Family-friendly university

Employees and civil servants can reduce their contractually agreed working hours and work part-time. Please notify your supervisor and the HR department of your wish to work part-time in good time.

The current flexitime regulations at the university allow you to organise your working hours flexibly. 

→ Service agreement on flexitime (German, PDF) – valid for the non-scientific area

• First amendment (German, PDF)
• Second amendment (German, PDF)

The university offers its employees the opportunity to work alternately at home and at the university if the area of work is suitable. Please speak to your supervisor.

Service agreement on the flexibilisation of the place of work (German, PDF)

If your child is ill and you have to look after them at home, you can take time off work. The prerequisite is that your child has not yet reached the age of 12. You must also submit a medical certificate to the HR department confirming that your child requires care.

In accordance with the Care Study Strengthening Act, the entitlement to child sickness benefit has been increased to 15 instead of 10 working days per child in 2024 and 2025, provided the child is covered by statutory insurance. If there are several children, there is a maximum entitlement to a total of 35 days. Single parents are entitled to double the number of days.

From 2026, each parent will again be legally entitled to ten "child sick days" per year (20 days for single parents). With the employer's consent, the days can be transferred in full or in part to another parent if one parent is unable to take care of the child.

Employees who themselves and their child(ren) are members of a statutory health insurance fund receive child sickness benefit from their health insurance fund during this period.

Statutory maternity protection protects pregnant women and young mothers from dangers in the workplace, financial losses and the loss of their job during pregnancy and in the period shortly after giving birth. Maternity protection applies to all women (including those in part-time employment, in temporary or marginal employment, working from home or in training), i.e. including students.

The protection period begins six weeks before the expected date of birth and ends eight weeks after the actual birth (twelve weeks for premature and multiple births). In the six weeks before the birth, you can continue to work voluntarily for as long as you wish. There is an absolute ban on working during the eight-week protection period after the birth.

In order to protect you adequately and in good time, please inform your supervisor and the HR department of the expected date of birth.

During the period of maternity protection, employees who are members of a statutory health insurance fund receive maternity pay (equivalent to the regular net earnings). Privately insured employees are not entitled to maternity benefit. However, they can apply for a one-off payment from the Federal Social Security Office.

After the birth, both the mother and the father can take parental leave for up to three years (of which up to 24 months can be carried over until the child reaches the age of 8). The allocation of parental leave is flexible and can be taken in full or in part alone, together or alternately. If you have several children, you are entitled to parental leave for each child, even if the periods overlap.

If you wish to take parental leave, you must notify the university in writing at least seven weeks before the start of your parental leave. Please contact the Human Resources Department. Up to the child's 3rd birthday, the employer's consent is not required for parental leave.

During parental leave, it is possible to work part-time (max. 30 hours per week). Please inform the HR department when you register if you are planning to do this.

If you are looking after your child after the birth, you can apply for parental allowance. Parental allowance is available in the variants Basic Parental Allowance, Parental Allowance Plus and Partnership Bonus - these can be combined with each other. You can obtain more information from the relevant parental allowance office or on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. 

→ Parental allowance office of the city of Weimar

Children are entitled to child benefit from birth until they reach the age of 18. The entitlement is extended up to the age of 25 if the child is in an apprenticeship.

The application for child benefit must be made in writing to the Family Benefits Office of the Federal Employment Agency. 

Maternity protection (6 weeks before and 8 weeks after childbirth) also applies to female students, provided that they are doing work that is compulsory in order to complete their degree. This means that you are not allowed to take part in any courses or examinations during the period of maternity leave. As a student, you can waive the maternity protection period. Please contact the ASA department so that we can inform you and advise you individually. Please contact your statutory health insurance provider to find out whether you are entitled to maternity benefit.

Student parents receive individual advice on study and examination matters. Special study plans can be developed if required.

You can start or continue your studies part-time in order to better reconcile childcare and your studies (completely or for a limited period). In this case, you will only earn around 50 per cent of the credit points stipulated in the study plan per semester.

You can also suspend your studies for a limited period of time by taking a semester off.

You don't have to miss out on studying abroad with child(ren). Our International Office can advise you on planning and financing.

Children of students are given priority in the day care centres of the Studierendenwerk.

The Studierendenwerk Thüringen also offers accommodation for families in its halls of residence. Students with children will be given special consideration if they apply for accommodation in good time.

Children of students (up to the age of 6) receive a free children's portion in the canteens and cafeterias if at least one meal (student, employee or guest) is paid for. You can apply for the necessary child ID card at the INFOtake Weimar (Marienstr. 15a, ground floor). Please bring a current certificate of enrolment and a copy of your child's birth certificate.

When awarding the Deutschlandstipendium and the Charlotte Krupp Scholarship, particular consideration is given to personal and family circumstances.

For student parents, special regulations apply when granting BAföG. For more information, please contact the Weimar Office for Educational Support.

You are entitled to child benefit from the birth of your child. All you have to do is apply for it at the Family Benefits Office of the Federal Employment Agency. Under certain conditions, child supplement is also granted.

As a student, you are also entitled to parental allowance. You do not have to interrupt your studies for this. The minimum monthly instalment of 300 euros is not offset against BAföG. Foreign students are generally not entitled to parental allowance: Parental allowance office of the city of Weimar

Students and employees of the HfM Weimar can have their children aged 12 weeks to 7 years looked after by trained students as required. The childcare hours are between two and four hours a day or a maximum of ten hours a week.

The "Bauhäuschen" has two playrooms and bedrooms on the 4th floor of Amalienstraße 13 in Weimar.

Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Further information can be found on the Bauhäuschen website.

Before your child can visit the "Bauhäuschen" for the first time, you must register them in person at the INFOtake Weimar (Marienstr. 15a, ground floor) and submit a number of documents. The INFOtake is currently open from Monday to Friday between 10am and 2pm. 

Documents to be submitted include the childcare contract, a copy of the child's birth certificate, a copy of the student ID card or employee ID card and proof of the child's measles vaccination. 

You can find more information about enrolment here.

To book a place, please inform INFOtake Weimar of your childcare requirements in person, by email infotake-weimar(at)stw-thueringen.de or by telephone (+49 (0)3643 | 581 506) at least three days before the start of childcare.

The availability of a place will be checked as soon as possible and you will be informed.

Payment can be made in the INFOtake and at the canteen cash desks with the "thoska" card or by SEPA bank transfer.

University employees can take advantage of the same measures for caring for close relatives as for caring for children. They can therefore also work part-time or from home (see above).

Students can either take a semester off to focus entirely on caring for their relatives or study part-time (see above, "Study organisation").

If a relative is in acute need of care, employees and civil servants can be absent from work for up to ten days in order to organise appropriate care. Prior notice is not required. However, please inform your supervisor and the HR department immediately of the expected duration of the leave of absence.

During this time, employees are paid care support allowance as a wage replacement benefit. This must be applied for from the care insurance provider responsible for the relative in need of care.

As part of carers' leave, employees can take up to six months off work completely or work part-time if they are caring for or looking after close relatives in need of care at home. The legal entitlement also exists for underage relatives in need of care.

If you would like to accompany a close relative in the last phase of their life, you can also take up to three months' leave of absence in whole or in part. The relative does not have to be accommodated at home, but can be accompanied in a hospice, for example.

Please notify the HR department at least ten days before the start of your care leave.

The employee is protected against dismissal during the care leave.

To compensate for the loss of income, you are entitled to an interest-free loan from the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions. It is paid out in monthly instalments and must also be repaid in instalments after the end of the care period.

If you would like to care for or look after a close relative at home for a longer period of time, you can apply for family carer's leave. You can work part-time for up to 24 months (at least 15 hours per week). If you applied for less than 24 months in your initial application, the university must agree to an extension.

You must notify the HR department at least eight weeks in advance of the family care leave. A notice period of three months must be observed for the transition from care leave to family care leave.

There is protection against dismissal during family care leave.

To compensate for the loss of income, you are entitled to an interest-free loan from the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions. It is paid out in monthly instalments and must also be repaid in instalments after the end of the care period.

You have a legal right to care counselling. You can find support on all aspects of caring for close relatives at the following centres.

Weimar care support centre
Weimar-Nord: Marcel-Paul-Straße 48d
Weimar-Schöndorf: Carl-Gärtig-Straße 25
Phone: 03643 | 25 27 998
E-mail: pflege(at)htg.de 

Pathways to care
Information portal of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

Care services helpline of the Federal Ministry of Health