Student wages and conditions as an apprentice.
What you earn along the way — and what awaits as a skilled worker
One of the big advantages of a vocational education is that you earn money while you learn. When you have a training contract with a company, you receive apprentice pay throughout the main phase — even during the periods when you are at school.
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The apprentice wages are step-wise: you start on the lowest rate and move up as you progress through your education. The principle is that the more you can the more you are worth at the workshop — and that is reflected in the wages. The specific rates are set in the collective agreement the company is covered by and are typically adjusted each year. Ask your employer or union what rate applies to you specifically.
§What a collective agreement does for you
A collective agreement is an agreement between employers and the employees' trade union about salary and working conditions. It sets the minimum wage how the wage rises working hours allowances and a number of other rights. If you work at a company with a collective agreement these conditions are secured regardless of what you negotiate for yourself.
- 01Minimum apprentice wage that increases gradually through the course
- 02Pension savings — also for apprentices
- 03Rules for working hours, overtime and holiday
- 04Supplement for e.g. shifted working hours where agreed
§Adult apprentice — a different wage model
If you are 25, you can take the education as vocational education for adults (euv) and become an adult apprentice. Here the course is arranged according to your experience, and wage conditions are often different from a young student — adult apprentices typically receive a higher minimum wage. Talk to the school and any potential employer about what applies in your situation.
§When you are skilled.
With the journeyman's certificate in hand you are skilled and wages are negotiated on skilled terms. As a trained mechanic you are in demand because there is a shortage of skilled hands in the industry. Your wage depends on speciality experience responsibility and the specific workplace — and you can continually further your education to take on more responsibility and thus higher pay.
“You learn a craft and get paid while doing it — and when you're done, you have a trade that's in demand and you can take with you for life.”