Skilled craftsmen - We explain more!

The master craftsman's certificate serves as evidence of quality for you as a craftsman and is a sign of high qualification and competence. In Germany it is awarded by the German Chamber of Crafts after successfully passing a master craftsman test and entitles you to run a craft business in certain trades. The master craftsman's certificate shows that you not only have craftsmanship skills, but also business management knowledge and are able to manage employees. This is why the master craftsman certificate is held in high regard by society and potential customers.

The requirement for further training to become a master craftsman is the successful completion of a final apprenticeship examination in the trade in which the master craftsman title is to be achieved. If you have completed an apprenticeship in another trade, you must also provide proof of your professional experience in the trade for the master craftsman examination.

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The master craftsman school can be started after all the necessary requirements have been met and takes different lengths of time, depending on whether you do it full-time or part-time. Full-time courses usually take one to two years at most, while part-time courses take around two and a half to three and a half years. Throughout Germany, there are over 1000 master craftsman schools run by different associations and in different trades. In order to find the right one for you, you should check which master craftsman schools offer your preferred master craftsman in which models (part-time or full-time).

Training costs also vary greatly depending on the training institute and industry, as well as the model you choose. However, depending on the trade, you should expect costs of at least four to ten thousand euros. You can claim the costs of the master class, the masterpiece and the examination fees as well as travel expenses and additional food expenses as advertising costs.

If you are now thinking about whether you can even pay for a master's degree, you can take a look at the government funding opportunities. For example, in Germany there is Meister-BaföG, but other non-governmental sponsors can also support you if your company does not cover the costs. We also support you during your time in the master school with the right software, because you get plancraft free of charge as a master student.

During your time at the master school, you can also prepare a number of other things for your future career. It makes a lot of sense to exchange ideas and network with other master students while you are there. In addition, with programs like plancraft, you can easily try to raise your bureaucratic skills to the next level and thus gain an advantage in the future working world. As a master student, you get plancraft for free during your time at the Master School. This saves you a lot of work and doesn't have to deal with old software. In addition, you are well prepared for your time after the master school. You can find out more about this on our Master Schools page.

Your opportunities after your training are varied. You can now become self-employed and start a business, or you can remain employed and secure a varied job there. We have explained in more detail what you need to pay attention to when setting up a new business in the craft sector in our blog post “Founding in Crafts”. Your salary will also change and is likely to rise between 13% and 24%. In addition, you can now be admitted to various university courses and thus add a degree to that or work as an instructor yourself.