If you work between 6 to 9 hours a day, you are entitled to a 30-minute break after no later than 6 hours. If you work more than 9 hours a day, the break is extended to 45 minutes. Labour law prohibits taking the break at the end of the day's work in order to leave earlier.
Standard hours in Germany
Workdays usually start between 8-9 am and finish between 5-6 pm. Lunch breaks are 30 minutes to 1 hour.
An individual who works between six and nine hours is entitled to a minimum rest break of 30 minutes. A 45 minute rest break must be given if an employee works for more than nine hours. The breaks can be split into breaks of at least 15 minutes.
Lunch (Mittagessen)
Traditionally, German families eat their hot main meal during the day, between 12 and 2 p.m. Decades ago, it was still common that some office workers went home, had lunch and returned to work. However, many families now eat their hot meal in the evening.
Your shifts have to have pre-scheduled breaks of at least 30 minutes if you are working 6-9 hours or 45 minutes when working more. So most Germans work 40h weeks (5 weekdays with 8 hours of work and 30 minutes of lunch break each day). You are not allowed to skip the break.
According to the Working Hours Act, a work week can't exceed 48 hours weekly or 8 hours daily over an average period of 6 months. Something that's illegal is working on Sundays or national holidays. This means that an average working week runs from Monday to Saturday (in office jobs rather Friday).
If you work more than 9 hours a day, the break is extended to 45 minutes. Labour law prohibits taking the break at the end of the day's work in order to leave earlier. Breaks are not considered working time and are therefore not paid.
The typical meals are divided in a rather copious breakfast (6 am – 8 am), lunch (12 pm – 2 pm) and dinner (6 pm – 8 pm).
But in Germany, the traditional dinner time is much earlier: you'll find many German households having their evening meal between 5 and 7 pm.
In Germany, lunch is THE MEAL of the day. This may be the day's only hot meal, and it is usually served punctually between noon and 2:00.
Legal limits to working hours in Germany
Work on Sundays and public holidays is largely prohibited, except for workers in the service industry. Work on Sundays must be compensated by corresponding time off within the following two weeks.
50% of basic wage for Sunday work. 125% of basic wage for work on holidays, and on 31 December after 2 p.m.
Holiday Leave in Germany
Employees are entitled to a minimum of 24 days off for a 6-day work week and 20 days for a 5-day one. In reality, most employees receive 25-30 days of leave, even on a 5-day workweek. Employers may provide additional leave to employees who perform intense or dangerous work.
Brazil – 2 hour lunch break
They usually have meetings outside the office at 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. and then take a two-hour lunch break. As in Spain, Brazilian workers have very late dinners, which allows them to work later.
The average from the 10 European nations surveyed is 33 minutes, three minutes shorter than the U.S.' 36 minutes. Greece has the shortest break at 19 minutes, followed by Poland and Spain, the latter being home to the beloved midday siesta.
3. What is the difference between full days & half days? A full day is defined as 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week in Germany, This means that students are allowed to work only 2.5 full days per week during the semester.
First of all, we'll take a look at Germany's three main meals in the day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
When dining with Germans, be especially mindful of proper manners. They eat continentally—with the fork in the left hand (tines down) and knife in the right hand throughout. Do not pass the fork back and forth between hands. Don't set down your knife to use the fork alone.
It has become traditional viewing on New Year's Eve in European countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia, or on 23 December in Norway, and, as of 1995, was the most frequently repeated television programme in Germany ever.
Sometimes the Germans may want to try out their English on you, but an American is no rarity in Germany. Like most Americans, the Germans also believe there is no free lunch – or at least no free bread rolls. Feel free to partake, but the rolls aren't usually free. (In some restaurants they may be.
In 2019, Kitchen Stories conducted a survey investigating the dining out habits of German consumers. From the study, it emerged that 45 percent of respondents ate out on average only once a month. By contrast, only about eight percent of the people in Germany dined out several times per week.
The Nordic countries in Europe wrap their dinner up the earliest, with Norway having one of the earliest dinner times—gasp—close to 4.30pm.
Lunch is often served after a starter such as potato salad. Lunches cooked at home may include Eintopf, Rouladen, Schnitzel or Sauerbraten. It will usually consist of meat or fish served with potatoes, rice, or German noodles as well as vegetables and sometimes rolls (Brötchen).
Legal working days in Germany are from Monday to Saturday, but for most workers, a standard work week is from 8 or 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Employees are allowed to work up to 10 hours per day, as long as the total weekly work time is not longer than 48 hours.
Salary in Germany
Data provided by the Official Statistical Office of Germany, Destatis, show that in 2022, the monthly gross average salary for a full-time employee was around €4,100 – an annual gross salary of €49,200.