Study, work & stay

What to expect

• •Since 1 March 2024 you can work 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year as a student (a half day is up to 4 hours). There is also an option of 20 hours per week during term.
• •Mandatory internships that are part of your course do not count towards those days.
• •After graduating you get an 18-month residence permit to find a job related to your degree.
• •A qualifying job leads to a work permit or the EU Blue Card, which is the fast track to permanent residence.

The real difficulties

• !Balancing a job with studies is hard; protect your grades.
• !Job hunting in some fields needs German, so keep learning.

Best practices

• ✓Get a Werkstudent (working student) job early. It is the usual bridge to a full-time offer.
• ✓Keep count of your work days against the 140/280 limit yourself; the rule is per calendar year.
• ✓Keep improving German; it widens every door, including permanent residence.

What a paid agent would do here

• ₹Is long gone by now. Their KPI was your enrolment, not your career.

The truth: Your job hunt, work visa and PR are where it really counts, and where an agent never had any stake.