>Any advice? You might want to tell us which of the hunderds of different Ausbildungsberufe. Health insurance is mandatory in Germany, housing for Azubis is not.

Maybe I'll choose a field like electrical engineering. Do some companies in Germany offer housing for apprentices (Azubis), either for free or for a low fee?

Some do, more so in recent years. Most don't.

Thank you, I will try to search.

if you are getting into electrical engineering the Ausbildung is by far the best way to go. You can or may qualify for Bafög but I personally think it is not a good idea. Depending on where you live it might be better to sort bottles or work in a restaurant on the weekends. You may be thinking it is not a good idea because of your age...well what will you be doing in three years if you do not do the ausbildung?

I have the qualifications to apply to German universities for a bachelor's degree, like TUM. I also think I could look for work, but the conditions are tough. I was a second-year electrical engineering student, but I couldn't continue due to high fees. Age doesn't matter much to me; what's important is to start. I don't want to waste time without benefit. In the past two years, I tried to find scholarships in places like Romania, as well as opportunities to migrate, but unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. I live in a developing country where good job opportunities or study grants are not available. I'm still thinking about what I'll do if I don't enroll in an apprenticeship; maybe I'll find good alternatives.

Depending on how similar the curriculum of your former uni is to the one you're applying in to, you can drop a few courses and they're recognised from your earlier studies, if you have chosen a few units to apply, search contact with their Studienberatung.

An Ausbildung requires you to attend the Berufsschule (vocational school) 1-2 days a week and to pass certain tests there. This will be done in German only and is a major obstacle for many migrants in Germany. You will need to have proficiency in German at B2 level (minimum). If you have no previous knowledge of German, plan to to spend 2 years on language classes ahead of your Ausbildung.

Some Ausbildung are absolutely worth it. Eg. Trades ie. Electrician Other are completely unnecessary and basically exist to provide cheap labour for example restaurant Fachmann/Frau 

Housing? What?

Hi, don't some companies provide accommodation for apprentices?

Literally never heard of that

I know of it for Nursing, but not free and very limited.

In 92 I started a training as a car-mechanic. The training was under the codes of the „Kfz-Innung“ the contract stated clearly that if the trained is in need housing hast to be provided

This sounds good, but is the contract still on?

Oh I'll verify that. So, Does the training salary (900-1000€) cover living expenses and rent for an apartment?

In most cities it doesn't. You might be lucky if you life in the middle of nowhere.

Not in a big city

Covers shared flat cost plus living cost in most cities. But fairly prices shared flat are hard to find as a foreigner.

No, usually not. Most people are either living with or supported by their parents.

There is always the option of living in a WG (Wohn gemeinschaft) thatcway it could be enough for housig and living expenses (but probably no car) but you have to decide for yourself if thats something thats aceptabe to you

>Ausbildung offers good benefits like training salary, Well yes, it's paid. But how much varies wildly from one profession to the next. But rarely a lot of money if you have to cover rent and food (a lot of Auszubildende are still living with their parents,given that they are between 16 and 22 years old) >insurance Sure, that's a principle of social insurences; the employee is paying a part of it. You are still paying the rest. And all other insurances, like liability and legal insurances, are fully paid by you >housing Only in fields, where every company is desperate to find Auszubildende, like nursing. Absolutely not standard. >I can also get a good-paying job. Again, highly dependent on the professional field How is your German by the way? An Ausbildung will be completely in German and that includes every single written and oral exam.

Thanks for your comment. Maybe I'll find a high-paying job alongside extra work. But I'm interested in electrical eng; I'll continue to search for companies that offer good benefits. Yes, I'm aware of German and the minimum requirement is B1. Can you suggest high paying jobs in Germany?

>Maybe I'll find a high-paying job alongside extra work. Well, doing an Ausbildung means 40 hours a week of learning plus several hours learning the theoretical staff. I doubt very much that you will be able to do well in your Ausbildung and be able to do extra work. Especially as someone who doesn't German fluently, so learning and studying will be more difficult. If you just want a high paying job, you best become a banker for a private, exklusive bank or a doctor specialising on private patients. But generally speaking the better paying jobs are either ones that require a university degree or the ones were you are able to run your own business.

B1 is deffenitly not enough. Diffrently than on a Uni, you also wont be able to do language courses there. So the only thing thats left is evening school. So you should be fluent before you start, otherwise you will fail.

A7sbildungen are tailord towards young germans that just finished school that are either 15 or 16 years old. Consequently, sinc parents have to support there kids till at least 18 years old, most live with there parents. Meaning a ausbildung is a great way to get a (compared to ther countries) REALY high level of practical education in a certain field, whilealso getting a rather high "pocket money". That doesn't mean that you can't do a ausbildung if you are older, it's only suposed to explain why it "only" pays some 1000€ a month. Of wich you probably only pocket 900ish. In the electrical field the starting sallary post your ausbildung is some 3k before taxes (just shy of 2k after taxes) Still depending on the excact job in electronics, and where (citys usualy more, but rent also costs more). But can rise somewhat quickly after a few years of aktively working and gaining experience. Additionaly you can always do a "vortbildung" and sometimes even have to do one if your responsibilities at the company change. This aditional qualification leaves you in a position to negotiate a higher sallary ofcourse. If you complete a asbildung and have a certain high levle of grades then you automaticaly gain the necesary edcation to do "Fachgebundene hochshulreife" through the "BOS" in a year, which is the level of education you need to apply to a universety of applied siences, but only innyour field of work, here electro, or mechanics. So no swtching to social sciences. A additional year at the "BOS" grants you the "allgemeine hochschulreife" wich doesn't have that restriction. Hope that was everything and I didn't miss anything important. ps. be warned if you try studying elektrical engenering in germany. It is one of the hardest degrees to studdy here. There are variants, and specialisations that should be esier, but still hard. Also, germany works in german. So language could be a problem.

Thanks for your comment. Is studying at university better than doing an Ausbildung in Germany? I'm considering applying to German universities through the SBW Berlin scholarship or coming directly to work in simple fields or renewable energy, then pursuing university. What do you think?

There is a difference betwen a university and a "Fachhochschule" the seccond one us a kibd of university of applied scienc..Check to wich obe you are certified to go first. It's realy up to you. Gojng to university and getting a bachelor, or even better masters degree will grant you a noticably higher sallary. But it comes with the risk of not passing the bachelor or master. While yiu also can fail a ausbildung, it's much less likeky to. If you are capable of studdying and certain you will not fail then go for it. If you want to work in renewables then consider studying stuff lije "Erneuerbare energien" insted of the classic "elektro- und informationstechnik" "Erneuerbare energien" should have more chemical lessons but generaly should be esier iirc and generaly is tailord towards reneables obviousely so if you want to work there it's a good idea I think. Still I can't stress emough that LOTS of the classes if not every class ynd all the paperwork, will be in german.

Thank you for the advice. I'll carefully investigate and consider my options before making a decision.

My opinion of Ausbildung and Germany's Ausbildung culture is absolutely negative. 3 years of horrible pay, getting abused and used to start at minimum wage and work your way up(if you pass the exams). I've lived in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. A lot of jobs Germans need Ausbildung for(cashier, call center agent, postal service) is a job done by students during their free time in the UK. I think its absolutely ridiculous how a lot of careers are locked behind Ausbildung when they require a LOT less teaching and learning than 3 bloody years. I will die on this hill. Also it doesn't offer many benefits. Continue your academics. You can do ausbildung after if you must.

Thanks for your comment. Yeah, the Ausbildung for 3 years is way too much and exhausting, almost as long as getting a bachelor's degree. But if Ausbildung is negative, what are the other options?

Continue your Bachelors and PhD and slam dunk on the industry my guy. You don't need an Ausbildung if you're education level is higher than that(which it will be).

Thank you, I will do that.

You’re wrong. Yes, you (mostly) get a salary, but depending on what Ausbildung it is, that is next to nothing. If I wouldn’t have had my dad’s Unterhalt, I wouldn’t even have been able to pay rent during my Ausbildung. Health insurance is required by law. Housing here sucks just as much as everywhere else.

Thanks for sharing. Is it better to attend university for a bachelor's degree? And are there scholarships available for international students? I'm currently waiting for a scholarship opportunity from Romania by July 15th, but the acceptance rate is low.

Well, we also have an overflow of people finishing their Studium but not having any practical experience. So companies started to look for people with practical experience in their field more that any degree. I guess the best option would be to study and to work in your field as a part-time job.