Earn money: Pay attention to working hours when working on a holiday job

Before starting a summer job, students should insist on a valid contract with their employer. "This contract should be concluded in advance and clearly specify the agreed-upon tasks, working hours, and salary," said Andreas Jansen, District Youth Secretary of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Youth Employment Protection Act specifies precisely which conditions apply to holiday work. "Light work such as gardening, delivering newspapers, or running errands is permitted," Jansen explained, according to the statement. "Heavy physical or dangerous work is taboo for young people."

There are also legal regulations regarding working hours and break times. "At the age of 13 and 14, children need their parents' consent for a summer job, and even then they are only allowed to work up to two hours a day – between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.," Jansen said. In agriculture, three hours a day are permitted.

Young people between the ages of 15 and 17 are not allowed to work more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. Working hours must be between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Exceptions apply to restaurants and multi-shift operations.

According to Jansen, only young people aged 18 and over are entitled to the statutory minimum wage; minors are not entitled to it.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:250703-930-750079/1