After the Ausbildung
After the Ausbildung: job, residence, salary and your next steps
An Ausbildung is not only a training. For many people from abroad it is the most reliable way to a permanent life in Germany. Here is what happens after the final exam.
The short version
- Most companies train apprentices to keep them. Of the apprentices we placed, 98 percent were kept on after their training.
- If you need a new job, you can stay in Germany for up to 18 months to look for one.
- As a skilled worker you receive a residence permit for employment. After two years of work following an Ausbildung in Germany, a settlement permit is possible if the other conditions are met.
- With a skilled worker's salary, bringing your family becomes realistic.
Staying with your company
For a German company, training an apprentice is an investment of three years. Most companies want to keep the people they have trained, and many offer a permanent contract months before the final exam. Talk to your company about this during your last training year; it is a normal conversation.
If you finish your Ausbildung with good results, you can sometimes shorten it. Several of our apprentices finished early, which also means an earlier start on a skilled worker's salary.
Looking for another job
If your company does not keep you, or you want to change, you are not forced to leave Germany. According to Make it in Germany, after completing your Ausbildung you can stay for up to 18 months to find a job that matches your qualification. You apply for this residence permit for job seeking at the foreigners authority. During this time you may take any job to cover your living costs.
Your residence permit as a skilled worker
With a German vocational qualification, you count as a skilled worker (Fachkraft) in German law. Once you have a qualified job, you receive a residence permit for skilled employment, and you can apply for it in Germany without leaving the country.
After completing an Ausbildung in Germany and working here for two years, you can apply for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis), the German permanent residence, if you meet the further conditions, such as pension contributions and German language skills. German citizenship is generally possible after five years of legal residence, again under further conditions.
Your salary after the Ausbildung
After the final exam you are paid as a skilled worker, and the difference is large. According to the Federal Employment Agency's Entgeltatlas, the median gross pay of full-time skilled workers is above 3,000 euros a month in many industrial professions. Starting salaries are below this median but usually more than twice the training pay. More in our salary guide.
Bringing your family
During the Ausbildung, bringing a spouse or children is rarely realistic because training pay is not enough to support a family. As a skilled worker it becomes possible. You have to be able to support your family and have enough living space. The exact rules, including whether your spouse needs German, depend on your permit. The family reunification pages of Make it in Germany explain the current conditions.
Further training and study
The Ausbildung is the first step of a career, not the last. After some years of work you can take further qualifications such as master craftsperson (Meister), state-certified technician (Techniker) or certified senior specialist (Fachwirt). These lead to more responsibility and a higher salary, and there are public grants for them.
In many cases, a vocational qualification plus work experience also allows you to study at a German university, even without a university entrance qualification from school.
Questions about life after the Ausbildung
Yes. With a job as a skilled worker you receive a residence permit for employment. Without a job yet, you can stay for up to 18 months to look for one.
After completing an Ausbildung in Germany and two years of work here, you can apply for a settlement permit if you meet the further conditions.
No, you can change employers. Many apprentices stay because they know the company and the company knows them, but it is your decision.
In many cases yes. A vocational qualification plus work experience often gives access to universities, and further qualifications such as Meister or Techniker open additional doors.
Sources: Make it in Germany, Federal Employment Agency (Entgeltatlas), German Residence Act. As of September 2026. General information, not legal advice.
How we write these guides: we check every legal statement against official German sources such as the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Employment Agency, Make it in Germany and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), and we add what we have learned from more than 320 apprenticeships we have organised. We do not accept payment for mentioning companies or services. This information is general and is not legal advice.
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.
How to choose a recruitment agency
What agencies may charge, the warning signs and the questions to ask.
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