Employees

Maternity protection starts with the beginning of a pregnancy and ends with the breastfeeding period. It covers all women in employment, education or training, whatever their nationality or marital status. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, please notify TU Braunschweig of your status as early as possible, to ensure the necessary protection measures are put in place (risk assessment of work environment).

The Family Office has further information for students and staff on pregnancy and on combining your work or studies with family life. You can also make an appointment for a personal consultation.

The brochure “Leitfaden zum Mutterschutz” (guide on maternity protection) provides detailed information about the key aspects of maternity protection, including, for instance, the text of the new Act on Maternity Protection. You can access it online at https://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/service/publikationen/leitfaden-zum-mutterschutz-73756

Staff of TU Braunschweig will be given all relevant information by their contact in the HR department. The guide on maternity protection and parental leave, which you may find helpful, is available on the intranet; it gives an overview of the related key provisions and issues.
Please note that women are not allowed to work six weeks before and eight weeks after giving birth. If your baby is born prematurely or you have a multiple birth, you won’t be allowed to work for twelve weeks after birth. You may work before childbirth if you wish, but not after the birth. If you start working while breastfeeding, you should notify your employer to ensure effective breastfeeding protection can be put in place.

All employees may apply for parental leave (Elternzeit). This entitlement exists also for fixed-term and part-time contracts, student and research assistants, and trainees. Each parent may apply for up to three years’ parental leave. If you have any questions relating to applications for parental leave, please see your contact in the HR department of TU Braunschweig as early as possible. The guide on maternity protection and parental leave is available there and on the intranet.
For detailed information, please refer to the brochure “Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus and Parental Leave”, which you can access online. or

The Law on Academic Fixed-Term Contracts, in effect since 2007, governs fixed-term employment contracts for academic and artistic staff at state universities and research institutes.

Academic staff, instructors (Lehrkräfte für besondere Aufgaben) and research assistants usually have fixed-term contracts. The law states that the overall length of such contracts during the postgraduate stage may be extended by two years for each child under the age of 18 living with the member of staff concerned. If you take parental leave to care for your child, your contract of employment may be extended by the period of parental leave taken and by the length of time you are not allowed to work. The same applies if you are working fewer hours.

For more information, please see your contact in the HR department or refer to the web pages of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

(Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung): Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Special leave arrangements are available if you need to care for a sick child. One option is unpaid leave under Section 45 SGB V (in which case your health insurance will pay your sickness benefit); another option, paid leave under Section 29 TV-L. Both options require a case-by-case assessment by the HR department. We would therefore advise you to see your contact in the HR department as soon as possible in such a case.

Working parents and single parents with children under the age of 12 are entitled to paid or unpaid leave from work to care for a sick child.
The number of possible days of leave is always based on the calendar year:

• Working mothers and fathers are entitled to ten working days each to care for a sick child.
• Working single parents are entitled to a total of 20 working days to care for a sick child.
• If you have several children, the number of possible days of leave per calendar year increases to up to 25 working days.
• If you are a single parent with several children, you may take up to 50 working days of leave per calendar year.

www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/krankengeld.html

Two employment rules exist for staff in technical services or the university administration (MTV) and for academic staff, permitting them to organise their working hours and place of work more flexibly to some extent. You can download these employment rules from the TU Braunschweig intranet after login:

• Employment rule on working hours (DV 36)
• Employment rule on working hours for academic staff (DV 37)

www.tu-braunschweig.de/personalrat/dienstvereinbarungen (so far only in German)

TU Braunschweig offers staff the option of flexible teleworking, allowing you to work from home on specified days. To benefit from flexible teleworking, you will have to, for instance, attend an introductory talk and have your application approved by the relevant steering group. You can download the employment rule on flexible teleworking (DV 31) from the TU Braunschweig intranet after login.

Please register for the introductory talk via the staff development and training programme: www.tu-braunschweig.de/abt13/personalweiterbildung

In the absence of any urgent work-related reasons to the contrary, part-time work is available to employees who care for at least one child aged under 18 or actually care for another relative who is medically certified as requiring care (Section 11 of the collective agreement for public sector employees of the Länder (TV-L)). On request, part-time work may be limited to a fixed term of up to five years, or it may be possible to extend it.
For more information, please see your contact in the HR department. 

"Daycare provider sick? No one who can take care of the child at short notice?" In such cases, an internal university workstation with telephone and Internet is available in the parent-child room, to which the child can be taken in the event of a childcare emergency.* There are also play/breastfeeding and diaper-changing facilities, a rest area and enough space to play, do handicrafts and romp around. Parents with their children can meet, exchange ideas and network here.

*The use of the parent-child room is subject to the condition that official concerns do not conflict.

Further information on the room at the menu item Campus with child.

If you have statutory health insurance cover and you are entitled to sick pay, you will be eligible for maternity benefit.
Employees or students who have an employment contract, including as a student assistant or in marginal employment, will receive maternity benefit during the periods of protection, i. e. generally six weeks before and eight weeks after giving birth. The amount of maternity benefit you will receive depends on your average pay during the last three full calendar months minus statutory contributions.

For details, please contact the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend): https://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/meta/en/families

You can also find more information at: https://familienportal.de/familienportal/meta/languages/family-benefits

The Elterngeld parental benefit is available to parents who are employees, civil servants, selfemployed, unemployed, students, trainees or apprentices. It can be claimed by parents living together or apart and by single parents. Both biological and adoptive parents are eligible. In exceptional circumstances, second or third-degree relatives such as grandparents or siblings may also claim parental benefit.

As a parent, you are entitled to parental benefit if:

• you are caring for and parenting your children after birth;
• you work no more than 30 hours a week;
• your children live with you; and
• your place of residence or ordinary residence is in Germany.

The amount of parental benefit you will receive while caring for your child depends on your disposable net income per month before your child was born, which is no longer available after the birth. Parental benefit replaces between 65 and 100 percent of your net income.
All parents who care for their child after birth and work no more than 30 hours per week are eligible for the minimum parental benefit of 300 euros, including, for instance, students.

In addition to Elterngeld parental benefit in its previous form (basic parental benefit), which can be paid for a period of up to 14 months, you may also claim ElterngeldPlus parental benefit if your child is born after 1 July 2015. ElterngeldPlus is available particularly if you wish to work parttime while claiming parental benefit. It makes it easier for you to combine the two. For detailed information, please refer to the brochure “Elterngeld, ElterngeldPlus und Elternzeit”, which you can access online at
www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/service/publikationen/elterngeld--elterngeldplus-und-elternzeit-/73770

Please submit your application for parental benefit to the competent parental benefit office (Elterngeldstelle).

Elterngeldstelle Braunschweig
Fachbereich Kinder, Jugend und Familie
Campestraße 7 | 38102 Braunschweig
E-mail: kinder.jugend.familie@braunschweig.de
www.braunschweig.de/leben/frauen/familie/elterngeld.html

You can claim child benefit, which is not means-tested, for every child under the age of 18. After that time, child benefit may be paid if certain conditions are met, for instance, while your child is completing school, university or training, or for a transitional period. The amount of child benefit paid per month depends on the number of children: 219 euros each are paid for the first and second child, 225 euros for the third child, and 250 euros each for any additional children (as at 01/01/2021).

Employees with civil servant status or working in the public sector generally apply to their employer’s Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse) at the Federal Employment Agency: Child benefits leaflet

The family benefits office responsible for Braunschweig is located in Helmstedt.

Familienkasse Niedersachsen-Bremen, Standort Helmstedt
Magdeburger Tor 10 | 38350 Helmstedt
Phone: 0800 455 5530
E-mail: familienkasse-niedersachsen-bremen(at)arbeitsagentur.de

If you are on a low income, you may be eligible for additional child benefit (Kinderzuschlag). You will have to meet a number of criteria. Students receiving a BAföG grant or loan are only eligible for additional child benefit in exceptional circumstances. For details on additional child benefit, please contact the Federal Employment Agency.

The family benefits office responsible for Braunschweig is located in Helmstedt.

Familienkasse Niedersachsen-Bremen, Standort Helmstedt
Magdeburger Tor 10 | 38350 Helmstedt
Phone: 0800 455 5530
E-mail: familienkasse-niedersachsen-bremen(at)arbeitsagentur.de

At the mensa and bistros of the Studentenwerk OstNiedersachsen, children up to 10 years get a meal ("Piepmampf-Portion") for 1 Euro, if:

• the parents are students or staff.
• they are accompanied by one parent who buys a meal, too.
• they have a Piepmampf-Pass with them

In order to get a Piepfmampf-Pass, please contact the Mensa-team. It's best to bring along the birth certificate of your child and your matriculation card or work ID card directly. https://stw-on.de/braunschweig/essen/wissenswertes