Attention - side job!
For many students, apprentices, but also full-time employees a part-time job is inevitable. Whether a waitress, extra, or a saleswoman - a few hours a week or a few weeks a year, most sacrifice to supplement their income. What has to be considered and what you should know, we have summarized for you.
1. Employment and earnings
Side job is not equal to part-time job. The classic mini-job is a so-called slightly paid employment, In this case, a earnings limit of 400 euros may not be exceeded, the decisive criterion is the average monthly earnings within one year. A short-term employment occurs when you work a maximum of 50 days or two calendar months of a year. The earnings limit is not limited to 400 euros in this case. With a merit up to 800 euros one speaks of the "Glide zone in the low-wage sector"Here, there are pension insurance benefits over a full-time job. Are you students, the child benefit and Baföggrenzen are crucial. In the respective student loans- Permit period you can gross 4,330.63 euros. Attention: also orphan pensions, orphans and other training allowances are considered income. Special payments such as holiday or Christmas bonuses are also a merit. child benefit will not be paid until the moment your own income exceeds € 7680 a year. Training that earns less than 400 euros a month is not considered a mini-job. There are also certain special features for job posting at the university and for fee-based jobs or freelance work. More information can be found here.
2. Social contributions for mini-jobbers and work in the low paid sector
Social security generally covers health, pension, long-term care and unemployment insurance. All employees in employment (except civil servants, doctors, lawyers and the like) pay into social security. For marginal employees, employers pay flat-rate fees of up to 30.1 percent to Minijob headquarters. Anyone working in a mini-job saves on social security contributions, because for the employee, the income is free of social contributions - this rule also applies to mini-jobbers with main occupation!
There is no working time limit. Basically you are allowed to exercise several mini jobs. But once the total earnings exceed 400 euros, social security contributions are due. For jobs in the low-wage sector (more than 400 euros to 800 euros) you pay reduced social security contributions and payroll taxes, which may be refunded to you at the end of the year by the tax office. A tax return can be worthwhile. You can find more information here. For students between 400 and 800 euros in earnings, it is important that they do not work more than 20 hours per week, otherwise additional health insurance contributions will have to be paid. You can read more about insurance and taxes at Students at work.
3. Employment contract
The employment contract is the basis of your employment relationship, so you should always check it thoroughly before signing. The following points serve as a guide to what should be listed in such a contract:
If you are employed for more than a month, you have legal entitlement to a written contract, which you should absolutely assert. Because if later in the dispute over wages or termination no written agreements, you pull as a worker always the short straw. If you are unsure whether the contract is in order, let us advise you best from the works council / staff council.
4. Pay
The reward is what is left for you at the end of the work. So watch out! You are entitled to regular payments - whether paid at the middle of the month or at the end of the month, should be specified in the employment contract - and, of course, at the agreed wage level. The best way to find out about common payments in the area before you start a new job. The level of pay is not just a matter of negotiation, but for most areas, there are either collective agreements or at least certain benchmarks to which your employer in any case should hold.
5th disease
You're actually in bed with a fever, but you still go to work because you need the money or are afraid of a termination? Both are no reasons not to get well first. In the case of illness, you as a worker are entitled to a wholly-owned salary payment - a prerequisite, of course, is a medical sick leave and at least four weeks seniority. This regulation always applies, regardless of the type of employment and the status of the employee.Sick leave, even if it occurs more frequently, no reason for termination.
6. Working hours, breaks and holidays
The marginally employed are also essentially equal to full-time employees. According to the Working Time Act, the working-day working hours must not exceed eight hours. Overtime is fine in exceptional cases. With a working time of up to six hours you have to take at least 15 minutes and from six hours at least 30 minutes break. For more than nine hours 45 minutes rest time apply. If you are under the age of majority, you will be entitled to a 30-minute break after more than four and a half hours. The Federal Holiday Law guarantees all employees four weeks of paid leave. However, the full vacation entitlement only applies after a period of employment of six months. Both your individual break and your holiday entitlement can be higher if this is contractually regulated.
7. Termination
A termination, no matter which side, is always unpleasant. If certain deadlines and rules are complied with, it will at least make things easier. Here are the most important facts about termination in brief: A normal employment contract can be terminated with a notice period of four weeks to the 15th or the end of a month (the so-called ordinary termination). The longer the employment relationship already exists, the longer the statutory notice period on the part of the employer. As an employee, however, you can always resign within four weeks by law, unless the deadline is set differently by the employment contract. For good reason, both sides can extraordinarily cancel. The termination is immediately effective in this case. An important reason is if the continuation of employment is unreasonable for the terminating party due to certain facts (eg gross insults, refusal to work, non-payment of wages ...). A cancellation must be made in writing in any case! If your employer does not comply with the deadlines and regulations, you should consider the termination and, if necessary, file a legal complaint. Works council and union can help! Detailed information about termination is available here.
8. Dubious offers
For certain offers caution is advised! We have put together some tips to save you from rogue part-time jobs. If one of the following applies or if several of them apply to an offer that interests you, we advise you to keep your hands off it!
1. Neither the purpose nor the name of the company can be seen from the ad 2. It is advertised with "little work", "light work" or "work from home" 3. The indication of the income opportunity is unrealistically high 4. You can only about Telephone or a PO box address Contact 5. The formulations are completely incomprehensible 6. You have to participate in a preparatory seminar at first to pay for the job. 7. To be included in a photo catalog of an agency, you become yourself Checkout 8. You should purchase equipment or goods and then resell them at your own business risk 9. You will be offered work from your PC at home, which, however, involves the purchase of a mostly super-computer program
If you doubt the seriousness of the offer, in most cases the consumer centers can help.
additional Information
www.minijob-zentrale.de: These are the pages of the mini-job center of the German pension insurance Knappschaft-Bahn-See. She is responsible for all minor occupations in Germany.
www.400-euro.de: Private pages of a lawyer, which provides detailed information about the 400-euro jobs
www.travelworks.de: Interesting for anyone who wants to work abroad
