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The most important document is your apprenticeship contract. It should include at least the following points:
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Probationary Period
- Working Hours
- Number of vacation days
- Amount of training stipend
- Termination provisions
- Special payments
- Start date, duration, type, and objective of the apprenticeship
You’ll also need to provideyour training company withyour tax identification numberat the start of your training . If you don’t have it yet, you can request it from your local tax office. In addition, the German Pension Insurance will send you your social security number. This 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. You should treat your social security card 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 HR department will need your health insurance information and your checking account details.
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The Vocational Training Act stipulates 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.
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Terminating an apprentice’s employment is difficult and, according to the Vocational Training Act, is only permitted for “good cause,” such as serious theft or frequent unexcused absences. Once the “good cause” becomes known, your boss must give written notice of termination within two weeks; after that, the termination is invalid.
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Don’t agree to work overtime during your apprenticeship. Anyone undergoing vocational training is employed solely for the purpose of learning a trade. The daily training hours are entirely sufficient for this purpose. If the employer requires overtime, it must always serve the purpose of the training. This means that a trainer must be present and training must take place. The employer must pay overtime at an overtime rate or compensate for it with time off.
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Your apprenticeship contract specifies how many vacation days you are entitled to per year. With a few exceptions, our collective bargaining agreements provide for 30 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 your vacation request in writing well in advance. Many companies also have vacation schedules that you must sign up for at the beginning of the year.
Vacation may only be used for work at the company, not for attending school. Therefore, apprentices must take their vacation during vocational school breaks.
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No. All work equipment required for vocational training and for taking interim and final exams must be provided to you free of charge by the training company. This includes, in particular, tools and materials. This also applies to personal protective equipment, such as safety shoes.
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The amount of your apprenticeship stipend depends on the industry of the company where you’re completing your apprenticeship. The apprenticeship stipend is set by collective bargaining agreements. You can find out how much it is in each industry—such as metal, electrical, iron and steel, textiles, apparel, wood, and plastics—in our collective bargaining information.
If the company is not bound by a collective bargaining agreement, the minimum apprenticeship stipend negotiated by the unions applies. In 2024, this amounts to 80 percent of the standard industry wage for the first year of apprenticeship, with a minimum of 649 euros. This also applies to apprentices in a state-funded off-site apprenticeship program.
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If money is tight, apprentices can apply for a vocational training allowance (BAB) from the Employment Agency. If you’re under 25 and in an apprenticeship, your parents will also continue to receive child benefit. If you no longer live at home, you can have them pay the child benefit directly to you. You can find more information here.
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No. If you get sick, you must report it to your employer before the start of your shift and indicate how long you expect to be absent. If you’re unable to work for more than three calendar days, you must submit a doctor’s note no later than the following workday. Your employer may require you to submit the sick note starting on the first day of your absence.
Please note: As of the beginning of 2023, the so-called “yellow slip” is no longer in use; it has been replaced by the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU). The doctor transmits the data for the certificate of incapacity for work electronically to the health insurance provider. Insured individuals can receive their copy digitally or as a printout from their doctor, upon request. If you have statutory health insurance, you no longer need to submit the sick note, but you must notify your employer immediately so that they can retrieve the information from your health insurance provider.
If you get sick on a vocational school day, you must still notify your employer and also the vocational school. It’s best to ask your teachers how sick leave notifications are handled at your vocational school. As mentioned, you must also inform your employer about the sick leave so they can access the eAU from your health insurance provider. It’s advisable to submit a copy of the eAU to your vocational school as well—especially if you’ve missed exams due to illness.
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It often happens that apprentices, in particular, are given tasks that do not correspond to the training content of their trade. These “tasks” are referred to as activities unrelated to the training program. However, it is not always possible to define exactly which activities fall into this category. For example, in commercial apprenticeships, filing and photocopying are also part of the training. However, if these tasks become predominant or are even performed exclusively by the apprentice, they no longer serve the purpose of the training and can be classified as non-training-related activities. They are prohibited, as apprentices should not be exploited as cheap labor.
From running personal errands for the boss, to making deliveries and tidying up, to regular cleaning duties: Trainees must not be expected to perform any of these tasks, nor should they be expected to cover for other employees’ vacations or sick leave, or to perform work that is unreasonable given their physical capabilities.
The specific tasks that are permitted are listed in the respective training framework plan, which you can find for all occupations on the website of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
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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 program. It ensures that you learn all the content and tasks that are necessary and important for your profession. If you’re constantly being assigned tasks unrelated to your training, that’s not allowed. In this case, you should contact your Youth and Apprentice Representative Committee (JAV) at the company or your works council. Overtime that does not serve the purpose of your apprenticeship—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.
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Yes, an important and mandatory part of the dual apprenticeship takes place at vocational school. Your employer must grant you paid time off for this—either in block sessions or on individual weekdays. You also do not have to make up the school time at the workplace. The same applies to exams or training activities outside the workplace. Each apprenticeship program has its own curriculum. The goal is to provide apprentices with primarily theoretical, but also practical, knowledge. You can find out exactly how school time is structured in the Vocational School Guide.
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Since 2012, apprentices who are members of IG Metall have, in principle, a collective bargaining right to permanent 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, apprentices who have completed their training are entitled to be employed for at least one year—unless the works council and the employer have agreed otherwise.
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Trainees can resign or enter into a termination agreement and continue their training at another company. However, you should only resign once you’ve found a new company that will hire you. If your employer does not agree to your departure, you’ll need a serious reason for termination without notice.
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A written warning is a way for the training company to let a trainee know that it is dissatisfied with their performance or behavior. As a general rule, at least two written warnings must precede the termination of a trainee. We recommend carefully reviewing the content of the warning and drafting a counterstatement if it is unjustified. In any case, you should involve the works council or the local IG Metall chapter.
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Your Youth and Apprentice Representative Committee (JAV) at your workplace, the works council, and IG Metall are happy to help you. If you have questions or problems during your apprenticeship, simply contact them directly! They have a lot of influence and are important points of contact for all employees. Works councils and unions have a say when it comes to apprenticeships—this is regulated by the Works Constitution Act.
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Short-time work is generally not available for apprentices. The company must continue your training even during short-time work. Training can also be carried out regardless of the company’s actual workload. Under Section 14 of the Vocational Training Act, the training company is obligated to provide you with training. This means that the training company must exhaust all means to ensure the continuation of your training by adjusting the training plan, providing theoretical instruction on course content, or allowing you to work from home for a limited time.
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If your training company sends you home, it is forgoing your training contributions or your labor. In this case, deducting hours is not permitted. Your training stipend must continue to be paid if the training is canceled for reasons beyond your control, even though you would be available to work.
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