According to national statistics, approximately 300,000 15–24-year-old students worked in Hungary in 2020. Most of them had jobs in Budapest.
The number of people working outside of school is increasing every year. Most of them work during the summer holidays, but there are lots of students who want to or need to work during the school year as well.
How much can a student earn in Hungary?
According to statistics, the average student wage per hour was a net of 857 HUF in 2019, and 926 forints in 2020. Of course, hourly wages may be much more than that – it depends on the type of job and the town or city it is in.
In the following, I will tell you about the legal age limit for students to work, the recommended sectors for them, and the parts of Hungary with the highest salaries.
Earnings
Average rates are still a rather wide area. Students working in the agricultural sector or at a conveyor belt in a factory earn little money, while a skilled IT student can easily earn several times as much as an adult employee working in other sectors.
It should be noted here that programmers are currently earning the most money as students in Hungary. This is not a coincidence, as the student labor market works just like the adult one – in some areas, salaries are amazingly good, while elsewhere the money received converges towards zero.
Looking at the 2020 data of Énpénzem.hu, students working as receptionists earned a gross of 1,000 forints on average, while those working at a counter, or selling ice cream, fried scones, etc. could make as much as a gross of 1,200 HUF per hour.
It may not seem like a lot of money, but if you add the tips, we can say they earn a decent amount of money every month.
Of course, a question arises here: what can you get for 1,000 HUF in Hungary? How much do everyday things cost in Budapest? Check out an awesome article of mine including all the answers to these questions.
Students earn between 960 to 1,050 HUF per hour at international fast-food restaurants, but the tips are given to the owner.
In comparison, salaries for telephone customer service range between a gross of 1,400 and 1,600 forints, and salaries in the IT sector begin at a gross hourly wage of 2,000 HUF.
Another excellent way of making money – provided you speak another language at an excellent level – is to work as an interpreter. The minimum hourly wages are around 2,000 forints in this sector. But in general, students who stand out in a particular field will also earn much more than adults with a job that does not require much in-depth knowledge.
Where can students work?
Unfortunately, the region where students work greatly affects the amount of money they earn. For example, youth working in poorer areas will earn much less than those being employed in wealthier parts of the country.
To further complicate things for students, university towns are not necessarily leading economical areas. This is especially true for Szeged and Pécs.
For example, a student working as a stockkeeper in Szeged earns a gross of 926 forints per hour as opposed to one doing the same job in Budapest for a gross of 1200 HUF. Student work is much better paid in the western parts of the country, except for Budapest, of course.
In which Hungarian cities can you earn the most as a student?
According to statistics, students earn one and a half times as much with the same type of job in Győr, Sopron, and Szombathely as in poorer parts of the country (which will not be named here out of decency).
What is the legal age limit for working in Hungary?
Student work is allowed from the age of 15. However, you can work outside of school from the age of 16 – also for eight hours provided your parents consent to it.
At this age, employment requires parental permission. In practice, however, this is not necessarily the case. If someone wants to apply for a job at a construction site at the age of 16, it is not at all certain that they will be asked for parental consent.
Who counts as a student in Hungary?
Let’s see the official definition: with regard to student employment, a student is a person who attends full-time education, has an active or passive student status, and has not yet reached the age of 25.
Can students only be employed as students?
Now that’s a tricky question as a 23-year-old uni student can also apply for a normal job instead of a student job. Let me explain the difference.
Being a courier is quite a cool position these days. If you do it as a student via a student union (diákszövetség), you will get the gross of 2,000 forints per hour. However, if you decide to become a pizza courier at the age of 23 – and you can do so – you will earn as much as a gross of 3,000 forints and you may keep the tips as well. I’d say that is a decent amount of cash each month.
If you teach a language or any other subject on your own as a student, you can teach for as much money as you want, provided, of course, you really get that amount of money.
Another example is once again in the IT sector where you can ask for more than general student wages.
What is a student union good for then?
For quite a lot of things. The above are only exceptional examples. It may be very useful if you find work via a student union.
That way, the employer has to pay significantly less contributions for you, and this money normally ends up in your pocket.
There is also a union behind you that protects your interests, so if you’re a student and want to work, you might want to check out student unions.
Conclusion
Student work is allowed from the age of 15 in Hungary. Students should consider finding a job in catering or IT, or working as an interpreter or translator in order to earn more.
Of course, anyone who goes to university can have student jobs in Hungary. Part-time jobs with 4–6 hours of work per day at fast-food restaurant chains mean an hourly wage of around 1000 HUF.
Cover photo: https://www.mads.hu/
