Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act

Extension of a fixed-term academic contract due to family responsibilities

The Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz – WissZeitVG) stipulates that academic personnel may only be employed for a fixed term of max. 6 years per qualification phase.

But what if the working phase has to be interrupted due to bringing up a child or caring for relatives? Can maternity leave and parental leave periods be “added on”? And how does this affect the maximum duration of fixed-term employment mentioned above?
The Central Equal Opportunities Officer answers all these questions in her information document “Nachdienen nach WissZeitVG” (“Extensions to employment periods under the WissZeitVG”) (see below, German only).

With regard to the fixed-term employment of academic personnel, Art. 2 (1) WissZeitVG makes provision for concrete contract extension opportunities for individuals who take family leave periods. This applies for both maternity leave periods and parental leave periods during which the employees do not work and/or temporary part-time work in order to bring up children and/or care for relatives. The WissZeitVG also offers the option of extending the maximum duration of fixed-term employment by up to two years per child.