Berater/Beraterin für Bildung, Beruf und Beschäftigung

Various information resources are available for this profession. These include information offerings from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), official news (ANBA), the film 'Consulting for Education, Occupation and Employment - Dual Study,' and career opportunities such as 'Career at the BA: Dual Study 'Consulting for Education, Occupation and Employment'.' Additionally, publications on labor research, vocational education research, vocational education reports (Berufsbildungsbericht), the state of education in Germany, and the impact of digitalization on vocational education are available. The BQ-Portal, which provides information on foreign professional qualifications, and the BWP journal, which combines science and practice in vocational education, are also important resources.

To be successful in this field, an interest in social counseling activities is important. For example, advising young people on career choices, supporting unemployed clients in their professional and social integration, or informing people with disabilities about opportunities for participation in working life fall within this area of interest.

Consultants for education, occupation, and employment primarily work in offices, meeting rooms, and on external assignments, for example, in classrooms or seminar rooms. Additionally, they may also work from home or remotely.

Core competencies acquired or deepened during this Studium (university study) include labor promotion law, labor market policy, labor law, job and Ausbildung (vocational training) placement, vocational rehabilitation, career counseling, vocational training law, occupational knowledge, educational counseling, case management, rehabilitation, and social law. Furthermore, competencies such as business administration, applicant selection and assessment, gender competence, intercultural communication, public relations, psychology, research, information gathering, social welfare law, social management, social insurance law, teaching/training (non-school setting), and VerBIS (the Federal Employment Agency's placement, counseling, and information system) can also be significant for practicing this profession. The 'Person Groups' competence group is also among the relevant skills and knowledge.

The ongoing digitalization of the world of work and professions can change task areas and requirement profiles. For consultants for education, occupation, and employment, this may open up opportunities to engage with the following technologies, procedures, or systems: document management systems (e.g., creating and managing consultation protocols digitally), e-files (e.g., retrieving, reviewing, and maintaining client files digitally), and electronic identification - eID (e.g., advising clients on the electronic processing of administrative procedures using the electronic ID function).

Consultants for education, occupation, and employment bear responsibility for the placement, counseling, and integration of clients seeking advice, as well as for the allocation of labor promotion benefits. Communication skills and empathy for personal problems are necessary to quickly adapt to new clients. This requires service-oriented and responsible work. Adherence to numerous legal regulations and confidential handling of clients' personal data are indispensable. When they undertake company visits, inquire about vacancies, or recruit employee clients, they need persuasiveness, persistence, and negotiation skills. Consultants usually work in offices with standard communication media (computer, telephone, email, etc.). Depending on their specialization, they may also work in the field.

Consultants for education, profession, and employment can, for example, establish or take over their own company in the field of employment placement or career counseling.

Example gross basic remuneration after completing a university degree (Studium) (monthly): 4,099 €. These figures are for orientation only and no claims can be derived from them. Source: Collective Agreement for Employees of the Federal Employment Agency (TV-BA).

Social security (especially in employment promotion according to Social Code Book III (SGB III), primarily in employment agencies); public administration (especially in job centers according to Social Code Book II (SGB II)); other services for businesses and private households (e.g., private employment agencies and career counselors).

Those who wish to work in this profession typically need a completed undergraduate degree (Studium) in education, profession, and employment counseling. Leadership positions or specialized tasks usually require a master's degree (Masterstudium). Activities in science and research often require a doctorate (Promotion) or habilitation.

Consulting for education, profession, and employment (undergraduate).

Consultants for education, profession, and employment work, for example, in employment agencies, in joint institutions (job centers), and in private employment placement and career counseling.

Some characteristics of work and social behavior are equally relevant for all professions and are therefore not mentioned separately. These include: reliability, punctuality, honesty, ability to criticize, and appropriate manners. In addition, the following profession-specific characteristics are required to practice this profession: Performance and commitment (e.g., willingness to actively and energetically integrate customers, often with multiple limitations, into the labor market), perseverance/determination (e.g., persistently supporting people with disabilities in their integration into the labor market despite setbacks), conscientiousness (e.g., precisely reviewing applications for benefits for employment promotion and integration), sense of responsibility and willingness to take responsibility (e.g., taking responsibility for the placement, counseling, and integration of clients seeking advice), independent way of working (e.g., independently planning Q).

Counselors for education, career, and employment advise and support young people and adults in employment agencies (Agenturen für Arbeit) or joint institutions on career choice, integration into the world of work, or professional qualification.

Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit), local offices, Interamt.de, service.bund.de, Stellenblatt.de.

Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) - Central Office, dvb German Association for Educational and Career Counseling e.V. - Office, Leibniz Institute for Educational Research and Educational Information DIPF, ver.di - United Services Union, Association for Company Educational Research e.V.

Responsibility for individuals (e.g., advising young people and their parents on career choice to enable a successful entry into professional life), responsibility for material assets (e.g., deciding on benefits for employment promotion and integration according to SGB III and SGB II), customer contact (counseling, placement, and comprehensive support for customers; establishing and maintaining contacts with social security institutions, associations, employers, and organizations such as debt counseling or addiction counseling centers), dealing with people with problems (e.g., people with disabilities or impending disabilities, people with addiction problems), adherence to various regulations and legal requirements (e.g., making decisions on benefits for employment promotion and integration according to SGB III and SGB II), screen work (e.g., administrative tasks on the PC, but also researching job offers in job portals and databases on the internet and intranet), work in office spaces.

Professional employment opportunities in the field of educational and career counseling: Training counselor, career counselor, education/study counselor, case manager.

Working materials include documents such as applications for employment promotion benefits, the Social Code (SGB) III and SGB II, and other relevant laws, legal ordinances, and administrative instructions, as well as information materials on education, occupation, and the labor market. Data and data management systems are also used, for example, labor market data, customer data, job offers in job exchanges, and other databases. Office equipment, such as PCs, internet access, and telephones, are also among the working tools.

Consultants for education, occupation, and employment advise individuals who approach the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) with various concerns due to the increasingly complex labor market. This includes people in difficult social and life situations, as well as people with disabilities. They answer questions about career choice, entitlement to benefits, or funding opportunities and provide advice on career reorientation or (re-)integration into professional life. Other key tasks include planning qualification measures and compiling information material.

Adaptive professional development helps to keep professional knowledge up-to-date and adapt it to new developments (e.g., in the areas of social law, labor law, social counseling and coaching, personnel planning and development).

Consultants for education, occupation, and employment can expand their professional and career opportunities through further Studium (higher education studies), for example, in subjects like labor market-oriented counseling, human resource management, services, or administrative management, public management. A doctorate is usually required for an academic career at a university; a Habilitation (postdoctoral qualification) is typically needed for appointment as a university professor. A doctorate may also facilitate access to higher professional positions in the private sector, in research, and in public administration.

Counseling and Integration: Providing lifelong counseling to unemployed and job-seeking individuals covered by the Social Code (SGB)-III and SGB-II (Bürgergeld). Collaborating with social insurance providers, associations, employers, and organizations such as debt counseling or addiction counseling centers regarding integration into professional life. Advising on and deciding upon employment promotion and integration benefits according to SGB III, SGB II, and SGB IX. Planning qualification measures and creating information materials. Career Orientation Counseling: Advising young people and their parents on career choice, including informing them about job content, requirements, and career prospects. Clarifying the abilities and interests of those seeking advice in personal discussions. Mediating company-based Ausbildung (vocational training) positions, naming school-based Ausbildung institutions. Informing schools and educational institutions about occupational fields, Ausbildung opportunities, and other topics from working life.

The following additional employment alternatives are available for the profession of consultant for education, occupation, and employment: Field of Human Resources: Business economist (Hochschule) for human resource management, head of human resources, human resource developer, education manager. Commonalities: Advising employers on HR matters, assessing individual further training needs and organizing further training measures, collaborating and communicating with social security providers, associations, and employers. Field of Personnel Services: Personnel dispatcher, personnel consultant. Commonality: Selecting, assessing, and placing personnel. Note: The mentioned job alternatives may require a longer induction period or additional training.

What is it about? Consultants for education, career, and employment advise and support young people and adults in job agencies or joint institutions with career choice, integration into the world of work, or professional qualification. Main tasks: Consultants in job agencies or joint institutions (Jobcenters) offer lifelong career counseling. They analyze the respective life situation, assess opportunities in the labor market, define goals, and create action plans. They always keep legal regulations in mind. They advise on and make decisions regarding labor market promotion and integration services. These are based on the Social Code (SGB) III when working in a job agency, on SGB IX when working as a rehabilitation/severely disabled person consultant (Reha/SB) in a job agency, and on relevant laws when working in a joint institution.

The following abilities, knowledge, and skills are required for performing possible activities in this study profession. Abilities include verbal (linguistic) thinking (e.g., understanding and interpreting laws, legal commentaries, and administrative regulations on labor market promotion and integration services), observational accuracy (e.g., analyzing life situations and assessing opportunities in the labor market), memorization (e.g., memory for people), adaptability (e.g., quick and spontaneous changes between different clients and contacts under time pressure, with short preparation time and frequent interruptions), planning and organizing skills (e.g., planning and organizing qualification measures), and pedagogical skills (e.g., guiding and motivating students to engage with career topics; conducting class events). Knowledge and skills such as oral comprehension are also important.

The legal regulations for this activity are: Social Code (SGB) Book Three (III) - Employment Promotion - (Article 1 of the Act of 24.03.1997, BGBl. I S. 594, 595), last amended by Article 2 of the Act of 16.04.2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 107). Social Code (SGB) Book Two (II) - Citizen's Income, Basic Security for Job Seekers - (Article 1 of the Act of 24.12.2003, BGBl. I S. 2954) in the version of the announcement of 13.05.2011 (BGBl. I S. 850, corr. S. 2094), last amended by Article 1a of the Act of 16.04.2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 107). Social Code (SGB) Book Nine (IX) - Rehabilitation and Participation of People with Disabilities - (Article 1 of the Act of 23.12.2016, BGBl. I S. 3234), last amended by Article 13 of the Act of 16.01.2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 14).

The exercise of this profession may involve the following physical requirements. This information does not necessarily apply to every activity profile or every professional deployment possibility. Unimpaired speech ability (e.g., informing about retraining or qualification measures), near vision - even corrected (e.g., performing administrative tasks on the computer; researching job offers in job boards and databases on the internet and intranet), hearing ability and speech comprehension (e.g., coordinating with social security institutions, associations, employers, and organizations) are required. Note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and should not be understood in the sense of a medical fitness assessment. Actual physical fitness or unfitness must always be determined on a case-by-case basis and taking into account possible reasonable accommodations.

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the original profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants who cannot find a vacant position in their learned profession. Furthermore, employers can consider specialists in these professions as alternatives for filling a job in the original profession. Some alternative professions only cover partial activities of the original profession, others require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of consultant for education, career, and employment: For partial activities and professional deployment possibilities (with/without induction): Career counselor, Case manager. In related professions: Training consultant. For a list of all possible degrees of relatedness, please refer to BERUFENET.

The activity as a consultant for education, career, and employment is not regulated. To work in this profession with a qualification acquired abroad, no professional recognition is necessary. However, there is the possibility to apply for an individual certificate evaluation for foreign higher education degrees by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). This can be helpful for applications in the German labor market. Further information on living and working in Germany: Hotline Working and Living in Germany - central information hotline of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA), For people from abroad - an information offer of the Federal Employment Agency, Central International and Specialist Placement of the Federal Employment Agency, Make it in Germany - the welcome portal of the skilled labor initiative for international skilled workers.

The following health limitations could lead to problems when performing this profession. These statements do not necessarily apply to every job profile or every professional application. Increasingly, there are also possibilities to compensate for limitations, for example, with technical aids. Speech impediments or speech defects (e.g., when informing about retraining or qualification measures), uncorrectable near vision impairment (e.g., when performing administrative tasks on the computer; researching job offers in online job boards and databases), hearing impairment, deafness, hearing disorders, or chronic ear conditions (e.g., when coordinating with social security institutions, associations, employers, and organizations) could pose challenges. Please note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and should not be understood as a medical fitness assessment. Actual physical fitness or unfitness must always be assessed individually.

From an employer's perspective, the following alternative staffing options are available for the profession of Advisor for Education, Occupation, and Employment: In the field of human resources, roles such as HR Developer or Business Administrator (university degree) for Human Resource Management can be considered. Common aspects of these roles include advising employers on HR matters, assessing individual further training needs and organizing training measures, and collaborating and communicating with social security institutions, associations, and employers. In the field of personnel services, alternatives could be a Personnel Consultant or a Personnel Disponent. The commonality here is selecting, assessing, and placing personnel. Please note: The mentioned staffing alternatives may require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases.