I live in Germany
If you are already in Germany and come from a country outside of the EU, you can contact the advice centres of Fair Integration. They can advise you on employment and social law issues.
Here you can find a lot of information on the topics:
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- I am afraid of being infected with the coronavirus. Can I stay at home?
- What should I do if I, or one of my colleagues, contract COVID-19 through work?
- My employer wants me to reduce my working hours. Do I have to accept that?
- Will I still get my wages if my company closes?
- Can my employer fire me because there is currently no work for me?
- Does my employer have the right to send me home?
- Am I entitled to do home office, i.e. to work from home in the current situation?
- My vocational school is closed because of the coronavirus. What should I do?
- Can my employer make me work overtime if my colleagues are sick and unable to work?
- Does the employer have the right to send me on vacation?
- Can I postpone my requested vacation?
- What happens with my wage if I have contracted the coronavirus?
- What must my employer do to protect me from the coronavirus?
- Do I have to follow the protective measures ordered?
- Do I have to travel to a corona risk area if my employer sends me there on a business trip?
- What is short-time allowance (Kurzarbeitergeld)?
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- What does short-time work mean?
- Do I have to agree to short-time work?
- By whom and when will the short-time work allowance be paid to me?
- What must be included in the short-time work agreement?
- Can my employer terminate me during short-time work?
- Do I have to use up my holiday leave before short-time work?
- What happens if I get sick before or during short-time work?
- What are the consequences for me if I cannot come back to work from holiday due to the Covid-19 pandemic?
- Am I allowed to have a part-time job during short-time work?
- What is short-time work allowance?
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- How is a contract of employment formed?
- What is a probationary period and what should I bear in mind?
- Does a contract of employment have to be signed immediately?
- I do not understand some of the points in my contract of employment, what can I do?
- What can I do if I have not received a contract of employment from the employer?
- Which working conditions apply if there is no written contract?
- What is a collective agreement and when does this apply?
- Can the contract of employment deviate from the law or from a collective agreement?
- How does an employment relationship end?
- What is important to bear in mind with a fixed-term contract of employment?
- What should I bear in mind if I receive a notice of termination?
- To which points must particular attention be paid in the contract of employment?
- FAQ Contract of employment: Sources
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- What is a termination?
- What is an ordinary termination? What is an extraordinary termination?
- What form must a termination take for it to be effective?
- What notice periods must be observed?
- What is an unfair dismissal complaint?
- Do I have to sign a notice of termination?
- What can I do against a dismissal?
- What does “special protection against dismissal” mean?
- What documents do I need to receive from my employer after my termination?
- What is a termination agreement?
- FAQ Termination and termination agreement: Sources
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- What is a job placement agency (Vermittlungsagentur)?
- What is the role of job placement agencies and what services do they offer?
- Do I have to pay a fee for finding a job?
- How can I tell if the recruitment agency is reputable?
- Is there a connection between the employment agreement and the job placement agreement?
- Can the job placement agency impose a contractual penalty on me?
- What risks should I anticipate when formulating rights and obligations in the job placement agreement?
- Can the job placement agency retain my original work documents or my passport?
- If my employment agreement was already concluded in my home country, can it be changed in Germany?
- How is the collaboration with the employment agency?
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- What is agency work?
- Is there a difference between agency work, temping and personnel leasing?
- How is temporary work regulated in law?
- Am I permanently employed as a temporary worker and who is my employer?
- What is the hiring company responsible for and what is the temporary employment agency responsible for?
- What is a working time account and how does it function?
- What happens if the employer does not assign me to a hiring company?
- For how long can I be assigned to a hiring company?
- How much will I earn?
- Is it ok that I am earning less than my colleagues in the same company?
- Dismissal and termination as part of agency work: what do I need to know?
- FAQ Agency Work: Sources
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- What is a mini job and what is special about them?
- What are my employment rights as a mini job worker?
- Does the minimum wage apply to me as a mini job worker?
- How much holiday am I entitled to in a mini job?
- What happens if I am ill on the days I am working in my mini job?
- Do I have health insurance from working in a mini job, and does unemployment insurance apply to me?
- Do I pay into the pension insurance scheme in the mini job?
- Am I insured in the event of an accident at work?
- Can I also have a mini job in addition to my main job? Can I combine several mini jobs?
- What happens if I regularly earn more than €520?
- Do I receive state support if I only have one mini job?
- What does midi job or “sliding contribution scale” (Gleitzone) mean?
- FAQ Mini-job: Sources
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- What does minimum wage mean?
- Are there different minimum wages for different industries?
- Who does the minimum wage not apply to?
- Does the minimum wage also apply to foreign employees?
- Do interns also receive the minimum wage?
- When does the statutory minimum wage change?
- Who checks whether the minimum wage is paid?
- Where can I get help if I am not being paid the minimum wage?
- Is it important for me to record how many hours I have worked?
- FAQ Minimum wage: Sources
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- What is wage, what is salary?
- How much pay am I entitled to?
- What is gross and what is net?
- When must my wages be paid?
- What do I do if I don't get paid on time?
- Is overtime paid?
- Do I receive supplements?
- What is a pay slip?
- What information does my pay slip include?
- Does my employer have to give me a pay slip?
- How do I check my pay slip?
- On my pay slip I see that money is deducted. Is that correct?
- FAQ Wages/salary and pay slip: Sources
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- What happens to my wages when I am ill?
- How much pay do I receive when I am ill?
- Can I be terminated if I am ill?
- How do I correctly call in sick?
- What do I do if the employer does not accept my sick note or says that he/she did not receive it?
- Do I have to go to the doctor immediately if I am ill?
- Can any doctor give me a certificate of incapacity to work?
- What is sick pay and how much is it?
- Do I also receive sick pay if I am ill after an accident at work?
- What is a certificate of incapacity to work/yellow certificate (gelber Schein)?
- How can I correctly report sick during my holiday abroad?
- FAQ Sick note: Sources
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- Who can I turn to if I have a question about labour law?
- I need a lawyer, but I cannot afford one. What can I do?
- How much does a lawyer cost?
- What is a consulting certificate and who receives it?
- How can I get a consulting certificate?
- What are the requirements for a consulting certificate and what documents do I need?
- Can I go to all lawyers with a legal consulting assistance certificate?
- What costs are incurred in labour court proceedings?
- What is legal aid?
- Who receives legal aid and how can it be requested?
- Do I have to pay back legal aid?
- What does a lawyer do for me?
- I have my first court hearing at the labour court. What happens there?
- How do labour courts work?
- What is legal aid insurance?
- FAQ legal support: Sources
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- Which types of training are there?
- What is important in a training contract?
- How much do I earn during training?
- What financial support is available?
- What measures are there to support preparation for training?
- Which support options are available for use during the training?
- What is a report book (in the dual system of education and training)?
- Which conditions apply to me as a trainee in the company?
- What can I do if my training conditions are bad?
- Are trainees forced to do overtime?
- Can a dismissal be challenged?
- Who can I approach if I am having difficulties at the vocational school?
- What is a “special leave to remain for the purpose of training” (Ausbildungsduldung)?
- FAQ Training: Sources
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- What is an accident at work? / When is an accident considered an accident at work?
- What do I have to keep in mind if I have an accident at work?
- Which doctor should I see after the accident at work?
- Who pays my wages if I cannot work because of an accident at work?
- How much is the injury benefit?
- How do I apply for the injury benefit?
- What is the difference between injury benefit (Verletztengeld) and sick pay (Krankengeld)? Can I choose which benefit I receive?
- How long do I receive injury benefits?
- What is the employer’s liability insurance association?
- What benefits do I receive from an employer’s liability insurance association after an accident at work?
- Will I receive compensation from my employer or insurance company for the accident at work?
- FAQ work-related accidents: Sources
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- What is maternity leave?
- Who can take maternity leave?
- When can I take maternity leave?
- How will I be paid during the period I am on maternity leave?
- Do I have to tell my boss that I’m pregnant?
- What is parental leave?
- Who can take parental leave?
- I do not have a confirmed residence status. Can I still apply for parental leave pay?
- Does it negatively impact my stay if I get parental leave pay?
- How much is parental leave pay?
- Can I also apply for parental leave and parental leave pay for an adopted child?