Working conditions

Remuneration / Salaries
In Germany, there is no legal minimum wage. Remuneration is governed in many cases by collective wage agreements, e.g. the Tarifvertrag öffentlicher Dienst TvöD [public service wage agreement] generally used by the universities.
Salaries are usually paid on a monthly basis at the end of the month. For employees [*], the amount received will be minus the following deductions which are made from the gross pay by the employer: tax, solidarity contribution, church tax where appropriate, the employees’ share of contributions for social security insurance (healthcare and pensions) and unemployment insurance.

[*] Researchers receiving a stipend or fellowship will be subject to different conditions, as fellowships are generally exempt from compulsory social security contributions. Please check with your personnel department or the organisation awarding the fellowship in this regard.


Working hours and leave
Working hours are governed by the Arbeitszeitgesetz [Law on Working Hours], collective wage agreements and company agreements, or arranged on an individual basis. At present, the working week varies between 38 and 40 hours, depending on the collective wage agreement.
The amount of leave you receive will depend on your individual contract. Collective agreements generally set out a paid annual leave period of 30 working days based on a full-time contract. This can vary between contracts.


Unemployment benefits
Unemployment insurance [Arbeitslosenversicherung] contributions are part of the statutory social security contributions which are booked directly from employees’ gross pay. To be entitled to unemployment insurance in Germany, individuals must have been in employment subject to statutory social security for at least 360 calendar days in the last three years and be available for recruitment. The amount and duration of unemployment benefit are determined by your family status (children), the amount of your previous income and the length of your previous employment. Previous periods of employment in the EU, EEA states and Switzerland can be taken into account. Benefits accrued in Germany may be recognized by unemployment insurance companies in other countries if a Social Security Agreement with the respective country is in place.


Social Security Entitlements
Researchers on stipends or fellowships are usually exempt from compulsory social security payments, with the exception of health insurance, which they are required to have.
Researchers working on the basis of an employment contract are subject to statutory contributions to social security. Contributions are paid in part by the employer and in part by the employee; the employee’s contributions are deducted directly from the gross salary by the employer. Your employer will register you for insurance once you take up your position. You will be registered with a health insurance company [Krankenkasse] of your choice, who will inform the other social security providers accordingly. You will then receive an Insurance Number [Versicherungsnummer] and a Social Security ID [Sozialversicherungsausweis] which you should submit to your host organisation.
Citizens of EU and EEA states and Switzerland are covered by the EC Regulation 1408/71 which regulates the rights and transferability of social security entitlements within the European Union. This has two main principles: 1) you are insured in the country where you exercise your professional activity and 2) you are subject to the legislation of only one Member State at a time.
For non-EU/EEA citizens, entitlements (e.g. for pensions and unemployment) depend on whether the home country has concluded a Social Security Agreement [Sozialversicherungsabkommen] with Germany.


Pension Entitlements
The waiting period for the German pension scheme is 60 months. If you work for less than 60 months, you can opt to have the pension contributions paid in Germany reimbursed.
EU Member States or countries with a Social Security Agreement with Germany are obliged to recognize pensions rights accrued in Germany. For citizens of these countries, all the pension rights accrued in all the contracting states are taken into account when they reach retirement age. Either the periods during which rights have been accrued are included in calculating the pension at home, or proportional German and foreign pensions are paid concurrently.
In countries which do not hold a Social Security Agreement, the German periods may not be used to fulfil the prerequisites for entitlement to a pension. If you return to a country which does not have a Social Security Agreement with Germany, you are eligible to have the pension contributions paid in Germany refunded. After a waiting period of 2 years, you may apply to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung for reimbursement.