In Germany, more than 300 professions can be learned through vocational training, during which apprentices are paid a salary
Monika Mülkens, head of the vocational guidance department at the Cologne Employment Agency, told Deutsche Welle about how relations between a company and an apprentice are regulated in Germany and what a trainee is entitled to.
Salary, grant, side income
Students at vocational schools receive a salary during their training. For some professions, the amount depends on the terms of a collective agreement; in other cases, the employer determines it themselves. Currently, apprentices' salaries range from 400 to 800 euros per month. However, there are professions where a trainee can earn up to 1,500 euros per month.
Particularly high earnings are for those learning, for example, brewing. Future mechatronics specialists, who are in acute shortage on the German labor market, also earn well. Among those with the lowest salaries are apprentices in beauty salons. From 2020, for sectors without collective agreements, it is planned to raise the minimum wage to 515 euros in the first year of training, and from 2023 to 620 euros. The German government has already drafted a bill.
If a vocational trainee's salary is not enough to live on, they can apply for a state grant-loan BaföG. This is a supplement to the subsistence minimum. It is provided to university students and vocational school students with low income and whose parents do not earn enough. Accordingly, the amount of BaföG depends on the parents' income and the trainee's own earnings. The maximum amount of such a grant is 735 euros per month. However, part of this money must be repaid after graduation and starting work – hence it is a loan.
An alternative to BaföG in Germany is the BAB (Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe) grant, which the Federal Employment Agency provides free of charge. It is specifically intended for those studying under the dual system and living away from their parents' home. This is a supplement to the apprentice's salary. Its amount also depends on the income of the parents and the trainee themselves.
Regarding whether trainees can take on side jobs, there are no specific regulations. In principle, the employer is not concerned with what the trainee does in their free time. However, according to German law, citizens aged 15 to 18 are allowed to work no more than 40 hours per week, and their working day must not exceed 8 hours. So there is hardly any time left for a side job.
How many hours to work and how many to study?
The company signs a contract with the trainee and informs the vocational school, which the trainee must attend usually twice a week. However, vocational training can also be obtained solely at the company. In any case, by signing a training contract for a particular specialty, the trainee assumes a number of obligations. But they also have many rights, which are enshrined in the German Youth Protection Act.
During vocational training, the trainee is subject to the norms of German labor law. According to these, about 40 hours per week are allocated for training. Typically, the trainee spends two days at school and three days working at the company. Adolescents under 18 are prohibited from working more than 40 hours per week. Those over 18 are allowed to work a maximum of 48 hours per week.
There is also a special form of vocational training where trainees are given the opportunity to study and work 25 hours per week. This option (with the permission of the employer and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry) can be used, for example, by young people with disabilities or those who need to care for a small child or relative.
Termination of the training contract
At the beginning of vocational training, a probationary period of one to three months is set for both parties – the trainee and the employer. During this period, the trainee must decide whether they have chosen the right profession. For example, a young person may start training as a baker but then realize that going to bed early and getting up early every day is not for them. They can terminate the relationship with the employer without prior notice and without stating reasons in writing.
However, if the company wants to terminate the contract, it is not so easy: the law is on the side of the trainees. Before the employer attempts to dismiss a trainee, they must have given them at least two warnings. But even after that, the employment relationship with the trainee can only be terminated if the employer proves that they are forced to dismiss them due to a serious violation – for example, because the trainee deliberately broke something at work, went on vacation without permission, or was late several times in a row without a valid reason.
Chances of employment after training
Usually, companies that need professional staff recruit trainees. Therefore, they are interested in having the people who receive training within their walls stay there after graduation. But it can also happen that graduates are poached by other employers.
In any case, the chances of finding a job for young people with vocational training in Germany are very high. There are practically no unemployed among them, emphasizes Monika Mülkens from the Cologne Employment Agency.