Certain social education and social care professions are regulated by the state in Bavaria. This means that you must have recognition of your foreign qualification if you want to work in this profession permanently in Bavaria. Other social pedagogical and social care professions are not regulated. Recognition of your qualification is not mandatory to start working, but it can be useful. You can apply for recognition at the Bavarian State Office for Schools.
The following professions are regulated by the state in Bavaria:
- state-recognized educator (Bachelor Professional in Social Work)
- state-certified curative education nurse (Bachelor Professional in Social Work)
- state-certified remedial teacher (Bachelor Professional in Social Work)
In order to practice one of these professions permanently in Bavaria, you must apply for recognition of your foreign qualification.
In accordance with the Bavarian Professional Qualification Determination Act (BayBQFG), you can apply for an equivalence determination if you have successfully completed vocational training abroad and are authorized to practice the profession in the country of training.
It may also be possible to take up a professional activity, e.g. within the framework of fixed-term contracts or temporary contracts, without formal recognition of your foreign qualification. In these cases, the respective employer or institution or the responsible supervisory authority decides on the employment.
The following professions are not regulated by the state in Bavaria:
- state-certified family nurse (Bachelor Professional in Social Work)
- state-certified child care worker (Kinderpfleger(in))
- state-approved assistant for special education (Heilerziehungspflegehelfer(in))
- state-certified social care worker (m/f)
In order to be able to work in Bavaria in one of these professions, recognition of your foreign qualification is not mandatory.
It is often possible to take up a job without formal recognition of your foreign qualification. In principle, it is the employer or the institution provider or the responsible supervisory authority that decides whether to hire you.
A recognition procedure can be useful in order to make your foreign qualification more transparent and easier to assess for the employer.
In accordance with the Bavarian Vocational Qualifications Assessment Act (BayBQFG), you can apply for an equivalence assessment if you have successfully completed vocational training abroad.