The Student Career Roadmap for international students

Welcome to Saarland University!

The more you know, the easier it will be to benefit from your new surroundings:

Useful tips:

• Take part in Welcome Week, which the Welcome Center organizes for all new students.
• Join the semester opening event for new students in your degree programme.
• Take a look at the university's  'Coming to Saarbrücken' web page.

Meeting other students and making friends helps to build a support network and opens up new perspectives, which can really enrich your university experience and personal growth.

• Sign up for the activities organized for international students by the Centre for International Students (ZiS)
• Register for the ZiS buddy programme *you & me*
• Sign up for the events organized for international students by the Erasmus Student Network Saarbrücken
• Join one of AStA's working groups (AStA: General Student Committee) or sign up for one of the many other voluntary initiatives at the university
• Stay in touch with your professors, university teaching staff and fellow students
• Register with Saarland University's International Alumni Network to connect and collaborate with fellow alumni worldwide
• Take part in other networking activities such as conferences, student summits, networking cocktail evenings, etc.

Setting out your goals early on can make it much easier to identify the steps needed to succeed both academically and professionally. A good place to start is by asking yourself a few simple questions: 

O Where do you see yourself a few years from now?
O What do want to achieve during your time at university?
O What do you want to do after graduation?
O Do you want to spend time abroad as an exchange student? 
O Are you interested in an industrial work placement or an internship? 
O Are you thinking of staying in Germany after you graduate? 
O How do your personal, social and career goals influence each other?

The Career Center runs workshops and events that can help you find answers to these important questions:

View our events

Well-prepared application documents are a crucial part of any job application in Germany – whether it’s for an internship or a full-time graduate role. To give yourself the best chance of success, you'll need to understand the specifics of the German job application process and how best to present your application. To help you, we've compiled a special section with lots of tips covering all aspects of the application process.

But the first step is to prepare the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Letter of motivation (personal statement)
• Create a profile on employment-focused social media platforms such as LinkedIn  and update your profile regularly.

• Criminal record certificate: When you apply for certain types of employment in Germany, such as in the social work sector, you may be asked to provide a criminal record certificate (Führungszeugnis). You can apply for it online from the Federal Office of Justice  (Bundesamt für Justiz) or in person at the Residents’ Registration Office (Bürgeramt). You will need to pay a service charge of €13 and present your ID.
  If you prefer to go to the Residents' Registration Office in person, you will need to make an appointment, which can be done online. We recommend applying in person if you don’t live too far from the Residents' Registration Office. In this case, you will only need to take your ID card or passport and the letter requesting a criminal record certificate from your potential future employer.

  There are a number of different kinds of criminal record certificates in Germany:
  Type ‘N’ for private purposes (Führungszeugnis für private Zwecke), which will be sent to your home address 
  Type ‘O’ for submission to a German public authority (Führungszeugnis für behördliche Zwecke), which will be sent directly to your future employer.
  If you are applying for a position involving contact with children, adolescents or other vulnerable individuals, you will need to apply for an extended criminal record certificate (erweitertes Führungszeugnis). 

  Before you apply, make sure you know which type of certificate your potential future employer requires.

You are welcome to send us your application documents, which we would be pleased to review and to recommend possible adaptations so that your application aligns with the conventions and preferences of the German job market. Contact us at: career(at)uni-saarland.de

To help you, we've compiled a special section with lots of tips covering all aspects of the application process. Take a look, you'll be glad you did!

Our job application tips

Learning German should be one of your top priorities.

Why?

By learning German you can... 
1. actively participate in German culture and life
2. integrate more easily into your professional and social environments
3. improve your chances of getting the job you want
4. make friends and even embark on a whole new romantic adventure
5. communicate easily while travelling in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, not to mention Liechtenstein.

Where? 

As an international student at Saarland University, you can take German courses free of charge at the International Study Center Saar (ISZ Saar). The ISZ Saar offers a wide range of language courses:

Pre-sessional short intensive courses (for Erasmus students)

In-sessional courses (for all international students)

German language courses for doctoral students

Intensive courses to prepare for the DSH exam 

Please note that registration dates will vary depending on the course. If you are taking in-sessional courses (i.e. courses that run during the main teaching period), you can take more than one course at the same time (e.g. a grammar course and a C1 level course). 

There are also a number of other options that you can explore to improve your German – all free of charge: 

Saarland University's Tandem language learning programme

Deutsche Welle’s online German language courses

Alumniportal Deutschland’s online language learning tools

And don’t forget that you can improve your German language by listening to music and watching films in German, talking to German speakers or volunteering in your local community.

The rules and regulations governing your work options in Germany will depend on your country of origin. 

Working as an international student

If you come from an EU member state or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you can work just as many hours as German students can, i.e. 20 hours a week without requiring special permission. However, if you want to work more than 20 hours a week, you will have to pay full social insurance contributions, unless certain permitted exceptions apply. 

If you are from a non-EU/EEA country, you are allowed to work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per year without special permission (as of January 2025). This is equivalent to around 20 hours per week during the semester. To work more than that, you must get explicit approval from the local Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) and the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Special less restrictive rules apply if you work as a research assistant (HiWi) or a student employee (StuA) at the same university where you are enrolled. For more detailed information, please contact the university's Welcome Center or get in touch directly with the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) at your place of residence. Information is also available on the following websites:

Study In Germany: Earning money while studying

Make it in Germany: Employment opportunities after graduating

Income tax
Every employed or self-employed person in Germany has to pay tax on their income. However, you don't have to pay tax if you earn less than €556 per month (as of January 2025). The same applies if you receive a scholarship (e.g. from the DAAD). If you earn less than €12,096 per year (as of January 2025), you can file an income tax return and the tax authorities will refund the taxes that you paid in that year.

Retirement benefits / Pension funds
All employees in Germany must pay into the statutory pension insurance scheme. This payment is deducted automatically from their salary:

Health insurance 
In Germany, all students must have health insurance, regardless of whether they have a part-time job.

If you are a student and not working, you will typically be covered by student health insurance, which involves a fixed monthly contribution at a reduced rate.

If you have a part-time job and work no more than 20 hours a week, you will still be covered by your student health insurance and therefore not treated as an employee. That means that you will not pay health insurance contributions based on your earnings. However, if you work more than 20 hours a week, you will have to pay an earnings-related health insurance contribution. We recommend that you talk to your employer about this, before you take on extra hours.
 
Unemployment insurance
Students do not normally pay unemployment insurance contributions. This means that you will not be entitled to receive unemployment benefits if you lose your part-time student job.

Working after graduation
If you have recently graduated or will be graduating in the near future and would like to find employment in Germany, you must apply for a job-seeker’s residence permit, which is valid for up to 18 months.

Work placements and internships

Voluntary: These study-related internships are not required by your degree programme but provide an opportunity for you to gain practical experience and insights into working in a particular field. Voluntary internships that exceed three months in duration must be remunerated at the statutory minimum wage.

Mandatory: These work placements or internships (hereafter collectively referred to as ‘internships’) are required by your degree programme and are governed by university-specific rules. Mandatory internships are unpaid. In some cases, scholarship funding may be an option (source DAAD).

Regardless of the type of internship that you undertake, please remember to check the duration of your (student) residence permit so that you can complete your study programme before it expires. If you are not an EU national, you will also need to inform the Immigration Office when you start a work placement or internship.

 

Minimum wage
Since 1 January 2025, the statutory minimum wage in Germany is €12.82 per hour. It is adjusted from time to time. If you have any questions about minimum wage issues in Germany, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has set up a hotline that you can call: 030 60 28 00 28.

FAQs
1) Does the Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG) also apply to foreign students?
Yes, the Minimum Wage Act applies to voluntary internships in Germany that last longer than three months and to mandatory work placements / internships in Germany, regardless of the student's nationality.

2) I am doing my Master's thesis project in business administration in a company. Will I be paid the minimum wage?
No, your thesis project is neither a business activity that would normally be carried out at the company, nor an internship. However, if you work for the company in addition to completing your thesis project, you may be entitled to the minimum wage for the work that you do. Each case will need to be examined individually.

3) Some employers offer work placements / internships that last up to a year. Do they have to pay the minimum wage to student interns?
Yes, anyone undertaking a study-related internship lasting more than three months must be paid the minimum wage from day one.

Students can take advantage of the numerous on-campus and off-campus service providers offering information and advice on a wide range of topics:

Career Center

International Office

Central Student Advisory Service

Federal Employment Agency - Campus office

European Employment Service (EURES-Greater Region)

AStA/students@work

 Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde)

One of the best ways of finding a work placement, internship or job is to visit an online job portal or attend a recruiting fair.

Career Portal

Saarland University's Career Center manages the career portal, which is updated weekly with new job and internship postings for students.

'next' - Saarland University's on-campus employment fair

Once a year, the Career Center organizes the on-campus job fair 'next', which connects employers with students from different disciplines.

Job Board - The Federal Employment Agency's searchable database

This searchable job database maintained by the Federal Employment Agency lists job opportunities throughout Germany. 

Employers value work experience acquired through extracurricular activities or volunteer work. 
Whether you’re supporting a cause you’re passionate about or are involved in student activities on campus, being a volunteer is a great way of contributing to and shaping your new environment.

Why not sign up for one of the university’s voluntary programmes? 

 

Continuing education programmes are great if you want to deepen your knowledge in areas that complement your study programme.

Most of these courses are offered as part-time programmes for working professionals, or can be taken online, in the evenings or at weekends.

Make sure that your participation is formally certified and keep these certificates for when you later apply for jobs. 

MBA - European Management

Continuing Education Center Saar

Liste of popular open online courses (MOOC platforms)

Tip: Ask at your workplace about other certificates and training courses that are offered to employees. 

Saarland University organizes courses and workshops that can help you improve your written and spoken language skills as well as develop your intercultural, social and other core competences. 

Unless otherwise stated, these courses and workshops are free for Saarland University students. But don’t forget to register before the deadline. 

Career Center events

Career Tuesday

International Study Centre Saar (ISZ-Saar)

Teaching and Learning Centre (ZeLL)

Language Center (for languages other than German)