How to: Bildungsurlaub

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schema to employed until eligibility for bildungsurlaub

What is Bildungsurlaub?

In most federal states, employees are offered the opportunity to take time off work to take advantage of opportunities for further education. This is known as "Bildungsurlaub" or "Bildungsfreistellung". In the overview below, you will find a brief description of each federal state that offers such a scheme and references to sources that provide detailed information on requirements and further information. - InfoWeb Weiterbildung

Educational leave is the legal entitlement of employees in [Germany] to time off work to participate in recognized further education events with continued payment of remuneration. - Berlin.de

Definition and eligibility according to the German law

Each principle and eligibility depend on the state your are working in. In the overview below you will find a description of the principles (Grundsätze) and eligibility (Anspruch) of each state:

Entitlement per state

Entitlement for each German state
Entitlement per year Entitlement of 2 years may be combined
Baden-Württemberg 5 days N/A
Berlin 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Brandenburg 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Bremen 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Hamburg 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Hessen 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Niedersachsen 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Nordrhein-Westfalen 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Rheinland-Pfalz 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Saarland 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Sachsen-Anhalt 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Schleswig-Holstein 5 days Yes - 10 days every 2 years
Thüringen 5 days N/A
Sachsen No regulation in place No
Bayern No regulation in place No

Find a Bildungsurlaub

In the German states with Bildungsurlaub regulations, the common rule is to be employed for at least 6 months, to be eligible for Bildungsurlaub (5 days per year or 10 days every 2 years, see #Entitlement content for details). Also, the education itself must be recognized as Bildungsurlaub in the German state you are working in.

Reminder: If approved, the employer continues to pay the salary of the employee (while attending further education), BUT the course is at the expense of the employee. Depending on the company, and/or the nature of the course, and/or the nature of your work, and the existing rules within your company, the employer can grant an educational budget, which can be used for Bildungsurlaub.

First, you need to find a course or seminar you are interested in. Here are platform to browse for educations specialised in Bildungsurlaub:

List or schema of actions

Request approval for Bildungsurlaub

Once you have found a course, I recommend you to follow the below steps:
  • Before applying, verify if the course is recognized as Bildungurlaub in your state. If the course details are not specifying it, or it is unclear, ask your HR department to help determine it.
  • Be mindful of the starting date of the education you want to apply to - Ideally you should request approval for Bildungsurlaub at least 6 weeks before the course start. Of course, the earliest, the better.
  • Usually the approval for Bildungsurlaub is done by the HR department. Make sure you also ask your direct manager if the dates, the duration of the course are also fine
  • Prepare your request to have your Bildungsurlaub approved (see in the next section)

Create a request for Bildungsurlaub to HR

You are about the submit a request for a Bildungsurlaub. In order to ease the process, I advise you to prepare the following:

  • Have the link to the Bildungsurlaub available
  • Content of the Bildungsurlaub: Is it a course? A seminar? How many hours per day is dedicated to the education?
  • Duration of the Bildungsurlaub
  • Start date and end date of the Bildungsurlaub
Ready to submit a request? Let's do it!

Here is a template you can use in English (scroll down for the German template):

To the attention of {INSERT DEPARTMENT}: I would like to request an approval for an educational leave (Bildungsurlaub) between {INSERT STARTING DATE} and {END DATE} ({INSERT EXACT NUMBER OF DAYS} days). As stated by the {NAME OF THE STATE YOUR ARE WORKING IN} law, as an employee, I'm entitled to days for further education. I would like to use those days for {NAME OF THE COURSE}. The course consists of: {INSERT MAIN TOPICS OF THE COURSE}, which corresponds to approximatively to {INSERT HOURS} of courses per {DAY/WEEK}. Please find attached additional information regarding the course: {INSERT LINK TO THE COURSE AND/OR LINK TO THE SCHOOL}. I have informed my direct manager of the above request {you can also CC your manager if you are sending the request as an email}. Please let me know if you need additional information. Best, {YOUR NAME}

Zu Händen von {ABTEILUNG EINFÜGEN}: Ich möchte eine Genehmigung für einen Bildungsurlaub zwischen {Beginndatum einfügen} und {Enddatum} (genaue Anzahl der Tage einfügen) beantragen. Gemäß dem Gesetz {NAME DES STAATES IN DEM SIE ARBEITEN} habe ich als Arbeitnehmer Anspruch auf Tage zur Weiterbildung. Ich möchte diese Tage für {NAME DES KURSES} verwenden. Der Kurs besteht aus: Fügen Sie die Hauptthemen des Kurses ein, was in etwa den Stunden des Kurses pro Tag/Woche entspricht. In der Anlage finden Sie zusätzliche Informationen zum Kurs: {LINK ZUM KURS UND/ODER LINK ZUR SCHULE EINFÜGEN}. Ich habe meinen direkten Vorgesetzten über den obigen Antrag informiert {Sie können auch Ihren Vorgesetzten informieren, wenn Sie den Antrag per E-Mail senden}. {NAME}

After your Bildungsurlaub

You're Bildungsurlaub is over? Make sure to forward your certificate to your HR department (or the original department of approval), to confirm the education has taken place at the agreed school, with the agreed courses.

Weiterbildung: