MIGRATION & CERTIFICATES
Ausbildung in Germany for Ukrainians: the §24 switch, the B1 standard, and the paid-training road
The Ausbildung road for Ukrainians in 2026: the §24-to-training-permit switch, the B1 (B2 care) standard, salaries, and the timeline.
VON GERMANIUM
Editorial desk — sourced to germany4ukraine.de, the missions' Ausbildung merkblätter and the Bundesagentur's training guidance
For Ukrainians whose schooling ended at the Ukrainian school level — no university degree to recognize — Ausbildung is the strongest permanence bridge Germany offers: a 3–4 year paid vocational training that ends in a nationally recognized professional title, an employer relationship, and a direct transition into the skilled-worker permits whose clocks count toward settlement. And for §24 holders it has a structural advantage over every road that starts abroad: the switch happens inside Germany, at the Ausländerbehörde, with no visa and no consulate queue.
Why Ausbildung fits the §24 situation specifically
- No recognition procedure stands in front of it — Ausbildung admits on the school certificate, not on a Ukrainian degree's German equivalence; the recognition road (with its deficit plans and Landesprüfungsämter) is for degree holders, and this road skips it entirely
- The switch is domestic — with a training contract signed, the §24 holder applies for the training residence permit (§16a) at the local Ausländerbehörde; no mission, no appointment lottery abroad
- It pays while it runs — €650–1,500/month depending on field and year (directional; the Tarifvertrag governs), typically covering the livelihood threshold in the technical and care fields
- It ends in a permit that counts — the skilled-worker transition after graduation starts the settlement clock, the one §24 time never touched
The German requirement: B1, B2 in care
| Field | German requirement |
|---|---|
| Most fields (commerce, crafts, hospitality, logistics) | B1 — certificate in the application file |
| Nursing / care (Pflege) | B2 — patient communication and professional terminology |
| Some large companies' own programmes | May start at B1 and raise in-house — check each listing |
The level matters beyond the file: training runs in German — safety instructions, written orders, vocational school — and employers interview in it. The B1 kit is the timed-practice path to the certificate; care applicants plan one level further.
The steps: from §24 to a training contract
- 01
1. The certificate first
B1 (B2 for care) from Goethe, telc or ÖSD. It is the file's slowest-to-earn component and the interview's first filter — start it before the contract search, not after.
- 02
2. The school-certificate chain
Ukrainian school certificate (атестат) with the apostille + присяжный перевод. For fields with school-subject requirements, the transcript matters; request it from the school early.
- 03
3. The contract search
Applications go directly to employers (portals, direct files); the September intake opens roughly 12 months ahead. The shortage fields — care, crafts, hospitality, logistics — carry the most openings.
- 04
4. The switch at the Ausländerbehörde
With the contract signed: application for the §16a training permit. The funds question resolves through the salary itself — if the training pay covers the livelihood threshold, no blocked account is needed; if not, the gap is topped up. §24 continues independently until the switch completes.
- 05
5. After the degree
The skilled-worker transition with a job offer — and from there the settlement clock (2 years of skilled work with B1 for the graduates' route) and the citizenship road beyond it, as the citizenship article maps.
Можно ли украинцу по §24 пойти на Ausbildung в Германии?
Yes — with a signed training contract and the German certificate, the switch to the §16a training permit runs at the local Ausländerbehörde, inside Germany, without a visa or consulate queue. §24 continues independently until the switch completes.
Какой уровень немецкого нужен для Ausbildung?
B1 for most fields — as a certificate in the file (Goethe, telc, ÖSD) — and B2 for nursing/care. The real bar is the interview and the training itself, which run in German; the certificate is the entry proof, the level is what holds.
Нужен ли блокированный счёт для Ausbildung по §24?
In the general case, no — the training salary itself is the financial proof when it covers the livelihood threshold (the technical and care fields typically do), and in-country switches assess funding directly rather than through a blocked account. Where the salary falls short, the gap is topped up by other proof.
Признают ли украинский аттестат для Ausbildung?
Yes — the school certificate (атестат) with the apostille and certified translation is the standard admission basis; Ausbildung does not require a university degree or its recognition. Fields with specific school-subject requirements read the transcript — request it from your school early.
Сколько платят во время Ausbildung?
Directionally €650–1,500/month depending on field and year — care and technical trades at the top, hospitality and crafts at the lower band. The binding figure is the contract's, governed by the Tarifvertrag; and the salary is not just income — it is the financial proof that replaces the blocked account when it clears the threshold.