that's a strong signal either way.

No gaps left unexplained

Every month needs to be accounted for, even briefly ("Sprachkurs", "Elternzeit", "Reise"). An unexplained multi-month gap reads as a red flag to a German HR reviewer in a way it may not elsewhere.

Anlagen: attach your certificates, don't just list them

German applications traditionally bundle the Lebenslauf with an Anschreiben (cover letter) and Anlagen (scanned copies of degree certificates, references, relevant qualifications) as one PDF. Online application portals increasingly ask for these as separate uploads instead — follow whatever the specific portal asks for.

Signed and dated at the bottom

A handwritten-style signature and the date, bottom-right, under the CV — a holdover from paper applications that many German applicants (and some employers' expectations) still follow, even for a PDF.

Germany's official, free job portal, run by the same federal agency that administers unemployment benefits and work permits. Lists full-time jobs, apprenticeships (Ausbildung), internships and self-employment listings nationwide. Worth checking even if you also use commercial boards — many public-sector and Mittelstand employers post here and nowhere else.

The EU's own cross-border job mobility portal, aggregating vacancies across all EU/EEA countries including Germany, plus guidance on the practical side of moving for work between member states (recognition of qualifications, social security coordination).

What we don’t know: We have not independently confirmed how current or complete its German listings are compared to arbeitsagentur.de directly.

The professional network most international and larger German employers actually use for white-collar hiring and outreach, especially in tech, consulting and multinational companies. A complete, German-market-aware profile matters here — recruiters search it directly.

A German-language professional network, still widely used by German small and mid-sized companies (Mittelstand) that skew toward LinkedIn less than multinationals do. Worth a profile if you're targeting employers outside the big-city, English-speaking corporate scene.

One of the largest commercial job boards in Germany, covering most industries and experience levels. Available in German and, for many listings, English.

The German edition of the global Indeed aggregator — pulls listings from company career pages and other boards into one search, including part-time and Minijob-style postings alongside full-time roles.

Delivery, rideshare and odd-job apps are the most common source of quick, flexible income for newcomers without a German-recognised CV yet. They are ordinary employment or self-employment under German law like any other — the Minijob/Werkstudent/140-day rules on this page still apply depending on your status, and gig income is taxable.

What we don’t know: Which specific platforms operate in your city, and under what contract type (employee vs. self-employed/Gewerbe), varies and changes — check the platform's own terms and, if self-employed, whether you need a Gewerbeanmeldung before you start.