Free Ausbildung tool
Ausbildung application timeline planner
Choose when you want to start training and tell us where you are with applications. Get your next steps and a guide to when applications may open.
Your answers stay in this tab. They are not saved, submitted, added to a URL, or included in analytics.
The interactive planner needs JavaScript. Use the calculation, example and official checklist below to make your plan.
Step 1 of 2
When would you like to start?
Choose a year, then a month. Most training starts in August or September. Check the exact date with the company or school.
Your application timeline
Plan for
Compared with , using this device's calendar.
Now
Find current listings and record their dates
For each place, record the opening date, deadline, training start, entry requirements and application method. Ask the organisation about missing details.
Search official Ausbildung listingsWork to the dates in your listing
Check that applications are open. Tailor the requested documents, send them by the actual deadline, and keep a record of replies and interview dates.
Follow the official application stepsConfirm the arrangements for your place
Ask the company or school to confirm your exact start date and any requirements you still need to meet. Check any remaining document or visa requirements.
Check official training requirementsCheck whether a late start is possible
Contact the Federal Employment Agency for careers advice and check current vacancies. Its late-entry guide also explains how local chambers of commerce or crafts can help. Late entry can be possible, but this tool cannot confirm a place or permission to start. Consider a later start if needed.
Read official late-entry adviceAlongside applications
Prepare the German and documents your listing asks for
Use the listing's requirements and practise explaining your own application.
Before training starts
Check what you still need to prepare
Ask the company or school which documents or language evidence it still needs. Continue practising the German you will use in training.
If school-certificate recognition is needed, check the process early. Recognition means officially comparing your foreign certificate with a German qualification. Ask the authority handling this check what it needs before you submit a request.
Find your next preparation stepVisa: check instructions early
Use the official visa instructions if you need a visa
To apply for this visa, you need a confirmed training place and the required evidence. Follow the instructions from the German embassy or consulate handling your application. Appointment waits and processing vary; the planner cannot predict when you will receive a visa.
Check the vocational-training visa routeFind the official visa processStart on the date your company or school confirms
Your intended month is a planning target. Confirm the date and any remaining requirements with the company or school. Ask where to go and what to bring on your first day. This plan cannot establish admission, visa eligibility or whether you can start on time.
When applications may open
to
Calculated as 18 to 12 months before your intended start. This is when applications may open, not the deadline to apply. Each listing sets its own dates.
Read the federal timing guidanceThese possible opening dates are still ahead. Choose occupations and check employer or school recruitment pages now, including any earlier opening dates.
Applications may be opening around now. Check current listings now. Some organisations may already accept applications; others may open later.
These possible opening dates have passed. Places may still be accepting applications. Check the deadlines in current listings.
Your chosen start month is this month. Confirm the exact start date and arrangements with the company or school. Without a place, check official late-entry advice and current vacancies.
Your chosen start month has passed. If you have a place, contact the company or school about your arrangements. Otherwise, check official late-entry advice or use Back to choose a later start.
You chose a month outside August and September. Verify that your programme starts then. These calculated dates do not confirm that a programme starts in your chosen month.
How this timeline is calculated
The federal Make it in Germany guide says application periods generally begin 12 to 18 months before training starts. This planner subtracts those calendar months from your chosen start. Use each employer or school listing for the actual opening date, deadline and requirements.
Example: a September 2027 start
Subtracting 18 months gives March 2026. Subtracting 12 months gives September 2026. Applications may therefore open between March and September 2026. Check individual listings for their dates. If you are planning later, look for places still accepting applications.
Make a plan from one real listing
- Find a current vacancy or school programme. Record its start date, application opening, deadline, requirements and application method. Use the official application guide to prepare what the organisation asks for. The application tracker keeps those records on your device and tells you which date is next.
- Work on German and documents alongside applications. Use the preparation self-check to find what you still need to verify or practise.
- If you need a visa, check the vocational-training visa requirements and official application process early. A specific training place is required for this visa route. The responsible embassy or consulate gives the current instructions; appointment waits and processing vary.
- If your intended start is now or has passed, use official late-entry advice. A late start may be possible, but this page cannot confirm availability or permission to start.
Check the dates for one real place
Start with the official Ausbildung search. For more detail on timing, read when to apply for an Ausbildung. If you are still comparing routes, use the full Ausbildung guide.