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Educational leave: the right to further training
Under educational leave (Bildungsurlaub) or Bildungsfreistellung, employees can be released from their work for a certain period of time. During that period, employees may train further while continuing to be paid. However, there is no nationwide right to educational leave. Instead, educational leave is regulated at federal state level.
Employees take educational leave for different reasons. For some it is about satisfying a need for new challenges. It can also be used to learn more about mental and physical health. Another option is to take educational leave in order to get to grips with new, modern ways of working such as New Work.
So educational leave is primarily about the employee having time to develop personally, to gather new knowledge and new ideas and to put them into practice in private and working life.
What are the different rules on educational leave by federal state?
In principle, employees in almost all German federal states are entitled to educational leave. But exactly what that entitlement looks like is for each federal state to regulate itself. In some states it is called Bildungszeit, in others Bildungsfreistellung. Who is entitled and on what conditions the leave may be taken can vary too.
Here is an overview:
In Bavaria and Saxony there is no law on educational leave. That means employees in these federal states have no entitlement to educational leave.
| Federal state | Term used | Who | Days | Type of course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Wüttemberg | Bildungszeit | "Beschäftigte" (staff) | up to five days per year | political & job-related training min. 1 day at a recognised educational institution |
| Berlin | Bildungszeit | "Arbeitnehmer" (employees) | up to five days per year | political & job-related training min. 1 day |
| Brandenburg | Bildungsfreistellung | "Beschäftigte" (staff) | 10 days in two years | at recognised training events political, job-related and cultural training |
| Bremen | Bildungszeit | "Arbeitnehmer" (employees) | 10 days in two years | political, job-related & general training min. 1 day |
| Hamburg | Bildungsurlaub | "full-time and part-time staff, apprentices whose main place of work is in Hamburg" | 10 days in two years | political & job-related training study trips and conferences min. 1 day online events possible |
| Hessen | Bildungsurlaub | employees | up to five days per year | political & job-related training min. 3 days or a 2-day and 3-day block within 8 weeks |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Bildungsfreistellung | employees | 5 days per year | political and job-related training min. 3 days |
| Niedersachsen | Bildungsurlaub | employees | 5 days per year | political, job-related and general training |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | Bildungsurlaub | employees, apprentices for political education, no civil servants (Beamte) | 5 days per year | political & job-related training min. 3 days the event may be no more than 500 kilometres from the NRW state borders online events possible |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | Bildungsfreistellung | staff | 10 days in two years | political & job-related training min. 3 days |
| Saarland | Bildungsfreistellung | employees, apprentices, civil servants, judges | 5 days per year | political & job-related training min. 3 days |
| Sachen-Anhalt | Bildungsfreistellung | employees, trainers, special rules for civil servants | 5 days per year | job-related training multi-day only |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Bildungsfreistellung-Bildungsurlaub | staff | 5 days per year | job-related training multi-day at minimum online events possible |
| Thüringen | Bildungsfreistellung | employees | 5 days per year | socio-political, work-related & volunteering-related education |
The difference between educational leave and continuing professional training
What are the features of educational leave?
When it comes to the difference between continuing professional training (Fortbildung) and educational leave, perhaps one thing should be made clear first: even though we speak of educational LEAVE, educational leave is by no means a kind of vacation. It is better described as a release from work for training purposes. The entitlement to educational leave is regulated by law at federal level.
Educational leave serves personal or job-related development. It does not necessarily have to be relevant to the job. Employers must grant educational leave provided the conditions are met.
How does continuing professional training differ from educational leave?
Unlike educational leave, continuing professional training serves the specific purpose of deepening job skills already acquired. It aims to gain further qualifications in a particular occupational field.
Continuing professional training is almost always directly job-related and can be supported and initiated by the employer. It covers specialist courses to prepare for new tasks or to qualify for higher positions.
In some industries and occupations, continuing professional training can be mandatory, for example for doctors or nursing staff. In many cases, though, it is voluntary, which is why there is no direct entitlement to continued pay.
If the employer does not allow continuing professional training, it has to be done in your own free time, that is during vacation or at weekends.
What is the difference between educational leave and further education?
Further education is a very broad term and covers all forms of education that take place after initial vocational training or a degree. It can be privately or professionally motivated.
This means that both educational leave and continuing professional training fall under the term further education.
Three types of educational leave
The three types of educational leave are job-related training, political education and personal development. Employees are not entitled to all three types of educational leave in every federal state.
Job-related training
Job-related training serves professional qualification. It allows employees to acquire or deepen specialist skills that are directly connected with their work.
Continuing professional training, language courses, IT training or leadership training all count as job-related training.
Political education
The aim of political education is to strengthen employees' political and social awareness. This type of educational leave is meant to contribute to personal development and to a better understanding of socio-political cooperation.
Examples of political education are seminars on democracy, human rights, environmental policy, European policy or history.
Personal development
Personal development (also called general further education) serves to promote employees' personal growth and wellbeing. Educational leave in this area often covers courses on topics such as health, stress management or resilience.
Personal development can take the form of stress assessment courses, yoga workshops, mindfulness training, or courses on nutrition or physical health.
Measures for personal development help to increase your own wellbeing. But they also contribute to long-term health prevention, which can have positive effects in a work context too.
How to apply for educational leave
The application process for educational leave also varies depending on the federal state. So you should find out in good time which rules apply in your state.
As a general rule, employees should remember that the deadlines for applying range from four to ten weeks before the start.
You should also bear in mind which types of educational leave are recognised in the state in question. The procedure when the employer refuses is not the same in every federal state either. In most states, the employer can only refuse the application on “operational grounds”. What counts as an “operational ground”, in turn, also depends on the federal state.
Here is an example of how educational leave differs from federal state to federal state:
Educational leave in NRW: employees have to submit the application six weeks before the course starts. The course must be recognised by the responsible authority in NRW.
Bildungszeit in Berlin: a six-week deadline applies here too. Employees can apply for educational leave for job-related, political or health-related education.
Educational leave in Niedersachsen: here educational leave can be accumulated up to ten days over two years. The application deadline is four weeks.
How applying gets even faster
With the clockin app, requests such as an educational leave request can be made digitally, quite simply. The request can be filled in digitally and attached to the release order. Processing and approval take only a few clicks. Approved absences are shown automatically in the calendar and can be given absence coverage.
Benefits of educational leave for employers
Educational leave offers numerous benefits for employees and employers alike. Unfortunately, many companies still hold the prejudice that educational leave is just “extra” vacation days. That is why we want to highlight the benefits of educational leave for employers in particular.
1. Qualified employees
With job-related educational leave, you can of course point to the further training of your employees. Employees who train during educational leave bring new knowledge and skills into the company. But that does not have to be purely from a work perspective. Educational leave also serves to develop the personality further and so to create an enrichment for the whole team in general.
2. Motivation and retention
Employers who give their employees the chance to train further show that they are investing in their employees' personal and professional development. This strengthens employee satisfaction and can increase employee retention.
3. Higher productivity
Further education, especially in the job-related area, leads to efficient work processes. Better trained employees can complete complex tasks faster and more competently.
4. Competitiveness
Companies benefit in the long term from better qualified employees. Particularly in times of digitalization and fast-changing markets, it is important that employees are up to date and can handle new developments.
5. A better image
Employers who actively encourage educational leave enjoy a good reputation among potential employees and can position themselves as modern, employee-friendly companies. This helps with employer branding and winning new employees.
6. Healthier employees
Educational leave for health courses, stress management or preventive measures can help employees to be healthier and more resilient. This reduced absences and supports the workforce's long-term performance.
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