Living in Germany
Student life in Germany
Beyond lectures and paperwork, Germany has a lot to enjoy — and easy ways to earn on the side while you study.
🎈 Things to do & entertainment
Festivals and seasons
There's something all year: Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) in winter, Karneval or Fasching in February, open-air festivals and city fests in summer, and Volksfeste in the Oktoberfest style. Many are free to wander around.
Culture on a budget
Museums, cinemas, theatres and concert halls often have student prices, and many cities have a cheap or free museum day. Bring your student ID. Your university and the Studierendenwerk list local deals.
Outdoors and day trips
Lakes, parks, beer gardens, hiking and cycling are a big part of life here. With the Deutschland-Ticket (or your semester ticket, if it's included) you can take local and regional trains across the country, which makes weekend trips cheap. It doesn't cover ICE or IC trains.
Nightlife and meeting people
Clubs, bars and student parties vary by city. The easiest way to make friends is to join something: a university group, a language tandem, or a local Verein (club) for whatever you're into.
Sports and clubs
University sport (Hochschulsport) is cheap and open to all levels, and local Vereine cover everything from football to climbing. Popular courses fill up fast, so register as soon as they open.
Student discounts
Your student status gets you discounts on transport, software, museums, gyms, streaming and more. Ask 'Gibt es einen Studentenrabatt?' and carry your ID.
🛵 Gig jobs & earning on the side
Small, flexible jobs are a great way to fund student life. From food delivery to mini-jobs, here’s what’s common — pick what fits your schedule, German level and work permission.
Food and grocery delivery
Lieferando, Wolt, Uber Eats and grocery delivery services hire riders and drivers. Hours are flexible, but contracts differ a lot: some employ you, some treat you as self-employed, and some expect your own bike. Check which before you start, because self-employment needs extra permission on a student visa.
Werkstudent (working student)
The best student job if you can get one: a real company role in your field, decent pay, and lower social contributions as long as you mostly stay within 20 hours a week during the semester. It builds the CV you'll need after graduating.
Mini-jobs (Minijob)
Up to €603 a month on average in 2026: cafés, shops, reception, warehouses or a campus job. Usually no tax comes off your pay, because the employer pays a flat rate, but ask. Pension contributions apply unless you opt out.
Event and promotion work
Trade fairs (Messe), promotions, festivals and catering hire short-term staff, often for a few intense, well-paid days. Look on student job boards and with Messe agencies.
Tutoring and babysitting
Nachhilfe (tutoring), language lessons and babysitting are easy to find through notice boards and apps, and pay well per hour. If you're working for yourself rather than for an agency, that's self-employment and needs permission from the immigration office on a student visa.
Warehouse, retail and seasonal work
Logistics companies, supermarkets and the Christmas season hire lots of casual staff. Some warehouse and delivery roles work with basic German; customer-facing jobs usually need more.
Work rules and the 2026 earnings limit checked on 10 October 2026: Minijob-Zentrale, Make it in Germany: study and work and Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Werkstudent rules.
Looking for something more career-relevant?
Working-student roles and graduate jobs build your CV for after studies.