Entrepeneurs assistant
Foreign professional qualification Recognition as a childhood educator
Important note: For a university degree in the field of work with children from 0-6 years or 0-10 years, no application can be made for state recognition as an educator, since the training as an educator is a broad-based technical school education, which also qualifies for working with adolescents and partly young adults and thus not only focuses on the age group 0-14 years, but extends to the age group 0-27 years. It is therefore not to be equated with a university degree.
Childhood educators work in many areas of work with children from 0 to 12/14 years and their families. For an activity in child and youth welfare, especially in day care centers, a state recognition is required. If you have completed a degree abroad in the field of early education or in elementary or primary education (kindergarten, primary school), you can apply for state recognition in Germany with this degree. This recognition entitles you to use the professional title "State-approved childhood pedagogue (B.A.)" or "State-approved childhood pedagogue (B.A.)". This makes it possible, for .B, to work in day-care centres and, in addition, state recognition opens up access to management positions in these fields of activity.
For recognition, the competent authority checks on the basis of your certificates whether or to what extent your foreign qualification of a German qualification for the profession of childhood pedagogue (B.A.) /of the childhood educator (B.A.). This review is based on defined formal and content-related criteria, such as the duration and content of the university studies. Your relevant professional experience will be taken into account as well as other relevant qualifications.
For recognition, the competent authority checks on the basis of your certificates whether or to what extent your foreign qualification of a German qualification for the profession of childhood pedagogue (B.A.) /of the childhood educator (B.A.). This review is based on defined formal and content-related criteria, such as the duration and content of the university studies. Your relevant professional experience will be taken into account as well as other relevant qualifications.
Important note: For academic qualifications, you can apply for a basic assessment of your university degree by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). The assessment by the ZAB does not replace the procedure to be applied for here for state recognition (content examination by a responsible university).
Further information can be found on the portal "Recognition in Germany". This Internet portal provides quick and easy answers to questions about recognition, for example:
- Do I have to have my professional qualification recognised?
- Is it worth the recognition for me?
- Can I submit the application? Do I have a formal right to it?
- Where should I contact?
- What does the procedure look like?
- Which documents are required? What form must the documents take?
- How long does the procedure take?
- How much does the procedure cost?
- Which laws are relevant to my case?
Portal "Recognition in Germany"
Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences
University of Applied Sciences HAWK Hildesheim
The responsibility lies with the universities in Lower Saxony, which offer the Bachelor's degree programs in Childhood Education and grant state recognition of childhood educators.
Please use the individual consultation request in accordance with § 22 SozHeilKindVO before applying. In this way, it can be clarified at an early stage whether an application for recognition makes sense at all.
You will need the following documents:
- Tabular list of your completed training and study courses and gainful employment
- Indication of your contact details (address of current place of residence / e-mail)
- Proof of identity
- Certified university degree or Bachelor's certificate including subject and grade overviews or other certificates of competence and training / transcript of records / Diploma Supplement about studying abroad
- Certificate of entitlement to practise a profession
- Proof of practical professional activities: Internship contracts and / or employment contracts including the assessments with information on the practice facilities, from which the completed activities / tasks, the respective period and, if applicable, the evaluations of the activity are shown.
- Declaration of whether and to which body you have already submitted an application for a declaration of equivalence and, if applicable, decision on the determination of equivalence
All documents must be submitted in the original or as a certified copy and in German. If the documents are written in another language, you may also need a translation from a publicly appointed translator.
Additional documentation may be required.
At the time of application, knowledge of the German language at least at language level B2 is recommended.
For state recognition in Lower Saxony, at least 900 hours of practical work in pedagogical work with children aged 0-10 years must be proven.
Fees may apply. Please contact the appropriate authority.
There are no deadlines to be observed. The deadline for submitting the application begins with the confirmation by the competent authority that the required documents are complete.
Maximum three months.
- Nds. Berufsqualifikatonsfeststellungsgesetz (NBQFG)
- The decision is made in accordance with §§ 19 - 21 of the Ordinance on the State Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Field of Social Work, Curative Education and Education in Childhood (SozHeilKindVO) of 17 May 2017 (Nds. GVBl. p. 155), as last amended by Ordinance of 20 March 2018 (Nds. GVBl. p. 42).
An appeal against the decision is possible
The service points of the network "Integration through Qualification" (IQ Network) will be happy to advise and accompany you before, during and after the recognition procedure.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony and Recognition Finder Germany
Source: Serviceportal Niedersachsen (Portalverbund des Bundes und der Länder)
26723 Emden
31134 Hildesheim
