Changes to Practical Vocational Teacher Workload in 2026: Employment Contract Updates Explained

Starting September 1, 2026, practical vocational teachers face a uniform 18-hour workload, prompting essential reviews of employment documentation across schools without requiring automatic contract rewrites.

New Uniform Workload Rules for Vocational Teachers

From September 1, 2026, a uniform 18-hour weekly teaching workload applies to practical vocational teachers. This results from changes introduced by the act of July 25, 2025, amending the Teachers’ Charter and certain other acts. With the entry into force of the new provisions, the question arose whether the workload change means signing an annex to the employment contract or issuing a new act of appointment.

From the beginning of the 2026/2027 school year, practical vocational teachers are subject to a uniform mandatory weekly teaching load of 18 hours. Until August 31, 2026, the workload for this group of teachers could be determined by the school-running body based on Article 42 paragraph 7 of the Teachers’ Charter, causing different solutions to apply in individual local government units.

From September 1, 2026, the workload stems directly from the provisions of the Teachers’ Charter, and the governing bodies have lost the competence to determine it by way of resolution.

Impact on Employment Contracts and Appointments

As a rule, the mere change in regulations does not automatically cause a change in the employment relationship, although in some cases an update of employee documentation may be necessary.

If the teacher remains employed at the same position, for the same FTE fraction, and performs the same type of work, the mere change of the statutory workload does not automatically create an obligation to conclude an annex to the employment contract.

The school principal should, however, analyze the content of the documents constituting the basis of employment. If the employment contract contains provisions relating to the mandatory weekly teaching load, it may prove necessary to adapt them to the new regulations.

When is an Employment Annex Necessary?

The obligation to change documentation may arise not because the workload changed, but because other employment conditions are changing. This applies in particular to situations where other terms shift.

In such cases, the principal should apply the appropriate procedure resulting from the Teachers’ Charter and the provisions of the Labor Code. Conversely, the mere change of the statutory workload cannot be equated with an obligation to sign an annex in every case.

Situation of Appointed Teachers

The workload change also does not mean it is necessary to issue a new act of appointment. According to Article 13 of the Teachers’ Charter, the act of appointment is the document on the basis of which the employment relationship is established. If the employment relationship continues, there are no grounds for reissuing the act of appointment solely due to the change in the mandatory weekly teaching load.

The situation will only be different if other changes occur requiring the application of separate provisions of the Teachers’ Charter, such as transferring a teacher based on Article 18 of this act.

Practical Example for School Principals

A practical vocational teacher is employed full-time. From September 1, 2026, their workload is 18 hours in accordance with the new provisions of lodgements in the Teachers’ Charter. If they continue working at the same position and FTE fraction, and only the statutory mandatory teaching load changes, this fact alone does not automatically necessitate signing a contract annex.

However, if the contract concluded with the teacher indicates a specific weekly mandatory teaching load, the principal should assess whether the document requires adaptation to the applicable regulations.

Implications for Overtime Hours

Although the workload change does not always necessitate changing employee documents, it may have a significant impact on the organization of school work. The method of determining overtime hours changes, meaning the principal should re-analyze these factors.

In practice, these exact issues will require the greatest attention after the start of the school year.

Summary and Legal Basis

In summary, the new 18-hour workload for practical vocational teachers applies from September 1, 2026. However, this does not mean that every school principal must sign employment contract annexes with teachers or issue new acts of appointment.

As a rule, the change of regulations itself does not cause a change in the employment relationship. The principal should nevertheless check each time whether other employment conditions are changing along with the workload or whether the content of the employment contract requires adaptation to the new regulations.

Legal basis includes Article 10, Article 13, Article 18, and Article 42 of the act of January 26, 1982 – Teachers’ Charter (Journal of Laws of 2026, item 515) as well as Article 1 point 11 letter b and Article 18 of the act of July 25, 2025, amending the Teachers’ Charter and certain other acts (Journal of Laws of 2025, item 1160).