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FAQs

For Professionals

Consultation through ProRecognition

Is ProRecognition a recruitment consultancy?

No. ProRecognition is an information office, which means that we will not share your CV with employers or arrange interviews for you. We do something even better: We prepare you in such a way that you can make you way to Germany without depending on a consultancy. With ProRecognition, you can rely on getting the right information – even though sometimes we might not tell you what you would like to hear. Only once you are ready to go to Germany, we connect with our German partners for additional support in your job search.

What do I need to do to schedule a consultation?

If this is your first consultation with us, you will have to fill the Consultation Form available on the website. This is to help us get a proper understanding of your professional profile. If you have been consulted before, you can just get in touch via phone or email.
Please note that we do not accept walk-ins for consultations as we need time to assess individual profiles before scheduling a consultation.

How does the consultation process work?

The first step of the consultation process is to share your profile with us, using the Consultation Form. On submission, our consultation team will check if we require any additional documents. Once the documents’ review is completed, we will do an assessment of your profile, which includes the demand for your profession in Germany, information on degree/qualification recognition needs and procedures and a recommendation on the required German level and other skills. The summary of all this will be sent to you through email with relevant links. Once you have an overview of the basics, we can schedule a follow-up call or a meeting to discuss your specific questions and guide you through the next steps.

I’ve submitted my documents. How long does it take till ProRecognition will get back to me?

Once you have submitted your documents, we take about 4-6 weeks to get back to you with an initial assessment. We have high volume of enquiries and try to give each request the individual time and attention they deserve.

Do I need to come to Pune to be consulted?

After we send you the initial assessment of your profile via email, we will be happy to schedule a follow-up consultation via phone or Skype. If you prefer a face-to-face appointment with us at our office in Pune, do let us know and we will schedule a consultation.

What are your fees?

Since ProRecognition is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, we do not charge any service fees for our advisory service. However, this does not apply to other related services of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

What are your opening hours?

Generally, ProRecognition is available from Monday – Friday between 10.00 AM and 5.00 PM. When contacting us via phone, please take note of our calling hours (Tue: 2:00 PM – 5.00 PM, Wed: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and Thu: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2.00 PM – 5.00 PM).

I have already got my recognition. Can you advise me only on job search?

We offer workshops in which we cover on how to apply for positions in Germany. Like any culture, German application culture is a complex subject which comprises of various aspects and requires dedicated time to comprehend.

Recognition of Qualifications

Why do I need to get my degree recognised?

If you want to work in Germany, German authorities need to be able to confirm that you are qualified for the position you intend to take up. Therefore, having a recognised professional qualification is a prerequisite for a work or job-seeker visa. However, even apart from this, recognition has many other advantages:
• In the recognition process, your degree will be correlated to the German education system and compared to its German counterpart. By identifying areas of equivalency and difference, recognition creates transparency about your qualification.
• If you are a healthcare professional, or want to work in any regulated profession, recognition of your qualification is required to obtain a permit to work in your profession.
• Recognition functions as a quality seal for your qualification. For example, as an engineer, you can only use the professional title “Ing.” in front of your name if your degree has been found to be equivalent to a German engineering degree.
• A recognised vocational degree gives you access to higher vocational training courses.

I want to pursue my higher studies in Germany. Do I need to get my degree recognised?

If you want to enrol in a normal university program, you do not need to get your qualification recognised. The admissions office of the university will handle the accreditation of your degree. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) can advise you on the admission procedures for studying and research in Germany.
But, if you want to do an advanced vocational course, e.g. a medical specialisation, you will have to get your qualification recognised.

I hold a Diploma/Trade Certificate. Do I need to get my degree recognised?

Yes. Diploma and ITI certificates are considered vocational degrees in Germany. In order to get a work visa for Germany with a vocational qualification, it is mandatory that your qualification is equivalent to a German occupation. Although only full recognition gives you unlimited access to the job market, you may already start working with a partial recognition – provided that your employer can train you on the identified gaps.

I have a Bachelor’s / Master’s degree. Do I need to get my degree recognised?

In general, if you hold a degree from a recognised university, you can directly apply for jobs that stand in relation to your degree, provided that your university and your degree type are listed on Anabin. That means that your university needs to have “H+” status and your degree needs to be rated as ‘Entspricht’ or ‘Gleichwertig’.

This does not apply if you are working in a regulated profession, e.g. as a healthcare professional, teacher, or educator. To work in a regulated profession, you will need a license or permit to practise in your profession.

Moreover, even if your profession is not regulated, you will require a Statement of Comparability in order to obtain a work visa and to make German employers understand your qualification better.

My university is not listed on Anabin. Does that mean I cannot get recognition?

Not necessarily. You might still be able to get your degree recognised by applying for a Statement of Comparability. This is possible if the university that issued your degree is recognised as an institution allowed to issue academic degrees in the country in which you received the degree. To simplify, if, for example, you received your degree in India, your university needs to be UGC-recognised or AIU-affiliated in order for you to be eligible for a Statement of Comparability.

My degree is not listed on Anabin. Does that mean I cannot get recognition?

Depends. Often, the listing is missing because the degree type varies in content between different institutes (for e.g. an MBA degree). In that case, you can apply for a Statement of Comparability. However, it could also be that your degree qualifies you only for a regulated profession. If that’s case, you will have to apply for recognition at the competent authority.

My degree and university are listed on Anabin. Should I still apply for a Statement of Comparability?

The difference between an Anabin download and a Statement of Comparability is that Anabin mainly serves bureaucratic purposes, while a Statement of Comparability creates additional transparency. Thus, it is useful to make employers understand how your degree relates to the German education system and which access you have to the German job market.

How can I find out if my profession is regulated?

The first step to find out if your profession is regulated or not is to determine your German reference profession. If you speak German, you can do some research on Berufenet. If not, you can ask us.

Where do I need to apply for recognition?

The recognition of your qualification can only be done by a suitable authority in Germany. Which authority that is, depends on various factors, including the kind of qualification you want to get recognised, the purpose of recognition, and your intended work location. You can find the competent authorities for vocational and regulated professions at Recognition in Germany. However, sometimes there is more than one option for recognition. ProRecognition will be happy to advise you.

How much does it cost to get my degree recognised?

The cost of the recognition procedure depends on the qualification and the authority. It can range anywhere from 200 EUR (for a Statement of Comparability) to more than 1,000 EUR (for a permanent medical license). But you don’t have to worry; before submitting your recognition application, we will advise you on all related fees.

Learning German

My friend found a job without knowing any German. Is it really necessary to learn German?

While German skills are not mandatory for a work visa, we strongly recommend you to learn the language before starting your job search. The better your German communication skills are, the more job opportunities will open up for you. This article will give you more insights into why it pays to learn German before starting your job search.

How much German do I need to know?

Which German level to target depends on your professional background and the kind of job you intend to take up in Germany. For certain regulated professions, like in the healthcare sector, the recognition procedures specify a mandatory language level (e.g. B2 for nurses). For non-regulated professions, we can advise you on a suitable language level based on our research and experience.

Is it mandatory to get a language certificate?

Depends. If a certain level of German is mandatory for the recognition procedure, then a recognised language certificate is necessary. If not, a language certificate can be included in job applications, though this is optional. Either way, you should make sure that you are able to communicate at an appropriate level. Employers usually prefer a candidate without a certificate who is able to speak fluently over a candidate with a certificate who is too shy to speak.

Which German language certificates are recognised?

In general, the certificates of Goethe-Institute, ÖSD and Telc are recognised in Germany. However, not all German authorities may accept the same certificates. Therefore, before obtaining a German language certificate, you should consider where you are planning to submit it.

Job search

Where can I look for vacancies?

There are plenty of job portals online where you can find the latest vacancies. They range from general job portals for all professions-such as that of the Federal Employment Agency—to specialised ones for specific professions and experience levels. A good starting point could be Make it in Germany which contains job listings in high demand. At ProRecognition, we provide a list of various job portals in our application workshops.

What documents do I need to send to employers?

In general, your application should contain a cover letter, your CV and relevant certificates. Note that there are certain standards you should follow when structuring and designing your documents, if you want to pass the screening phase. You can find more information on Make it in Germany or attend one of our application workshops.

Is it easier to find a job if you have a job seeker visa?

Depends. Having a job seeker visa can be a great thing when you are well prepared and ready to be hired. However, we keep seeing candidates who rush into a job seeker visa without recognised qualifications, language skills or an understanding of the German application culture. Considering that you are not allowed to work with a job seeker visa, going to Germany can become a big financial burden with limited chances of successfully finding a job. At ProRecognition India, we have seen that about 50% of our successful candidates have found a job without a job seeker visa. For more information read our blog articles on the Job Seeker Visa.