Education vacation: How to get the five paid days

Leave a week after a week after year – that would only come up with the very few employees. But that is exactly what the overwhelming majority of employees do the educational leave. According to the German Trade Union Confederation, only one to two percent of the employees claim their right to pay off time for further training. This is laid down by law in most federal states.

In addition to in Saxony and Bavaria, employees enjoy a legal right to educational leave (also called educational exemption or educational time). As a rule, it is five days a year or ten days in two years. Of course, the educational leave must also be used for further training, but not necessarily eight hours a day. In Hamburg, for example, the minimum is 4.5 hours a day for language courses.

The good news: The course has nothing to do with the actual work. Under the keyword “educational leave” there is a wealth of specific job -related offers, for example on accounting, conflict management or software programs. But in many federal states, the time -out can also be used for health, qualification for honorary posts as well as cultural or political education. That is why topics such as Jewish local history or coping with stress are on the great nature with the dog.

It is crucial that the course from the state of the place of residence or work was certified as an educational leave. But that does not mean that only courses on site are allowed. Interested parties can also learn Spanish in Mallorca or yoga in the Camargue. “The only exception: NRW. Here, educational leave can only take place 500 kilometers from the national border,” reports Lara Körber, co -founder of the platform.

Körber is not surprised that only as few people take advantage of the offer. “Unfortunately, there is no legal communication obligation on the company side – this would have to actively educate about educational leave instead of keeping it away,” criticizes the expert. “That would reduce the hurdle when applying for many employees.”

However, according to Körber, many employees simply do not know that they have a right to educational leave. But with little acceptance, fear is also in the game. “Especially when the desired seminar sounds like it, as if learning there could be fun,” says the expert. Even with seminars on burn-out prevention or physical health, many people would still be afraid to submit such an application to their supervisor.

Körber advertises to remove this wrong reluctance. “Every educational leave is checked in terms of content by the federal states before the seminar is officially recognized as an educational leave – so there is always added value, even if the seminar sounds like fun,” she says, underlining: “Learning and fun learning do not exclude each other.”

According to Körber, the fact that educational leave is used so little also shows that further training in many companies is still neglected. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, increasing sick days and “Quiet Quiting”, however, educational leave is a “360-degree employee-Benefit”: “Because the thematic variety of seminars is possible that employees take care of their current needs.”

“Self -responsible” also means that employees bear the cost of the course. Roughly speaking, the price range of 50 euros for a weekly seminar at the adult education center ranges up to over 2000 euros for the programming course for managers. According to Körber, the fact that employers bear the costs occurs again and again, but is the exception. For prevention programs, there are also grants from the health insurance companies.

The employment agency recommends submitting applications for educational leave four to nine weeks in advance. Incidentally, trainees and civil servants mostly also enjoy. Employees have had to be in the company for six months (in Baden-Württemberg and Saarland twelve months, says Körber). There are also different regulations that take out small businesses.

According to Körber, the fact that the boss does not like the topic of the seminar is no reason to reject educational leave. The situation is different if an important deadline is pending or there is a shortage of personnel. According to Körber, the claim is not easy, but wanders to the next year. Then two weeks of paid educational leave would be possible.

However, employees often sit on the shorter lever when the boss is walled. “Because who wants to do the labor court?” Says Körber. She therefore recommends: “Together with the employer, define the period and explain transparently what you promise from the content of the seminar. Many employees also give small insights into what has been learned after the educational leave – this is reducing hurdles.”

Perhaps some a supervisor gets the idea of ​​making educational leave. “When do you have the option in everyday life to deal intensively with a topic for five days at a time?” Körber advertises the program.