Employment Contract with JGU

Employment as Research Assistant (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin / Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter)

Candidates who wish to be employed as Research Assistants (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin / Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) need to complete an application for employment (The forms are only available in German).

It is recommended that an application for employment should be filed at least four weeks prior to the commencement of employment. Otherwise, the employment contract will not be ready in time and punctual payment of the first salary cannot be guaranteed.

Together with the application for employment, a number of documents must be submitted. If the original language of these documents is not German or English, an officially certified translation of these certificates and documents has to be provided as well. The documents mentioned below will be kept by the personnel office. Therefore, please do not send any originals.

The following documents have to be submitted together with the application for employment:

  • officially certified copies of all confered university degrees (e.g. Bachelor, Master, PhD) in the original language,
  • a birth certificate or marriage certificate.

Further certificates may be necessary depending on your personal situation (e.g. in the case of applicants with children):

  • a curriculum vitae
  • a certificate of marital status (original plus two copies):
    • single persons: birth certificate
    • married persons: marriage certificate
    • divorced persons: legally valid decree of divorce
    • if you have children: birth certificates of your child / children
    • your most recent school certificate, e.g., a certificate corresponding to a German university entrance qualification ("Abitur") (original plus one copy), other certificates and documents, e.g., vocational qualification certificate and/or university degree, doctorate, or habilitation diploma (original plus one copy of each).

Before the contract of employment can be signed, a number of additional papers are required. In general, these papers can be obtained only after your arrival in Germany:

  • residence permit,
  • tax card,
  • social security certificate,
  • proof of health insurance.

Please consult the personnel office (Personalabteilung) concerning the details. They will be happy to assist you.

Work permit

Depending on your country of origin and the status of your residence permit, you may not be permitted to work in the Federal Republic of Germany. Please ascertain before you arrive what you need to do to obtain a work permit, i.e., whom you have to contact and which documentation you will have to submit.

It is often difficult to obtain a work permit. However, exceptions may apply in the case of highly qualified persons, i.e., academics with specialized qualifications, and higher-level teaching staff and academics. These highly qualified persons are permitted to reside in Germany if they have employment here. In you fall into this category, a residence permit will be issued to you without delay. This residence permit will automatically entitle you to work. All you need to do is submit an application to the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde).