What is “bogus” self-employment?

According to German labour laws, some activities aren’t allowed to be conducted on a freelance/self-employed basis. Instead, your client has to give you a proper employment contract. This is mostly the case if you cannot make your own decision regarding place, duration and time of your activities, and if you are “embedded” in your client’s work environment. In the music industry, this often concerns people working technical jobs as well as music teachers who don’t recruit their own students. Note that controlling authorities investigate the individual relationship between a presumed self-employed person and their client. Having multiple clients isn’t proof in itself to be considered a “real” self-employed person. The touring artists offers an information sheet in English on the topic. The trade union ver.di has compiled information for music teachers, and PAP for contracts in the performing arts field (both in German only).
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