The Career Center at Pforzheim University is the contact point for all students and their questions related to job applications and their career.
We will be happy to support you with any questions you may have on the subject:
- Developing an application strategy
- Finding suitable positions for internships and professional careers
- Designing cover letter and CV (application portfolio check)
- Preparing for a job interview
Individual consultation
If you prefer personal advice on your application documents or application strategy, please make an appointment in advance via email: careercenter(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de
Please contact us by e-mail: careercenter(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de
Phone number: 07231/28-6386
You find our Career Center team for direct consulting at the W1 building in roon W1.1.33.
Your career platform at Pforzheim University
Are you looking for an internship, a working student job or a position for direct entry? The JOBS&MORE career platform (empowered by JobTeaser) offers you a wide range of different opportunities. On the platform you can find our career talks with national and internaional working companies. Start to plan your career in Germany or other countries worldwide now and take advantages of our career platform.
Enter your current degree programme into the system so you can easily register for the events that are right for you. Create a search profile to be notified when a job that suits you is online.
Find exciting companies and apply directly via JOBS&MORE.
Simply log in with your usual university access data.
What is a working student?
What are working students?
Working students are students enrolled at a university who work in a field related to their studies alongside their studies. This activity combines theory and practice, allowing you to gain important initial professional experience and earn an income. Working students usually work up to 20 hours per week during the semester, with full-time work possible during the semester break.
Salary & earnings limits:
As a working student, you are entitled to the minimum wage (1 January 2025: gross 12.82 €/h; 1 January 2026: gross 13,90 €/h). Supplements for working on Sundays and public holidays, hazard allowances or tips may not be included in the calculation of the minimum wage.
Working students are subject to pension insurance but are exempt from health, nursing care and unemployment insurance (for a maximum of 20 hours per week). Income below the tax allowance remains tax-free. Please note: BAföG and child benefit regulations may be affected.
Working students are eligible for a tax allowance of € 12.096.- (as of 2025). If they earn more than this in a year, they become liable for income tax as working students.
How many days per week are working students allowed to work more than 20 hours?
The 26-week rule applies to working students: they remain working students, if they work more than 20 hours per week for a maximum of 26 weeks (or 182 calendar days) in the course of a calendar year, provided they do so at weekends, in the evenings, at night or during lecture-free periods (semester holidays). Further information can be found on the website of the German Student Union.
Employment contract provisions:
The following is regulated in the employment contract:
• Name and address of the contracting parties
• Start and end date
• Place of work
• Brief description of the task
• Duration of the probationary period (if agreed)
• Payment
• Working hours
• Holiday entitlement, possibly entitlement to further training
• Notice period
• General reference to the applicable collective agreements or works agreements
Further information can be found on the website of the German Student Union.
More information about Jobs and regulations:
Make it in Germany: Study and work
Tax Identification Number (Tax ID)
The Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) is the sole authority that issues Germany’s lifelong, 11-digit Tax Identification Number (Tax ID). You can request it online using a form provided by the BZSt.
Foreign nationals usually receive their Tax ID automatically after registering their residence at the local registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt).
If you are not registered in Germany but have income from a German source, you can contact the responsible local tax office, which will then request your Tax ID from the BZSt.
Social Security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer)
If you take up a job, your employer needs to register you with the social security system. You will then automatically receive a social security certificate via post, which also contains your pension insurance number (Important: keep this document for further reference). If you do not receive this certificate, you need to contact the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). Mini-jobbers can ask their employer to exempt them from the pension insurance obligation, which slightly increases their net income each month. However, the contributions can be factored in when applying for a permanent residence permit.
Studying in Baden-Württemberg
Opportunity for incoming exchange students to gain practical experience in a company in Germany
Facts & Options:
- Pforzheim University is located between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which is Germany's most innovative region.
- Well over 1000 students of Pforzheim University spend one semester in a company every year. All of these mandatory internships of minimum 100 working days are supervised by our university and are an essential part of our bachelor curricula. During the internships, our students are not taking courses.
- More than half of all students write their mandatory final thesis in cooperation with a company.
- 70+ companies are actively recruiting on campus every semester.
More and more international exchange students from our partner universities add a practical term* in Germany to their study abroad period at our school.
Pforzheim University’s International Study Program is appreciating and supporting this development.
Please find more information here: Internships for exchange students
Whether you are looking for an internship or a part-time job during your studies, there are a few important aspects to consider.
Find more information about studying and working in Baden-Württemberg here: career start BW
Your opportunity for international experience
An internship abroad offers many advantages: You enhance your intercultural skills, gain valuable experience in an international professional environment, and grow your personal and career network. You also gain deep insights into the culture and everyday life of another country—an experience that enriches you both professionally and personally.
Find more information here:
The "Career Talks" format enables students and companies to make valuable contacts in an uncomplicated way. The Career Center offers different options to all students to get in contact with national and international successful companies from Germany. Take advantage of our large network and find a working student job, an internship or your future employer.
Career Afterworks for Bachelor and Master students:
Students are clustered into small groups by subject area and brought together at tables with representatives from exciting companies. The event series is moderated by the Career Center. This gives companies and students the opportunity to engage in a relaxed and informative dialogue. After the group discussions, students have the opportunity to have a spontaneous one-to-one discussion with particularly interesting companies. The events take place at our university café.
- Consulting
- Development | IT
- Finance | Controlling | Tax | Law
- HR | Purchasing | Logistics | Resources
- Marketing | Communication | Creation
- Sales | Trade
The next Career Talks will take place on the following dates:
Career Afterwork - winter semester 2025:
- 4 November 2025 Marketing | Communication | Creation
- 6 November 2025 Tax | Law | Consulting
- 13 November 2025 Development | IT
- 18 November 2025 Finance | Controlling
- 20 November 2025 General Management
The talks always take place from 5 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. at the university café.
Students will be able to register via JOBS&MORE approximately one month before the event. The Career Center will inform you via all university channels as soon as you can register.
“The fact that I can have direct connections with the Industry professionals and the contact is not just limited to Working Student Job opportunities, but I can build my network and reach out to the HRs and professionals from the companies regarding my doubts, other opportunities like Internships, thesis, working students, full time jobs and project collaboration.
The talks are really casual and open ended, the fact that these are not actual interviews creates a really chill vibe in the room and make everybody feel comfortable and not nervous. I can be open and honest about my doubts and ideas and all the conversations are welcome by all the parties. This event is where I believe the classroom education meets the real life work experience and you can see the bridge building between what you learn and would work on in future.
To build your network, get a taste of what actually working in certain field and company would look like. To connect with fellow students with similar career interests and enjoy an evening with some amazing cocktails. Also, these events keep me up to date with the latest industry trends in terms of technology, challenges, opportunities etc..
I would also like to vouch on the success of these events since I have secured an internship contract with one of leading industry in Germany through one of these events. The people who represent the companies are genuinely interested in what they do and one could rarely build such strong industry connection in such quick amount of time if it was not for the Career Afterwork events.” – Sourabh Jagtap, Master International Management
"The well thought-out concept of Career Afterwork more than exceeded my expectations. The dialogue in small groups provides interesting insights into the companies and in the relaxed atmosphere, further personal questions can also be asked and answered spontaneously. The added value is clear: you get a good overview of the companies in the region in a very short time and make lots of valuable contacts in the process." - Nelli Veijo, Master Information Systems
„The Career Afterwork offers a great opportunity to talk to interesting employers in person directly and without much effort. As I was looking for a working student position, it was the ideal opportunity for me to talk to different companies and thanks to a great conversation with Rapid Shape GmbH, I even got my job there afterwards. I can recommend the Career Afterwork to everyone, as it is super organised and you can make valuable contacts in a relaxed atmosphere.“ – Vasyl Kurakh, Bachelor Mechanical engineering/ product development
"I really enjoyed the Career Afterwork. In a relaxed atmosphere with snacks and non-alcoholic cocktails, in small groups of 5-6 students, you could get to know some companies. You don't just learn pure facts about the companies, you also get a feel for what the corporate cultures are like. I found the mix of different companies particularly interesting, including family businesses like Rutronik GmbH, large corporations like Dürr AG and global marketing and communications agencies like Ogilvy. I had two favourites that I really wanted to get to know and afterwards I was also impressed by companies that I didn't even have on my radar. Anyone looking for an internship or working student position should definitely take the opportunity to take part in this event - you make valuable contacts here. Doors may also be opened for direct career entry. Time may sometimes feel like it's running out during the semester, but I can say one thing: you won't leave here with the feeling that you've wasted your time! On the contrary, the Career Afterwork gives you real added value!" - Timea von Kraus, Bachelor Marketing communication and advertising
The Meet Master's career fair offers Master's students and company representatives the opportunity to get to know each other personally in pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings. In this way, Master's students can have informal discussions with companies about possible entry-level positions and build up a network for their individual career path. Registration takes place via our platform JOBS&MORE.
The next Meet Master event will take place at the beginning of the summer semester 2026 on three Monday afternoons in presence at the university:
- 16 March 2026
- 23 March 2026
30 March 2026
"I am Jomy Jose Thekkiniyath and I recently completed my MBA at HSPF. Earlier in 2022, I attended an interview at Atlas Copco for a Werk student position through Linkedin. Post the interview, I had the chance to briefly connect with the HR panel when they visited the campus for the Meet Master event. I went on to work in the role of a Werk student for a year followed by a Master's Thesis at the same firm. Upon completion of the Master's Thesis, I attended a series of interviews and was offered a full time role in Project Management at the Company. I firmly believe that Meet Master & other career events organised by the Career Center at HSPF offer a unique opportunity to talent to connect with leading regional employers in diverse fields and initiate their careers within the familiar settings of the University." - Jome Jose Thekkiniyath, Masterstudiengang MBA International Management
“As part of the Meet Master event, I was able to get to know many exciting companies in interesting one-to-one meetings. I was particularly impressed by how open and cordial all the conversations were - I felt welcome and taken seriously right from the start and received helpful and valuable tips that will definitely help me in my future career. On the other hand, this event also opened many doors for my future, as it also resulted in offers for Master's theses, working student positions and also for direct entry after my studies. I am very grateful for this unique opportunity and can only recommend everyone to take advantage of it!” - Vanessa Minderlin – Corporate Communication Management (M.Sc.)
‘I had a career interview with Blanc and Fischer as part of the Meet Master event, which is how I first became aware of their subgroups. The interview was so open and friendly and all my questions about entry opportunities were answered despite the short time frame. Thanks to the interesting insight into the company, I immediately applied for a working student position, which I got shortly afterwards. Meet Master's has opened up great opportunities for me, for which I am very grateful!’ - Laura Hellwer, Masterstudiengang Creative Communication and Brand Management
„Bei den Einzelgesprächen mit den Firmen MHP – A Porsche Company sowie BLANC & FISCHER Familienholding kam ein sehr offener und interessanter Austausch mit den verantwortlichen Personalrecruitern zustande. Dabei konnte ich meine sehr individuellen Fragen zu verschiedenen Einstiegsvarianten klären und habe zusätzlich wichtige Hinweise für den Bewerbungsprozess erhalten. Hierbei ist besonders hervorzuheben, dass durch dieses individuelle, auf meine Person abgestimmte Gespräch ein wirklicher Mehrwert entstanden ist. So konnte ich ein Trainee-Programm kennenlernen, welches ich zuvor noch gar nicht auf dem Radar hatte, jedoch sehr gut zu meinem bisherigen Karriereweg passt. Ich freue mich jetzt schon, meine Bewerbung dafür abzusenden und mich dabei auf das tolle Einzelgespräch referenzieren zu können."
Tobias Müller, Masterstudiengang Engineering and Management
„Ich habe das Gespräch als sehr interessant empfunden. Mir wurde ein Unternehmensbereich vorgestellt, den ich selbst auf der Firmen-Website niemals näher betrachtet hätte und in dem ich mir nun doch sehr gut vorstellen könnte, tätig zu werden. Ich wurde auf die Firma erst durch das Meet Master aufmerksam und habe so einen Einblick in ein mir zuvor völlig fremdes Themengebiet erhalten. Ich würde mich sehr freuen, wenn sich daraus mehr ergibt.“ - Sandra-Maria Gehring, Masterstudiengang Engineering and Management
"Das Meet-Master-Event hat es mir sehr einfach ermöglicht, ein informatives und individuelles Gespräch mit einem Consultant seitens MHP zu führen. Nach einem kurzen Kennenlernen wurden potenzielle Themen für eine Masterarbeit, zugeschnitten auf meine Fähigkeiten, besprochen. Darüber hinaus habe ich weitere Einblicke in die Tätigkeiten eines IT-Consultants erhalten. Letztlich wurden die Kontaktdaten ausgetauscht und ich bin gespannt, ob sich aus dem Gespräch mehr ergibt. Es ist eine sehr gute Möglichkeit, den ersten Kontakt zu Unternehmen herzustellen." - Semih Kocabas, Masterstudiengang Information Systems
„Die Veranstaltung Meet Master hat mir die Möglichkeit gegeben, durch ein offenes, freundliches, informatives und vor allem ein individuelles Gespräch, einen guten Einblick in das Unternehmen SÜSS MicroTec und die dortigen Möglichkeiten zu erhalten. Nach einem kurzen gegenseitigen Kennenlernen besprachen wir Themenbereiche, die für eine Masterthesis im Bereich HR infrage kommen. Nun bin ich gespannt, welche Möglichkeiten sich aus dieser Veranstaltung ergeben. Vielen Dank für die Option, die Gespräche aufgrund der aktuellen Situation virtuell durchzuführen, technisch lief alles einwandfrei.“ - Lea Hafendörfer, Masterstudiengang Human Resources Management
Race for Talents
Get into dialogue with attractive employers in the region in the special atmosphere of the Hockenheimring. In small groups, you will gain an insight into the respective departments of the participating companies.
Race for Talents programme:
- Insider tour of the Motodrom at the Hockenheimring
- Personal dialogue in small groups at the tables of the various companies
- E-kart race and pit-stop tyre change at the east grandstand of the Hockenheimring
- After the group discussions, there is time for individual discussions with the company representatives
Moderation and coordination by the Career Center
Date in summer semester 2026: tbd
Students will be able to register via JOBS&MORE. The Career Center will inform you via all university channels as soon as you can register.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact careercenter(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de or 07231 286386.
Speed, team spirit and career opportunities: The ‘Race for Talents’, organised by the Career Centre at Pforzheim University, offered students an extraordinary event at the legendary Hockenheimring for the third time. A total of 48 participants from the faculties of Technology, Economics and Law took advantage of the opportunity to network with renowned companies in an exclusive atmosphere – and at the same time demonstrate their skills in e-karting and tyre changing.
In the VIP lounge of the east grandstand, the students met representatives from Dürr AG, dmTech, Rutronik and Würth Elektronik in small discussion groups. The aim of the discussions was to make initial contacts, explore career paths and get to know potential employers better. The direct exchange in a relaxed racing atmosphere convinced both sides. The participating companies were once again enthusiastic about the special character of the format, which clearly stands out from traditional career fairs.
Parallel to the discussions, an action-packed supporting programme provided adrenaline and team spirit. On the e-kart track under the east grandstand, the students competed in thrilling races, while the pit stop simulator required them to change tyres quickly, just like in Formula 1. The best times of the teams and drivers were precisely measured and awarded prizes at the end.
This year's podium winners were Maximilian Kolland (B.Sc. Mechatronics) and Marc Kolb (M.Sc. Controlling, Finance and Accounting), who achieved the fastest lap times in their groups.
The event was a complete success for the Career Centre. "At Race for Talents, we combine career discussions with emotions. The Hockenheimring offers the ideal backdrop for this – here, our students can engage in conversation with attractive employers on an equal footing while experiencing the racing atmosphere," said Professor Dr. Markus-Oliver Schwaab.
There is already great anticipation for upcoming formats: the Career Centre is planning further events for the 2025/26 winter semester that will enable career advancement on an equal footing.
