If you need extra money during your studies, you can look for a supporting job. But if you also want to gain experience in your own field and, on top of that, benefit from a good salary and financial advantages, you try to land a coveted working student contract (Werkstudentenvertrag).

Requirements for such a contract

As the name working student already says, you have to be enrolled at a university. This is not just a nice label but a legal status. Anyone who signs such a contract can use many privileges. That is why the special status is governed by further conditions that set an upper limit on both earnings and working hours. If these are not met, the special status gained through the working student contract expires.

Much like with a mini-job, €445 is the earnings ceiling for regular monthly income. That applies at least during the lecture period. The working student contract does allow the employer to raise working hours to full-time level during the semester break. This way the student can gain even more experience in the company and also make contacts for their future career. During the lecture period, 20 hours per week is the upper time limit. Over the course of a year, you may not exceed these limits for more than 26 weeks, otherwise the working student contract is also considered not to have been observed. Since a mini-job offers much worse conditions, it is still worthwhile for every student.

Privileges and obligations

One of the most important financial privileges of a working student contract is the exemption from social security contributions. The employer itself also saves on other important contributions. These include payments for long-term care and health insurance, but also for unemployment insurance. The privileges are passed on to the student in financial form. What is not quite as good are the small or even completely missing contributions to the pension fund. That applies whenever the magic €445 limit has not been exceeded over a longer period. If it has been, however, a share of 9.75% of gross salary is used for it. This limit is also so important for students because every euro earned above it is counted against BAföG (German student aid), until entitlement ends completely at a regular income of €850.

So anyone who can put a working student contract on their résumé always has an ace up their sleeve. In job applications this can be seen as an advantage and ultimately be decisive for the HR department. The advantages of a working student contract over a normal employment contract, or even a mini-job, are clear. A contract for working students is, as the name says, geared specifically to the needs of students. That is why a working student contract is meant to integrate their talents optimally into the job market while leaving enough freedom for studying.