salary in Germany: phd, postdoc, prof, researchers

Pay grades

  • The pay regulation (Bundesbesoldungsordnung BBesO) regulates the salaries of federal and state employees. It contains the pay regulations A, B, C, R und W.
  • The pay regulation W applies for professors, lecturers and scientific assistants. It contains the pay grades W 1, W 2 und W 3.
  • Before 2005/2006, professors were classified in the pay grades C3 and C4 (exceptionally C2). But the regulation C has been displaced by the regulation W.

Salaries of professors

Monthly basic salaries for W-Professors 2009

Pay grade Position Monthly basic salary (€)
 W1 Juniordozent 3.405,34
 W2 Lecturer, adjunct professor. May have a small research team and a limited budget. 3.890,03
 W3 Ordinary professor, full professor. Has its own research team and budget. 4.723,61

Source: Deutscher Hochschulverband

  • A seniority does not exist. However, family allowances can be added to the basic salary. (Married: 105,28€, first and second child 90,05 € each, third and following children: 230,58 €.)
  • Performance-linked payments may be added to the basic salaries W2 and W3 (e.g. for special performances in research and teaching or for specific functions.)

Gross salary receipt of W-professors depending on the Land 

Monthly mean gross income (in €) of full-time employed federal and state employees in the pay grade W in June 2008

Land W3 W2 W1 total
Schleswig-Holstein 6378 4749 3717 5088
Hamburg 6292 4912 3722 5193
Niedersachsen 6533 5084 3786 5422
Bremen 6387 4854 3795 5247
Nordrhein-Westfalen 6481 4734 3631 5404
Hessen 7031 5386 3901 5874
Rheinland-Pfalz 6443 4948 3895 5248
Baden-Württemberg 6357 4917 3724 5649
Bayern 6891 5210 3635 5684
Saarland 6132 4869 - 5235
Berlin 6609 4645 3600 5072
Brandenburg 5865 4454 3576 4842
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 6006 4452 3450 4938
Sachsen 5856 4371 3516 5006
Sachsen-Anhalt 6729 4693 3479 5301
Thüringen 6155 4679 3472 5163
Total 6498 4957 3700 5438

Source: forschung.w-besoldung.net

An overview of the salaries of professors in the German Länder can also be found at the Hochschulverband. 

 

General salaries in Germany

The gross monthly earnings in the production industries is about 3500 €, depending on the Länder. An overview can be found at the Statistical Offices.

Links

  • w-besoldung.net provides information about the pay grade W.
  • The Deutsche Hochschulverband provides information about the income for W-Professors as well (only in German).
  • Bundesbesoldungsgesetz (Federal law about incomes): General regulations, basic income and benefits at German universities (only in German).
  • forschung.w-besoldung.net is a research project about the W pay grade. You can find useful information about the W pay grade (only in German).