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One of the big advantages of this training is that you are employed and paid while you are in training. You are therefore not a student on state education grant in the main phase — you are an apprentice with a training contract and a real payslip. This makes it possible to study even if you have a family or fixed expenses to manage.

§Student wages that increase.

The student wages are agreed in a collective agreement between employers and trade unions in the industry — the individual company does not set it freely.

§Adult student wage

If you are 25 when you start and have had relevant employment to a certain extent within recent years, you may be entitled to adult apprentice pay. This is higher than ordinary apprentice pay and can be decisive if you change course mid-life. It is your own responsibility to document the previous employment before the agreement is entered into, so have the papers ready in good time.

• 01Regular apprentice wage: increases gradually through the main course
• 02Adult student wage: higher rate for students over a certain age with relevant professional experience
• 03Pension and supplements: agreed in the agreement — ask about them
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§When you are skilled.

As fully trained and authorised social and health assistant you are skilled and employed under a collective agreement covering working hours allowances for shifts pension holiday and termination notice. Because many assistants work in round-the-clock staffing functions evening night and weekend allowances are a real part of the wages – it is something you should count on when comparing jobs.

It is a good idea to join a trade union and an unemployment fund while you are a student. They know the collective agreement, can check your payslip and help if something doesn't add up — and they often have cheaper fees for students.

“You earn while you learn — and you leave as a skilled worker with a collective agreement behind you.”