FAQs for auxiliaries
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Overview
Job advertisements can be found on the ITS or Carrer Servicenotice board or on the central pages of the hiring departments:
Overview (links) to the individual pages of the hiring departments:
https://moodle.uni-kassel.de/course/view.php?id=2863
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb06/infothek/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb07/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb07/ibb/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb07/ibwl/wirtschaftsinformatik/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb14bau/infothek
https://www.uni-kassel.de/maschinenbau/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/maschinenbau/institute/werkstofftechnik/studium-lehre
https://www.uni-kassel.de/eecs/organisation/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.kde.cs.uni-kassel.de/
https://www.uni-kassel.de/eecs/e2n/studentische-arbeiten
https://www.uni-kassel.de/its/startseite/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtung/isz-/-sprachenzentrum/startseite
https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtung/servicecenter-lehre/besser-studieren/hilfskraft-werden
www.uni-kassel.de/go/gleichstellung
https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtung/servicecenter-lehre/besser-studieren/leo-lernort/
Basics
In accordance with Section 82 of the Hessian Higher Education Act, students who are enrolled at a university in a course of study leading to a first or further professionally qualifying university degree may be employed on a part-time basis for a total period of up to six years.
Proof of student status must be provided in the form of a current study certificate.
Student assistants support students in their studies through tutorials and provide services in research and teaching as well as study-related services that also serve their own academic further education.
The following legal bases apply to employment as an assistant:
Recruitment requirements
Student assistants are enrolled for the first time and do not yet have a university degree.
Student assistants with a first professionally qualifying university degree have completed their Bachelor's degree and are studying for a Master's degree.
In the grammar school teacher training courses, proof of at least 180 credits is equivalent to a first professionally qualifying university degree.
One research assistant has already completed the Master's degree.
From 01.10.2022, research assistants at the University of Kassel will no longer be hired or have their contracts extended.
Recruitment procedure
Student assistant positions are usually advertised on the internet at https://swb.uni-kassel.de/ or on the pages of the hiring department. Here is an overview (links) to the individual pages of the hiring departments:
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb06/infothek/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb07/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb14bau/infothek
https://www.uni-kassel.de/maschinenbau/infothek/stellenangebote
https://www.uni-kassel.de/eecs/organisation/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.uni-kassel.de/its/startseite/stellenausschreibungen
https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtung/isz-/-sprachenzentrum/startseite
https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtung/servicecenter-lehre/besser-studieren/hilfskraft-werden
The selection takes place in the respective employment area. The employment contract is also prepared there. The employment contract must then be submitted to the Human Resources and Organization Department four weeks before the planned date of employment with all the necessary documents. The employment contract only becomes legally binding once it has been signed by the Human Resources and Organization Department.
Here, too, the selection is made in the respective employment area. The employment area submits a digital recruitment application via the document management system (DMS). The future student assistant then fills out the personnel form online and uploads the required documents. The employment contract (PDF format) is generated from the information entered via the "Create contract document" button. The student assistant then prints out the employment contract twice, signs it and then sends both copies directly to the Department of Human Resources and Organization - Student Assistant Processing III C 20- III C 22, Mönchebergstraße 19, 34125 Kassel.
The required documents should be prepared, completed, signed and saved in advance so that they can be uploaded during the recruitment process.
The documents that must be submitted when hiring can be found online at www.uni-kassel.de/go/hilfskraft/extern. All documents relevant to the contract can only be accessed via the auxiliary staff page of the Department of Human Resources and Organization. This is the only way to ensure that the latest version of the contract documents is used.
The current personnel form already contains all declarations and obligations (declaration on penalties and disciplinary measures as well as on ongoing proceedings, obligation of confidentiality and compliance with data protection requirements in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Hessian Data Protection and Freedom of Information Act (HDSIG), the declaration of acknowledgement of the Directive on Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Administration of the State of Hesse and the annex to the personnel form with regard to any previous periods of service and qualifications and no longer need to be submitted separately.
Also required:
- Certificate of enrollment (in duplicate) stating the semesters of study.
A certificate of enrollment must be submitted for each semester . - University degree (Bachelor's, Master's)
If you have a foreign degree, please submit a certificate of comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB); further information can be found at www.kmk.org/zab - For auxiliary staff from non-EU countries:
Copy of the residence permit including supplementary sheet and copy of the passport. The loss or change of the residence permit must be reported to the Auxiliary Staff Office immediately.
Required for payroll accounting:
If the contract is extended immediately afterwards, not all documents need to be resubmitted. It is sufficient to submit the current certificate of enrollment (if this is not yet available for the semester) and the social security questionnaire. However, if there have been changes (e.g. new address, bank details), the personal data sheet must be completed again.
In the case of re-entry with an interruption of longer than 6 months, the personnel form must be resubmitted.
Auxiliary staff who are not German nationals (with the exception of EU citizens) require a valid residence permit. This residence permit may not be subject to any conditions that prevent employment. The foreigners authority is responsible for this.
There is a temporary residence permit for studying at a university, which entitles you to work for a total of 120 days or 240 half days or to work as a part-time student. A copy of the residence permit must be submitted the first time you take up employment. The cover letter for the employment contract contains a note stating that the employment contract ends when the residence permit expires or is revoked. Therefore, a copy of the extension of the residence permit must be submitted to the Department of Human Resources and Organization immediately.
Each assistant is free to enter into several employment relationships. It should be noted that the maximum number of hours of 82 hours at the University of Kassel may not be exceeded. If employment outside the University of Kassel is accepted, this must be reported to the university employment office so that social security issues can be clarified.
Duration of employment
According to § 82 of the Hessian Higher Education Act, student assistants can be employed for up to 6 years. All employment as a student assistant is counted towards the maximum period of employment, regardless of the respective scope of employment and the university. Therefore, periods of employment as a student assistant at another university must also be included in the attachment to the personnel form.
Contracts are always concluded on the 1st of the month for full months. Provided there are no important, comprehensible reasons to the contrary, the assistant contracts should be concluded for at least 2 semesters if possible.
No. A written employment contract must be in place before the start of employment. It is not permitted to work without a valid employment contract. Therefore, employment contracts must be submitted to the Human Resources and Organization Department 4 weeks before the start of the contract. This is the only way to ensure that remuneration can be paid in the relevant month.
No, recruitment, termination, amendment or extension contracts cannot be concluded retroactively.
Periods as a student assistant (before the Master's degree) are not taken into account.
All fixed-term employment contracts concluded with a German university or research institution in accordance with Section 2 (1) sentence 1 of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act) must be taken into account. This also includes periods as a research assistant.
After an academic university degree, enrolled students may be employed as student assistants with a first professionally qualifying university degree. If you have completed a doctorate, employment as a student assistant is completely excluded.
Working hours
As employment as a student assistant is a part-time job, the scope of employment of 82 hours/month must not be exceeded. The studies must still predominate.
The scope of employment should not be less than 40 hours/month in order to enable the student assistant to continue their own academic training.
The average monthly working hours are specified in the employment contract.
Only full hours are to be agreed.
Working hours must be agreed in writing with the immediate superior. A timesheet must be kept of the hours worked.
The daily working time should not exceed 8 hours. It should be noted that a statutory rest break of at least 30 minutes must be observed for working hours of 6 to 9 hours.
Breaks do not count as working time and are therefore not paid.
After the end of the daily working time, a rest period of at least 11 hours must be observed before the start of the next working time.
The hours worked are documented on a timesheet ( PDF fileor Excel spreadsheet) and must be submitted to the employment department.
The forms are also available online at www.uni-kassel.de/go/hilfskraft/extern.
In accordance with Section 17 of the Minimum Wage Act, the timesheets must be recorded by the end of the seventh calendar day following the day on which the work was performed at the latest and submitted to the supervisor of the respective area of employment.
In the case of fixed weekly working days, periods for public holidays that fall on these working days do not have to be worked before or after, nor is vacation to be taken for these periods.
Timesheets are kept in accordance with the Minimum Wage Act. All hours worked per month are recorded here. If fewer hours are worked in a month, these can be compensated within the term of the contract. For this reason, the total number of hours for the term of the contract is specified in the employment contracts.
It is possible to reduce or increase the agreed hours in agreement with the supervisor. For this purpose, a corresponding application must be submitted to the Department of Human Resources and Organization (4 weeks before the start of the change). The Department of Human Resources and Organization will then draw up an amendment contract. This is signed in triplicate by the assistant and the supervisor. Remuneration will not be paid until the signed contract amendment has been received by the Human Resources and Organization Department.
The supervisor will inform the Human Resources and Organization Department. If proof is not submitted despite a reminder from the Department of Human Resources and Organization, it must be assumed that the agreed hours have not been worked and the remuneration already paid will be reclaimed.
For work not performed or overpayment in the event of premature termination of the employment relationship, the overpayment will be reclaimed by the University Payroll Office. A limitation period of two years applies to this, unless a shorter limitation period has been agreed in the employment contract.
Tasks
Work assignments are carried out by the supervisor (named in the employment contract).
If the work is to be done from home, this must be clarified in advance with the department as to whether the tasks are suitable for this. If this is possible, a corresponding agreement must be concluded. The form for this can be obtained from the department. A copy is then also kept there and destroyed after the end of the employment relationship.
Duties as an assistant
The assistant is obliged to
- to perform the assigned tasks conscientiously
- to observe and comply with the regulations and instructions in force at the University of Kassel
- to maintain secrecy about official matters that come to their knowledge in the course of their work
- to inform the supervisor immediately if the work cannot be carried out
- to fill in the time sheet
- in the case of employment over several semesters, a current certificate of enrollment must be submitted for each semester
- in case of de-registration, withdrawal of residence permit, changes (bank account, address, attainment of a university degree) to inform the Department of Human Resources and Organization
Student assistants must inform the University of Kassel if they have any other employment in parallel to their employment as an assistant so that social security issues can be clarified.
All employment outside the university must be indicated in the questionnaire on social security obligations as well as on the self-disclosure form.
Sick note
In the event of illness, the supervisor or deputy must be notified immediately. A medical certificate (and all subsequent certificates) must be submitted to the employing area no later than the 4th day of absence due to illness. Monitoring will be conducted in the respective employing area.
Sick pay will be paid up to the duration of 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, neither the employer nor the health insurance company will pay unless the student assistant is exceptionally employed subject to social insurance. Even if the employer no longer pays sick pay, he/she must be informed of the expected duration of the illness by means of a medical certificate.
The resumption of work must also be notified because of the resumption of payment.
In the case of fixed working days, the hours do not have to be made up. It is only noted on the timesheet that there was a sick note on this day.
Right to vacation
According to the Federal Leave Act, auxiliary staff are entitled to paid leave. The leave amounts to 20 working days with a 5-day week. The respective calendar year is decisive. The vacation entitlement is compensated by a reduction in working hours. Approval and monitoring is carried out by the employing department.
If the contract term extends beyond the turn of the year, the two years must be calculated separately.
Example calculation for a term of 4 months with an employment volume of 40 hours/month.
The vacation entitlement is calculated in several steps.
First, the average monthly period of employment is determined (for different numbers of hours per month, if the hours per month vary).
In the next step, the monthly hours are converted to one day by dividing the 40 hours / 22 working days. This results in 1.82 hours/day.
According to the Federal Leave Act, there are 20 working days. Converted to a month, this is 1.67 days/month
The vacation entitlement is calculated by dividing the hours/day x 1.67 x contract term, i.e. 1.82 x 1.67 x 4 = 12.16 hours.
This results in a vacation entitlement of 12 hours.
Leave is clarified with the respective supervisor in the area of employment and entered in the time sheet.
There is no separate form.
In the event of illness during vacation, this must be reported to the supervisor. The leave can then be credited and taken at a later date.
Remuneration
The hourly rates are:
from 01.04.2024 | From 01.08.2025 | |
Student assistants | 13,46 € | 14,20 € |
Student assistants with a first professionally qualifying university degree (FH degree, Bachelor's degree, LA elementary school, LA Hauptschulen and Realschulen) | 14,46 € | 15,26 € |
| In the gymnasium teacher training courses, proof of at least 180 credits is equivalent to the first professionally qualifying university degree. | |||
Since 01.04.2022, the monthly special payment (Christmas bonus) has been integrated into the hourly rate.
Remuneration is always paid on the last day of the month for the current calendar month. In order for the payment to be made on time, the documents must be submitted to the Human Resources and Organization Department 4 weeks before the start of the contract.
The fee is paid out by the university benefits office. If you have any questions about the statement, you can contact the person in charge at the university benefits office directly. You will find the responsible administrator on your statement.
No, but an IBAN must be available.
The salary statements are sent to the private address by the university pay office. These are only issued by the university payroll office in the event of employment or changes.
Once the Bachelor's examination has been successfully completed, employment as a student assistant is only possible with a first professionally qualifying university degree. It must be ensured that the notification of the successfully completed university degree is submitted promptly to the Student Assistant Office of the Department of Human Resources and Organization. The salary will then be adjusted from the 1st of the month following the submission.
Employment as a student assistant is no longer possible once the Master's degree has been obtained. The existing contract ends upon exmatriculation.
Once the Master's examination has been successfully completed, employment is only possible as a salaried employee.
Social insurance
Social insurance includes health, pension, unemployment and long-term care insurance.
Student assistants are generally exempt from health, nursing care and unemployment insurance. Only pension insurance is compulsory.
In the context of marginal employment (€556 mini-job), it is possible to be exempted from pension insurance. If you are exempt from the pension insurance obligation, no pension insurance contributions are due.
If you decide against exemption, pension insurance contributions of 3.6% are payable. This is the difference between the employer's lump sum (15.00%) and the full pension insurance contribution of 18.6%. The monthly pension insurance contribution to be paid is to be calculated from 175 euros.
Marginal employment is divided into short-term employment or marginally paid employment (mini-job):
Short-term employment
Short-term employment is employment that does not exceed three months or a total of 70 working days in the course of a calendar year. The remuneration earned is generally irrelevant. No social security contributions are due.
Marginal employment (mini-job)
Low-paid jobs are so-called mini-jobs. Here, earnings may not exceed 538.00 euros per month. The weekly working hours and the number of monthly assignments are irrelevant.
However, there may be deviations from the above principles if there are other jobs in addition to the employment relationship at the university. These must then be combined under social security law.
If you do not know your social security number (e.g. from your social security card or health insurance certificate), you can obtain it from your health insurance fund or the German Pension Insurance.
A membership certificate from the health insurance fund is no longer required. It is sufficient to state the health insurance fund and the type of insurance in the social insurance questionnaire.
Special regulations apply in the transitional area (from € 556.01 to € 2000), according to which employees generally pay a reduced contribution. As earnings increase, the contribution share rises until the full contribution deduction is made at the end of the transitional period.
If a student job (e.g. as a student assistant or student assistant with a first professionally qualifying university degree) is carried out alongside studies, this is only exempt from social security contributions (KV, PV, AV exempt) if the scope of employment is less than 20 hours per week. With this number of hours, it can be assumed that the person can still devote most of his/her time to his/her studies. However, pension insurance contributions of 9.3% must be paid.
The limit of 20 hours/week may be exceeded if the activity
- predominantly in the evenings or at weekends
- during the lecture-free period (semester break)
is exercised. In these cases, it is assumed that the studies are not impaired.
During a semester of leave, students are still enrolled but generally do not take part in their studies. Their time and energy are not used primarily for their studies. They are therefore no longer regular students. Employment during a semester of leave is therefore generally subject to social security contributions if the €520 income threshold is exceeded. This means that contributions to pension insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance and long-term care insurance must be paid.
Wage tax
You receive your tax ID at birth. If this is not known, the tax ID can be requested from the Federal Central Tax Office.
If you have no other employer, the University of Kassel is your main employer. Your studies do not count as your main employment. If you have more than one employer, you can decide which should be your main or secondary employer.
Termination
The employment relationship ends with the period specified in the employment contract without the need for notice of termination.
The employment relationship as a student assistant also ends upon exmatriculation. The Department of Human Resources and Organization must therefore be informed immediately in the event of de-registration.
Both contracting parties are entitled to terminate the employment relationship. Notice of termination must be given in writing. A notice period of 4 weeks to the end of the month must be observed.
The employment relationship can also be terminated without notice "for good cause".
If both parties agree, the employment contract can be terminated without observing a notice period. To do this, the assistant must send a written request to the Human Resources and Organization Department together with their supervisor. A termination agreement will then be issued there. Retroactive terminations are not possible.
All items received from the University of Kassel (books, keys, tools) must be returned.
Other
Business trips require prior approval. In order to ensure accident protection, every business trip must also be reported to the supervisor prior to departure. Reimbursement of expenses (travel expenses) must be applied for via the responsible supervisor (e.g. dean) at the Department of Human Resources and Organization - no later than 6 months after the end of the trip.
Contact person:
Susanne Günther
Phone: 2304
In principle, the place of work is in Kassel or Witzenhausen.
However, there is the possibility of mobile work. In this case, a corresponding agreement must be completed, which is available in the employment department and is also kept there. It is not necessary to forward it to the Human Resources and Organization Department.
In this case, an accident report must be drawn up, as accidents at the workplace or on the way to/from work or during business trips and business outings must be reported to Unfallkasse Hessen. The form must then be submitted to the Human Resources and Organization Department.
A reference can be requested from the responsible assistant. The reference is issued by the Human Resources and Organization Department on the basis of a draft reference from the employing department.
As soon as the confirmation of pregnancy is available, the assistant should inform the employer, as the provisions of the Maternity Protection Act must be observed.
A copy of the maternity pass is sufficient proof of pregnancy; a separate doctor's certificate is no longer required.
The statutory protection periods are generally 6 weeks before delivery and 8 weeks after delivery.
You can still work before the birth if the auxiliary expressly agrees to do so. This must be done in writing and can be revoked at any time. After childbirth, however, there is an absolute ban on employment, i.e. women may not continue to be employed during this period even if they were willing to do so.
Further information on maternity protection can be found in the maternity protection guide.
After notification of the pregnancy, the auxiliary staff member receives an assessment form to determine the risk. The form is used to determine whether the auxiliary worker may be exposed to health hazards and whether protective measures need to be taken.
If you have any questions regarding risk assessment and occupational health and safety, please contact the Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection Group of the Construction, Technology and Real Estate Department.
The health insurance fund is responsible for the payment of maternity benefit, which is paid for the maternity protection period. Further information can also be obtained there. The difference is paid by the Hochschulbezügestelle upon presentation of the birth certificate. For auxiliary staff not subject to social security contributions, the following is responsible
Federal Office for Social Security (Maternity Benefits Office) Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 38 53113 Bonn |
An application form and further information can also be found on the website of the Federal Social Security Office at Maternity Office https://www.bundesamtsozialesicherung.de/de/mutterschaftsgeld/ueberblick/
Here you will also find the relevant application form.
The Personnel and Organization Department must be notified of any change of bank details, address or personal status with a change of name. Please also state your personnel number.
Any changes of address must also be notified after termination of employment so that documents such as employment references can be forwarded.
The personnel number can be found on the letter sent with the employment contract or on the salary statement.
The personnel form must include details of the severe disability and the degree of disability. Proof of this must be provided in the form of a severely disabled person's pass or equal opportunities certificate. Severely disabled persons are entitled to 5 days additional vacation. The degree of disability is determined by the Office for Social Welfare and Benefits (Amt für Versorgung und Soziales).
For questions and problems arising in connection with the employment relationship, the representative of the SBV, Ms. Kerstin Pippert, Tel. 0561-804-3676, email sbv[at]uni-kassel[dot]de, and as the employer's representative, Ms. Manuela Robrecht, Department of Human Resources and Organization, Tel. 0561/804-2518. Email: robrecht[at]uni-kassel[dot]de are available.
The representative for studies and disabilities is Mr.. Prof. Dr. Felix Welti, Tel.: 0561/804-2970, Email: welti[at]uni-kassel[dot]de.
If you have any further questions, please send an e-mail to the auxiliary staff.
Auxiliary staff council
To the homepage of the Auxiliary Council:
https://www.uni-kassel.de/hochschulverwaltung/organisation/vertretungen/hilfskraefterat