Brigade for students

Chapters of the article

• Brigade from 15 years old
• What teenage temps can and can’t do
• Temporary agency contract – FTE and part-time
• Temporary jobs without a contract
• Summer temporary work for students

Brigade from 15 years old

There are 2 basic requirements to start a temporary job. You must be over 15 years old and have completed compulsory schooling. Compulsory schooling is set at 9 years, or at most until the end of the school year in which you reach the age of 17. You can therefore start a part-time job during the summer holidays immediately after leaving school (but only if you are already 15 years old). Your new employer may ask you for your school leaving certificate to check that you have actually completed your compulsory schooling.

The only exceptions to this are artistic, cultural, advertising or sporting activities. However, you must obtain permission from the employment office for these activities. In addition, it is limited to 20 hours per week and must not interfere with school lessons.

What teenage temps can and can’t do

When a person turns 15 and completes school, he or she is able to sign a work contract, but is still protected by a law that takes into account his or her mental and physical immaturity. Young temporary workers, i.e. people under the age of 18, are therefore more restricted in their work than adult workers. These restrictions include:

Inadequacy, danger, harmfulness

Young workers can only be given work that is not unreasonable, dangerous or harmful to them. Therefore, they must not perform work where they or anyone else would be at increased risk of injury or work where there is a risk of occupational disease. In addition, they must not carry heavy loads. Some work is expressly prohibited. These include, for example, mining work, work with explosives, work on live electrical equipment, work at heights above 1.5 m, etc. The exception is where minors are preparing for their future profession. They may therefore carry out this type of work if it is part of their practice at secondary school or apprenticeship level and if they are supervised at all times.

Length of working time

For minors, the length and nature of working time is also limited. Juvenile workers may not work night shifts or overtime. Again, the only exception is training for future employment. In this case, it is allowed to work 1 hour at night.

In addition, minors are entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes after 4.5 hours of work. Juveniles are also entitled to a minimum of 48 hours of uninterrupted rest each week.

Alcohol and money

Minors are not allowed to work with alcohol, including, for example, manning a booth in a swimming pool where beer is sold. Minors can work with money, but the employer cannot ask them to sign a material responsibility. Therefore, they are not responsible for paying the shortfall.

Temporary employment contract – FTE and SNE

If you are going on a temporary job, you are likely to come across one of the following contracts. So let’s take a look at how they differ and what the advantages and disadvantages are.

Contract for the performance of work (DPP)

If you have a limited summer job, you’re more likely to come across a DPP. It is limited to 300 hours, which is probably plenty of time for the summer. It is also more advantageous in terms of compulsory social security and health insurance contributions. These are only payable if your monthly earnings exceed CZK 10,500. Otherwise, insurance premiums are payable – pension premiums are 4.5 per cent of total earnings and social security premiums are 6.5 per cent.

As far as the taxation of the work arrangement is concerned, you as a student do not pay taxes. However, this is only the case if you have signed the so-called pink tax declaration and only if your earnings do not exceed CZK 10,500. Otherwise, 15% tax is deducted from your remuneration.

Employment contract (FTE)

You are more likely to encounter a work activity agreement in the case of longer-term temporary jobs or if you have exhausted the 300-hour limit for a FTE with one employer. The FTE is only limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week. This is an average, so you can work 40 hours one week and not at all the next.

You do not have to pay taxes if your salary is below CZK 4,000. Otherwise, you must pay health insurance, but only the minimum assessment base.

Even if you are a student, it is worth signing a pink tax declaration. You will have to pay taxes on the FTE, but only the advance tax. You can then file a tax return at the start of the next year, claiming the taxpayer and student tax credits.

Brigade without contract

Both the contract of employment and the contract of employment must always be in writing and contain the following basic information:

1. Identification of the employee and employer: name, surname, date of birth, place of residence.
2. Description of the agreed work: what is its nature, what work activities fall under it, etc.
3. Duration of the agreement: In the case of agreements, it is often for an indefinite period.
4. Theremuneration agreed: Usually an hourly wage.

Always sign only contracts that contain all material information and that do not contain meaningless obligations. At the same time, never accept a part-time job without a contract. You may get money in hand without having to pay taxes or insurance, but the work may not be worthwhile. The contract is there to protect you.

Without a contract, your employer may end up telling you that they won’t pay you anything. And you have no way of defending yourself at that point. There is no evidence that you did the work. Nor will you be entitled to compensation in the event of an accident at work. In addition, you may also be fined. That is why it is not really worthwhile to work without a contract.

Summer job for students

Finally, here are some tips on where to look for part-time jobs for students, and not just for the summer. First of all, it is a good idea to look for friends or family members. Often you will find something and you can be more sure that you will be satisfied with the job. You can also search on various internet portals such as Jobs.cz, Fajn-brigady.cz or Prace.cz. You can also search on Facebook groups that offer jobs or you can try to inquire in person at the place of work.

If you speak a foreign language, you can also look abroad. Here, they often look for young people to work as summer help in hotels, hospitality, lifeguards or nannies. This type of work will not only bring you money, but also lots of useful experience and opportunities to improve your language. Many Czech agencies offer similar jobs, such as Czech-us.cz or CoolAgent.cz. You can also search on international portals such as SummerJobs.com or SeasonWorkers.com.