Minimum wage, fair pay, and at what age can kids work?
In Germany, kids under 13 aren’t allowed to work. At 13 and 14, light tasks are allowed, but only with a parent’s OK, for two hours a day at most and never during school hours. From 15 on, jobs during school vacations are allowed too. The minimum wage is the lowest pay allowed for an hour of work. As Ina puts it: The floor is not the ceiling. And allowed doesn’t automatically mean fair.
Good to know: we explain how things work in Germany, where the books are set. Rules and numbers can be different where you live.
How the guinea pigs explain it in Volume 4: Why Is So Little Left?
What is the minimum wage, and how can you tell if pay is fair?
The minimum wage is the lowest amount anyone can be paid for an hour of work. Ina says: The floor is not the ceiling. And legal doesn’t automatically mean fair. Christian writes down three questions for checking a wage: Is it above the floor? What do others pay for similar work? Can the business afford it in the long run? The exact number only appears at the back of the book: in 2026, the minimum wage in Germany is €13.90 an hour.
Do bosses actually get paid?
It depends. If you’re employed, you get a wage, even as the boss. If you own your business yourself, you don’t automatically get a wage. Knut explains it himself at the end: first the supplies, rent, gas, labor costs and the other operating costs get paid. Whatever is left after that is his profit. He still pays taxes on it, and part of it goes into the reserve. Mr. Grey sums it up: Being the boss doesn’t mean helping yourself first.
At what age can kids work?
The back of the book explains it briefly, for Germany: under 13, kids aren’t allowed to work. At 13 and 14, light tasks are allowed, like taking care of pets, but only with the parents’ okay, for no more than two hours a day and never during school hours. From 15 on, jobs during school vacations are allowed too, for up to four weeks a year. Helping out at home is just part of family life, and it doesn’t automatically come with money. Or as Mr. Grey says: Helping for a bit isn’t a job.
Why do you read an employment contract before you sign it?
Because everything important is in it. Knut’s offer to Jonas: €3,000 gross a month, forty hours a week, 28 vacation days, and a six-month probation period. Jonas takes it home, because you don’t sign a contract on the fly. And only someone who is allowed to make a promise can make one. Rocky’s paw-print contract doesn’t count. Mojito’s line: Loud is not permission.
- Under 13: not allowed. From 13: light tasks with a parent’s OK. From 15: vacation jobs.
- Three questions for a fair wage: Is it above the floor? What do others pay? Can the business afford it in the long run?
- You don’t sign a contract in a doorway.
Mindestlohn
minimum wage
In the books, every paragraph is in German with the English right below it. That way you pick up new words in both languages along the way.
Your turn: take the quiz
No account, no score, nothing gets saved. Just tap an answer.
1. At what age are light tasks like looking after pets allowed?
2. What does Ina mean by “The floor is not the ceiling”?
3. What does Jonas do with Knut’s contract?
Volume 4: Why Is So Little Left?
Wages, taxes, social insurance and what an employee really costs. For kids ages 10 and up, bilingual German and English, 88 pages, illustrated in full color throughout.
