Hi everyone,

I have a confusion about the job contract with ETH which I already signed, but just realized something weird.

The contract indicates

• Start date: 1st March
  Duration: 31st August

• Trial period: 31st May

• Period of notice: Contract ends without notice. The contract may only be terminated for important reasons as set out in Art. 10 paragraph 4 of the Federal Personnel Act (FPA)

It seems conflicting to each other to have both the trial period and not the possibility to give a notice.

What is the legal interpretation of this? The time I read before signing, I see there is a trial period, so I read "Period of notice" part thinking it means "end without notice after trial period". Now I am not sure anymore if this is a right interpretation.

Thank you very much!

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In the contract, it also says that

• Legal bases: in the absence of any provisions to the contrary in this contract, the rights and obligations are governed by the ETH PO, the FPA and the Richtlinie der Rektorin über die Tätigkeit und Anstellung von Hilfassistierenden in der Lehre.

In the PO (Personal Ordinance) they refer to, the part about notice period says:

It is a fixed term contract, and you/they cannot end it early except for special circumstances.

Tom

We used to be on fixed-term contracts but the company said because of some ruling or test case that they in any case had to give us statutory notice and the contract was not allowed to simply come to an end.

I'm also not sure what the trial period then means in this case. Ask them to write it out explicitly.

Fixed term job contracts usually do not include a trial period.

However, they still might: in which case, I would think that you or the employer can give 7 days notice and break contract.

How long is your fixed term contract?

Thank you everyone- I just wrote to the HR to clarify this.

To Sinking: it is only for a semester (till end of August). And my guess is that because the lecture period ends the end of May, they put that as a trial period.

I would ask for the trial period to be removed on such short contract.

Sounds about right. One week notice until end of May and then the contract is due to end end of August (3 months later). I suppose you can give one month's notice after the trial period(?) Maybe the "ends without notice" is just to reinforce that it's a fixed term contract and they think they don't need to give you notice to end at the end of August.

To Landers: I totally agree to you. Will ask them to confirm what they really mean, about the notice period pre- and post-trial period from the contract. I think their Personal Ordinance in German is most clear.

A probably final update:

The HR agrees that this does not make sense, and has reissued a contract now.