Craftsmanship requirement: Which trades are affected?


Once you successfully pass the craftsman exam, you will automatically receive the right to attend a master craftsman school. However, acquiring the master’s degree involves costs. These vary greatly depending on the profession and the relevant chamber of craftsmanship.

On average you pay between 4,000 and 9,000 euros for a master’s degree. There are also costs for the respective exams. The training takes place in one of more than 3,000 master’s schools in Germany. You will be tested in the areas of practical work, specialist theory, business administration, law and professional training. Overall you pay on average 850 euros just for the exams.

Bakers incur some of the highest costs of becoming a master craftsman. On average you pay a total of 10,500 euros for a master’s degree and usually up to a master’s degree in electrical engineering you pay around 12,000 euros. In the hairdressing profession you pay on average 5,800 euros and in the carpentry profession you even pay almost 13,000 euros for the master’s degree.

The cost of becoming a master depends on many factors and the prices listed vary greatly. They depend on the federal state in which the master’s school is attended, the sector, the duration of the training and the respective master’s school. Training can be completed part-time or full-time.

Funding for master’s training

In general, there are various institutions that offer funding for master’s training. The best known is the former master BAFöG. This financial support is now called Advancement BAFöG and the conditions are unchanged: the support is independent of age, income and assets and 50% of the support is an interest-free loan.

Furthermore, in most federal states there is a master bonus or a master bonus. Depending on the federal state, this financing varies from 1,000 to 4,000 euros. In many federal states it is also possible to request a start-up bonus for master craftsmen to start a craft business. In Lower Saxony, for example, there is a start-up bonus. Start-ups and successors can apply for this 10,000 euro loan from NBank.

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