Starting an apprenticeship at the age of 35 – this is how the professional restart works

Preparing for college at 35

The following guide outlines a few points to consider if you are looking to start a new apprenticeship at age 35.

• There are various options if you want to start an apprenticeship at the age of 35. You can start out the normal way with an apprenticeship at an industrial company or a service provider of your choice.
• You should consider that you would have to complete a full 3 years of training and that you would have to deal with very young classmates at vocational school and in the company. However, with a 3-year apprenticeship you have more practical parts in the apprenticeship and the exam should be easier for you later.
• The next opportunity you have is to complete an adult education course at the age of 35. It is always important to know what professional history you bring with you. For example, if you would like to do an apprenticeship in a field that is completely different from what you have previously worked in, you should try to do further training through your responsible employment office in the form of an apprenticeship.

Consider retraining

• If you are no longer able to do your old job due to health problems, you still have the option of retraining. With this form of training, as a 35-year-old you are usually trained for two years in adult education. You can choose from a variety of apprenticeships and receive financial support.
• The only important thing is that you can no longer do your old job or related work and are no longer allowed to do it for medical reasons. To do this, they are completely turned upside down by specialists and these doctors, who are mostly used by the pension insurance, then say whether the nature of your illness really justifies retraining.
• In the case of training at the age of 35 on the basis of retraining, you will have your maintenance financed by the person responsible for the measure for the entire retraining period and the so-called cost bearer will also pay for the retraining itself. The retraining ends with a journeyman’s examination and you can later look for a new challenge as a career changer.

If you cannot finance your training yourself, you should ask your employment office about support measures.