Advice & Finance

If you are on a dual vocational training programme or a dual study programme, you will receive a training allowance from your training company. This is the salary your employer pays you. The amount of this allowance depends on many factors: your chosen profession, the type of training, your year of training, or whether your training company is bound by a collective agreement. In any case, your training allowance increases with each year of training.

You will not receive a training allowance for a purely school-based training programme at a state vocational school. You, or your parents, will need to cover your living expenses. You can also finance your training through special funding schemes such as the Schüler-BaföG.

If you are undertaking school-based training at a private vocational school, you may be required to pay school fees. The amount varies depending on the school and the course of study.

The “Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe – BAB” (Vocational Training Allowance) is a state grant that apprentices can receive from the Federal Employment Agency if they meet the eligibility criteria and have a genuine need. You are eligible for BAB if you are undertaking a state-recognised in-company or external apprenticeship and your income is not sufficient to cover your living costs.

To be eligible for this support, you must no longer be living at home because you

• a) are already of legal age,
• b) have started your own family, or
• c) your training location is too far from home.

BAföG (short for “Berufsausbildungsförderungsgesetz”, the Vocational Training Assistance Act) is a state grant available to both university students and school pupils. A particular advantage of the BAföG for school pupils is that the financial support is provided entirely as a grant, which you do not have to repay (this is different from the BAföG for university students).

You can receive BAföG for school pupils if you are undertaking a state-recognised vocational training programme exclusively at a vocational school, i.e. you are following a school-based training programme. BAföG is primarily intended to facilitate access to education for people without significant assets. BAföG is calculated primarily on the basis of the income of your parents, your spouse and the amount of your own assets. The more assets you have, the less support you will receive.

Applying for BAföG

The ” Bildungskredit“ is an education loan that you can take out to fund further school-based education (or further studies).

If you are undertaking school-based education that is state-recognised and eligible for BAföG funding, you can take out an education loan – even in addition to BAföG. You will often only receive the funding at a later stage of your course. In total, you can borrow between €1,000 and €7,200. Payouts are available in monthly instalments of €100, €200 or €300 – for a maximum of two years.

After completing your course, you repay the loan in instalments.

Other forms of financial support you may be eligible for during your training include:

• Parental support
  
• Child benefit
• Housing benefit

Pupils aged 15 and over can undertake a work experience internship at a Thuringian craft business during the holidays and find out about various apprenticeship-based trades. The Free State of Thuringia will pay you an internship allowance of 120 euros per week. The requirement is a holiday internship of at least one week at a craft business authorised to provide apprenticeships. The allowance can be paid for up to four weeks per year. You, as the student, must submit the application yourself. Information and advice are available from the Chamber of Crafts for Eastern Thuringia (HWK).

The “EQ – Einstiegsqualifizierung” (entry-level qualification) is a kind of long-term internship (usually lasting 6–12 months) for those who haven’t yet found a training place. You work in a company, get to know the profession and gain practical experience. In return, you receive a stipend, which is subsidised by the Job Centre. If all goes well, you can often be taken on for a regular apprenticeship afterwards.

AsAflex supports you during your vocational training. For example, if you are struggling with certain subjects at vocational college, want to prepare for exams or need language support, you will receive additional tuition. Your training company can also receive support, for example with drawing up in-company training plans. AsAflex can also be combined with the EQ. The costs of this support are covered in full by the Job Centre.

Are you having doubts about your apprenticeship? You can find advice on dealing with difficult situations at work through initiatives such as VerAplus’s „Stark durch die Ausbildung“ (Staying strong throughout your apprenticeship). This is a nationwide mentoring programme run by the Senior Experts Service (SES). VerAplus offers apprentices in Jena and across Germany personalised, free support from experienced mentors. The aim is to help you successfully complete your training and prevent you from dropping out.

You can register with VerA yourself, but your training company, your parents or your vocational school can also register you on your behalf. Once you have registered, you will receive personalised one-to-one support from a volunteer senior expert in your region, based on the tandem principle. They will support you with academic difficulties, workplace conflicts or even personal problems. The entire service is free of charge for you.