School vacations Employment of young people

Source: BUS Rheinland-Pfalz

Vacation job

With a vacation job, you can gain your first impressions of the world of work as a school pupil from the age of 15 and make contact with potential employers.

Vacation jobs in the non-commercial sector, for example in the household, for churches or clubs and on farms, are possible from the age of 13.

Special legal regulations apply to protect children and young people from excessive demands, overwork and the associated dangers in the workplace.

With regard to the duration of work, a vacation job is limited to a maximum of 50 working days per year or 2 months at a time with a 5-day week.
The Youth Employment Protection Act applies for young people who are required to attend school full-time in conjunction with the Child Employment Protection Ordinance.
Anyone who is at least 18 years old is not subject to any special restrictions with regard to the type of work and working hours. The Working Hours Act applies.

Minimum age: 13 years

from 13 years, but not yet 15 years (children):

Parental consent for employment
Employment only in the non-commercial sector
only light work, e.g. delivering newspapers, babysitting, tutoring
Working hours:
- in the period from 08:00 to 18:00
- maximum 2 hours per day

at least 15 years, but not yet 18 years (young people):

no piecework, night work or weekend work (exceptions apply e.g. in the catering industry, bakeries and supermarket sales outlets)
Working hours:
- from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (exceptions apply in certain sectors)
- maximum 8 hours per day and 5 days per week (maximum 40 hours per week; exceptions apply in agriculture)
as a young person required to attend school full-time, such as children, you may work for a maximum of 4 weeks per calendar year during the school vacations

from the age of 18

no special restrictions

Parents lose their entitlement to child benefit if the child earns more than 8,354.00 euros per year (as of 2014).
Exceptions are possible for working hours, duration of work and activity to be performed. Please contact your regional trade supervisory office.
The vacation job is exempt from social security contributions if:
- it does not last more than two months or
- is limited to a total of 50 working days per calendar year.

BMAS brochure "Klare Sache - Jugendarbeitsschutz und Kinderarbeitsschutzverordnung" with ordering and download options

School vacations Employment of young people

Process flow

Who should I contact?

Legal basis

What else should I know?