State recognition
Do you have a foreign university degree in social work or social education, and now want to obtain state recognition as a social education worker? To do so, you should take the following steps:
1) Recognition counselling
The International Bridging Seminar in Social Work for Bavaria further education programme is a sub-project of the MigraNet - IQ Landesnetzwerk Bayern, which is the Bavarian regional network in the federal funding programme network "Integration through Qualification (IQ)" (Network IQ). Please first contact one of the local IQ counselling centres in Bavaria. Here you can get detailed information about the individual steps towards state recognition, which documents are required, and how the procedure works.
Information is available at:
MigraNet Bayern
2) Applying for state recognition
The application for state recognition as a social education worker must be submitted to the Anerkennungsstelle für Sozial- und Kindheitspädagogen (state certification authority for social and childhood educators) at the Bavarian Centre for Families and Social Affairs (ZBFS) in Würzburg, Bavaria. Your documents will be checked there and you will be notified of the outcome.
- Positive notification: The professional qualifications you have acquired and your proficiency in German are sufficient without any further requirements, and you obtain state recognition immediately.
- Partially positive notification: You still require further specialist qualifications and/or proof of proficiency in German in order to obtain state recognition. You must therefore complete a bridging measure or pass an aptitude test.
- Negative notification: Your qualification does not correspond with a German university degree in social work. In this case, please contact a qualification and recognition counselling centre.
You can find more information and the application documents at:
ZBFS Bavaria
3) Language proficiency at B2 level
Proficiency in German at B2 level is a prerequisite for state recognition as well as for participation in the International Bridging Seminar. The B2 language certificate must be submitted before commencing studies.
4) Clarify residence status
If you come from a non-EU country and therefore require a visa, you should clarify in advance which residence permit you require for the duration of the bridging course. Please contact a qualification and recognition counselling centre, which will assist you in this regard.
5) Participation in the International Bridging Seminar
More information is available on this page.
Objectives & contents
The International Bridging Seminar in Social Work for Bavaria is a bridging programme for social education workers with a foreign qualification. The goal is to provide the required bridging measures for the students, so that they can obtain professional and/or state recognition.
The legal basis of the further education programme is:
- Bayerisches Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (Bavarian Vocational Qualification Act, BayBQFG)
- Bayerisches Sozial- und Kindheitspädagogengesetz (Bavarian Social and Childhood Educators Act, BaySozKiPadG)
The International Bridging Seminar is officially recognised as a bridging programme by the Anerkennungsstelle für Sozial- und Kindheitspädagogen (state certification authority for social and childhood educators) in Würzburg. The contents correspond with the level of the Bavarian Bachelor's degree programmes in social work.
Costs
Participation in the International Bridging Seminar in Social Work for Bavaria is free of charge. Membership fees of approximately €129,40 per semester must be paid to the Studentenwerk München (student union). Payment takes place via the KSH, and the details will be announced in good time before the start of studies.
The seminars are mostly held on the campus of the KSH in Munich. On one or two weekends per semester, seminars are also held in Nuremberg (or northern Bavaria). On such occasions, there may be costs involved for the participants for travel and accommodation in Munich and/or Nuremberg.
