Hiwi Jobs

A popular student job is working as a “Hiwi” (“studentische/wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft”, research assistant).

What kind of work does a Hiwi do?

This varies from Hiwi job to Hiwi job, but these are some common kinds of jobs:

  • Tutoring/TA’ing: Teaching tutorial sessions, grading assignments and exams.
  • Programming: Writing software for a research project.
  • Research: Depends a lot on the actual job.
  • Data entry

How do I find a Hiwi job?

  • Sometimes, Hiwi jobs are announced via email or mentioned during lectures.
  • Talk to the lecturers and research staff you know! Especially if you know that they will teach a course you’d like to become a tutor for or that they lead a research project. Even if they’re not looking for a Hiwi, they might know who is.
  • Talk to students who already have Hiwi jobs and/or talk to us :)

How much do I get paid?

The salary is determined by the Land Baden-Württemberg and depends on whether you already have a degree. You can find an overview on this website (scroll down a bit).

As of the 13th November 2023, the pay scale is the following:

  • No degree: €12/h
  • BA: €12,87/h
  • MA: €17,49/h

How much can I work?

You can work up to 85 hours per month (20 hours per week), same as with other jobs you can do while studying. The actual amount of hours depends on the individual job.

Many Hiwi contracts are first limited to one semester or one semester break, but if the project continues afterwards, you can often get a new contract afterwards. You can do limited-term Hiwi jobs at the SfS for up to six years total.

Do I get paid vacation days/hours, do I get sick leaves?

YES. Unfortunately, a lot of Hiwis are not aware of this. To find out exactly how to take vacation etc., talk to who you’re working for. You can also check the links below.

What else is important? / Hiwi letters

You’ll regularly receive letters from the LBV (Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung, the office that takes care of the salaries of everyone employed by the Bundesland incl. employees of public universities). Typically, you don’t need to reply to these letters, just read and safekeep them. In general, some of them are sent to your home address and most are sent to the SfS. There is a box with Hiwi letters on the first floor (=the floor above the ground floor), in a small, usually open room opposite the SfS secretary’s office and next to the kitchen. This box sits on a small table right next to the door.

All of these are in German. Please let us know if any of these links are broken.

If you look for Hiwi information online, make sure that you’re getting Bundesland-specific information (e.g. on the salary) from websites of universities in Baden-Württemberg.

(We don’t take any responsibility for the content of the linked websites.)

Last updated 13-NOV-2023.