Working Life > Competences > Skills > Learning > Further Education > Education Coupon

Education Coupon

Definition, Explanation

What is called education coupon (Bildungsgutschein), in Germany, is a written assent of the labour agency to take over the expenses of a longer duration (further-) educational measure.

On the education coupon, the case manager in the labour agency, or the ARGE, specifies:

• The educational goal
• Duration until achievement of the educational goal – there may be further education lasting over several months
• Place of validity, respective range of validity
• Duration of validity / of convertablity period, of maximum 3 months

Prerequisites for obtaining an education coupon:

• Finished apprenticeship or occupational activity for 3 years or longer
• Counselling by labour agency
• Actual or impending unemployment (e.g. through dismissal, or in expiration period of the employment contract), and being a getter of unemployment benefit I or II
• Labour agency finds educational measure necessary and assesses chances to be good that te employee will be placed again or that unemployment will be averted, or if there is no finished apprenticeship. Considering the employee's qualifications and experience and the job market requirements, the labour agency evaluates whether the education coupon or other measures can improve chances of re-involvement into working life

Converting the education coupon:

• The provided educational measure must be permitted to be education-supported by labour agency
• The provider of the education must be permitted to education-support according to SGB III. This can be achieved by an expert institution certifying on request
• Course and provider must be found by the employee, in line with specifications on the education coupon

Tips, Checklist

• As soon as dismissal is impending, or your limited-term employment contract is expiring, you should contact the labour agency and also talk about the possibility of being financially supported in qualificational measures by the education coupon. This way, you will use your unemployment time to update your knowledge
• As a getter of unemployment benefit II, you can ask the ARGE for an education coupon
• Make particular suggestions for an education measure and for a provider, best located near you, and make up an argument to persuade them of the necessity of an education coupon
• Be well-prepared for the talk with the labour-agency case manager
  • Invetory of your qualification and experience, your strengths and weaknesses
  • Definition of your occupational goal
  • Argumanetation for particular educational measure
  • Information on particular courses and providers
  • Information on the educational goal planning of your labour agency from the web
• Make sure that the educational measure you pick makes sense and indeed enables you by qualification to be more valuable for recruiting in a specific job. Here, as well, there are many providers whose foremost interest is just the expenses support by the labour agency
• Look through the educational institutions in question and be counselled personally. That also gives you a first impression. Check several providers in this manner, and pay attention to their certifiedness
• There is no general legal entitlement to being granted an education coupon. Rather, this is a can-service by the labour agency. The granting is done quite restrictedly in order to save expenses
• Participating in an educational measure finaced by the education coupon, you will still get unemployment benefit I. There will be no re-rating towards unemployment benefit II, during the measure. As soon as an unemployment benefit II entitlement duration of 30 days (rest entitlement) has been reached, the educational measure will not influence the duration of entitlement. Prior to that, every 2 days of education reduce the entitlement duration by 1 day
• Besides the expenses for the education, the labour agency will refund the expenses for necessary learning utensils, working apparel, examination and aptitude test. For over-night stays other than in one's residence, there will be refunding of board and lodging, child care expenses, travelling expenses, and travelling home for once a month. That is for the first 10 km 0.36 € per km, for the rest 0.40 € per km
• Convert the education coupon within its validity period, otherwise it expires. If you do not find a proper educational measure, in time, you can apply for a new education coupon
• The provider of education must document your participation on the education coupon and send it to the labour agency before the beginning of the measure
• Hand in the necessary documents to the labour agency, in time, before the beginning of the educational measure
• You can pick the provider of the educational measure, yourself. It must, however, meet the specified criteria. The education can be performed both as personal teaching or as tele-learning

Last update: 12/25/2009