Hiring student help

Hiring student assistants from EU including Denmark

This internal guideline of 3 October 2012 applies to members of staff with the jurisdiction to requisition the temporary employment of students (enrolled at a higher education programme during the period of employment) as student assistants.

(Please note that students enrolled in the University can also be hired for other forms of employment, which are not mentioned here (on account of the nature of the work): for example, as instructors or academic advisors).

Any requisition must be submitted via SDUjob. In the case of renewal, please use the form here.

Once the personnel office has received the request, they will send a letter of employment and an information sheet* to the employee. Within 3 days of receipt, the employee must sign the letter of employment and complete the information sheet*, and return them to the Personnel Office. Salary can then be paid on the basis of normal time sheets. 

(*It does not apply to SUL appointments, which only have one hourly rate, and this hourly rate automatically includes pension. However, in the case of an SUL appointment, it is important to stipulate whether it involves a medical student because of the need for the correct pension fund membership).

Fundamentally, the tasks must be described precisely enough in the requisition form to make it possible to place a student assistant in the appropriate collective agreement. Employment maximum 14 hours per week. Otherwise payment into a group life insurance scheme is required.

Employment as a student assistant is permitted for up to one year without a job advertisement. Subsequently the job must be advertised.

Anyone placing a requisition via SDUjob must provide the following information in the comments box:

1. Collective agreement (HK, Prosa or SUL)
2. Total number of working hours per week
3. Tasks
4. If necessary, closest contact

In the case of extension, the requisition form gives the option of selecting:

1. HK/State hourly-paid student assistant
2. Prosa student programmer
3. SUL – National Union for Student Teachers in Government Service) – student assistant

If there is any doubt about the scope of application of a collective agreement/organisation contract, the question must be put to the Agency of Modernisation by HR services, Personnel Office via the Ministry of Education.

Collective agreements describe the professional scope: in other words, the kind of work covered. Local negotiations must not involve any agreements/settlements, which contravene the terms of the collective agreement.

1.) Organisation agreement for office workers (Modst. no. 016-15)

Section 35. Students
Students employed as office workers*, who are active students and prove that they are enrolled at an institution of higher education (SDU).

*Working on administrative-related tasks: for example, photocopying, filing, answering the phone, typing, coordination tasks, preparation for, and convening of meetings, scheduling, bookkeeping.

2.) Organisation agreement for IT workers (PROSA) employed by the government (perst. no. 058-11)

Section 1. Professional scope

The organisation agreement covers IT staff working for the government or for self-governing institutions.

Para. 2. The organisation agreement covers IT staff involved in work as stipulated in Appendix 1, Page 17.  It is assumed that the handling of jobs is at an IT level above super-user level.

Section 15. Hourly paid EDP staff  (Student programmers)
IT staff hired for temporary work or with a working week of less than 15 hours are paid by the hour.

3.) Collective agreement for student teachers at universities etc. (Modst. no. 019-16)

Section 1. The professional scope of the collective agreement
Para. 1. The collective agreement covers students employed as teaching assistants, instructors, auxiliary teachers, student assistants and academic counsellors at universities.

Para. 5. ‘Student assistant’ refers to students employed to carry out practical tasks in study rooms, computer rooms, libraries etc., to supervise collections etc., or to maintain equipment, samples etc. for use in teaching and research etc.

Circular notes to section 1, paragraph 5:

The job title of “Technical Assistant” has been changed to “Student Assistant”. The job content and required qualifications remain unchanged.

Purely administrative work, which is not related to students, is not covered by SUL.

Rules for work regarding students from non-EU/EEA countries

Students (including PhD students) at a university are permitted to work for 20 hours a week and on a full-time basis in June, July and August. The same applies during the job-seeking period following completion of their studies. A student’s residence card will state whether the student has the right to work. 

Please note that if the residence permit was issued prior to 1 January 2015, a student may only work a maximum of 14 hours a week and on a full-time basis in June, July and August.

If a student works illegally - for example, for more than the number of hours the permit allows - the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration can withdraw or refuse to renew the residence permit. This applies even if a student complies with the other terms of the student’s residence permit: for example, being an active student.

If a foreigner works illegally in Denmark, the person risks being expelled, and both the foreigner and the employer (in this case SDU) in Denmark may be fined or imprisoned.

Therefore it is necessary that the Department ensures that the above rules are being complied with, prior to hiring a student.

Please direct any questions to the International Staff Office: iso@sdu.dk

In future, the Personnel Office will ask students from non-EU/EEA countries to submit a copy of their residence card as proof that they have the right to work.

Hiring student assistants from EU including Denmark

This internal guideline of 3 October 2012 applies to members of staff with the jurisdiction to requisition the temporary employment of students (enrolled at a higher education programme during the period of employment) as student assistants.

(Please note that students enrolled in the University can also be hired for other forms of employment, which are not mentioned here (on account of the nature of the work): for example, as instructors or academic advisors).

Any requisition must be submitted via SDUjob. In the case of renewal, please use the form here.

Once the personnel office has received the request, they will send a letter of employment and an information sheet* to the employee. Within 3 days of receipt, the employee must sign the letter of employment and complete the information sheet*, and return them to the Personnel Office. Salary can then be paid on the basis of normal time sheets. 

(*It does not apply to SUL appointments, which only have one hourly rate, and this hourly rate automatically includes pension. However, in the case of an SUL appointment, it is important to stipulate whether it involves a medical student because of the need for the correct pension fund membership).

Fundamentally, the tasks must be described precisely enough in the requisition form to make it possible to place a student assistant in the appropriate collective agreement. Employment maximum 14 hours per week. Otherwise payment into a group life insurance scheme is required.

Employment as a student assistant is permitted for up to one year without a job advertisement. Subsequently the job must be advertised.

Anyone placing a requisition via SDUjob must provide the following information in the comments box:

1. Collective agreement (HK, Prosa or SUL)
2. Total number of working hours per week
3. Tasks
4. If necessary, closest contact

In the case of extension, the requisition form gives the option of selecting:

1. HK/State hourly-paid student assistant
2. Prosa student programmer
3. SUL – National Union for Student Teachers in Government Service) – student assistant

If there is any doubt about the scope of application of a collective agreement/organisation contract, the question must be put to the Agency of Modernisation by HR services, Personnel Office via the Ministry of Education.

Collective agreements describe the professional scope: in other words, the kind of work covered. Local negotiations must not involve any agreements/settlements, which contravene the terms of the collective agreement.

1.) Organisation agreement for office workers (Modst. no. 016-15)

Section 35. Students
Students employed as office workers*, who are active students and prove that they are enrolled at an institution of higher education (SDU).

*Working on administrative-related tasks: for example, photocopying, filing, answering the phone, typing, coordination tasks, preparation for, and convening of meetings, scheduling, bookkeeping.

2.) Organisation agreement for IT workers (PROSA) employed by the government (perst. no. 058-11)

Section 1. Professional scope

The organisation agreement covers IT staff working for the government or for self-governing institutions.

Para. 2. The organisation agreement covers IT staff involved in work as stipulated in Appendix 1, Page 17.  It is assumed that the handling of jobs is at an IT level above super-user level.

Section 15. Hourly paid EDP staff  (Student programmers)
IT staff hired for temporary work or with a working week of less than 15 hours are paid by the hour.

3.) Collective agreement for student teachers at universities etc. (Modst. no. 019-16)

Section 1. The professional scope of the collective agreement
Para. 1. The collective agreement covers students employed as teaching assistants, instructors, auxiliary teachers, student assistants and academic counsellors at universities.

Para. 5. ‘Student assistant’ refers to students employed to carry out practical tasks in study rooms, computer rooms, libraries etc., to supervise collections etc., or to maintain equipment, samples etc. for use in teaching and research etc.

Circular notes to section 1, paragraph 5:

The job title of “Technical Assistant” has been changed to “Student Assistant”. The job content and required qualifications remain unchanged.

Purely administrative work, which is not related to students, is not covered by SUL.