Bildungsgutschein or Employer Funding: Which Route Pays for Exam Prep for Nurses?

The short answer

Who pays for a nurse’s Kenntnisprüfung preparation mostly depends on one question: does the nurse already work for you?

If the nurse lives in Germany and is registered with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter as looking for work, a training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) can cover the course. If the nurse already works for you, the employer route applies, and you can also get a subsidy towards wages. Both routes need an approved course, and both need the application in before the course starts.

Route 1: Bildungsgutschein before the job

Some internationally trained nurses are already in Germany but not yet working in their profession. If they’re registered as unemployed or looking for work, the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter can fund their exam preparation with a Bildungsgutschein under § 81 SGB III (Anerkennung in Deutschland).

The voucher can cover course fees, travel costs, childcare and, where needed, accommodation away from home. If the nurse receives unemployment benefit, it’s usually paid on during the training (Agentur für Arbeit). As the future employer, you don’t pay wages for the course time, because the nurse doesn’t work for you yet.

For recruitment agencies, this is worth knowing when a candidate is already in Germany. The nurse should talk to their advisor early, because the voucher has to be in place before the course starts.

Route 2: funding once the nurse works for you

Once the nurse is employed, two routes are possible, and the Agentur für Arbeit decides which applies.

Employees whose foreign qualification isn’t yet formally recognised generally count as employees without a usable vocational qualification (§ 81 Abs. 2 SGB III). For them, course costs can be covered in full and the wage subsidy can reach up to 100% of pay for the hours lost to the course.

The other route is employee funding under § 82 SGB III. Here the rates depend on the size of your organisation, from up to 100% of course costs and up to 75% wage subsidy for organisations with fewer than 50 employees, down to 25% each from 500 employees.

In both cases, the nurse usually receives a Bildungsgutschein for the course, and you as the employer apply for the wage subsidy. So the voucher plays a part in both routes. Our post on funding the knowledge exam explains the employer route in detail.

Which route fits your situation

The nurse already works for you. Use the employer route and contact the Agentur für Arbeit’s employer service (Arbeitgeber-Service).

The nurse is in Germany, registered as looking for work, and you plan to hire them later. The nurse can ask their advisor about a Bildungsgutschein. Agree with them when the course should start, so it fits your hiring plan.

The nurse comes to Germany through a recognition partnership. They work for you from day one, so the employer route applies.

What applies in every case

Funding is generally only paid if it’s applied for before the course starts (§ 324 SGB III). Both the provider and the specific course must be approved under Germany’s funding rules (AZAV). And whatever the route, the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter decides case by case.

Funding route finder: who pays for the exam prep?Guidance only. The Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter decides. Where is the nurse right now?Already works for usComing to us through a recognition partnershipIn Germany, registered as unemployed or looking for workIn Germany, not registered with the Agentur or Jobcenter Nurse’s qualificationForeign, not yet recognisedRecognised, obtained 2+ years ago Employees in your organisationFewer than 5050 to 499500 or more Planned course start

Sources: §§ 81, 82, 324 SGB III; Agentur für Arbeit; anerkennung-in-deutschland.de. Part-time staff count proportionally for company size.

How CareSteps helps

The CareSteps education centre is an AZAV-approved provider and prepares internationally trained nurses for the knowledge exam. Whether your nurse comes with a voucher or you apply as their employer, we’ll give you and the Agentur the course details needed for the application.

Next steps

Not sure which route fits your nurse? Email us and we’ll help you work it out before the course starts.