What the Ausbildung is
It is vocational training in which the apprentice combines the company with the training school (Berufsschule). They usually spend half the week at the company and the rest in class, and the duration ranges from two to three and a half years depending on the profession.
There are more than three hundred recognised professions, from technical trades such as electrician or mechanic to office, healthcare, logistics or IT profiles. On completion, the apprentice obtains an official certificate from the chamber of commerce or trades, valid throughout the country.
How much you are paid during the training
The Ausbildung is paid. The apprentice receives an Ausbildungsvergütung that rises every year and starts from its own legal minimum, different from the general minimum wage. The actual amounts depend on the sector: industrial trades and healthcare pay considerably more than hospitality or commerce.
As a guide, the first year is usually around €650 to €1,100 gross a month, and the last year can exceed €1,200. There are no tuition fees to pay, so it is a route with no academic cost and with a salary.
How to access it from Spain
The first requirement is the language: almost all companies ask for a German level between B1 and B2. Without that, access is very difficult. The second is finding a company, because the Ausbildung is a contract with an employer, not enrolment in a school.
The process happens well in advance: companies publish places six to twelve months ahead, and access is through an application, interview and sometimes tests. EU citizens do not need a visa, only to register on arrival, which makes the process much easier than for other profiles.
Career prospects and the sectors in highest demand
Germany has a chronic succession problem in skilled trades, and the Ausbildung is the way to fill it. Nursing, technical trades such as electrician or plumber, logistics, catering and IT have places that go unfilled every year.
The practical advantage is that most apprentices stay with the company when they finish. A well-chosen Ausbildung is, in practice, a gateway with a job contract at the end.
Ausbildung vs university
It is not a second-class route. In Germany dual training has social prestige and many companies prefer it to a generic university degree, because it trains people in the real job. For someone who wants to start working soon and with a salary from the outset, it is usually more direct than a degree.
It can also be used as a bridge: after the Ausbildung it is possible to continue with higher studies, such as the Meisterbrief or the Technikerschule, or to move to university. It does not close doors; quite the opposite.
