Departure, PhD, working in Germany

  1. 1.Completion of Studies

    • I need to deregister after the official end of my degree course.
    • I need to have my certificates notarised.

    Deregistration marks the official end of your degree course. If you have successfully completed your degree course by passing your final examinations, the university will automatically deregister you when you receive your certificate. Deregistration normally takes place at the end of the semester when your final examination certificate is issued.


    If you want to apply for a job after your degree course, notarised certificates are often necessary for your application documents. The university only certifies documents that it has issued itself. Other public offices that provide formal certification are authorities (town halls, city administration offices), church offices (parish offices) or a notary public. German embassies complete this work abroad.

  2. 2.Organisational Matters

    • I need to cancel my rental contract in good time.
    • I need to cancel other contracts.
    •  I need to close my account.
    • I need to deregister at the relevant registration office in Kassel.

    Anyone who moves out of a flat and does not move into a new one in Germany must deregister at the registration office within two weeks. If you move within Germany,, you must register at your new place of residence (also called re-registration)!

    When cancelling insurance policies (e.g. health insurance) or contracts (flat, gas, electricity, mobile phone, etc.), please observe the period of notice. For many contracts in Germany, it is normally 12 weeks or, less frequently 4 weeks.

    Provide notice of termination of your flat in good time and arrange an appointment with your landlord to hand over the flat. Make sure that you obtain a refund of your deposit!

    If necessary, arrange a mail forwarding order with the German postal service so that you can receive important post, even after you have moved out of your flat.

    The issue of a visa remains crucially important even after you have completed your degree course, especially if you intend to work in Germany. Please contact the relevant authorities in good time to obtain especially important information for you and renew your residence permit, if this is necessary. Important: Graduates fom third countries may extend their residence permit by up to 18 months after graduating in order to find a suitable job. The DAAD also provides detailed information for your career planning.

  3. 3.Support

    • Returnee workshops - After students complete their degree course, the World University Service (WUS) helps them to share the knowledge and experience that they have gained in Germany in their country of origin.
    • After your studies, you can join the University of Kassel’s alumni network. This gives you the opportunity to establish and maintain contacts, even after your degree course, get to know companies or exchange experiences.

    Staying in Germany?

    1. Working in Germany

    • The Career Service not only provides a job portal, but also offers plenty of other forms of support for people looking for a job or work experience, such as webinars, tips for your application or a free check of application folders..
    • One possible contact point for job seekers is the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). You will find advice there and can use the job portal. You will find a summary of the various ways of finding work after completing your degree or obtaining further training.

    • There are also many other job portals or job exchanges on the Internet where you can obtain information. Here is a small selection:

    www.make-it-in-germany.com/de/
    www.jobverde.de
    www.monster.de
    gruenejobs.de
    de.indeed.com

    • The DIVERS career mentoring service at the Women's and Equal Opportunities Office at the University of Kassel is specifically geared towards women and supports them as they develop or launch their careers.

    2. A PhD in Germany?

    • If you are interested in a PhD after successfully completing your degree course. you can contact the Graduate Academy. It supports doctoral students and postdocs during their academic qualification phase.