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From basic course to journeyman's certificate — how the training fits together
Waiter training is a vocational education alternating between school and practice, concluding with a journeyman exam and journeyman certificate. Understanding how the education fits together makes it easier to plan your path through it — and to know what awaits at the end
The education starts with a basic course at a vocational school, where you get the basic professional and general subjects. Whether you start on basic course 1 or 2 typically depends on your age and educational background—if you come straight from 9th or 10th grade, you normally start on basic course 1, while older students and students with other education often start directly on basic course 2. Both parts typically last about half a year.
After the basic course the main course begins, which requires a training agreement with a restaurant, hotel, or other company in the industry. The main course spans approximately 3 years and 10 months and alternates between short school periods and longer practical periods in the company. The practical part makes up the vast majority of the main course, and this is where you really learn the trade under guidance from experienced colleagues, while school periods give you theory, system, and breadth that you can take back to practice.
The main course covers the core professional areas: guest service and hospitality, table setting and serving techniques, beverages and their pairing with food, sales and upselling, restaurant operations, hygiene and work environment, and legislation on responsible alcohol service and allergen information. Along the way, you alternate between using what you learned in school in the practical reality of service — and bringing questions from practice back to school.
The education ends with a journeyman test that tests what you have learned throughout the course. The test typically combines a practical part where you demonstrate your skills in a real or simulated service task — often involving table setting serving and beverage guidance — with an oral or written part where you explain your choices professionally. An assessor and a school representative grade the test according to fixed criteria set by the professional committee for the education.
The best preparation for the journeyman's test is continuous practice throughout your apprenticeship, not a last cramming session before the test. Use the practice supervisor actively to get feedback continuously, practice the technical skills — lifting technique, table setting, serving — until they're in your muscle memory, and keep up to date with the rules on responsible serving and allergen information, which often form part of the professional assessment.
With the journeyman's certificate in hand you are a skilled waiter and can apply for jobs widely in the industry. Many continue directly in the company where they did their practical training while others use the journeyman's certificate as a ticket to new places other cities or abroad.