Student jobs to write home about - Earning money in unusual ways

Do you want to earn some extra money doing something really special? Along with good cheer, the Christmas season ushers in a wide variety of great part-time jobs. In this last part of our series, we’ve scouted out some of the most interesting Christmas jobs available to students in Germany.

by Hanna Irabi

Angels we have heard on high...

When Angela Jehring describes her Christmas job, there’s a sparkle in her eyes that is impossible to overlook. The psychology student works at preschools, companies and families as an angel. Many parents are interested in having an angel visit them because, as Angela explains, “a lot of children are afraid of Santa Claus.” She meets with parents ahead of time and asks about what happened in their child’s life over the course of the past year, for example, did she perhaps learn how to ride a bike, make new friends or go on a very special holiday? Angela then writes down the most important events in a golden book, from which she reads on December 24^th – Christmas Eve. She also sings Christmas carols together with the families and listens to the children recite poems. “For this job you should have a warm, charismatic personality and love children,” she says. Although one’s height, build and hair colour is not so important, “ideally, people who want to work as Christmas angels should have something angelic about them even without the costume,” says Angela, who, in addition to her studies, manages the agency “Engel in Berlin” (Angels in Berlin). Throughout the year she makes appearances at wedding anniversaries, Valentine’s Day dinners and birthday parties – but as we all know, Christmas is the busiest season for angels. As an angel, you can earn around 300 euros for four to five hours of work. This doesn’t include the time you spend speaking with the families beforehand (about five hours) or learning Christmas carols. “You can’t finance your entire education this way, but it’s great for earning some extra spending money,” says Angela.
Link: www.engel-in-berlin.de

Oh Christmas tree, oh christmas tree...

For most families, Christmas is not Christmas without a festively decorated Christmas tree. Kilian Rolfs rubs elbows with these “prickly colleagues” every day. For the past two years he has worked as a Christmas tree vendor at a farm with its own fir-tree plantation. “Christmas tree salesmen have to be able to take the cold,” says the 24-year-old law student who regularly works up to 10 hours a day out in the crisp, winter air. It’s also important to be outgoing and empathetic. “You have to go up to people, talk with them, get a feeling for what mood they’re in and whether they’re pressed for time.” Although his father is a forest warden, you don’t necessarily have to have extensive knowledge of fir trees to be a good salesman. “We sell two different types which differ in both price and quality – you learn the basics pretty quickly,” he explains. Not only does Kilian sweep the sales area and display the trees more attractively in metal stands, he chiefly helps customers choose the right tree. Once the choice is made, he wraps the tree up in a nylon net to protect the branches and carries it to their car. That’s easier said than done as some trees can measure up to four metres long. Having a chainsaw operator’s licence can be to one’s advantage, because many customers prefer freshly-cut trees.

Between 10 and 23 December, Kilian works about 12 hours every day at the tree farm. His wage of eight euros an hour is frequently boosted with tips. And although his days are long, they are anything but boring. “The customers are cheerful and relaxed – for some, picking out a Christmas tree is something of a family tradition – and I do my part by helping them.”
Link: www.hof-siebe.de

Wool as far as the eye can see

Woollen gloves, hats and arm-warmers in every imaginable colour are lovingly arranged between felt decorative stars and woollen rings. And inside the cosy wooden market stand is Julia Schreiber, a student of Educational Sciences, who is just as cosily dressed for the frosty weather. The 25-year-old woman has worked as a vendor at the Christmas market in her town for the past five years – first at a stand that sold wooden toys, and for the last three years, at the woollen handcrafts stand.

When two ladies approach and gaze at the brightly patterned arm-warmers, Julia describes what they’re looking at. “These arm-warmers have holes for the thumbs, and these don’t.” It’s important that you know your products well, she says. And the customers appreciate the help. “I have to know which products are made of alpaca and which ones are made of organic wool, or whether the product was self-made or purchased from a supplier.” Because her stand also sells balls of coloured wool, Julia also offers advice about knitting. In addition to a certain amount of expertise about the products, it’s also important to be outgoing and friendly to customers.

In the four weeks before Christmas, Julia works about 50 to 60 hours a week at eight euros an hour. There are several things she enjoys about her job. “I like being outside and I get to sell things that I personally find very beautiful. On top of that, I always have nice chats with my customers.”
Advice: Market stand vendors usually advertise job openings in daily newspapers and at the Federal Employment Agency in the pre-Christmas season.

When the Christ Child sings...

When all the market-stand lights suddenly were turned off and the children’s choir fell silent, Bettina Ntimpirangeza’s big moment had come. Dressed in the golden robe of the Christ Child, the 21-year-old had the honour of opening the Heidelberg Christmas Market in 2010. Standing on the balcony of the city hall, she sang the Advent carol “Tochter Zion” (Daughter of Zion) with piano accompaniment. And then, after reading a short Christmas poem, she announced “The Christ Child invites one and all to the market, and may all who come be welcome.”

This once-in-a-lifetime performance was made possible by Bettina’s sister who works at a marketing agency and suggested booking Bettina as this year’s Christ Child. She wasn’t all too nervous, Bettina says, even though she was the centre of everyone’s attention for a full ten minutes. “I was looking forward to it – it was a kind of positive anxiety,” she says with a smile. As a student at the Pop Academy Baden-Württemberg majoring in Singing/Songwriting, Bettina is used to being on stage. Reading a poem in public, however, was a new experience for this young woman from Burundi in East Africa. It felt totally different than standing on stage together with one’s band. What kind of skills does a Christ Child need? “You shouldn’t be afraid of performing in public and it’s also helpful if you have charisma,” says Bettina, summing up what she’s learned.

According to Bettina, she was paid fairly well for her performance, “but for me, it was more about the message – I wanted to make people happy.” This year it was Ingrid Schwarz-Lurf who wore the golden robe as Heidelberg's christ child of 2011.