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Make use of careers advice

Employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) · Orientation and further training advice

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The career guidance service is one of the few benefits of this authority for which you do not have to apply for anything. § 29 SGB III requires the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) to offer career guidance including further training advice – to young people and adults who are participating, or want to participate, in working life.

This is an important difference from almost everything else at this authority: because the advice is not a benefit tied to an application, the otherwise central rule of § 324 (1) SGB III does not apply to it either – the rule that an application must be submitted before the event giving rise to the benefit occurs. You can therefore obtain advice at any time without risking anything.

And it is expressly not open only to unemployed people. § 29 (3) SGB III also covers trainees and employees after the start of training or employment. Anyone who is in a job and thinking about a change can use the advice service – free of charge, confidentially and without the employer finding out about it.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 29 SGB III · § 30 · § 31
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information page: we are not the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit), not an authority and not a paid advisory service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; the competent body is always the authoritative source. The advice is non-binding and does not replace a decision on later funding benefits. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeFor all age groups
ApplicationNot neededStatutory service
Also forEmployeesNot only the unemployed
FormatsIn person, video, telephoneAppointment recommended
Required documents

What you need

Your own questions and goals

The most important thing you can bring. Note down beforehand what it is about: orientation after leaving school, a fresh start after a long period of employment at the same company, a health-related change, or returning to work after a family break. A clearly formulated concern turns a friendly conversation into a useful one.

CV and certificates

Not essential, but helpful. Qualification certificates, employment references and proof of further training show which next steps are realistic – and which qualification, if any, is still missing.

Documents relating to previous job applications

If it concerns a difficult placement situation: application documents and rejection letters show where things are getting stuck. These records are also the basis should an AVGS or education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) come into consideration later.

Medical documents where there is a health-related reason

If health restrictions are triggering the change of occupation. In that case, the advice service also checks whether the pension insurance is responsible instead of the agency – for benefits for participation in working life, it is often the more favourable institution.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Clarify your concern beforehand

    Think about which decision is coming up: choice of occupation, further training, retraining, returning to work, or reorientation. The more specific the question, the more specific the answer – and the more likely it is that the same conversation can clarify which funding instrument fits.

  2. 2

    Arrange an appointment

    Advice is available in person at the office, by video or by telephone; via the nationwide service number or online. An appointment is recommended – an orientation discussion needs more time than a brief enquiry.

  3. 3

    Use self-exploration tools

    The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) provides self-exploration tools and information portals on occupational profiles, requirements and labour market prospects. Anyone who uses them before the appointment comes to the conversation with more targeted questions instead of an open-ended search.

  4. 4

    Have funding options checked as well

    Use the conversation to clarify whether an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein), an AVGS or a retraining programme is an option for you. This is the most practically valuable part: because the application for these benefits must be submitted before they begin, the advisory conversation is the right place to clarify the sequence – before anything is booked.

  5. 5

    Involve the vocational psychology service if needed

    For questions of suitability, uncertainty about your own strengths, or health restrictions, the agency's vocational psychology service can be brought in. This, too, is free of charge and takes place at the instigation of the advisory service.

  6. 6

    Record the outcome

    At the end, note down what was discussed and what the next steps are – in particular, whether and when an application needs to be submitted. For discretionary benefits, documenting the course of the advice is helpful later on.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Completely free of chargeAnd without an application
Careers adviceFree of charge
Further training adviceFree of charge
Vocational psychology serviceFree of charge
Application requiredNo
For employeesEqually open
Notification to the employerDoes not happen

Career guidance is completely free of charge, and – unlike almost everything else at this authority – it is not tied to an application. § 29 SGB III requires the agency to offer it; it is therefore a statutory service, not a benefit that has to be applied for and granted. This means the otherwise decisive rule of § 324 (1) SGB III does not apply here either – the rule that benefits of employment promotion must be applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurs. You can obtain advice without risking anything or missing a deadline. This is precisely why the advisory conversation is the right place to clarify the sequence for the benefits that do require an application: the education voucher, AVGS, retraining and start-up grant all require the application to be submitted before they begin. Anyone who gets advice first and then acts avoids the most expensive mistake at this authority. The service is expressly also open to employees; the employer is not informed.

Good to know

Important notes

No application, no deadline, no risk. The advice is a statutory service under § 29 SGB III. The otherwise central rule of § 324 (1) SGB III – application before the event – does not apply here, because there is nothing to apply for.

Also for employees. § 29 (3) SGB III expressly covers trainees and employees after the start of training or employment. Anyone thinking about a change does not have to become unemployed first.

Your employer finds out nothing. The advice service is confidential. No notification is made to your current employer – this is employees' most common worry, and it is unfounded.

Use it to clarify the sequence. The most practically valuable benefit: the conversation lets you check whether an education voucher, AVGS or retraining programme is an option – before you book a course. For these benefits, the application must be submitted before they begin.

The vocational psychology service is also free of charge. It can be brought in for questions of suitability, uncertainty about your own strengths, or health restrictions – at the instigation of the advice service.

For a health-related reason, think of the pension insurance. If your previous occupation is no longer possible for health reasons, the German pension insurance institution is often responsible, with benefits for participation in working life. Raise this actively.

The advice does not bind you. It is non-binding and does not create an entitlement to later funding benefits. The education voucher, AVGS and start-up grant remain discretionary benefits with their own separate assessment.

Three formats. In person, by video or by telephone. For an orientation discussion, the in-person appointment is worthwhile; for a specific follow-up question, a phone call is often enough.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Acting first and getting advice afterwards. The most expensive mistake at this authority usually happens exactly here: anyone who books a course or registers a business before getting advice loses the funding, because the application should have been submitted before it began. The advice costs nothing and prevents exactly that.

Assuming the advice is only for the unemployed. § 29 SGB III expressly also covers employees. Anyone who waits until they are unemployed misses the chance to plan the change from a secure position.

Coming without a specific concern. A conversation without a question stays general. Note down beforehand which decision is coming up and what is preventing you from making it.

Fearing that the employer will find out. They will not. This unfounded worry keeps many employees away from a conversation that is open to them.

Not raising the funding options. The advice service does not automatically clarify which instrument fits. Ask explicitly about the education voucher, AVGS and retraining – and when the application needs to be submitted.

Treating the advice as a promise. It is non-binding. A positive conversation does not create an entitlement to later funding, which remains at the agency's discretion.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Do I have to apply for career guidance?

No. § 29 SGB III requires the employment agency to offer career guidance, including further training advice. It is therefore a statutory service, not a benefit tied to an application. This means the otherwise central rule of § 324 (1) SGB III – requiring an application before the event giving rise to the benefit – does not apply here either; you can obtain advice at any time without risking anything.

How much does the advice cost?

Nothing. Career guidance, further training advice and the agency's vocational psychology service are free of charge for you – regardless of whether you are unemployed, employed, in training or still at school.

Is the advice also open to employees?

Yes, expressly so. § 29 (3) SGB III covers trainees and employees even after the start of their training or employment. Anyone who is in a job and thinking about a change can get advice without first having to become unemployed – and that is the clearly better moment.

Will my employer find out?

No. The advice service is confidential, and no notification is made to the employer. This worry keeps many employees away from a conversation that is open to them without any risk at all.

What exactly does the conversation give me?

Besides orientation, above all clarity about the sequence. The education voucher, AVGS, retraining and start-up grant all require the application to be submitted before the measure or activity begins. In the advisory conversation you clarify which instrument fits and when the application needs to be submitted – and so avoid the most expensive mistake at this authority.

In which formats is the advice available?

In person at the agency, by video call or by telephone. For basic orientation, an in-person appointment is worthwhile because more time is set aside for it; for a specific individual question, a phone call to the nationwide service number is often enough. An appointment is recommended in any case.

What is the vocational psychology service?

A specialist unit of the Federal Employment Agency that can be brought in for questions about suitability, strengths and interests, or the effects of health restrictions. The assessment takes place at the instigation of the advice service and is likewise free of charge. It is especially helpful when a fundamental reorientation is coming up.

Am I entitled to funding after the advice?

No. The advice is non-binding and does not create an entitlement. The education voucher, AVGS, retraining and start-up grant remain discretionary benefits, each decided separately. A well-prepared advisory conversation, however, significantly improves your prospects, because it clarifies how to convincingly justify the need.

Related official procedures

Education voucher (Bildungsgutschein)
Advice is a requirement
Free of charge
Retraining
New vocational qualification
Free of charge
AVGS
Coaching and trial placement
Free of charge

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