Field notes
Writing a Motivationsschreiben that sounds like you, not a template
How to draft a German Motivationsschreiben for Ausbildung or dual-study applications without recycled phrases and empty praise.
Template Motivationsschreiben fail for a simple reason: training staff read dozens each season and recognise the same opening lines. “Ever since childhood I have dreamed of…” rarely connects to the firm’s actual work. Start instead with a recent observation — a product, a service process, or a conversation from an open day — and link it to one skill you are ready to practise.
Keep the letter to one page. Structure it as: why this firm and this Ausbildung, what you already know from school or Praktika, and what you hope to learn in the first year. Close with availability for interview dates and a polite, specific closing — not a slogan.
Language choices
Write in clear German if the firm operates in German; switch only when the vacancy explicitly invites English. Avoid anglicised corporate filler. Prefer concrete verbs: measure, advise, assemble, document, calculate.
Revision habit
Draft once for yourself, then rewrite for the reader. Cut every sentence that could apply to any company in the directory. If a counsellor reviews your letter, ask them to mark generic lines rather than only grammar. Specificity is the harder skill.