Is OE realistically possible in Germany — and if so, how?

I randomly found this sub at exactly the time I have been thinking about this myself.

I currently have a well-paid full-time job in Germany, but realistically I have enough capacity for additional work. I want to keep my current job long-term, but I could easily imagine working something closer to 1.5 jobs.

The problem is figuring out a setup that is both legal and actually worth it.

Option 1: Two employment contracts.

As far as I understand, working time across employers is combined, so two official full-time jobs are basically not an option in Germany. I could potentially reduce my current role formally to 80% and take another part-time job.

I would absolutely disclose the second job and do everything properly. But this is where I start getting frustrated. The second employment would automatically be taxed under class VI, and while I understand that this is mainly withholding and the final tax is settled through the tax return, the numbers still look pretty depressing.

I am already in the 42% marginal tax bracket. I know that means I earn well, and I am not complaining about paying taxes — I spent years building my qualifications and career, and I am perfectly willing to contribute my share. What frustrates me is that once taxes, social-security contributions and the administrative effort are added, the financial incentive to take on substantially more work becomes surprisingly weak.

At some point I still need to feel that additional effort is actually rewarded.

And then there is the bureaucracy on top of it: formally adjusting working hours, informing employers, making sure contracts are compatible, tax return, potentially additional payments later, etc.

Option 2: Employment + consulting.

This seems more flexible, and I could imagine taking one larger consulting project alongside my main job.

But then there is the German issue of false self-employment (“Scheinselbstständigkeit”). One client is not automatically a problem, but if you work closely with one company for several months, it seems like yet another area where you have to be extremely careful.

That is really my frustration: I have the capacity, I want to work more, earn more and do everything legally. But the more I look into it, the more it feels like Germany makes having multiple income streams unnecessarily complicated and surprisingly unrewarding after taxes, contributions and administrative effort.

At some point it honestly feels easier to work less than to figure out how to legally and efficiently work more.

So for people actually doing OE in Germany:

- What setup do you use? Employment + employment or employment + consulting?
- How do you handle disclosure and working-time rules?
- Any tips on how to structure this in the most tax-efficient way, while keeping everything fully legal and compliant?

Thanks for your time!