Updated regulations mean teachers in Berlin can now apply for tenure civil servant (Beamte) status up until their 52nd birthday.

Increased age limit on Berlin teachers' civil servant status

In an unexpected announcement on Friday, the Berlin secretary for education, Alexander Slotty, said that teachers in the German city would be allowed to become tenured civil servants (Beamte) until their 52nd birthday. The new Social Democratic Party policy was promised in the 2021 coalition agreement.

Currently, teachers in Berlin can only apply for tenured civil servant status if they are no older than 45. This age limit will increase to 51, allowing as many qualified teachers as possible to be employed as tenured civil servants in primary and secondary schools. This means that when teachers apply for Beamte status, the time that they need to have left before retirement will decrease from 20 to 13 years. 

What does German tenured civil servant status mean?

In certain fields people in Germany can be employed as tenured civil servants. Being employed as a Beamte gives these people a special legal status separate from people employed in private sectors (Angestellte). Jobs where people are employed as tenured civil servants include the police force, teachers, university professors and, until Deutsche Bahn was privatised in 1994, many of the company’s train staff.

Having Beamte status in Germany gives employees very good job security; only tenured civil servants who commit serious crimes can lose their job. Beamte are also given a special kind of health insurance known as Beihilfe, 50 percent of which is covered by the state. However, unlike other employees in Germany, Beamte do not have the right to strike.