Document background
The Certificate Of Employment For Part Time Job (Arbeitszeugnis für Teilzeitbeschäftigung) is a mandatory document in German employment law that employers must provide upon the conclusion of any employment relationship. This requirement is established under §109 of the German Civil Code (BGB) and applies equally to part-time and full-time employees. The document serves multiple purposes: it provides official documentation of employment history, can be used for future job applications, and may be required for unemployment benefits or other administrative procedures. It must be written in a specific style using standardized phrases that have developed through court decisions and common practice. The certificate can be either simple (einfaches Zeugnis) containing basic employment facts, or qualified (qualifiziertes Zeugnis) including performance and conduct assessments. Special attention must be paid to ensure part-time workers receive equal treatment in the formulation of their certificates compared to full-time employees, as required by German anti-discrimination laws.
