Fixed-term contracts for qualification (§ 2 Abs. 1 WissZeitVG)

If you are employed in accordance with § 2 (1) of the ‘Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz’ (German Act on Temporary Scientific Contracts), the position serves your scientific qualification. Academic staff who is employed on a fixed-term basis for qualification purposes should complete the intended qualification for a period of up to 6 years before the doctorate and 6 years after the doctorate.
In the case of leave of absence due to maternal or parental leave, there is the right to extend the employment contract (according to § 2 (5) sentence 3). That means, the remaining contract period is intermitted during the leave of absence and is attached to the end of the leave of absence. If part-time work is done during parental leave, the contract continues but is extended by the time not worked.
Important: The extension of the contract does not run automatically, but must be applied for informally (by mail) in the personnel department, which will generally inform you about the extension option. If not, please contact the personnel officer responsible for you.
In addition, the maximum permissible period of employment of 12 years for academic staff in the qualification phase may be extended (family policy component pursuant to § 2 (1) sentence 3) if one or more children under the age of 18 are to be cared for during this period. The permissible fixed-term period is extended by up to two years per child. This gives the higher education institutions the option of extending the fixed-term employment for a further period. However, this does not result in an automatic extension of the contract; this requires the agreement of both contracting parties (university/supervisor and employee). This regulation also applies to academics with a serious chronic illness or disability. In this case, the period of employment can be extended by a maximum of two years.