🤝 Work culture2025-01-05
Learn the exact rules for calling in sick during your Ausbildung in Germany — from eAU notes to sick pay — and avoid costly mistakes.
Getting sick is never convenient, but when you're in the middle of your Ausbildung in Germany, a simple cold can feel stressful if you don't know the rules. Understanding Krankschreibung sick days Ausbildung rules isn't just about staying out of trouble — it's about knowing your rights and protecting your training contract. Many Moroccan trainees lose pay, get warnings, or even face contract issues simply because nobody explained the process to them clearly. This guide fixes that.
The word Krankschreibung literally means "sick note" or "medical certificate." In Germany, it's the official doctor's confirmation that you are unfit to work or train on a given day or period. During your Ausbildung, you are treated much like a regular employee when it comes to sickness — which is both good news and bad news depending on the situation.
The good news: German law gives you strong protections. The bad news: the rules are specific and must be followed exactly, or you risk disciplinary consequences.
Your legal basis is the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EFZG) — the Continued Pay Act — and your Ausbildung contract (Berufsausbildungsvertrag). Both set out exactly what you must do when you can't come in.
This is the single most important action. If you wake up sick, you must notify your Ausbildungsbetrieb (training company) before your shift begins — not during, not after. In Germany, this is called the Meldepflicht (duty to report).
Here's what a correct notification looks like in practice:
A simple script in German: "Guten Morgen, ich bin leider krank und kann heute nicht zur Arbeit kommen. Ich werde einen Arzt aufsuchen und mich um eine Krankmeldung kümmern."
Missing this step — even if you later bring a doctor's note — can result in a written warning.
This question trips up a lot of trainees, because the rules changed in recent years and vary slightly by employer.
By law, your employer can require a Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU-Bescheinigung) — a certificate of incapacity for work — from the first day of absence. However, most employers only require it from the third day (so if you're sick Monday, you need the note by Wednesday morning at the latest).
Check your Ausbildungsvertrag carefully. Some companies write in that they want the note from day one. This is legal and binding.
Since January 2023, Germany uses the elektronische Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (eAU). This means:
Important: You still need to go to the doctor and get the AU issued. The process is just paperless now. Your employer will retrieve the data digitally. If something goes wrong technically, you may still be asked for the paper version as a backup.
Being sick also means you must inform your Berufsschule separately. Your training company and your school are two different institutions. Missing school without notification can count as unauthorized absence, which has its own consequences including repeated failure affecting your exam eligibility.
Here is where the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz really protects you. As long as you have been in your Ausbildung for more than four weeks, you are entitled to 100% of your Ausbildungsvergütung (training allowance) for up to six weeks per illness.
Let's say you're in the second year of your Ausbildung as a Kaufmann für Büromanagement in Frankfurt and you earn €900/month. If you're sick for three weeks with the flu, your employer must pay you the full €900 for those three weeks — you don't lose a single euro.
After six weeks of the same illness, payment switches to Krankengeld — sick pay from your health insurance (Krankenkasse). Krankengeld is approximately 70% of your gross income, paid by your health insurance for up to 78 weeks.
In your very first four weeks of Ausbildung (the Wartezeit), you are not yet entitled to continued pay. If you get sick in week two of your training, your employer is not legally required to pay you. This is rare but worth knowing.
This is the topic that worries most trainees. There is no fixed number of sick days in German law that automatically triggers termination. It's not like "10 days and you're out." But there are real-world consequences to frequent sick leave.
These patterns can lead to:
A training company can in theory terminate your contract if your illness makes it impossible for them to plan staffing and it's reasonably expected to continue. But this requires:
For a first or second sick episode, this is almost never a concern. Don't panic.
This section could save you from a serious mistake.
Mistake 1: Sending a WhatsApp to your buddy instead of calling HR. Your message may never reach the right person. Always call the official contact.
Mistake 2: Waiting until you feel better to go to the doctor. If your employer requires the note from day three, you must have seen a doctor by day three — even if you feel better. Don't go to the doctor on day five and ask them to backdate the certificate. Doctors generally refuse to do this, and attempting it is a legal gray area.
Mistake 3: Thinking the eAU means you don't need to do anything. You still need to physically (or by phone/video, depending on the practice) consult a doctor. The eAU is just the transmission method, not a replacement for the medical consultation.
Mistake 4: Forgetting to notify the Berufsschule. Many trainees notify their company but forget the school. Both need to hear from you.
Mistake 5: Not tracking your own sick days. Keep a personal record. After six weeks of the same illness, your pay structure changes. Knowing where you stand helps you plan.
Mistake 6: Assuming "sick leave resets every year." The six-week continued pay entitlement applies per illness episode. If you're sick with the same diagnosed illness twice in 12 months, the second episode may not restart the six-week clock.
Knowing the Krankschreibung sick days Ausbildung rules protects both your health and your career. The core principle is simple: call in before your shift, see a doctor within the required timeframe, and make sure the eAU is issued and transmitted. Your pay is protected by law for up to six weeks, and occasional illness will not end your training contract. What causes real problems is ignoring the notification duty or missing the Berufsschule without informing them.
If you're still preparing for your Ausbildung — working on your application letter or building your CV — book a consultation with our German immigration specialist (€16) to plan your move. Our Anschreiben Generator and CV Builder are designed specifically for Moroccan applicants navigating the German system.
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