Professional language courses under § 45a of the Residence Act build on the integration course and prepare you specifically for language at work. They are BAMF-funded and free of charge for many participants.
Professional language courses build on the integration course and prepare you specifically for German at work. They are funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and run by approved language schools.
There are basic modules leading to B1, B2 or C1, and special modules for particular professions, for example health care, retail, or industrial and technical jobs. A basic module usually has 400 or 500 lessons.
Basic modules end with the German Test for the Workplace (DTB) at your course level, for example the DTB B2. It tests general job-related German, such as conversations, emails and meetings, and is accepted as proof by employers and many recognition authorities.
You need an entitlement to attend: jobseekers get it through the employment agency or job centre, while employees and trainees apply to the BAMF. The course is free for jobseekers and people receiving citizen's income; employees pay a contribution that depends on their income.
Courses run full time and part time, in the evening and in some cases online. Below are cities where language schools offer professional language courses.
For jobseekers and people receiving citizen's income, yes. Employees pay a contribution that depends on their income.
The B2 basic module requires B1, and the C1 module requires B2. The course provider's placement test decides where you start.
Many providers run part-time and evening courses, some also virtual ones. Ask the language schools in your city when the next course starts.
The integration course goes up to B1 and covers everyday life. The professional language course picks up from there and focuses on German at work, from B1 to C1.