Your employment at Zenjob

Your jobs at Zenjob take place within the framework of temporary employment. Learn how this employment relationship works and what advantages it has for you.

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A young man is working as a replenisher at Zenjob. His employment at Zenjob takes place within the framework of short-term work.

Temporary employment explained

  • Talent = temporary worker

    Our Talents sign a general agreement with Zenjob during their onboarding, enabling them to work for our partner companies besides their studies.

  • Zenjob = supplier

    As a temp agency, we connect companies with temp workers. We handle all employer obligations for our Talents (e.g. wage payment and registration with social security).

  • Company = user

    We supply our partner companies with our Talents so they can work there. Our Talents sign a temporary work contract for each job directly in their app.

Short-term employment vs working student jobs

Students can work short-term or as working students (Werkstudenten) at Zenjob. There are fundamental differences between these two types of employment in Germany.

  • Short-term employment

    • Work one-day jobs at any of our partner companies
    • Sign a temporary work contract for each job
    • Flexible planning: decide when, how often, and where you work
    • Work up to 70 days per general agreement or calendar year

  • Working student job

    • Work for 3-18 months at one of our partner companies
    • Work 16-20 h/week (up to 40 h/week during semester break if the company agrees)
    • Coordinate your working times with our partner company
    • Earn a predictable, steady salary

How short-term employment works in Germany

Short-term employment is a type of marginal part-time employment. In contrast to a minijob with an earnings limit (currently €520 per month), short-term employment does not have an earnings limit but a time limit: it must be limited to a maximum of 3 months or 70 working days in a calendar year. It may not be carried out on an occupational basis.

The image shows a young woman who works as a warehouse helper at Zenjob.

The advantages of short-term employment

Short-term employment with Zenjob offers some advantages over a minijob with an earnings limit (i.e. €520 minijob).

Specifics of short-term employment

How working student jobs work at Zenjob

Our working student jobs are a good option for students who want a regular income. You also sign a general agreement with Zenjob and do your actual work at one of our partner companies. Unlike our short-term employment, you work exclusively for one company and commit to a fixed weekly schedule.

You can find our working student jobs marked as such in our app.

Two students discuss their employment at Zenjob on their way to university drinking a coffee-to-go.

Overview of working student jobs

Which tax class does your employment with Zenjob fall into?

  • 1

    Tax class 1

    Single persons automatically receive tax class 1 for their main employment. This tax class has a basic tax-free allowance of €10,908 per year (as of 2023). Single, separated or widowed students without any other employment besides Zenjob usually register with this tax class.

  • 2

    Tax class 2

    If you are a student who is a single parent without any other employment besides Zenjob, you may be able to register for tax class 2. Please note that you and your child must live together in the same flat and that another adult may not live in that same household. You must also be entitled to child benefit (Kindergeld) or child allowance (Kinderfreibetrag) for your child.

  • 3

    Tax class 3

    Tax class 3 only applies to married couples in combination with tax class 5. Tax class 3 has lower tax deductions than tax classes 4 and 5. This combination only makes sense if one spouse earns significantly more than the other. The person with the higher salary chooses tax class 3, and the one with the lower salary chooses tax class 5.

  • 4

    Tax class 4

    Tax class 4 automatically applies to married couples if both spouses are fully liable to income tax and do not deliberately switch to tax classes 3 and 5. This tax class behaves like tax class 1 and is primarily intended for married couples with approximately the same income.

  • 5

    Tax class 5

    Tax class 5 applies to married couples in combination with tax class 3. There are comparatively high tax deductions in tax class 5. The combination only makes sense if both spouses have unequal incomes. The person with the higher salary chooses tax class 3, and the one with the lower salary chooses tax class 5.

  • 6

    Tax class 6

    Tax class 6 applies to all persons who have several employers. The marital status is irrelevant. Tax class 6 has comparatively high tax deductions.

    If you are studying and have another part-time job or student job besides Zenjob, you can decide which of the two should be included in tax class 1-5 and which in tax class 6.

Tips for your tax deductions at Zenjob

The so-called registration period (Anmeldezeitraum) plays an important role in determining how much income tax you pay. It refers to the number of days between your first and last shift in a calendar month. The tax office uses the registration period to estimate your average daily wage projected over the year to determine your monthly income tax.

Calculation

Monthly wage / registration period x 365 days = theoretical annual wage

For short-term employment, there are a few tips on how to keep your income tax contributions as low as possible.

FAQ

  • There are four reasons why your general agreement with Zenjob might have expired.

    1. One year has passed since your general agreement with Zenjob started.
    The agreement automatically expires after one calendar year, and you must take a two-month break.

    2. You have worked 70 days within your general agreement.
    You have to wait two months before you can sign your next general agreement.

    3. You have worked 70 days in the calendar year.
    All working days are added up, regardless of whether they occurred within one or more general agreements. You can start your next general agreement from January 1st of the next calendar year.

    4. You terminate the general agreement.
    You do not have to observe any notice periods for this. After termination, you have to wait two months until you can sign your next general agreement.

  • The revolving door clause (Drehtürklausel) is designed to prevent a person from leaving a company and then being hired by that company as a temporary worker on worse terms within six months of leaving. It does not matter whether the employee was dismissed or resigned.

    Therefore, when you register with Zenjob, we ask you to provide a list of all your employers for the last 6 months. During this period, you are not allowed to book jobs with these companies.

  • Yes, in principle, you can. There are no restrictions from our side. However, you should note that there are income limits when receiving BAföG. If you exceed these limits, your BAföG may be reduced. The income limit is currently €520 per month or €6,240 in the respective period of your BAföG entitlement (as of 2023). We recommend that you contact your advisor at the Studentenwerk for more information.

  • Unfortunately, it is impossible to use Zenjob if you receive social welfare benefits according to the Second Book of the Code of Social Law in Germany (Zweites Sozialgesetzbuch). This includes unemployment benefits such as Arbeitslosengeld 2, Hartz IV or Bürgergeld. Child benefit (Kindergeld) and BAföG are not affected by this regulation.

    You may only take up short-term employment if it is not a regular occupation. Your income from short-term employment must be economically secondary for you. This is the case, for example, if you are doing short-term employment on the side (i.e. alongside full-time studies or a main job subject to social insurance contributions).

  • There is no universal earnings limit when you work through Zenjob as a short-term employee. That said, there are some limits that you may have to observe depending on your circumstance.

    If you receive BAföG, you can earn a maximum of €520 per month without deduction. If you are registered under your family’s insurance (familienversichert), the income limit is €485 (as of 2023), or €520 for income from a minijob. If you have any questions or uncertainties, we recommend contacting your health insurance provider or Studentenwerk.

    Also, note that the basic annual tax-free allowance for single persons is €10,908. If you want to remain tax-free at the end of the year, your total annual income must not exceed this amount.

  • If you work through Zenjob as a short-term employee, you may work a maximum of 70 days per calendar year or general agreement. Each shift counts as a working day, regardless of its duration. When you have reached the maximum number of working days within a general agreement or calendar year, you must take a two-month break before you are allowed to enter into a new general agreement.

    Please remember that you must comply with the German Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz) when planning your shifts. According to this law, the maximum working time is 8 hours per workday or 48 hours per week. You must also observe a statutory rest period of 11 hours between the end of your workday and the beginning of your next workday.

    If you work at Zenjob as a working student (Werkstudent*in), you may work up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period. During the semester break, it is possible to work up to 40 hours per week if the partner company agrees.

Any other questions?

Learn what our requirements are for using our service, how to sign up at Zenjob, and how to master your first job.

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