Student Jobs: The 11 Highest Paid + Tips and Rules

Content

When are students allowed to work?
Children up to 13 years
Children between 13 and 14 years
Young people between 15 and 18 years of age
Student jobs: where can I find them?
What do students earn?
These are the best student jobs
Gardening
Babysitting
give tutoring
Go for a walk
deliver newspaper
Agriculture
Delivery service
Website maintenance
fill up shelves
promotion
sale
Advantages and disadvantages of student jobs
Benefits of a student job
Disadvantages of a student job
What do I have to consider with student jobs?
Attention: Pay phone number
Attention: Pay for work materials
Warning: cocky promises
What applies to taxes and duties?
What other readers have read about it

You don't have enough pocket money in front and behind? Student jobs can help. But only under strict conditions, after all, child labor is prohibited and schooling is compulsory in this country. Where can you work as a student? Who is actually allowed to work? And are there any student jobs nearby? Jobs for 13- to 19-year-old schoolboys are by no means as numerous as bad grades in school. Which activities are suitable for young people? And which offers should students absolutely turn down? We have the most important information for you about various activities and show you what to look out for ...

When are students allowed to work?

Knocking stones, sewing soccer balls together, cleaning car windows, picking cotton - child labor is a huge problem around the world. The German Youth Labor Protection Act therefore does not exist for no reason.

Depending on the age of the child or young person, but also on the activity, there are limits. A moral hazard - such as would be given by jobs in the red light district - can be ruled out. The age limits are as follows:

Children up to 13 years

The conditions are strictest here. Work is not allowed. And certainly not student jobs in the classic sense. And yet everyone knows children from film and television. Such exceptions apply to the media and culture sector - including, for example, music and dance performances, radio or advertising events. However, the employer must first submit an application to the locally responsible trade supervisory office and approve it. That is possible:

➠ child model
➠ extra role in the play
➠ Working in the family business (help with the harvest, feeding the animals, office help)

Children between 13 and 14 years

Students under the age of fifteen are considered children by the law. In order to be able to work at school pupils at this age, children over the age of 13 need the consent of their parents. The prerequisite is that the job is easy and child-friendly. This means that it must neither pose a health risk nor endanger school success. A maximum of two hours per day is permitted, in agriculture up to three hours. Student jobs that take place between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. or during school lessons are not permitted. These student jobs are possible:

➠ Delivering newspapers
➠ child care
➠ tutoring
➠ Shopping aid
➠ dog sitting

Young people between 15 and 18 years of age

Young people aged 15 and over have significantly more freedom. Given that many students in this age range are doing an apprenticeship, they are allowed to work up to eight hours a day. However, with restrictions: Not before 6 a.m. and no longer after 8 p.m.

However, there are exceptions for people over the age of 16, for example in restaurants, bakeries or in agriculture. Take the bakery, for example: young people can stand by the oven at 4 a.m. - but only from the age of 17. The weekly working time must not exceed 40 hours and must be spread over the working days from Monday to Friday. Exceptions for apprentices and student jobs are also activities in these areas:

➠ Hospitality or hotel industry
➠ Bakery craft
➠ Hospitals and homes for the elderly
➠ agriculture
➠ Sale

However, the employer must ensure that there are 12 hours of free time between two work shifts and that a compensatory day is allowed in the case of Saturday work. Many student jobs are therefore possible from the age limit of 16 years, often only from the age of majority.

And students do not have the free choice either. According to the law, work that is dangerous, where you are exposed to excessive heat, cold, noise or the risk of accidents, or has to work with dangerous substances, is out of the question.

If an employer violates the Youth Labor Protection Act, there is a risk of fines of up to 15,000 euros. If this happens intentionally and children are exposed to specific dangers in school jobs, a prison sentence of up to one year is possible.

Student jobs: where can I find them?

Student jobs are popular, but often not that easy to find. Where do i start looking? For example here:

Specialized portals such as schuelerjobs.de, aushilfsjobs.de, aushilfsjobs.info
Job advertisements in the local newspaper or free city magazines
Classified ads portals such as Ebay classified ads
Advertising portals with a regional reference (e.g. meinestadt.de)
On your own (in the neighborhood, village, city, circle of friends)
Job exchange of the Federal Employment Agency: The search for “student jobs” does not lead you any further here: Rather, you have to select “Marginal employment / mini-job” from the drop-down menu and then the desired industry in the upper search field. You can find detailed instructions on how the employment agency's job exchange works here.

In addition, a large number of online job exchanges provide information about advertised student jobs. If you are currently looking for something, take a look at our job exchange Karrieresprung.de to see what is on offer there:

To the job exchange

What do students earn?

25 euros - that is the guideline value of the youth welfare offices. This is how much pocket money a 13-year-old should get per month. According to the authorities, at 14 years of age, 30 euros is appropriate, at 17 it should be 55 euros and at 18 years of age 75 euros.

In reality, every six to 13 year old has an average of 44 months a month at leisure. This was the result of a survey by the opinion research institute Iconkids & Youth. According to this, the children in this age group alone sack a total of three billion euros a year.

But that doesn't answer the question of distribution. Assumption: While some have easily three-digit amounts, others have next to nothing. Reason enough for many to supplement their pocket money with a student job.

There is, however, a catch: you have to negotiate what you earn per hour with the employer yourself. He will have a specific idea of what he would like to pay per hour.

If you are unlucky, the hourly wage is below the statutory minimum wage of currently 9.50 euros. This does not apply to minors who have not completed vocational training - i.e. students.

These are the best student jobs

Below we present typical student jobs and those that are suitable for students:

Gardening

Cut the hedge or mow the lawn - maybe just ask your neighbors. But please do not underestimate physical exertion. Advantages: exercise, fresh air, nature. Disadvantages: Gardening is extremely weather dependent. If it pours out of all the buckets, the job falls through - and with it the long-awaited reward.

Babysitting

Changing baby Hugo and feeding sweet Sophie - babysitters should like children. If the little one sleeps through the night, it's easy money. But: The responsibility is great, the utmost attention is required! If you just sit through the time and actually want to paint your fingernails or watch films, you could run into problems.

give tutoring

Teaching the boy next door to the multiplication table or the binomial formulas. Advantages: You can make friends and even learn something yourself. And you can see firsthand what a difficult job your own teachers have. Disadvantages: You can only get jobs if you get good grades in school.

Go for a walk

Another classic neighborhood help: take the dog out for a fee. Only suitable for animal lovers. And for people who are toying with the idea of buying a four-legged friend and want to get a taste of everyday dog life. Advantages: Keeps you on your toes - and fit. Disadvantages: The pleasure is over in a flash.

deliver newspaper

Access it quickly, because who knows how long this sideline will be around. The imploding newspaper editions send their regards. But the publishers still need newspaper deliverers who cycle through the settlement early in the morning. Optionally, flyers and advertising brochures can also be distributed. Advantages: exercise, fitness, fresh air. Disadvantage: the alarm clock rings uncomfortably early.

Agriculture

Formerly the normal, now more of an exception. Children who help out during the harvest season, mostly their parents. The Youth Labor Protection Act says: "In agriculture, young people over 16 years of age may not be employed more than nine hours a day during harvest time and no more than 85 hours in two weeks."

Delivery service

First of all, pizza drivers need something? Most of all, a driver's license. It is well known that you will have that in your pocket at the earliest when you are 18. But: Where the distances are short or the alleys are narrow, you can often get around better by bike or scooter. So just pay attention to whether there are pizza bikers outside. If so, simply ask the delivery service whether the job is also suitable for under-18s.

Website maintenance

Mini-businesses have neither the capacity nor the budget to entrust a professional agency with website maintenance. A real option for young digital natives: edit texts and images, fill social media channels, manage the entire company website. Advantages: You have a top reference in your pocket afterwards. And the job is a good preparation for the - probably very IT-heavy - labor market of the future.

fill up shelves

Supermarkets and retail chains always need people to put the goods back in their place. Swift but conscientious work is required here: food expiration dates must be observed. In addition, the goods must be neatly moved forward and presented. If the delivered goods cannot be completely accommodated on the shelf, stow them in the designated place.

promotion

A keen sense of sales and distribution - that could basically be described as a top skill. So if you like and can, you can train - as a promoter at the trade fair or in the pedestrian zone. Advantages: You get to know new people, maybe even travel from city to city. Disadvantages: Promoters have to live with many small defeats - in the form of friendly rebuff and bristle baskets.

sale

Bring vegetables, herbs or cheese to the people at the weekly market. This is also a nice student job for everyone who likes to be with people. The advantage here too: You train - and test - your own sales talent, and you usually learn to do mental arithmetic quickly. Disadvantages: weekend work calls. In addition, it is physically demanding.

Advantages and disadvantages of student jobs

Money, money, money - the main motivation of a student job does not need any further explanation. The new smartphone needs to be paid for, the sneakers, the expensive winter jacket - the gossip in the playground can be ruthless. But there are definitely still one or the other advantage that you take with you on the side ...

Benefits of a student job

He trains the handling of money.
It strengthens personal responsibility and a sense of duty.
The student job promotes new contacts.
It helps to find interests and career goals.
He can create new friendships.
The student job gives the day / week a fixed structure.

A job takes time. Free time that you could also spend with friends in the cinema, for hobbies, in the gym - or if necessary even with cramming. A clear disadvantage from the student's point of view. But not only that.

Disadvantages of a student job

School duties are neglected.
It can lead to excessive demands.
The employer takes advantage of the cheap labor.
Physical and mental exhaustion from unfamiliar / hard work.
Increased consumer orientation due to the fact that more money is available.

If you spin the train of thought even further, a student job can even make you fat - just like with adults. Those who work, cannot go to the football field with the boys during this time and still munch on Big Macs in the evening, inevitably put on pounds.

Or the workload of the student job means that you cannot pass the Abitur at all or only with a final grade of 3.7 - and afterwards you can remove the make-up for a place in medicine.

The examples are only intended to show that a student job can also backfire under certain circumstances. One should at least consider that.

What do I have to consider with student jobs?

In addition to the framework conditions mentioned above - appropriate age, parental consent - students should look carefully when choosing their student job. Inexperience and naivety are two traits that are exploited by unscrupulous people. Schoolchildren are particularly at risk because of their young age. Therefore, there are a few warnings to be observed from the outset:

Attention: Pay phone number

Never call a 0900 or 0190 telephone number to get the promised information about the part-time job. The consumer advice centers have been warning against this for years. The phone call costs money, the job usually doesn't even exist. Rip off risk! Make sure you have a real address in your area, preferably with a landline number.

Attention: Pay for work materials

Never pay in advance. With various providers, you have to buy the products you are actually supposed to monetize yourself beforehand. Or put money on the table to be included in the model file. Or order information brochures for a not inconsiderable amount of money. Untrustworthy!

A few years ago, the consumer center in Hamburg warned of an advertising agency that was looking for product testers online. The promise: You get a fee for a product test, you can even keep the product. The catch: Interested parties had to take out a two-year magazine subscription beforehand.

So again: DO NOT accept an offer in which the applicant is asked to pay in advance in any way!

Warning: cocky promises

Don't fall for cheap scams. “Earn easily earned money on the side”. “2,500 euros a month with part-time employment!” Such formulations should ring the alarm bells. There is no easy money to be made out there, and certainly not for high school students. The best example: ballpoint pen assembly. In the truest sense of the word: hands off!

What applies to taxes and duties?

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a student job, just as there is no such thing as a student job. There are various employment opportunities that anyone can pursue.

For schoolchildren, only the mentioned limits regarding age and working hours apply. Classic school jobs such as mowing the lawn or shopping help can be carried out with help from the neighborhood.

But be careful with regular employment: If you are not reported to the mini job center and without a tax card, there is a risk of illegal work!

Anyone who would like to work for a longer period during their holidays or would like to supplement their pocket money with a regular income will find what they are looking for among so-called mini-jobs: These are minor jobs that only offer work for a few hours a week.

The payment is usually not more than 450 euros, hence the name 450-euro job. Since there is not a lot of time to work besides school anyway, such jobs are ideal as student jobs. They can often be found in the service sector, for example as a sales aid or at the checkout.

Student jobs that are carried out as a mini job are not subject to social insurance, so no health, long-term care or unemployment insurance contributions are paid. You can get exempt from pension insurance.Furthermore, there are no taxes.