Checklist for apprenticeship employers
Apprentices from third countries – employer checklist
This checklist helps German apprenticeship employers prepare an international apprenticeship start systematically. DACHma Talent focuses its operational candidate sourcing on Morocco.
On this page
- 011. Describe the apprenticeship and learning environment
- 022. Check current requirements
- 033. Define a fair recruitment profile
- 044. Getting to know one another and the employer's decision
- 055. Connect the contract and organisational steps
- 066. Resolve accommodation and transport in advance
- 077. Support training and arrival together
1. Describe the apprenticeship and learning environment
Alongside the occupational title and start date, the actual tasks, trainers, vocational school, working hours, learning requirements and location matter. This information helps candidates form a realistic view of everyday life during an apprenticeship. Official information for employers is available from Bundesportal Make it in Germany.
An apprenticeship profile should explain what the company can teach in the first, second and later stages. It includes typical tasks, work equipment, shift or weekend patterns and collaboration with the vocational school. International applicants need a realistic picture so that their motivation is not based on an inaccurate idea of everyday German apprenticeship training.
The company should define internally who provides training, who answers organisational questions and who maintains contact with the vocational school or competent bodies. Holiday, pay and working time must also remain consistent in the contract and communication. This preparation makes sense regardless of country of origin and becomes particularly important where entry and additional organisation require more work.
The apprenticeship also needs a realistic outlook for its full duration. Seasonal workload, rotations between departments or construction-site assignments should align with the training plan. DACHma Talent does not assess suitability as a competent chamber or authority, but the Employer Assessment can identify questions the company should clarify with its professionally responsible bodies before an international search.
2. Check current requirements
Educational, language, contractual and residence-related requirements can depend on the occupation and individual case. Current official sources and, where necessary, specialist advice should be consulted before any binding statement is made.
Third country is a collective legal term, not a statement that all procedures are identical. Requirements can differ with origin, apprenticeship occupation, personal circumstances and current law. This guide therefore does not replace a review of official information. DACHma Talent implements the recruitment model described here with Morocco as its country of origin.
When making statements about procedures, apprenticeship employers should always check the date of the information and the competent source. Older checklists or experience from another case are not a secure basis. Organisational support can help arrange the necessary steps; legally binding decisions and requests for further evidence remain with the respective bodies.
Terms such as school-leaving qualification, language level and secure means of subsistence must also be understood in their relevant context. A website cannot list every applicable item of evidence conclusively for every case. The company should therefore distinguish an initial planning checklist from the binding requirements that can be determined completely only after a particular person has been selected.
Would you like to assess this step for your specific staffing requirement?
Describe your staffing needs3. Define a fair recruitment profile
Motivation, willingness to learn, reliability and realistic expectations belong in selection alongside formal requirements. Criteria must not appear unexpectedly only after the interview.
A fair profile separates requirements that must be met before the apprenticeship begins from competences that are the very subject of training. A company should not expect a fully qualified worker, but should consider learning ability, reliability and realistic motivation carefully. Requirements for language and educational foundations must suit the occupation, classroom teaching and procedure.
Working hours, physical requirements, customer contact and location belong openly in the selection process. A company offering early shifts, for example, needs to consider transport with the candidate. A company expecting regular guest contact needs to reflect this in the language requirement. Surprises after signing undermine trust and can be avoided through a precise Employer Assessment.
- Educational background
- Language needs related to the role
- Interest in the apprenticeship occupation
- Readiness for the working hours and location
- Accommodation and transport
4. Getting to know one another and the employer's decision
Documents and the Candidate Passport prepare the interview. The apprenticeship employer should personally discuss occupational motivation, learning behaviour, communication and mutual expectations and make the final decision.
During the interview, the company should explain how learning within the business and at vocational school work together. Useful questions concern not only the desired occupation, but also previous learning experiences, the way the person responds to feedback and their expectations of everyday life in Germany. The candidate must also have room to ask about the team, tasks and location.
The Candidate Passport and structured pre-selection can organise existing documents, motivation and communication. They replace neither a personal meeting nor formal assessment. The company records its decision against the agreed profile and avoids criteria introduced only afterwards or unrelated to the apprenticeship.
The interview should leave room for a realistic decision not to proceed. Not every interested person is right for every apprenticeship employer, and not every company can provide the necessary conditions. Objective selection protects both parties better than a contract concluded under time pressure. Personal data and interview content remain restricted to the agreed selection purpose.
5. Connect the contract and organisational steps
The apprenticeship contract, required documents, visa and entry are planned in a sensible order. DACHma Talent can provide organisational support, but cannot guarantee decisions or processing times from public authorities.
After selection, the apprenticeship and procedural documents must contain the same core information. Different occupational titles, start dates or workplaces create queries. Employers should provide documents completely and on time and remain accessible if further information is required. Candidates share responsibility for their own documents and agreed appointments.
DACHma Talent can coordinate this process, consolidate status information and identify unresolved points. It provides no guarantee of a visa, entry or a particular processing date. The schedule is therefore managed as a sequence of dependent steps and updated when questions arise. Administrative requirements and the agreed project terms remain authoritative.
6. Resolve accommodation and transport in advance
An apprenticeship works in everyday life only if the vocational school and company are accessible and accommodation has been settled. Particularly early or changing working hours need to be included in planning.
A housing solution must suit everyday apprenticeship life, not merely look close on a map. Timetables, shift starts, vocational-school days and the cost range should be considered together. If accommodation is unresolved, it belongs in the workforce-needs analysis at an early stage. The company should state transparently what it provides directly, refers or merely helps to review organisationally.
Everyday questions also merit preparation. Registration, a bank account, mobile phone service, shopping and accessible contacts can shape the first few days. Germany Ready provides orientation and supports independence without releasing the company from its responsibilities. Personal assistance is planned so that it provides support while promoting a route into independent everyday life.
7. Support training and arrival together
The first few weeks combine professional induction, vocational school, language, everyday dealings with authorities and independent living. Clear contacts and regular feedback help bring uncertainty into view.
Work equipment, safety instruction, an introduction to the team and a manageable start should be prepared for the first day. The training plan is translated into understandable next steps. Brief feedback in the first week helps establish whether tasks, language or company routines need further explanation before misunderstandings become established.
Regular conversations connect professional development, vocational school, team communication and everyday life. Aftercare can offer additional check-ins and structure unresolved points; assessment, training and management remain with the company. Planned dialogue reduces risks but guarantees neither a particular examination outcome nor the apprentice's long-term retention.
At the end of the first few months, the apprenticeship employer and apprentice should record expectations for the next phase. These include professional learning objectives, questions from vocational school, language development during everyday work and organisational topics. Agreements remain specific and verifiable. Where difficulties become visible, responsibilities are clarified instead of attributing them generally to origin or language.
- Welcome and induction plan
- Instruction and work equipment
- Contact with the vocational school
- Feedback at work and during training
- Aftercare check-ins
Practical resources
Checklist, example and working aid
Checklist for the apprenticeship employer
- Training content, vocational school and practical work are coordinated.
- The trainer, organisational contact and deputy are named.
- Language is considered for vocational school, safety and everyday work.
- Housing and transport fit training and school times.
- The first 90 days contain fixed learning and feedback dates.
Practical example
Practical example: planning an early shift and vocational school together
During planning, an apprenticeship employer finds that the workshop starts early and the vocational school is in another place. Travel times, accommodation and possible support are reviewed before the contract is signed. An apprenticeship that is suitable in principle therefore also becomes accessible in everyday life.
| Phase | Company task | Control question |
|---|---|---|
| Before selection | Specify the apprenticeship profile | Can the company teach the content described? |
| After selection | Coordinate documents and communication | Is the core information consistent everywhere? |
| At the start | Prepare the learning plan and everyday life | Are contacts and journeys clarified? |
Clear answers
Frequently asked questions
These answers set out the scope, requirements and boundaries transparently.
Send us your questionHow early should planning begin?
Allow sufficient lead time before the intended apprenticeship start. It would not be credible to state one standard duration because documents and procedures differ.
Does the checklist apply identically to every third country?
It provides workplace guidance. Legal and procedural requirements need to be checked against current information for the origin, occupation and individual case.
Who selects the apprentice?
The apprenticeship employer. For projects from Morocco, DACHma Talent structures sourcing, pre-selection and interview coordination.
What matters particularly for accommodation?
Access to the company and vocational school, actual working hours, the cost range and a settled move-in before the apprenticeship begins.