Educational leave in Germany (Bildungsurlaub): you study and the employer keeps paying you

If you work and live in Germany, you will have heard for sure about Bildungsurlaub. Do you know that you can take some time off for your professional training?

Bildungsurlaub is a quite unsual word. It means “educational holiday”, or rather “educational leave”: that is, you can take some time off to attend specific courses for your professional growth: yoga, foreign languages, political seminars, whatever suits your needs … and the employer keeps paying you! So, you do not need to take your holiday days to start studying a new langauge: you can basically have both a Bildungsurlaub and your vacation days.

In Germany, the professional and the political training is a right

The term “holiday” has a huge variaty of meanings: you can relax on the beach, go hiking or learn something. In this latter case, there is no longer need to use your vacation days. Instead, you can apply for a Bildungsurlaub. Have you ever dreamt about a study trip in Barcelona? Have you ever wished to attend a Spanish course but never had time to do it? With the German Bildungsurlaub, everything you have always dreamt of is possible.

The Bildungsurlaub is a great chance for your professional growth, but it is also a good way to reduce stress. That is why, more and more companies are investing in specific courses for their employees. A happy employee will always be more assertive and able to connect with their colleagues in a collaborative way. 

Who can apply for the Bildungsurlaub?

• Employees (part-time and full-time)
• Those engaged in dual vocational training (or Ausbildung)
• Freelancers
• Home workers

Special rules apply to civil servants.

Who pays for the Bildungsurlaub?

It is the employee that pays for their Bildungsurlaub, not the employer. Although you should spend some money on it, it is definitely a chance you should not miss: you can take some days off without deducting them from your vacation days, and you will be given the chance to take part in highly formative experiences (and the employer keeps paying you!).
Prerequisite: if you want to sign up for professional courses (berufliche Weiterbildung), they should be consistent with your tasks and duties in the company.

Where can I find Bildungsurlaub courses?

You can find thousands of Bildungsurlaub courses on Bildungsurlauber and here.

Applying for a Bildungsurlaub step by step

• Once you have chosen your preferred training offer, you will have to ask your employer for a Freistellung (or leave permit). This must be done at least 6 weeks before the course beginning. What does Freistellung mean? It means that for max. 10 days, you are entitled to take part in an educational experience while continuing to be paid as if you were going to work.
• You will then have to request a certificate of enrollment (Anmeldungsbescheinigung für die Teilnahme an der Bildungsveranstaltung) and the document certifying the recognition of the course as a Bildungsurlaub by the Berliner Senate (Anerkennungsbescheid der Senatsverwaltung für Integration, Arbeit und Soziales). This can be done at the school in which you are going to attend your course.
• After getting the aforemetioned papers, your employer can give the consent, or refuse to give it.
• After the course, you will get a certificate of attendance which you can show your employer.

For more information about your right to a Bildungsurlaub, take a look here.

Your Bildungsurlaub at Berlino Schule

Berlino Schule is offering a lot of language courses for your Bildungsurlaub! Send an email at info@berlinoschule.com to learn more!

German classes

Deutsch für den Beruf B1+ (Business German)

This course aims at the acquisition of the specific vocabulary related to the work environment. 

At the end of the course you will be able to: 

• Write a good motivational letter and CV in German
• Prepare yourself for a job interview 
• Write formal emails to business partners
• Talk informally with work colleagues
• Talk about a project during a meeting, using the proper vocabulary

When: from 7th to 18th June, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: B1 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Deutsch für Tourismus (German for tourism)

This course is tailored to those who work in Germany in the hotel industry and gastronomy and those who communicate daily with native German speaker customers, although they do not work in Germany.

We offer two German online courses for tourism, both tailored to your linguistic level:

Deutsch für Tourismus A1+

When: from 19th to 30th July, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: A1 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Deutsch für Tourismus A2+

When: from 28th June to 9th July, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: A2 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurse (grammar review courses)

The grammar courses are tailored to all those who have altready attended a German course, but need an intensive review of grammar structures. Please contact Berlino Schule (info@berlinoschule.com) to learn more about the course programs. 

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurs A1

When: from 13th to 24th September, every day from 6PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: A1 German level 

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurs A2

When: from 27th September to 8th October, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: A2 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurs B1

When: from 11th to 22nd October, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: B1 German level 

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurs B2

When: from 25th October to 5th November, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: B2 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Grammatik-Auffrischungskurs C1

When: from 8th to 19th November, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: C1 German level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

English classes

Business English B2+

This course aims at the acquisition of the sectorial vocabulary related to the work environment. 

At the end of the course you will be able to:

• Write a formal letter or email in English to your commercial partners
• Talk about a project during a meeting, using the proper vocabulary
• Speake on the phone with commercial partners, using the correct terminology

When: from 14th to 25th June, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: B2 English level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Italian classes

Italian classes B2

The course is tailored to all the ones who have already attended several Italian courses up to a B1 level. At the end of the Italian B2 course, the students will be able to express themselves more spontaneously with native speakers and read complex articles. 

When: from 23rd August to 3rd September, every day from 6 PM to 8.30 PM 

Price: 240 € (without the annual registration fee)

Requirements: B1 Italian level

Both online and face-to-face courses are available (at Gryphiustraße 23, 10245 Berlin).

Our teaching method

Berlino Schule uses a communicative approach with a notional-functional method. The aim of our courses is therefore to develop not only a mere linguistic competence (grammar, syntax, phonetics and morphology rules), but also a wider communicative competence. The student will then have the chance to improve the 4 main language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) and express themselves fluently in all everyday life situations. The language is seen as something alive, which blossoms and grows in a real context.

Not only Bildungsurlaub!

Are you interested in a more general German course? Take a look at our offer of intensive courses in the morning, afternoon or evening and reserve your spot by writing an email at info@berlinoschule.com. 

Make the best out of your free time at home and learn or improve your German with one of the best language schools in Berlin. Berlino Schule, well known for its Google (4.9/5) and Facebook (5/5) high ratings and positive reviews, this month is giving you the chance to learn comfortably from your couch. Since the very beginning, the school has been working with proper classes based in Berlin and on Zoom, helping hundreds of people make their first steps into the German working scene. But German isn’t useful only abroad. Even in your own country, learning German can give a kick to your personal and professional life.

At a low price of €192 + 20 € (registration fee will be charged once, when you first enroll at Berlino Schule), you will have the chance to follow a 48 hrs course and a semi-language level (by semi-language level we mean A1.1, A1.2, A2.1 and so on). Berlino Schule offers also onsite classes in its school in Berlin (Gryphiusstr. 23). In case you are interested to the onsite classes click here.

Photo: Pixabay, CCO, StartupStockPhotos