Trainees

Getting Started with Your Apprenticeship

The most important document is your apprenticeship contract. It should include at least the following points:

• Length of the probationary period
• Working hours
• Number of vacation days
• Amount of the apprenticeship stipend
• Termination provisions
• Special payments
• Start date, duration, type, and objective of the training

You’ll also need to provide your training company with yourtax identification numberat the start of your program. If you don’t have it yet, you can request it from yourlocal tax office. You’ll also receive yoursocial security numberfrom the German Pension Insurance. The social security number is assigned once and remains valid for life. It includes, among other things, your date of birth, which is used to determine when you’ll start receiving your pension. The social security card must be treated with the same care as your ID card. Whenever you start a new job or apply for social benefits (such as unemployment benefits), you’ll need this card to verify your personal insurance number. In addition, the human resources department will need your health insurance information and your checking account details.

TheVocational Training Actstipulates that the probationary period must last at least one month and no more than four months. During this time, the employer and the apprentice are supposed to get to know each other. This allows you to determine whether you’ve chosen the right career for you. During the probationary period, both you as the apprentice and the company can terminate the apprenticeship agreement from one day to the next without providing a reason. Notice of termination must be given in writing.

Yes, classes at the vocational school are an important part of your on-the-job training. As a rule, they are mandatory for all apprentices. They take place either in intensive blocks or on a part-time basis. Your employer must grant you paid time off for this period. In addition, all training materials required for your vocational training and for taking interim and final exams must be provided to you free of charge. You can find out exactly how school attendance is regulated inthe Vocational School Guide.

It often happens that apprentices are assigned tasks that do not correspond to the training content of their profession. These “tasks” are referred to as activities unrelated to the apprenticeship. However, it is not always possible to define exactly which activities fall into this category. For example, in commercial training, filing and photocopying are also part of the training. However, if these tasks dominate or are even performed exclusively by the trainee, they no longer serve the purpose of the training and can be classified as non-training-related activities. They are prohibited, as trainees should not be exploited as cheap labor.

The specific tasks required are outlined in the respective training framework plan—but washing the boss’s car or constantly running errands definitely do not fall under this category. You can find training framework plans for all occupations on the website of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

Your training at the company should be well-structured in terms of both time and content. To this end, the trainer draws up a training plan, which you’ll receive at the beginning of your training. It ensures that you learn all the content and tasks that are necessary and important for your profession. If you’re constantly being saddled with tasks unrelated to your training, that’s not allowed. In this case, you should contact yourYouth and Apprentice Representative Committee (JAV)at the company or your works council. Overtime that does not serve the purpose of your training—and that may not even be compensated or offset with time off—is also prohibited. Here, too, you should contact the JAV, the works council, or your local IG Metall chapter to discuss further steps. You can find more criteria for a good apprenticeship in the Apprenticeship Quality Checklist.

Don’t agree to work overtime during your apprenticeship. Anyone undergoing an apprenticeship is employed solely for the purpose of learning a trade. The daily training hours are entirely sufficient for this. If the employer requires overtime, it must always serve the purpose of the apprenticeship. This means a trainer must be present and training must take place. The employer must pay overtime at an overtime rate or compensate for it with an equivalent amount of time off.

The apprenticeship contract specifies how many vacation days you are entitled to per year. With a few exceptions, our collective bargaining agreements provide for30 days of vacation. Annual vacation must be taken during the current calendar year, and your employer must grant you at least two consecutive weeks of it. We recommend submitting yourvacation requestin writing well in advance. Your employer must respond to this request within one month.

Since 2012, apprentices who are members of IG Metall have, in principle, a collective bargaining right topermanent employment upon successful completion of their apprenticeship. We have secured this right in the metal and electrical sectors, the iron and steel industry, the wood and plastics sectors, and in many skilled trades. Here, the works council must work with the employer to determine staffing needs and plan how many graduates will be hired on a permanent basis. If, based on this staffing plan, it is determined that permanent employment is possible, the graduate is entitled to it. Even if the company trains more apprentices than it needs, graduates are entitled to be employed for at least one year—unless the works council and the employer have agreed otherwise.

If the training company sends you home, it is forgoing your training contributions or your labor. In this case, deducting hours is not lawful. Thetraining stipendmust continue to be paid if the training is canceled for reasons beyond your control, even though you would be available to work.