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Ausbildung Salary in Germany: How Much Will You Earn Each Month?

2025-02-19

Discover exactly how much you can earn during Ausbildung in Germany — by year, sector, and city — plus tips to maximize your monthly income.

Starting an Ausbildung in Germany is one of the smartest moves a Moroccan professional can make, but before you pack your bags, you probably want to know: what will actually land in your bank account each month? The Ausbildung salary — called Ausbildungsvergütung in German — varies widely depending on your field, your employer, and even the region you train in. In this guide, you'll find real numbers, sector-by-sector breakdowns, and everything you need to plan your finances before and after you arrive.

What Is the Ausbildung Salary and How Is It Set?

Unlike a regular job, Ausbildung is a dual vocational training program: you split your time between a company (the Betrieb) and a vocational school (Berufsschule). Because you're still a trainee, you earn a training allowance rather than a full wage — but it's real money, paid every month.

Since January 2020, Germany introduced a statutory minimum Ausbildung salary (Mindestausbildungsvergütung). These are the current legal minimums set by the German Vocational Training Act (Berufsbildungsgesetz, BBiG):

• 1st year: €649/month
• 2nd year: €766/month
• 3rd year: €876/month
• 4th year (where applicable): €909/month

These are floors, not ceilings. Most employers — especially larger companies and those bound by collective agreements (Tarifverträge) — pay significantly more.

Ausbildung Salary by Sector: Real Numbers for 2024

The sector you choose has the single biggest impact on your monthly income. Here's a realistic snapshot:

Healthcare and Nursing

• Nursing (Pflegefachmann/frau): €1,190–€1,340/month in year one
• Medical assistant (Medizinische Fachangestellte): €800–€950/month
• Hospital care assistant: €1,100–€1,250/month

Healthcare Ausbildung salaries are among the highest because Germany desperately needs skilled workers in this sector. Public hospitals and large care providers like Vivantes or Caritas typically pay top rates.

Skilled Trades (Handwerk)

• Electrician (Elektroniker): €750–€1,050/month
• Mechatronics technician: €800–€1,100/month
• Plumber/heating installer (Anlagenmechaniker SHK): €700–€900/month

Trades tied to collective agreements, like those in the metalworking sector (Metall- und Elektroindustrie), consistently pay above the legal minimum.

IT and Digital

• IT specialist (Fachinformatiker): €900–€1,200/month
• Large tech employers (SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens) often pay €1,000–€1,300/month from year one
• Start-ups may pay closer to the legal minimum

Commerce and Business

• Office administrator (Kaufmann/Kauffrau für Büromanagement): €700–€900/month
• Retail salesperson (Einzelhandelskaufmann/-frau): €650–€850/month
• Bank clerk (Bankkaufmann/-frau): €900–€1,100/month

Hospitality and Tourism

This sector historically pays the lowest Ausbildung wages:

• Hotel specialist (Hotelfachmann/-frau): €600–€800/month
• Cook (Koch/Köchin): €650–€850/month

Budget carefully if you choose hospitality, especially in cities with high rent.

How the Salary Grows Year by Year

German law requires that your Ausbildung salary increases each year. At a mid-sized engineering company in Bavaria, for example, a mechatronics trainee might earn:

• Year 1: €950/month
• Year 2: €1,020/month
• Year 3: €1,080/month

After completing the Ausbildung and passing the final exam (Abschlussprüfung), the same person could move into a full-time position earning €2,200–€3,500/month gross depending on specialization and employer. That jump makes the temporary lower salary worth enduring.

Regional Differences: Where You Train Matters

Germany's federal structure means training wages can differ between states (Bundesländer). Collective agreements in wealthy industrial states like Bavaria (Bayern), Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) tend to be more generous than in eastern German states.

Some real examples:

• A nursing trainee in Munich might earn €1,300/month, while the same role in Erfurt (Thuringia) could pay €1,100/month
• An IT Fachinformatiker trainee at a corporate employer in Hamburg might earn €1,150/month vs. €850/month at a small firm in Magdeburg

That said, living costs also vary. Munich is expensive — a single room in a shared flat (WG-Zimmer) costs €700–€1,100/month there. In Leipzig or Dresden, you might pay €350–€550/month for equivalent accommodation. Net purchasing power can actually favor smaller cities.

What's Deducted from Your Gross Ausbildung Salary?

Your gross salary is not what you take home. Germany deducts:

• Income tax (Lohnsteuer): Usually zero or minimal for trainees, since most earn below the annual tax-free allowance (€11,784 in 2024)
• Health insurance (Krankenversicherung): ~7.3% of gross salary
• Pension insurance (Rentenversicherung): ~9.3% of gross salary
• Unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung): ~1.3% of gross salary
• Nursing care insurance (Pflegeversicherung): ~1.7–2.2% of gross salary

In practice, if you earn €1,000/month gross, your net (Netto) take-home pay is roughly €820–€860/month. At €1,200 gross, expect around €980–€1,020 net. You can use the free calculator at brutto-netto-rechner.info to calculate your exact take-home pay.

Additional Financial Support Available to Trainees

Your monthly Ausbildung salary is not your only source of income. Several support programs exist:

• BAföG for Ausbildung (vocational BAföG / Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe, BAB): If your Ausbildung salary is low and you don't live with your parents, you may qualify for a monthly supplement from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Apply at your local Jobcenter or via arbeitsagentur.de.
• Wohngeld (housing subsidy): Some trainees qualify for housing subsidies. Check eligibility at wohngeld.org.
• Deutschland-Ticket: At €29–€49/month (discounted for trainees in many states), this covers unlimited local and regional public transport.
• Employer benefits: Many employers provide meal vouchers (Essensgutscheine), free work clothing, or travel allowances that add €50–€150/month in effective value.

What People Get Wrong About the Ausbildung Salary

Mistake 1 — Comparing to a full salary back home. An Ausbildung stipend is not a career salary. It's meant to cover your training period. The long-term payoff is a German-recognized qualification and a full-time job earning €2,500–€4,000+/month.

Mistake 2 — Ignoring the net vs. gross difference. Many people calculate their budget based on the gross figure they see in a job listing, then are surprised when they receive less. Always calculate net.

Mistake 3 — Not researching collective agreements. Before accepting any Ausbildung contract, Google the relevant Tarifvertrag for your sector and state. You may be entitled to more than the company offers.

Mistake 4 — Overlooking BAB support. Hundreds of Moroccan trainees who qualify for Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe never apply because they don't know it exists. If your salary is below roughly €1,000/month net and you pay your own rent, apply immediately.

Mistake 5 — Choosing a sector purely for the salary. A higher Ausbildung salary means little if you won't enjoy the work for 3 years. Match your choice to your skills and interests first — then optimize for pay.

Conclusion

Understanding your Ausbildung salary before you arrive in Germany removes uncertainty and lets you plan a realistic budget. The range is wide — from roughly €650/month in hospitality to over €1,300/month in nursing or IT at major employers — and it grows with each training year. Factor in deductions, regional cost of living, and available support programs like BAB to get the full picture.

Ready to land the right Ausbildung for your skills and salary expectations? Book a consultation with our German immigration specialist (€16) to plan your move — our team will help you identify top-paying training programs and build a CV that gets responses.