Flagship course
German Work Contract Review for New Hires
A practical curriculum for employment consultations in Germany — focused on reading, annotating, and explaining Arbeitverträge before day one.
What you will be able to do
- Produce a one-page risk brief from a German employment contract within two focused hours.
- Spot probation, overtime, IP, and mobility clauses that change leverage for a new hire.
- Explain findings in plain English (or German briefing notes) without overclaiming legal certainty.
- Know when a clause needs counsel — and how to package the question.
Who it is for
People partners, recruiters, independent employment consultants, and candidates who want structured review habits before signing. This is educational content, not legal representation.
Modules
Eight units sequenced around a single sample offer that grows more complex week by week.
1. Anatomy of a German Arbeitsvertrag
Mandatory elements, annexes, and what “reference to Tarif” actually signals.
2. Probation & early exit math
Probezeit length, notice during probation, and communication scripts for candidates.
3. Working time & overtime language
“Pauschal,” trust-based working time, and red-flag combinations with travel duties.
4. Pay, bonuses, and variable parts
How target agreements interact with base salary claims in practice discussions.
5. Mobility, remote, and place of work
Versetzungsklauseln and cross-border hybrid setups for Germany-based hires.
6. Confidentiality, IP, and side activity
What is ordinary vs. unusually broad for knowledge workers.
7. Non-compete & garden leave signals
When post-contract restraints appear for junior roles — and how to brief risk.
8. The advisory brief
Assemble findings into a consult note HR or a candidate can act on within 48 hours.
Instructor
Lena Vogt
Former in-house people operations lead for DACH scale-ups; designs Workplace Data’s contract labs. Focuses on translation between counsel memos and hiring-floor decisions.
FAQ
Is this legal advice?
No. The course teaches review literacy and consultation framing. Binding advice requires a qualified lawyer admitted in Germany.
Do I need German language fluency?
Materials are in English with German clause excerpts. You should be comfortable reading employment German at a working level, or partner with someone who is.
What is a real limitation of this course?
We do not cover public-sector Beamtenrecht or heavily sector-specific Tarifwerke in depth. Those need specialist packs outside this flagship.
How are clinics run?
Live sessions use anonymised contracts submitted by learners. Personal data must be redacted before upload.
Learner notes
Module 3 alone paid for the enrolment when we caught a travel-time trap in a sales hire’s draft. The IP module felt thinner than the overtime one.
I came for the workbook checklists. Still use the advisory brief template from module 8 every Friday.