Pay Rise for Assistants
- Top News
- Higher Education Policy
- Service
TU Dortmund University has increased the wage for student assistants (SHK) by ten percent, so that the hourly rate is now above the minimum wage. Also, graduate assistants with a Bachelor’s degree (WHF) or Master’s degree (WHK) have been receiving one euro more per hour since 1 April. The assistant wages will increase again in April 2025. In addition, new contracts should generally have a term of one year in the future, so that income can be planned more easily.
The statutory minimum wage per hour and week in Germany has risen from 12 euros to 12.41 euros at the beginning of the year and will increase by a further 41 cents to 12.82 euros in 2025. With its new guideline, TU Dortmund University is going beyond this: The wage for SHKs is increasing by around ten percent compared to 2022, to 13.25 euros. From 1 April 2025, they will even receive 14.00 euros per hour and week, so that their wages will rise again by around six percentage points.
TU Dortmund University is increasing the wages for assistants with a degree by one euro each this year and next: WHFs have been receiving 15.50 euros since 1 April. Their wage will rise again to 16.50 euros next year. WHKs have been receiving 19.00 euros since the first increase and will receive 20.00 euros from 1 April 2025.
Maximum Hourly Volume at Mini Job Limit
The Federal Government has decided that the limit for mini jobs should be dynamically oriented towards the currently applicable minimum wage, calculated on the basis of an employment volume of ten hours per week. Therefore, since January 2024, the limit has been 538.00 euros per month. Because TU Dortmund University has disproportionately increased the assistant wages, the monthly wage for SHKs is 576.11 euros, 673.94 euros for WHFs and 826.12 euros for WHKs for ten hours of work per week.
Consequently, the maximum employment volume up to the mini job limit at TU Dortmund University is reduced to 9 hours per week for SHKs, 7.5 hours per week for WHFs and 6.5 hours per week for WHKs. If assistants exceed the mini job limit, then the employment falls into the transitional range between 538.01 and 2,000.00 euros, in which they only have to pay a reduced share for social security contribution. A reduction in hours can be requested from the Corporate Center Human Resources using a form at the beginning of each month.
One-Year Contract Duration
In addition to the pay rise, TU Dortmund University has decided to extend the duration of employment for future assistant contracts: Both student and graduate assistants should generally be employed for one year in the future; previously a minimum term of six months applied. This is intended to make it easier for assistants to plan their income. Contracts will only be limited to a shorter term in justified cases. Longer time limitations are possible.
To the Official Announcement with the New Guidelines