Berufsberater/Berufsberaterin

Media sources related to this profession include 'ARBEIT. Zeitschrift für Arbeitsforschung, Arbeitsgestaltung und Arbeitspolitik', 'Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berufsbildungsforschungsnetz', 'Bildungsketten', 'BWP - Berufsbildung in Wissenschaft und Praxis', 'Die Öffentliche Verwaltung (DÖV)', 'Journal for Labour Market Research', 'klischee-frei - Nationale Kooperationen zur Berufs- und Studienwahl', 'Publikationen des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB)', 'Servicestelle SGB II', 'Themenseite des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB): Jugendliche auf dem Weg ins Berufsleben', and 'Warum werden Berufe nicht gewählt? Die Relevanz von Attraktions- und Aversionsfaktoren in der Berufsfindung'.

Career counselors typically work in office and meeting rooms. They also conduct fieldwork in venues such as event spaces and classrooms.

Core competencies generally required for this profession include labor promotion law, labor market policy, career counseling, vocational training law, occupational knowledge, educational counseling, and customer consulting and support. Other competencies that may be significant for practicing this profession include labor law, job placement, business administration, applicant selection and assessment, applicant training, intercultural communication, psychology, research and information gathering, teaching and training (extracurricular), VerBIS (the Federal Employment Agency's placement, counseling, and information system), behavioral and communication training, and public speaking. Additionally, the competence groups 'Office communication, MS-Office' and 'Target groups' are also important.

Career counselors usually perform their tasks independently but also collaborate with other specialists. They organize events for career choice and apprenticeship (Ausbildung) search with teachers or company representatives. They have personal, written, and telephone contact with young people and mostly young adults. Depending on their area of deployment, they also establish contacts with authorities, professional associations, educational institutions, or employers. Persuasion and negotiation skills are required here. Counseling activities demand a high level of commitment and a strong service and customer orientation. They must be able to adapt to constantly changing clients; this requires strong communication and cooperation skills. Empathy is necessary to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their clients. They treat personal data and documents confidentially. They may also deal with clients in difficult life situations.

Career counselors can, for example, start their own business with a private career counseling institute or work freelance as a private career counselor.

Example gross basic salary after completing a university degree (Studium) (monthly): 4,099 €. Source: Collective agreement for employees of the Federal Employment Agency (TV-BA). Note: This information is for orientation purposes only. No claims can be derived from it. Salary information is variable; please check BERUFENET.

Career advisors can work in social insurance (e.g., career counseling at employment agencies), social services (e.g., private counseling institutions in education and career counseling). Also conceivable are economic and professional associations, trade unions, or professional organizations (e.g., Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK), Chambers of Skilled Crafts).

For employment in employment agencies or job centers, a Studium (university degree) in Counseling for Education, Career, and Employment from the University of the Federal Employment Agency (Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit) is usually required. Private employment agencies often expect further training (Weiterbildung) or a Studium in pedagogy or social sciences.

Counseling for Education, Career and Employment (undergraduate), Labor Market Management (undergraduate), Educational Science (undergraduate), Educational Science (postgraduate), Pedagogical Psychology (undergraduate), Pedagogical Psychology (postgraduate), Social Sciences (undergraduate), Social Sciences (postgraduate).

Career advisors are mostly employed in employment agencies, in the field of private educational and career counseling. They also find employment in counseling and educational institutions of the chambers (IHK, Chambers of Skilled Crafts).

Berufsberater/in. Job title in English: Careers advisor (m/f). Job title in French: Conseiller/Conseillère d'orientation professionnelle.

Career advisors inform and advise on professions, Ausbildung (vocational training) paths, requirements in Ausbildung and work, the labor market, and employment opportunities.

Job and applicant exchanges include: Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit), local service offices, Interamt.de, service.bund.de, Stellenblatt.de.

Relevant associations and organizations are: Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) - Central Office, dvb German Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance e.V. - Head Office, General Association of Personnel Service Providers e. V. (GVP), ver.di - United Services Union.

Career counselors advise clients (e.g., young people and their parents, university graduates, re-trainees, and job seekers) individually on career choice and entry. They observe various regulations and legal requirements, such as vocational training law. They bear responsibility for individuals, considering the consequences of their actions for young people, re-trainees, and job seekers. They perform screen-based work, such as optimizing application documents and researching online job boards for clients. They work in office environments, for example, at Employment Agencies or private providers in educational and vocational guidance. They also work in classrooms/training rooms of general and vocational schools (Berufsschule).

Work materials include documents such as application documents, forms, job applications/offers, legal regulations, administrative instructions, and counseling and information materials. They use data management systems, such as job and further training databases. Office equipment, including PCs, internet access, telephones, and video conferencing tools, are also among their work tools.

Career counselors provide information about career choices. They advise employee clients on professional reorientation and recommend, for example, further training or retraining measures. They help optimize application documents, prepare for job interviews, or arrange steps for integration. They also help integrate people with a migration background into the labor market and advise on language support measures. In addition to individual consultations, they conduct group events at schools, job fairs, or career information centers and provide information about the world of work. In private educational and career counseling, they also offer career coaching.

Access professions/activities for this role include: Certified Educator and Further Education Instructor (Geprüfter Aus- und Weiterbildungspädagoge) and Certified Vocational Educator (Geprüfter Berufspädagoge) (further training).

Adaptive professional development helps keep professional knowledge current and adapt it to new developments (e.g., in career planning, HR consulting and placement, labor law).

Further career opportunities arise, depending on prior professional education, through a bachelor's (Studium) or master's (Studium) degree (e.g., in the field of consulting for education, profession, and employment or human resource management, services). Under certain conditions, it is possible to study even without a general university entrance qualification. For more information: Access to higher education in the individual Bundesländer (federal states).

Advise students, university graduates, career changers, and job seekers in individual discussions and support them in making a decision. Provide information about educational paths, opportunities, industries, professions, requirements, and employment prospects. Conduct information events in schools, at the Job Centers' (Agentur für Arbeit) Career Information Centers (BiZ), at training fairs, and organize parent evenings if necessary. Give tips on how to create and optimize application portfolios and prepare for job interviews. Arrange company internships for students. Advise employee clients on possibilities for professional reorientation, and recommend retraining measures if necessary. Participate in the integration of recognized refugees and tolerated persons with work permits into the labor market. Determine qualifications, identify language support needs, and acquire job, training, or internship positions. Support clients personally.

Social Code (SGB) Book Two (II) - Citizen's Income, Basic Security for Job Seekers - (Article 1 of the Law of 24.12.2003, Federal Law Gazette I p. 2954) in the version of the announcement of 13.05.2011 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 850, corrected p. 2094), last amended by Article 1a of the Law of 16.04.2026 (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 107). Social Code (SGB) Book Three (III) - Employment Promotion - (Article 1 of the Law of 24.03.1997, Federal Law Gazette I p. 594, 595), last amended by Article 2 of the Law of 16.04.2026 (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 107).

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the original profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants. Furthermore, employers can consider individuals from these professions as alternatives for filling a position in the original profession. Some alternative professions only include partial activities of the original profession, while 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 career counselor: Job and staffing alternatives for the overall activity (usually without induction): Labor Market Manager. Job and staffing alternatives for the overall activity (usually with a short induction): Consultant for Education, Profession, and Employment. In related professions: Employment Agent, Training Consultant, Case Manager. A list of all possible degrees of relatedness can be found.