Work & employment
Arbeitsvertrag
An Arbeitsvertrag is a German employment contract. For working students it should state hours per week, hourly wage or monthly salary, vacation days, notice period, and the limitation to student status. German law requires essential terms in writing.
The Arbeitsvertrag governs the employment relationship: role, working time, pay, vacation, probation, notice periods, and confidentiality. Since the 2022 reform of the Nachweisgesetz, employers must provide the essential terms in writing, including working hours and pay composition, no later than the first working day for core items.
German employment law fills any gaps with statutory defaults that protect the employee: minimum wage, at least 20 vacation days on a five-day week, paid sick leave from day one of illness (up to six weeks at full pay), and public-holiday pay. A contract clause cannot undercut these minimums even if you sign it.
What it means for working students
Working student contracts should explicitly mention your student status and the 20-hour limit during lecture periods, often with a clause allowing full-time during breaks. Watch for the vacation calculation (pro-rated by your weekly days, not hours), whether overtime is paid or compensated with time off, and remote-work rules. Paid sick leave and vacation apply to working students exactly as to regular employees; some employers conveniently forget that.