Before you sign: The German employment contract checklist for expats

Got a German job offer? Before you sign, decode the Probezeit, Kündigungsfrist, and Nebentätigkeit clauses that quietly control your salary, hours, and notice period—plus the exact questions to ask your employer first.
In this guide:
- Contract scan
- German contracts vocabulary
- Permanent, fixed, project-based contracts
- Salary, bonus, benefits
- Probezeit, Kündigungsfrist, working hours and over time
- Vacation days
- Home office
- Side gigs and freelance work
- Questions to ask before signing
- Additional documentation



