diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/__init__.py b/tests/job_tests/text/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/input_file.txt b/tests/job_tests/text/files/input_file.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8449831a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/files/input_file.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+This is an input file for testing. Sentence 1.
+Sentence 2.
+Sentence 3.
+Sentence 4.
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.1.txt b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.1.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..36d0307a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.1.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is an input file for testing. Sentence 1.
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a289dad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This is an input file for testing. Sentence 1.
+Sentence 2.
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt.gz b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt.gz
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f84cdc5
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.head.2.txt.gz differ
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ca15bd09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Sentence 3.
+Sentence 4.
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt.gz b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt.gz
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..619c4d8c
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.2.txt.gz differ
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.3.txt b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.3.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..364de786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/files/out.tail.3.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Sentence 2.
+Sentence 3.
+Sentence 4.
diff --git a/tests/job_tests/text/test_processing.py b/tests/job_tests/text/test_processing.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..030ed7ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/job_tests/text/test_processing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import filecmp
+import tempfile
+from sisyphus import setup_path
+
+from i6_core.text.processing import HeadJob, TailJob
+
+Path = setup_path(__package__)
+
+
+def test_head_job():
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        from sisyphus import gs
+
+        gs.WORK_DIR = tmpdir
+
+        text_file = Path("files/input_file.txt")
+
+        cases = [
+            (None, 0.25, Path("files/out.head.1.txt"), False),
+            (None, 0.5, Path("files/out.head.2.txt"), False),
+            (None, 0.6, Path("files/out.head.2.txt"), False),
+            (2, None, Path("files/out.head.2.txt"), False),
+            (1, None, Path("files/out.head.1.txt"), False),
+            (None, 0.5, Path("files/out.head.2.txt.gz"), True),
+        ]
+
+        for num_lines, ratio, reference_file, zip_output in cases:
+            job = HeadJob(text_file=text_file, ratio=ratio, num_lines=num_lines, zip_output=zip_output)
+
+            job._sis_setup_directory()
+            job.run()
+
+            assert filecmp.cmp(job.out.get_path(), reference_file.get_path(), shallow=False)
+
+
+def test_tail_job():
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+        from sisyphus import gs
+
+        gs.WORK_DIR = tmpdir
+
+        text_file = Path("files/input_file.txt")
+
+        cases = [
+            (None, 0.5, Path("files/out.tail.2.txt"), False),
+            (None, 0.75, Path("files/out.tail.3.txt"), False),
+            (2, None, Path("files/out.tail.2.txt"), False),
+            (2, None, Path("files/out.tail.2.txt.gz"), True),
+        ]
+
+        for num_lines, ratio, reference_file, zip_output in cases:
+            job = TailJob(text_file=text_file, ratio=ratio, num_lines=num_lines, zip_output=zip_output)
+
+            job._sis_setup_directory()
+            job.run()
+
+            assert filecmp.cmp(job.out.get_path(), reference_file.get_path(), shallow=False)
diff --git a/text/processing.py b/text/processing.py
index ef49c6e6..a1c3f4c4 100644
--- a/text/processing.py
+++ b/text/processing.py
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ def __init__(self, text_file, num_lines=None, ratio=None, zip_output=True):
         self.ratio = ratio
         self.zip_output = zip_output
 
-        self.out = self.output_path("out.gz")
+        self.out = self.output_path("out.gz") if self.zip_output else self.output_path("out")
         self.length = self.output_var("length")
 
     def tasks(self):
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ def run(self):
         if self.ratio:
             assert not self.num_lines
             length = int(self.sh("zcat -f {text_file} | wc -l", True))
-            self.lines = int(length * self.ratio)
+            self.num_lines = int(length * self.ratio)
 
         pipeline = "zcat -f {text_file} | head -n {num_lines}"
         if self.zip_output:
@@ -223,11 +223,17 @@ class TailJob(HeadJob):
 
     def run(self):
         if self.ratio:
-            assert not self.lines
+            assert not self.num_lines
             length = int(self.sh("zcat -f {text_file} | wc -l", True))
-            self.lines = int(length * self.ratio)
+            self.num_lines = int(length * self.ratio)
+
+        pipeline = "zcat -f {text_file} | tail -n {num_lines}"
+        if self.zip_output:
+            pipeline += " | gzip"
+        pipeline += " > {out}"
 
-        self.sh("zcat -f {text_file} | tail -n {num_lines} | gzip > {out}")
+        self.sh(pipeline)
+        self.length.set(self.num_lines)
 
 
 class SetDifferenceJob(Job):