Lexicon J - M

If you have to take sick leave during your vocational training or apprenticeship, you must be sure to provide your trainer with a so-called Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (note of illness) as soon as possible – this is often also referred to as the “yellow note”. This should be given to your trainer at the latest within three days of health-related absence. You may otherwise receive a warning notice. If you are only sick for one day, a phone call is sufficient. Yet you must be sure to call.

If you cannot go to vocational school or to the company because of illness, this absence is of course not taken from your pay. After all, anyone can get sick. This is referred to as continuing wage payment. Under normal circumstances, employers continue paying wages and salaries for six weeks. After this time, the statutory health insurance funds provide so-called sick pay. The health insurance fund covers 70 per cent of the gross income regularly received, but up to a maximum of 90 per cent of the last net income.

You may have already read the entry on “Probationary period”. If so, you already know that you can terminate or be terminated during the probationary period with no reasons given or needed for the termination. But after this period, you still have to have the chance to terminate the employment relationship – either because you take up a different vocational training or simply want to quit the current programme. On the other hand, you can then only be terminated if you are guilty of causing gross mischief, such as by being absent without an excuse, regularly coming to work late or divulging confidential information of the firm. In the first instance, you must be given a warning notice. The period required for a termination after the probationary period is generally four weeks. The termination must be given in writing.

You must have a wage tax card, as taxes must also be paid on training income. You can receive this card from the local residents’ registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) for your place of residence. This card is to be given to your employer. At the end of the year, you receive the card back from your employer with all the information added and provide it to the tax office (Finanzamt) together with your income tax return (Lohnsteuererklärung). The tax office uses the wage tax card to determine how much you have earned and whether or not you may receive a refund for overpayment of taxes.