The case of a 62-year-old female teacher in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has recently garnered significant public attention. From 2009, the woman, who worked at a vocational college in Wesel, began taking long-term sick leave.
WDR radio and Spiegel magazine reported that the civil servant continuously submitted medical certificates citing psychological illness. Authorities initially neglected to request an official medical examination. For the past 17 years, she continued to receive her civil servant salary.
Laws in many German states classify teachers as civil servants (beamte), entitling them to full salary and health insurance benefits while on sick leave.
According to Die Welt, the teacher earned approximately 6,174 euro (USD 7,103) per month. Authorities estimate the state paid the woman a total of one million euro since 2009.
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By early 2026, public health officials concluded the woman was unable to return to teaching for the next six months. The district administration of Dusseldorf ordered the civil servant's forced retirement by the end of May.
The Administrative Court of Dusseldorf confirmed the teacher filed a lawsuit against the decision to retain her current income. The administration is temporarily paying her an amount equivalent to a pension until the court rules.
Parallel to the lawsuit, the Duisburg Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into suspected fraud. Authorities suspect the teacher falsely declared her health status to secretly practice medicine.
In March, police searched her residence, seizing numerous documents and digital storage devices. The administration also initiated disciplinary proceedings against the teacher and a male employee from the Dusseldorf district administration for neglecting their duty to assess civil servant health.
The North Rhine-Westphalia Teachers' Union, with 30,000 members, has deemed the incident serious. German labor law prohibits schools from hiring full-time staff to fill positions of those on sick leave.
Andreas Bartsch, the union's president, stated: "This behavior deals a significant blow to colleagues who bear the heavy responsibility of covering the entire workload."
Minh Phuong (According to Euronews, Telegraph)
