Funding opportunities and grants

Minimize through funding opportunities and grants

the costs of your occupation-accompanying further training

Professional training is now one of society's requirements and is therefore no longer just an individual matter. The importance of qualification measures that meet requirements for employees as well as specialists and managers in companies and institutions and the acquisition of current specialist knowledge is increasingly being recognized, promoted and rewarded ideally or also financially by the state, but also by employers.

If you are studying social pedagogy / social work in a (dual) distance learning program or would like to complete a distance learning course in related professional fields, then some people literally "run out of shirt". In order to cover the tuition or course fees and other costs incurred, you can secure funding for your continuing professional development with the help of subsidies and grants.

Plus point: since you are usually studying part-time or on parental leave, you can draw on either your monthly income or parental benefits.

Financing students with BAfoG, education grants, scholarships, student loans, education funds and the tax office?

Which forms of study financing can come into question for you, we present to you in the following bullet points. Nevertheless, we recommend that you additionally use the individual counseling services of the study offices of the respective distance learning schools or. universities, the student unions or the service offices of the student councils.

• In principle, depending on their age (start of studies before reaching 30. and in the case of master's degree courses of the 35. You can apply for BAfoG if you are under the age of 25) and the income of your parents. In case of doubt, the BAfoG office responsible for your place of residence will help you further.

• Employed persons who have reached the age of 25. The student must be at least 15 years old, work at least 15 hours a week, and have an annual taxable income of less than 20 euros.000,- EUR as well as persons in parental and care time can apply for an education premium of up to 500,- EUR for a freely accessible job-related further education.
  In addition, you can (co-)finance your in-service training with a further training loan – the second component of the training premium.

• Many federal states support the continuing vocational training of employees from their area of responsibility through continuing education grants or. Qualification vouchers, which are usually aimed at selected target groups (e.g. B. The voucher can be used for persons who are employed or marginally employed, self-employed, returning to work or unemployed, or who are subject to certain requirements, such as a primary residence in the relevant federal state or minimum costs for continuing education.

• Jobseekers or employees threatened with dismissal can claim tax relief for participation in distance learning courses certified in accordance with the Accreditation and Approval Regulation for the Promotion of Employment (AZAV), such as z. B. child education, educational counseling, prevention counselor, personal and business coach, specialist for health and social services IHK apply for an education voucher at the employment agency, which covers up to 100 % of the course costs.

• If you are younger than 25 years of age and work at least 15 hours per week at the time of application, you can apply for BAfoG. are unemployed and want to gain further qualifications in a learned profession, then you can apply for a BMBF further education grant – in an amount of up to 6.000,- EUR (own contribution 10 %) for any number of eligible measures and spread over three years – apply within the framework of the promotion of gifted people in vocational education and training.
  The funding includes z. B. Subsidies for tuition fees, travel and accommodation costs to attendance events as well as costs for working materials.

• With the BMBF advancement scholarship, professionally experienced students can be supported in their first part-time course of study with up to 2.400,- Euro per year are supported. This scholarship is part of the support program for gifted students and is aimed in particular at people with exceptional talent and commitment to their education and career.

• Advanced training courses to prepare for the acquisition of public or private qualifications. state-recognized degrees (e. B. Fachwirt im Gesundheits- und Sozialwesen IHK,Erzieher) can be funded on the basis of the Aufstiegsfortbildungsforderungsgesetz (AFBG) with Aufstiegs-BAfoG (until 2016 known as Meister-BAfoG). Aufstiegs-BAfoG is granted irrespective of income, assets and age up to a contribution of 15.000, of which 40 % as a grant and 60 % via a low-interest loan from KfW.

• The costs incurred for a distance learning course (e.g. B. Tuition fees, examination fees, study materials, specialist literature, working materials, travel expenses and meal expenses for seminars held in person) can be claimed on your tax return as tax-reducing expenses for further training in your current occupation or in the course of adapting to existing occupational requirements as further training costs.

• In particular for the participation in obligatory or facultative attendance events of the correspondence schools respectively. In the context of your social further education, you should inform yourself about a possible (paid) leave of absence by your employer and / or check whether there is a legal regulation for educational leave (legal entitlement to paid leave of absence for a recognized further education) for your federal state.

• Distance learning schools often offer discounts on course fees for selected target groups such as trainees, the unemployed, people with disabilities, students on parental leave, members of the armed forces and pensioners. Tuition one. Also partner and generation discounts, loyalty bonuses with completion of a further further training as well as premiums with a successful course or study conclusion are ggf. possible.

• Last but not least: nationwide foundations (z. B. party-affiliated foundations or the church's "Begabtenforderung" (support for the gifted) support further vocational training. However, very different requirements are placed on applicants, about which you can find out in individual cases, for example, at www.foundations.org can inform you.

You can get a comprehensive overview of funding opportunities from regional providers as well as state, federal and EU funding programs through the funding database.

You can also find more detailed information on funding opportunities and subsidies for distance learning on our website www.correspondence school distance learning.de.

Continuing professional development is not magic. However, we advise you to inform yourself intensively before you start your studies, so that you can apply for and claim all possible subsidies and grants in good time.

Keep in mind that you cannot take advantage of all possible funding and grants at the same time! For example, all other government subsidies, such as continuing education and qualification checks, are excluded when the education premium is received! It is also rare to receive scholarships for distance learning!