Pilot Project Planned for Tracking Teachers' Work Hours

The Saxon state government is working on a pilot project for tracking teachers' working hours. According to a study, a panel of experts recommended measures that are now being reviewed, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs said in response to an inquiry. However, it is still unclear when the project will begin. In addition, federal guidelines regarding the Working Hours Act must be awaited.

Federal Court: Structural Problem with Working Hours Tracking

In a ruling last week, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig identified a structural problem with the tracking of teachers’ working hours. However, the judges emphasized that teachers currently do not have an automatic right to financial compensation if they exceed their weekly working hours. Accordingly, they may not independently extend their working hours and then demand compensation for them. Rather, the employer must be notified of the overload caused by overtime, and tasks must be postponed if necessary.

Specifically, the case concerned the overtime worked by a elementary school principal from Hanover. The Higher Administrative Court (OVG) in Lüneburg had awarded the now-retired principal compensation of 31,435.59 euros for overtime worked. The Federal Administrative Court overturned the ruling following an appeal by the state of Lower Saxony. The reasoning stated that the former principal had not been required to work the hours claimed. The reported hours of service were based on a decision made on his own initiative and had not been mandated by the employer.

GEW: Tasks Cannot Be Left Undone

“In an educational context, it is unrealistic to simply leave tasks undone,” said Burkhard Naumann, state chairman of the Union for Education and Science (GEW). Clear guidelines are needed for reducing workloads, along with an objective, simple system for tracking working hours that makes it possible to determine which tasks cause working hours to be exceeded.

Study: Half of Teachers Work Eight Hours More Per Week

According to a study by the Saxon Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, roughly half of all teachers performed unpaid overtime totaling just under eight hours per week each school year. About 17 percent of school administrators worked an average of more than 48 hours per week across all school weeks. The type of school significantly influences the scope and structure of working hours. At vocational schools and special education schools, the balance of working hours was more even. In contrast, teachers at high schools (Gymnasien) frequently worked more than scheduled.

A total of 3,772 teachers and 386 school administrators participated in the representative study. This represents 14 percent of all teachers and 19 percent of all school administrators in Saxony. They had documented their working hours throughout the 2024–25 school year.

Naumann explained that tracking working hours is a tool for protecting health; simply documenting the start and end of the workday as well as breaks is sufficient. “That is why we are proposing the introduction of a simple, voluntary model.” Numerous state chapters of the GEW have already provided their members with an app for tracking working hours. In Hesse, Berlin, and Baden-Württemberg, among other places, thousands of teachers are already using it to document their working hours.