Jessica Moll
Co-founder and Managing Director
Trained medical assistant. Responsible for selecting and preparing candidates and for supporting our apprentices during their training. Co-author of our English guides.
About us
Acaluna: a German recruitment company for apprenticeships
Acaluna GmbH is based in Ulm, in southern Germany. We place young people from Indonesia in industrial and technical apprenticeships with German companies, and we write the English guides on this website for everyone else who wants to take the same path.
320+
apprenticeships organised in Germany
52+
industrial companies we work with
98%
of our apprentices kept on after training
How Acaluna started
Acaluna was founded by Jessica Moll and Dr. Manuel Behmüller. Neither of us comes from recruitment. Jessica is a trained medical assistant, Manuel is a medical doctor. In German hospitals and medical practices, working with colleagues from other countries is completely normal, and we saw every day how well it can work.
On trips abroad, we kept having the same conversation. As soon as people heard we were from Germany, they asked about working there. When we asked why they had not tried, the answer was almost always the same: the visa, the paperwork, the language, and no one to help them through it.
Back in Germany, we heard the opposite story from companies. Industrial firms in rural regions could not find apprentices for professions most people have never heard of, such as dairy technologist, paper technologist or industrial insulator. We started with a first group of apprentices from Indonesia, without investors and without a big plan. It went so well that it became a company.
What we do, and what we do not do
We place candidates from Indonesia in industrial and technical apprenticeships, mainly in food and dairy production, industrial services and insulation, and paper and packaging. Our own team in Indonesia selects and prepares every candidate. We support the visa process, arrival and the whole training period.
We do not place candidates in nursing, hospitality or catering. And at the moment, we do not place candidates from countries other than Indonesia. We prefer to say this clearly rather than collect applications we cannot handle.
The companies pay us for our work. Candidates do not pay us a placement fee.
Why we publish these guides
Every week we receive messages from people in many countries outside Indonesia who want to do an Ausbildung in Germany. Many of them have already paid agencies that promised a lot and delivered little. We cannot place these applicants ourselves at the moment. What we can do is share what we have learned: how the system works, what the law says and where the pitfalls are. That is what the guides on this website are for, and it is also the idea behind the online course we are preparing.
The people behind Acaluna
From the first conversation to the end of the Ausbildung, our candidates and companies deal with the same small team.
Dr. Manuel Behmüller
Co-founder and Managing Director
Medical doctor. Works with the German companies that train our apprentices and knows what they expect from applicants. Co-author of our English guides.
Susanne Weggenmann
Assistant, organisation and coordination
Keeps appointments, documents and internal processes running smoothly.
Dedy Prayudana Putra
Recruiting in Indonesia
Selects our candidates in Indonesia and accompanies them personally through the selection process.
Mike Neuber
Training planning and coordination
Coordinates our work on site and is the strategic contact for our team in Indonesia.
How we work
- We meet every candidate. Our team in Indonesia interviews each candidate personally and checks their German and their documents.
- Candidates meet the company. No one signs a training contract without an interview with the company that will train them.
- We tell people what to expect. Shift work, small towns, a modest salary in the first year: we would rather lose a candidate before the contract than after arrival.
- We stay after arrival. We help with the first appointments, stay in contact during the training and organise meetings between apprentices from different companies.
- We check the facts. Our guides are based on official German sources, and we update them when the rules change.
Company details
Acaluna GmbH
Magirus-Deutz-Straße 13
89077 Ulm, Germany
Email: info@acaluna.com
Managing directors, commercial register entry and all other legal information can be found in our legal notice (in German). Acaluna is a member of the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW).
A note on contact: we read every message. If you do not live in Indonesia, we unfortunately cannot offer you a placement at the moment, but you are welcome to use our free guides and to join the waitlist for our course.
More guides
Ausbildung in Germany: the complete guide
How the system works, who can apply from abroad and where most applicants go wrong.
Requirements and checklist
School certificate, German level, age, money and visa, with official sources.
Can you do an Ausbildung in English?
The honest answer, the rare exceptions and how long B1 really takes.
Professions with real chances
Where the open training places are and which fields suit applicants from abroad.
Salary and living costs
Training pay by year, net income, a sample budget and pay after the Ausbildung.
The Ausbildung visa
Requirements, approval, steps at the embassy and the first appointments after arrival.
How to apply from abroad
Where to find places, the German CV and cover letter, and the interview.
Costs and scams
What you really pay, what you should never pay and how to check an offer.
After the Ausbildung
Staying on, the job search permit, permanent residence and salary.
How to choose a recruitment agency
What agencies may charge, the warning signs and the questions to ask.
Planning your Ausbildung on your own?
We are preparing a step-by-step online course based on the process we use with our own candidates. There is no start date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know.