Ausbildung in Germany: Get Paid to Train (2026 Pay & Visa)

2 min read · Updated 2 October 2026

Germany will pay you to learn a profession. In 2025, 54,400 training places stayed empty. For young people from Pakistan, this is one of the most realistic ways to Germany. But there's a catch.

This is Borderlines. Today, what an Ausbildung is, what it pays, what the visa needs, and what happens after you finish.

First, what is an Ausbildung?

It's Germany's dual vocational training. It usually takes three years. Part of the week you work at a company and earn a salary. The rest, you're at vocational school. At the end, you hold a recognised German qualification.

There are more than 300 recognised training professions. Electrician, mechatronics technician, cook, IT specialist, logistics, hotel work, and many more.

And it's big. In 2025, 476,000 new training contracts were signed. Yet 84,400 applicants found no place, while 54,400 places stayed empty. It depends heavily on the job and the region.

So what does it pay?

Every trainee gets paid. The legal minimum in the first year is 724 Euros a month in 2026. Most earn more. The average under collective agreements was 1,209 Euros in 2025.

It varies a lot. Dairy technologists topped the list at 1,463 Euros. Hairdressers were at the bottom, at 727. Nursing training, which has its own rules, pays about 1,490 in the public sector.

Your pay rises each year of training. And since March 2024, trainees from abroad may also work a side job of up to 20 hours a week.

Now, the visa.

First, you need a training contract with a German company. Then you apply for a training visa. You usually need German at level B1, and the Federal Employment Agency often has to approve the position.

You also have to show you can live on your pay. For company based training, that's about 1,048 Euros gross a month. If your training salary is lower, you cover the gap with savings in a blocked account.

No contract yet? There's a search visa. If you're under 35, speak B1 German, and can finance yourself, you get nine months in Germany to find a training place. You can work up to 20 hours a week while you search.

And after the training?

Here's the real prize. When you finish, you can stay up to 12 months to find a job. Once you work in your profession, you're a skilled worker. Permanent residence can come after two years, citizenship after five.

The catch is German. School is in German, exams are in German, and your colleagues speak German. Many trainees quit in the first year. So pick a job you actually want, in a region with open places.

In short: Learn German to B1, research professions with lots of empty places, apply directly to companies on the Federal Employment Agency job board, and don't pay big fees for a contract. Rules change, so check official sources.