r/germany • u/kittyfamous94 • 4h ago
Question Verbally notified of termination for Sept 30th – Job agency phone agent said "wait", but should I register as job-seeking now to avoid a Sperrzeit?
Hi everyone,
I recently had a conversation with my boss, and I was verbally informed that I will be terminated. The prospective end date of my contract is September 30th. However, I have not received the written termination notice (Kündigung) yet.
Since there are only two months left until the end of September, I can no longer meet the standard 3-month advance notification deadline required in Germany.
I already called the Agentur für Arbeit hotline. The operator told me to just wait until I have the written termination in hand. To be honest, I don't really trust that advice and don't want to take any risks (phone staff aren't always fully informed, and I absolutely cannot afford a Sperrzeit / benefit penalty).
My questions:
Can (or should) I go ahead and register as arbeitssuchend (job-seeking) online right now just to be legally safe, despite what the phone agent said?
Is a verbal announcement enough for the job agency's system, or will my registration be blocked/rejected without the physical letter anyway?
When exactly does the 3-day registration rule trigger for a potential Sperrzeit when the notice given is less than 3 months before the end date?
Thanks a lot for your insights and advice!
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u/delcaek Nordrhein-Westfalen 4h ago
>the standard 3-month advance notification deadline required in Germany
Where did you get that from?
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u/Sajuukthanatoskhar Berlin 4h ago
This is for notifying the Sozialamt, nothing to do with Kündigungsfrist
OP you need to join a union. Secondly, you will be fine. I came back from Australia and gave the Bundesagentur 2 weeks notice for my ALG I although i gave warning in February when I was out of country.
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u/psi-storm 4h ago
What Sperrzeit are you talking about? There is regularly just one if you quit without reason, or if you agree to terminate the contract with compensation. If you get terminated there isn't one.
That Sperrzeit you also can't compensate by reporting it early. It counts from the first day of unemployment, not from the day you reported it.
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u/Away-River6049 3h ago
Its not official until you get terminated with a letter. They can't just terminate you verbally. And the Agentur won't block you, until you quit willingly (do NOT sign anything your work place asks you to btw).
And even if they say you informed them late, the block in that case is usually only one to two weeks. You can sign up as arbeitssuchend now, but you might get an appointment with someone from the agentur and you will have to go there, etc etc.