Field notes
What Ausbildung firms notice beyond your Zeugnis grades
Practical traits Ausbildungsbetriebe weigh after grades — reliability signals, Praktikum notes, and how you talk about the trade itself.
Grades open doors; they rarely finish the conversation. Training supervisors look for signs you will arrive on time, ask useful questions, and stay through the Probezeit. A middling maths mark with a thoughtful Praktikum report can outrank a stronger transcript that never mentions the trade.
Mention concrete tasks from school projects or part-time work: measuring materials, serving customers, documenting a process. Avoid listing soft skills as empty nouns. “I reorganised the storage shelf so apprentices could find spare parts faster” tells more than “I am a team player.”
Open days and short visits
When firms invite applicants for a trial day, treat it as part of the application. Ask about the Ausbildungsrahmenplan topics for the first year. Note safety rules without complaining. Follow up with a short thank-you that references something specific from the visit — a machine, a customer type, a weekly rhythm.
References that help
A teacher who can speak to punctuality and practical coursework is more useful than a distant family acquaintance. If you completed a Schülerpraktikum, ask early whether a short written note is possible.