Student assistants and research assistants

You do not have to advertise a job vacancy when looking for an assistant.

However, if the job offer should be made open to the public, you must advertise the position. In this case, please send your job vacancy text via email to the Team for SHK and WHK in Unit 2.4 and CC Unit 3.2 Internal Service. 
The source of funding must already be indicated when the call for proposals is sent out.
Independent/decentralised advertisements for assistant positions are prohibited!

When advertising, it is essential to note that SHK must be advertised/employed for at least one semester and WHK for at least 12 months and may only be entrusted with scientific services (administrative activities not directly related to science and/or teaching may not be transferred).

Sample texts for:
SHK job vacancy
WHK job vacancy
 

Enrolled students who do not hold a university degree can only be employed as SHK.

If the candidate is an enrolled student and also holds a degree, they can be employed either as SHK or WHK.

Doctoral students or candidates who are no longer students can only be employed as WHK.     

It is not possible to be employed as both SHK and WHK at the same time. Likewise, it is not possible to employ Research Associates as WHK.

Pursuant to the Fixed-Term Research Contracts Act (WissZeitVG), the maximum term of an assistant contract is 6 years either before or after doctoral studies.

SHK and enrolled WHK who are working during their studies have temporary contracts pursuant to § 6 WissZeitVG. Employment is credited regardless of the number of hours worked per week.
 
Doctoral students or candidates who are no longer students must provide proof of a qualification goal. The term limit for their contracts is stipulated by § 2 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG.
Doctoral students or WHK who are no longer students must specify the type of qualification and, if necessary, provide a detailed explanation of the experience and skills they hope to acquire through their employment. They must also specify the planned duration of their employment (Qualification form – in German). You can find more information (in German) in this Circular Letter.

According to § 58 para. 3 sentence 4 SächsHSG, a student assistant must always be employed for at least one semester; in addition, TdL guidelines stipulate that a student assistant must always be employed for one year, and a research or artistic assistant must always be employed for at least twelve months.

In cases of shorter terms, this is to be justified in individual cases, as is the case for WHKs when exceeding the three years according to the framework code for the step to the next qualification level with employment as a research assistant.

Work parallel to studies pursuant to § 6 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG
Students are permitted to work for a total of 19 hours per week. This applies to all part-time jobs within and outside of TU Dresden. If this limit is exceeded, students lose their social security student status and will thus become liable for making social security payments at the normal rate.
There are exceptions for Diplom, part-time or distance learning students as well as those undertaking a mandatory placement or a leave of absence. Unit 2.4 examines each of these cases individually.

Obtaining qualifications pursuant to § 2 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG
WHK with the goal of obtaining qualification pursuant to § 2 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG can work a maximum of 19 hours per week.
Other employments are to be evaluated collectively in accordance with the Working Hours Act.

With regard to working on Sundays and public holidays, the Working Hours Act applies in its current version.

Research Assistants may only be assigned tutoring or research assistant activities in teaching and research (§ 58, para. 3 sentence 3 SächsHSG)(directly for teaching and/or research).
Purely administrative activities are not permitted.
Further information can be found in the SMWK's explanations on the subject in the circular on and on academic support activities (within the meaning of the SächsHSG in conjunction with the WissZeiVG).

A tutor (Latin tutor for 'guardian', 'protector') is a person in the academic field who is responsible for accompanying, instructing and guiding other people at universities or colleges. This special form of course is also known as tutoriat, tutorat or tutorium, in which tutors observe and intervene to help students with problems.
Tutors are usually students themselves in a higher semester. They support lecturers as Student Assistants or Research Assistants and use their knowledge to make it easier for other students to start their studies.

According to § 3 No. 26 of the Income Tax Act (EStG), income from part-time work as a trainer, educator, supervisor, trainer or comparable activities with a pedagogical focus (e.g. as a tutor) is tax-free up to a maximum amount of currently EUR 3,000.00 per year if the conditions specified there are met. The tax-free allowance can only be claimed once per year. Further information can be found in Circular D2/4/2021.

For the employment of student assistants (SHK) and the research assistants (WHK) at TU Dresden, please use the electronic employment process, ELSE.
This digitized employment process reduces the application processing time and improves the quality of application documents.

Employment without a valid employment contract (signed by both parties!) is not permitted!

Assistants may only undertake their tasks within the defined contract period.
Employment beyond this period is not permissible.

If you wish to change the number of hours a WHK works per week, please fill out an application for an increase/cutting of hours and send this to Unit 2.4 (for SHK, please use the ELSE process).

Unit 2.4 is responsible for finalizing employment and termination agreements between assistants and TU Dresden.

For SHK and WHK an
electronic application procedure

SG 2.4 must be informed of the cancellation of a contract.
The cancellation application can be used here.

EU citizens need proof of citizenship (passport copy).
Citizens of countries outside the EU must present proof of citizenship (passport copy) and a valid residence permit including additional provisions that confirm the legal right to be employed in Germany.
If the current residence permit does not cover the entire period of the contract application, we will issue partial contracts. It is not necessary to submit a separate application for a contract extension, simply send the extended residence permit to Unit 2.4 in due time.

The remuneration rates for assistants are published on Unit 2.4’s homepage and updated regularly. The last update took place on 01.04.2024.

Remuneration is paid on the last day of each month (provided that the payment is made on time by Unit 2.4).

The working hours of assistants must be evenly distributed throughout the week. As a rule, assistants cannot carry over hours to the following week.
(Example: an SHK with a contractual weekly working time of 10 hours per week earns €13.25 per hour, which totals €132.50 per week. If the SHK works 5 hours one week and therefore works 15 hours in the following week, this has an impact on how the minimum wage is calculated. According to the Act Regulating a General Minimum Wage (MiLoG), the weekly remuneration for working 15 hours per week is €8.83 per hour.)
A time sheet must be kept to accurately record the working hours of the assistant. The organizational unit must keep a record of the time sheet in case of review. Please refer to the relevant Circular Letters (in German).

Employment at TU Dresden will end upon expiration of the date specified on the contract. Tacit extension as specified by § 625 of the German Civil Code (BGB) is never permitted. If an employment relationship is not approved or contractually agreed upon by Directorate Personnel, it is in no way a valid employment relationship (statement regarding § 626 of BGB).

If the contract should end earlier than planned, there are two options: giving notice or terminating the contract. When giving notice, a notice period of four weeks to the 15^th or last day of the month must be observed.
The auxiliary staff should contact the responsible process initiators here to start the ELSE resolution process.

In the event of withdrawal from student registry (de-registration) during the contract period or in the case of under-performance/non-performance, supervisors should contact Unit 2.4 to coordinate the necessary steps.

If personal details change, please write to Unit 2.4 if these have an impact on the employment relationship. For example, please let us know if:

• your address changes
• your bank account changes
• you get married or there is a change in your vital records
• you are pregnant, due maternity leave or parental leave
• you take up another or secondary employment outside of TU Dresden

Yes, as an assistant (SHK or WHK), you are entitled to a reference upon ending your employment. You can choose between a simple reference (contains the contract period and a short list of tasks) and a qualified reference (comprises this same list and an additional personal evaluation).
The assistant must ask their supervisor for their reference and indicate which reference type they would like to receive. After you have received your reference, you can send it to to have it checked.
Please send a copy of the reference to Unit 2.4 so that Directorate Personnel also has a copy on file. Please refer to the Circular Letter D2/5/2020 (in German).

Rights

Assistants have a right to paid leave!
The provisions of the Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz; BUrlG) apply (§ 1 in conjunction with § 2 BUrlG).
For each full year (24 working days), 20 working days (Mon–Fri) are available as vacation here at TUD. The pro rata vacation entitlement is calculated in accordance with the one-twelfth rule:

Total employment months multiplied by 20 vacation days and divided by 12 months.

A full month of employment is, for example: January 1–January 31 or January 15–February 14.
Fractions of leave days amounting to at least half a day must be rounded up to whole days. Fractions of leave days amounting to less than half a day shall result in a one-time reduction of the official daily working time accordingly.

Applying for leave

The assistant must ask their supervisor for paid leave in writing which will then be confirmed and approved by the supervisor. Assistants should also make use of the TUD leave sheet to make the process easier. The organizational unit will keep hold of the leave sheets.

Provision

Since the assistant contracts agree on weekly working hours, which are to be evenly dispersed throughout the week, this distribution must also be taken into account when planning leave. For example, if the working time totals 10 hours per week, this corresponds to 2 hours of working time per day, equaling 5 vacation days.

Please note that the annual closure period during the holiday season applies to assistants as well. Thus, they must also reserve vacation time for use during this period (except on December 24 and December 31). If there is no vacation entitlement to paid leave due to a short contract duration, annual closure periods must be taken into account when creating the contract. For example, the contract could end one day before the annual closure period begins.

Examples
1. The assistant’s contract begins on April 1 and terminates on September 30. They are contracted to work 5 hours per week.
The assistant accrues an entitlement to 10 vacation days (20 days divided by 12 months multiplied by 6 full months of employment).
At 5 hours per week, this would mean 1 hour of work per day.
(if the assistant does not perform the 5 hours of work in a week, they have to take 5 days of leave. If the assistant performs 4 hours in a week, they would need to take one day’s leave.)

2. The assistant’s contract begins on April 1 and terminates on April 23. They are contracted to work 19 hours per week.  
The assistant does not have an entitlement to paid leave, as their contract is shorter than one calendar month.

3. The assistant’s contract begins on August 1 and terminates on December 31. They are contracted to work 15 hours per week.
The assistant accrues vacation entitlement amounting to 8 days for five full months of employment. In this case, they must take the annual closure period into account (excluding December 24 and December 31) when planning their vacation days.

Assistants do not need to make up hours scheduled for a public holiday on other days.
In this case, the weekly working time is reduced by the proportion of the working time attributable to the holiday. 

Example
An assistant has a contract to work 10 hours per week. In one week, there is a public holiday on Wednesday. The assistant does not need to complete any work on this day. 2 hours, which fall on the holiday, are deducted from the weekly working time. Thus, the assistant will only work 8 hours that week and the holiday will be marked as such in their time sheet.

The incapacity for work (AU) must be reported immediately to the Personnel Department at the functional address ("cc" supervisor:in or secretary:in) using the e-mail templates according to the applicable employee statuso.g.  If no independent notification is possible, the e-mail can also be sent to the functional address on behalf of the supervisor or secretary; SHK/WHK must be set to "cc".

Exception: In the case of privately insured persons, AU certificates from abroad, other AU certificates (e.g. private doctors, child ill, employment ban), the previous procedure of 'paper proof' and the obligation to present it by the employees will continue to apply.

Continued payment of remuneration in the event of illness: In the event of incapacity for work due to illness, employees are generally entitled to continued payment of remuneration for a period of up to six weeks. If the employment relationship ends during this period, the entitlement lasts at most until the end of the employment relationship. However, an entitlement only arises if the employment relationship has existed for at least four weeks without interruption.

No!
Assistants cannot go on business trips pursuant to the Saxon Travel Expenses Act (SächsRKG). They do not fall within this area of coverage.
However, assistants can travel in the interests of TU Dresden. Assistants are insured against accidents on trips that take place within the contractual period by the Saxon Accident Insurance Fund (Unfallkasse Sachsen), providing a travel application has been submitted and approved in writing before the start of the trip.
Assistants may be reimbursed for expenses for these trips in accordance with § 670 of the German Civil Code (BGB). To be reimbursed, please submit a travel expense claim with all original receipts and proof of payment attached.

Expectant mothers should inform their employer (in this case TU Dresden) of their pregnancy and the due date in writing.

The regulations of the Maternity Protection Act must be observed (announcement regarding occupational health and safety).

Maternity leave begins six weeks before the due date.
Expectant mothers may declare in writing their wish to continue working until giving birth. This declaration can be withdrawn at any time.

No employment is permitted within the eight weeks following the birth.

The application for parental leave must be submitted in writing seven weeks before the period of leave.

The statutory extension may be requested for maternity and parental leave lying within the contract period.
For assistants who have temporary contracts in accordance with § 6 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG, statutory extension is not possible.