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Which seasonal ‘summer jobs’ are available in Germany?

As the weather starts to warm up, you may be looking for more adventures outside your office or home. Here's what you need to know if you'd like to find a seasonal job in Germany this summer, including some ideas about jobs that are hiring now.

Published: 23 April 2024 09:14 CEST
SUP in Berlin
Three people on SUP boards paddle into the sunset on the spree in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance / Paul Zinken/dpa

Compared with southern European countries that are more commonly associated with fun-in-the-sun getaways, Germany isn’t generally top of mind when it comes to summer time seasonal jobs.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting part-time and seasonal employment opportunities to find here during the warmer months.

And if you want to find yourself working a cool job come May or June, the time to start applying is now. So here’s what you need to know about seasonal employment in Germany, and a few ideas of the kinds of jobs you can look out for:

What types of seasonal work is permitted in Germany?

Germany offers a specific work permit for foreign nationals who want to come to the Bundesrepublik as a seasonal worker. But this generally applies to workers coming to do agricultural labour.

Non-EU nationals can apply for the seasonal work permit, which would allow them to live and work in Germany for 90 to 180 days. EU citizens, including those from Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, do not need a work permit.

The primary requirements for the work permit are that the job requires at least 90 days of labour out of a 180 day period, and that employees regularly work 30 hours per week. More information about seasonal work permits are found on Germany’s employment agency’s website.

If you already live in Germany, your working eligibility is determined by your current residence permit.

READ ALSO: Five well-paid jobs in Germany that nobody wants to do

Beside strictly ‘seasonal work’ opportunities, plenty of jobs that are seasonal in nature may be classified differently – as full-time, part-time, freelance or mini-jobs, for example.

Here are a few summer job ideas to get you started:

scuba near Cuxhaven

A diver in the Kreidesee, Believe it or not, Germany has a number of popular scuba locations spread among southern lakes and the North Sea. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sina Schuldt

Water sports shop staff and guides

For surf and sunshine enthusiasts, it’s hard to imagine a better job than one that keeps you outside and near a nice body of water. 

From windsurfing on the North Sea, to scuba diving in southern lakes, to paddling on lakes and rivers, Germany hosts its fair share of water sports no matter where you go.

Gear rental shops and tour companies offering water sport experiences often need extra support staff during the summer months, especially during peak vacation periods. If you’re interested in work that allows you to mix in a bit of play it’s worth checking with these kinds of businesses in your area.

In Berlin, for example, there are a handful of SUP and kayak rental shops at various locations on the Spree and local lakes.

Severine, founder and owner of Stand Up Club Berlin, told The Local that she is actively seeking rental helpers for the coming season. Details and how to apply can be found here.

Summer camps

Another fun seasonal gig that can get you out to the great outdoors is summer camps.

Especially for native English speakers, working as a camp counsellor or instructor at an immersive English learning camp is one way to make some money through the summer while avoiding German language requirements. Additionally, these kinds of jobs can be highly flexible in terms of scheduling. 

The Language Farm, for example, offers unique English language immersion camps for German school children, including canoe tour and circus camps, along with other themed and classic camp options. According to the Language Farm’s job application portal, they seek out “musicians, artists, sporty or outdoorsy people and/or people who have worked with kids before”.

Elle Rogers, who has worked at the Language Farm for three seasons, said that the job brings her immense joy and fulfilment. “Each week I have the privilege of connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds, sharing cultures, and fostering friendships,” Elle told The Local.

Additionally, FOKUS Camps, hires English speakers from the UK, Australia, USA and Canada, to run immersive language learning camps at locations across Germany. More information about jobs is available on the website.

Hospitality and tourism

But of course not all summer jobs require sun hats and sunscreen.

In fact, due to a general boom in tourism during the summer months, hospitality roles broadly have more demand for workers leading up to the summer time.

So if you are looking for a gig to start soon, local restaurants, cafes and hotels are a decent place to start.

Additionally, more uniquely seasonal businesses, such as outdoor kinos, upcoming music festivals, and holiday resorts often seek out summer staff.

Some helpful resources

If you’re looking for a summer job – or really any job in Germany – you may find the following resources useful. (In addition to LinkedIn of course.)

READ ALSO: 8 interesting festivals to check out in Germany this summer

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TAXES

EXPLAINED: How do you close down a freelance business in Germany?

Leaving the country? Got a steady job offer you can’t say no to? Winding down your self-employment activities in Germany still requires taking a few bureaucratic steps.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:07 CEST
Updated: 15 May 2024 10:57 CEST
EXPLAINED: How do you close down a freelance business in Germany?

Striking out on your own as self-employed is one of the scariest – and potentially most rewarding things – you can do. In Germany, it also comes with its own set of rules around tax and social insurance.

But there are times when – for whatever reason – it may be time to move on.

Whether it’s because you have an exciting new opportunity or things haven’t quite worked out the way you hoped due to economic pressures – winding down self-employment the right way is crucial to avoid gaps in your health and social insurance coverage in Germany.

The steps you have to take are also a bit different depending on if you are new self-employed (Freiberufler) or have a trade licence (Gewerbe) – with some steps not being necessary for new self-employed.

Trade licences are automatically cancelled if the licenced person dies or the company ceases to have financial assets.

Resigning the trade licence or declaring it dormant

New self-employed people like writers or speakers don’t need to go through this step, as they don’t need a trade licence.

Those who have a trade licence will need to contact their competent local authority and resign it, or declare it dormant (withdrawing the licence). If you’re only winding down temporarily, declaring your trade licence dormant instead of de-registering completely may save you a few headaches later.

You may have to do this in person at your local trade office – or Gewerbeamt – depending on whether your local authority allows online de-registration or not. You’ll need to bring your official ID, trade licence, confirmation of registration and possibly an extract from the trade register. Fees are dependent on your local authority and can range from being free to €25.

You can declare the date you intend to resign the licence – which can be in the future. To ensure no gaps in your social insurance protections, including health insurance, set this date for the day before whatever comes next. For example, if you’re starting a new job on January 1st set the date for your trade licence to expire as December 31st.

The trade office will typically notify your local tax office, so you won’t need to do this yourself.

Notifying your tax office

If you’ve had to resign your trade licence, you can skip this step as your trade office will do it for you. If you’re a Freiberufler without a trade licence you need to resign, you’ll have to notify your local Finanzamt, or tax office, yourself.

Luckily, this is a pretty easy step.

First, you need to decide whether you’re ceasing operations completely or wanting to continue them part-time. If you’re ceasing completely, you’ll end up surrendering your self-employed tax number.

You don’t have to do this though. If you think you may still carry on some self-employed business as a side gig, you can inform the tax office that you intend to do so and keep your number.

At that point, the tax office should treat you as a Kleinunternehmer – or a small business making less than €22,000 a year. Having this status means that you will not need to pre-pay taxes or charge VAT on your invoices for freelance side projects.

If you derive any income from your side gig in the future though, you’ll still have to file a tax return.

READ ALSO: Can I have a freelance side gig as an employee in Germany?

Notifying your health insurance

While different private plans in Germany may have different notification requirements, if you have public health insurance in Germany, you should notify them that you’re winding up your self-employed business. Specifically, advise them exactly what date you’re wrapping up.

Again, this should be right before you start your new job or leave the country, to ensure no gaps in your coverage.

If ending your self-employment in Germany, take care to ensure that there’s no gaps in your health insurance coverage, by giving the right date for when you’re ceasing activity. You don’t want to be caught without coverage. Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash

If you are in an artistic profession and thus pay pension, health, and nursing insurance through the Artist Social Insurance Fund (KSK), you should also advise them as well. If you’re leaving self-employment completely, you can typically give notice to KSK as to when it’s ending.

If you’re not, and intend to still make money freelancing as a side gig, they should know this as well. In this event, you’ll no longer pay health or care insurance through KSK, as this is covered through your main job.

You may need to continue to pay pension contributions through KSK based on the amount of money you still make from self-employed activities — depending on how much of them you continue.

KSK: How creative freelancers can pay less for German health insurance

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