Information for language schools
Bildungsurlaub explained
German employees are entitled to take up to five days of educational leave (Bildungsurlaub) annually to attend recognized training courses. This scheme allows working adults to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date. During the leave, the employer continues to pay the employee’s salary.
In most German states, employees are entitled to one week of educational leave per year. Some states allow employees to combine their entitlement over two years, making it possible to attend courses of up to 10 days.
Only courses in professional or political education can be approved. The key point: a course must be officially recognized as Bildungsurlaub in the state where the employee works. Since the detailed rules vary from state to state, providers must apply separately in each state. You can find detailed guidance in our info page on recognition (in German).
There are two exceptions: Saxony and Bavaria. These states have not passed corresponding laws, so employees there do not have a legal right to Bildungsurlaub.
Like all education providers, both domestic and international schools need to obtain state recognitions in order to offer courses as Bildungsurlaub. Recognition is granted by the individual state authorities and is valid only for employees working in that state. For example, if a participant works in Frankfurt, the course must be recognized in the state of Hesse.
To reach the widest possible market, providers should therefore apply for recognition in as many states with Bildungsurlaub laws as possible. For most language schools, the practical maximum is 12 states, since approval in North Rhine–Westphalia and Baden–Württemberg is usually difficult to obtain.
Bildungsurlaub recognition
There are two possible approaches:
1) Apply on your own
2) Work with a service provider
Option 1 is rarely chosen, unless a school employs a German-speaking staff member with enough time to manage the process on an ongoing basis.
Option 2 is often more practical. In this case, an English-speaking service provider guides you through the process and handles all relevant steps on your behalf – including paperwork and communication with the state authorities. A small group of specialists offers this service.
If you are interested, please contact us at mail@bildungsurlaub.de. We will be glad to connect you.
List courses on Bildungsurlaub.de
Already recognized? Bildungsurlaub.de is the ideal plattform to market your courses to German employees.
- Open to all institutions officially approved for Bildungsurlaub
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Our philosophy
We provide transparent and independent information to ensure both comparability and completeness of course details. All content is reviewed, supplemented, and edited by our editorial team. Course information remains up to date, as providers can submit changes and corrections at any time free of charge. Users benefit from direct and uncomplicated access to providers through fully visible contact details. Our platform is free from commissions, booking pressure, or conflicts of interest, focusing solely on connecting education providers with prospective participants.
To make orientation as easy as possible, we offer an intuitive search in both list and map views. Courses can be filtered by state approvals, including those not yet approved but available upon request. Subject areas are tailored specifically to Bildungsurlaub, and a wide range of additional filter options is available, such as keyword, location radius, date, price, and duration. Providers are openly linked, including email, telephone, and website, and users can also access detailed information about each organizer.
Providers can list their approved Bildungsurlaub courses with us at affordable fixed rates. Fees collected are reinvested directly into maintaining and operating our information platform. We view Bildungsurlaub first and foremost as an instrument for promoting adult education and as a cornerstone of lifelong learning — not as a commercial venture. For this reason, we deliberately refrain from pursuing profit maximization.