Ausbildung Contract Explained

October 26, 2026 T. Ausbildung Corner

Short answer: An Ausbildung contract (Ausbildungsvertrag) is the agreement between you and your training company. By law the company must draw it up in text form with minimum content, such as the occupation, probation, pay, overtime, holiday and termination rules, give it to you and register it with the chamber.

This guide explains what the contract must say, what happens after you receive it, which clauses are void and what to check before you agree. It covers contracts under the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) in dual training. It is general information, not legal advice. Visa and entry rules are outside the scope of this site.

Table of Contents

What an Ausbildung contract is

Anyone who hires people for vocational training must conclude a training contract with them. Where the BBiG says nothing else, the rules for ordinary employment contracts apply to it as well. The contract is the basis of a dual training: you work and learn at the company and attend vocational school (see our guide to what Ausbildung is).

What the contract must contain

The BBiG lists the minimum content. Use this table as a checklist when you read your contract:

Item	What to look for
Names and addresses	Your details and the company’s. For minors, also the details of the legal representatives
The training	The occupation, the goal, and the content and time plan of the training
Start and duration	The first day and how long the training lasts
Training site	Where you train, and any training outside the company
Daily training time	The regular length of your training day
Probation	How long it lasts
Pay	The amount, how it is paid and what it consists of
Overtime	How overtime is paid or compensated
Holiday	The number of days
Termination	The conditions under which the contract can be ended
Collective agreements	A general reference to any collective, works or service agreements that apply
Training record	The form of the Ausbildungsnachweis (your training record)

For the general picture on pay, see our Ausbildung salary guide. We explain probation, working hours and holiday in a separate guide.

How the contract reaches you

Text form. The company must draw up the essential content in text form promptly after the contract is concluded, and at the latest before the training starts. The current text of the law no longer contains the earlier rule that this had to be a signed paper document. Many companies and chambers still use signed forms, so ask what applies to you.
You must receive it. The company must hand the document to you, and to your legal representatives if you are a minor, promptly after drawing it up. If it is sent electronically, it must be sent in a way that lets you save and print it.
Proof of receipt. The company must be able to prove that you received it, and it must keep the document and the proof for three years after the end of the year in which the training ended. You are obliged to confirm receipt.
Changes. The same rules apply when the contract is changed.

Registration with the chamber

The company must promptly apply to have the contract entered in the register of training relationships kept by the responsible chamber, such as the IHK or the craft chamber. It attaches a copy of the contract document and the proof of receipt. According to the BBiG, the entry is free of charge for trainees. The entry matters for your exams: a registered training relationship is one of the conditions for admission to the final exam, as explained in our guide to Ausbildung exams.

Clauses that are void

The BBiG declares some agreements void, which means they have no effect even if you signed them:

An obligation to pay compensation or a fee for the training.
Contractual penalties.
Excluding or limiting claims for damages, or fixing damages as lump sums.
An agreement that restricts you from working in your profession after the training. The exception is that you may agree, within the last six months of the training, to start an employment relationship with the training company afterwards.

Nobody may legitimately charge you for a training place. If someone asks for money, stop and read our guide to Ausbildung scams.

Duties on both sides

Your duties. You must make an effort to acquire the skills needed to reach the training goal. In particular, you must carry out tasks carefully, attend training measures you are released for, follow instructions, follow the house rules, treat tools and machines with care, keep business secrets, keep a training record and confirm that you received the contract document.

The company’s duties. It must make sure you learn what you need, with a planned training that allows you to reach the goal in the time set. It must train you itself or appoint a trainer, provide the tools, materials and specialist literature you need for the training and for the intermediate and final exams free of charge, make sure you attend vocational school, protect you from moral and physical danger, make you keep the training record, review it regularly and give you the chance to write it at work. It may give you only tasks that serve the training and suit your physical strength.

How to check your contract, step by step

Compare the contract with the posting: the exact occupation, the start date, the location and any pay or holiday that was advertised.
Tick off every item in the table above and ask the company about anything that is missing.
Read the training plan and check it covers your occupation’s content.
Look for clauses about fees, penalties, repayments or limits on working elsewhere afterwards. If you find one, ask about it before you agree.
Make sure promises made in the interview are written into the contract.
Keep your own copy, confirm receipt and ask when the contract will be registered with the chamber.
If something is unclear, ask the responsible chamber’s training advisers before you sign.

Common mistakes

Agreeing without reading the whole document.
Relying on verbal promises. Get them into the contract.
Accepting a fee, penalty or repayment clause because it looks official. The BBiG makes such agreements void.
Not keeping a copy or not confirming receipt.
Never asking about the registration with the chamber, which you need for your exams.
Using an older guide. The rules on form changed, so check what your employer and chamber use today.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Ausbildung contract have to be on paper?

The current BBiG requires text form, which can be electronic if you can save and print it. The earlier rule that excluded electronic form is no longer in the text. Ask your employer and the chamber what they use.

What must be in the contract?

At least the names and addresses, the occupation and training plan, start and duration, the training site, daily training time, probation, pay, overtime pay or compensation, holiday, termination conditions, a reference to collective agreements and the form of the training record.

Can the company charge me a fee or a penalty?

No. Agreements that make you pay for the training, or that set contractual penalties, are void under the BBiG.

Can the contract stop me from working elsewhere after the training?

Such an agreement is void. The only exception is an agreement, made within the last six months of the training, to start a job with the training company afterwards.

Who registers the contract with the chamber?

The company applies for the entry promptly after the contract is concluded. The entry is free of charge for trainees.

Sources

Last updated: 26 October 2026. Rules and figures can change, so confirm details with the official source before you decide.

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