A works agreement between employer and works council must be decided jointly, written down and signed by both sides. The employer must display it in a suitable place in the workplace. It applies directly and is binding. German labor law also says what happens when such an agreement ends. On matters where the conciliation board can decide if the two sides do not agree, its rules continue bis sie durch eine andere Abmachung ersetzt werden, until they are replaced by another agreement. A similar rule applies to collective wage agreements. When one expires, its rules continue to apply until they are replaced by another agreement.
law
The Integration Course
A new immigrant in Germany may be required to take an Integrationskurs, an integration course. The Residence Act states its principle in three words: integration wird gefördert und gefordert, is supported and required. The course has a fixed structure. It consists of a language course of 600 lessons and an orientation course of 100 lessons on the legal order, culture and history of Germany. The orientation course ends with a test called Leben in Deutschland, life in Germany. The courses were introduced in 2005. The orientation course was 45 lessons at first. It was extended to 60 lessons in 2012 and to 100 in 2016.
Five Years to Switch Over
On 10 April 2018, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the rules for valuing property for the German property tax in the former West German states were unconstitutional. It did not stop them at once. It gave the legislature until the end of 2019 to pass new rules. After that, the old rules could still apply für weitere fünf Jahre ab der Verkündung, längstens aber bis zum 31. Dezember 2024, for five more years from promulgation, but no later than 31 December 2024. The court explained that revaluing all property needed an extraordinary effort in time and staff. About 36 million properties had to be revalued. The new tax has been levied since 1 January 2025.
An Apprenticeship Begins With a Trial
The German Vocational Training Act opens the apprenticeship with a trial phase: Das Berufsausbildungsverhältnis beginnt mit der Probezeit. Sie muss mindestens einen Monat und darf höchstens vier Monate betragen. (Vocational training begins with the probationary period. It must last at least one month and at most four months.) During this time, either side can end the training at any moment, without notice. After it, the apprentice faces the years summed up in a common proverb: Lehrjahre sind keine Herrenjahre, the years of apprenticeship are not the years of a gentleman.
The License on Probation
Every first driver’s license in Germany is issued on probation. The Fahrerlaubnis auf Probe lasts two years. During that time, a new driver may not drink any alcohol at the wheel or start a drive under its influence. A driver who is ordered to attend a remedial course after offenses has the probation extended by another two years. Since 2011, federal law has let young people start even earlier, with Begleitetes Fahren ab 17, accompanied driving from age seventeen. The companion must be at least thirty, must have held a license for at least five years, and must be named in the test certificate. Lower Saxony ran a pilot project from April 2004. The scheme was tested in the states from 2004 before it became permanent federal law on 1 January 2011. The federal road research institute found 22 percent fewer accidents in the first phase of driving alone.
Three Years to Prove Yourself
A German civil servant is appointed for life, but only after a long trial. Under the Federal Civil Service Act, the Beamter auf Probe, the civil servant on probation, normally serves at least three years before the appointment for life. The law sets the bar in one sentence: Für die Feststellung der Bewährung gilt ein strenger Maßstab. (A strict standard applies to establishing that someone has proven themselves.)
Basic Training and the Pledge
A volunteer in the Bundeswehr signs up for between six and eleven months of service. The law states: Die ersten sechs Monate gelten als Probezeit. (The first six months count as probation.) Basic training usually lasts three months, and it follows a fixed order. After recruits receive their uniforms, they begin with drill. Shooting training begins with practice without live ammunition, and live firing comes only at the end of weapons training. According to the Bundeswehr, the high point of basic training is the feierliche Gelöbnis, the ceremonial pledge.
The School Entry Phase
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the first two years of primary school are not simply first and second grade. The school law says: Die Klassen 1 und 2 werden als Schuleingangsphase geführt. Die Schuleingangsphase dauert in der Regel zwei Jahre. Sie kann auch in einem Jahr oder in drei Jahren durchlaufen werden. (Grades 1 and 2 are run as the school entry phase. The school entry phase normally lasts two years. It can also be completed in one year or in three.) In July 2026, the state amended the law. The principal can now decide as early as enrollment that a child will stay in the entry phase for three years.
Days to Get to Know Each Other
German labor courts recognize a phase that comes even before the probation. It is called the Einfühlungsverhältnis, literally a relationship for feeling one’s way in. A candidate spends a few days in the company before being hired, to get to know the work and the people. No employment relationship arises. There is no duty to work, no right to pay, and the employer may not give instructions. Several state labor courts have recognized it since 1989. Lawyers advise keeping it to a few days.
Instruction Before the Work Begins
The same rule covers a new person and a new method. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employer must instruct employees in safety bei der Einstellung, bei Veränderungen im Aufgabenbereich, der Einführung neuer Arbeitsmittel oder einer neuen Technologie vor Aufnahme der Tätigkeit, on hiring, when their tasks change, and when new equipment or a new technology is introduced, before they start the work. The Works Constitution Act goes further. When new technology or new work processes are planned, the employer must inform each affected employee. Once it is clear that an employee’s job will change and their skills will not be enough, the employer must discuss with them how those skills can be adapted. In that case, the works council has a say in the training.