What is a "Hiwi" (aid)?
"Hiwi" is the somewhat ambiguous abbreviation used to refer to two different types of employees:
Academic assistants:
In the university regulations of most federal states, this term is used to describe students with a first degree, e.g. a Bachelor's degree.
Student assistants:
The term is also used to describe students, who have not completed their degree but are enrolled on a degree programme.
Who decides on the allocation of aid positions?
The president or rector of the respective university must first approve aid positions. The institute itself ultimately decides on the type and allocation of aid positions. However, aid positions are also often created within research projects and projects funded by third parties. This is the case at both universities and research institutions.
How many hours per week is an aid to entitled work?
No more than half the regular working hours of the normal academic staff, this means around 20 hours per week. Aids are naturally also able to hold other student jobs.