More and more employees are seeking to expand and develop their professional skills and knowledge. One way to do this is by taking educational leave. Educational leave offers employees the right to take up to five days off work per year to attend accredited training courses.
However, educational leave is not available to all employees. Each federal state in Germany has its own laws and regulations regarding educational leave, which vary from state to state. In this article we take a look at the basic rules, who is entitled to educational leave and what offers are available.
It’s worth taking advantage of educational leave, as it provides an opportunity to expand professional skills and change processes in your own organization. In this sense, educational leave is an important factor for personal and professional development, but also a valuable contribution to the development of the company.
In this article, you will learn who is entitled to educational leave, what kind of support is available and where to find suitable offers.
Everything you need to know about educational leave
The educational leave offers employees the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills and to further their education. Educational leave, also known as “Bildungsfreistellung” is legally anchored in Germany in most federal states – every employee is entitled to it.
The duration of educational leave varies depending on the federal state, but is usually five days per year. During educational leave, employees are released from work without suffering any financial disadvantage. In many cases, the employer covers the cost of the training.
There are numerous continuing education offerings that are recognized for educational leave. From language courses to leadership skills seminars, employees can choose from a variety of options. However, the offers must meet certain criteria in order to be recognized for educational leave – for example, they must be pedagogically and didactically meaningful.
- Who is entitled to educational leave? Every employee in Germany.
- How long does the educational leave last? In most federal states, it amounts to five days per year.
- Who pays for the costs of further education? In many cases, the employer covers the cost of the training.
- Which further education offers are recognized for educational leave? From language courses to leadership skills seminars, workers can choose from a variety of options.
Who is entitled to educational leave?
Educational leave is a special type of leave that is used to further one’s professional or private education. In most federal states in Germany, employees are entitled to educational leave. The prerequisite for this is that the employee is regularly employed in a company and that the educational leave offered is related to the employee’s activity.

The entitlement to educational leave may depend on the federal state in which the employee is employed and on the individual agreements between employer and employee. In general, however, employees in Germany are entitled to at least five days of educational leave per year.
There are many offers for educational leave, which can range from language courses to computer courses to relaxation courses. Some popular offers are language trips abroad, advanced training in the field of IT, seminars for personal development or even courses to improve the work-life balance. It is important for employees to find out in advance about the exact content and cost of educational leave and to discuss with their employer whether they are entitled to such leave.
Ultimately, educational leave is an excellent opportunity to gain professional or personal development and new experiences. Employees should therefore find out about their individual requirements and take advantage of appropriate offers in order to improve their future chances on the labor market.
Applying for educational leave
Bildungsurlaub is a special concept in Germany that gives employees the right to paid time off from work to participate in continuing education programs. Who is entitled to educational leave depends on the respective federal state. As a rule, however, employees must have been employed by the company for at least six months and be resident in the federal state in which they wish to apply for educational leave.
If you wish to apply for educational leave, you must submit an application to your employer. It must be requested at least six weeks prior to the start of the program. The employer is usually obliged to approve the request, provided that the requirements are met.
There are many offers for educational leave, ranging from language courses to seminars on topics such as stress management and management. Most offers are practice-oriented and provide participants with the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge and apply them in their jobs.
If you want to find out which offers are available in your federal state, you can contact the responsible authority or search for educational leave offers on the Internet. Most employers also offer their employees information on educational leave and support them in finding suitable offers.
Educational leave: offers for professional development
Educational leave allows employees in Germany to pursue targeted further education and acquire new knowledge. There is a wide range of offers and opportunities to make good use of educational leave.
Among the offers for professional development are, for example, language courses, seminars on leadership skills or project management, as well as training on IT topics such as programming or data analysis.
Also very popular are courses for personal development, such as workshops on stress management, creativity or time management. Subject-specific training courses, such as in the fields of medicine or engineering, are also offered.
- Language courses
- Seminars on leadership skills or project management
- Training on IT topics such as programming or data analysis
- Courses for personal development, such as workshops on stress management, creativity or time management
- Subject-specific continuing education, such as in the field of medicine or engineering sciences

Depending on the federal state and employer, the offers for educational leave can vary. Which courses and seminars are recognized as educational leave is regulated in the respective state laws. Employees should therefore find out in advance which offers are available in their federal state and which requirements they have to fulfill in order to apply for educational leave.
Conclusion
Within the framework of educational leave, employees in Germany have the opportunity to take up to five days off per year for further training measures. This entitlement applies to almost all occupational groups and offers the opportunity to expand one’s skills and knowledge and thus advance one’s career.

There are numerous offers for educational leave, ranging from language courses and seminars on workplace health promotion to specific further training in various areas. Before booking, however, it is important to find out whether the course is relevant to your own profession or interests and whether it is recognized by the relevant authority as educational leave.
- Through educational leave, one can not only expand one’s professional skills, but also grow personally and gain new experiences.
- It is worthwhile to think about taking educational leave at an early stage and to find out what is on offer.
- Encouraging continuing education is not only beneficial for employees, but also for employers, as it can strengthen employees’ skills and thus increase the company’s efficiency.
All in all, educational leave in Germany offers a good opportunity to advance one’s career, to develop personally and to gain new experience. If you take advantage of this opportunity, you can not only benefit from your own training, but also have a long-term positive impact on your professional environment and society in general.