Why this question is harder than it looks
Almost every worker asks some version of "how many hours will I work, and how many days off do I get?" before they travel. It sounds like a simple question with a simple number for an answer.
It isn't, and the reason matters. Working time, rest days and time off are set by the law of the country you are working in, and then by the contract you signed for the specific job. Those two things can differ. When they do, the law usually sets the floor and the contract sets what you actually agreed to.
That is why this article does not print a number for any country. A number copied from another website and not dated against the current rule is worse than no number, because a worker who plans around it can be wrong in a way they cannot see.
The concepts, so you can read any contract
- Contractual hours — the number of hours per week your contract says you will work. This is what your pay is usually based on.
- Normal hours versus maximum hours — most countries set a normal working week and then a ceiling beyond which extra hours must be paid differently or are not permitted at all. These are not the same number.
- Overtime — hours beyond the normal week. Whether overtime is offered, whether it is obligatory, and how it is compensated are three separate questions, and they are answered by the law and the contract, not by the employer's preference in the moment.
- Rest day — a day on which you are not required to work. Some countries guarantee one per week; some guarantee a longer unbroken period; the pattern varies.
- Public holidays — set nationally, and the list changes. A holiday in one country is an ordinary working day in the next one over.
- Annual leave — paid time off accrued over the year. How it accrues, whether it can be taken in the first year, and what happens to it when a contract ends are all country-specific.
Where to read the rule for your country
We are not going to paraphrase the law of each country, because a paraphrase is not a source. Go to the official source for the country you are going to:
- The national labour ministry or its working-time authority — the body that publishes working-time rules. This is the first and only place to check hours, rest periods and overtime.
- The national body that publishes public holidays — usually the same ministry or the government gazette.
- Your own written contract, and the official translation of it if it is in a language you do not read.
- The labour inspectorate in the country of work — the body that enforces the rules, and the body to contact if what you are being asked to do does not match them.
If a piece of information is not on one of those, treat it as unconfirmed. That includes what a recruiter tells you verbally, what another worker tells you, and what this article could have printed.
What to check before you sign
- The contractual weekly hours, in writing. Not the hours mentioned in a conversation.
- How overtime is recorded and paid — and who is responsible for recording it.
- Which day is your rest day, and whether it is fixed or rotating.
- How annual leave accrues and when you can first take it.
- What happens to holiday entitlement if the contract ends early.
- Where the official working-time rules are published for that country, so you can check anything you are unsure about later without asking anyone.
The short version
- Working time is set by the law of the country and by your contract, and the two can differ.
- Normal hours and maximum hours are different numbers.
- Overtime being offered, being obligatory, and being paid are three separate questions.
- Do not plan around a number you cannot date and source. Go to the national labour authority for the country you are going to.
- If what you are being asked to work does not match the rules, the labour inspectorate is the body that handles it.