Print version Recommend this page Press release
26/ 2010
Bonn, 16.06.2010
Money plays a role: Trainees are often dissatisfied with their compensation - one in four has a supplementary job
Already earning their "own money" during training is a point in favour of the dual system of vocational education and training for young people and one that often affects their educational choices. However, many trainees are not satisfied with the level of their training allowance: two out of three trainees feel their compensation as too low. Frequently, the training allowance is not enough for the young people to cover their basic needs and individual requirements. For that reason one in four of them have other jobs in addition to their training. These are among the further findings of the study on "Training from the perspective of the trainees" carried out by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) - published in the latest edition of BIBB REPORT 14/10. For the study, the institute polled about 6,000 trainees in their second year of training in 15 much-sought-after occupations.
The training allowances paid by companies in the various industries vary greatly. For 93% of the second year trainees surveyed the net monthly amounts, that is, after deduction of social security payments and payroll taxes where applicable, were between 300 and 700 euros. For 5%, the net income was below € 300, and 2% received more than 700 € net. On average, the net remuneration of trainees in the second year of training amounted to 478 € a month.
One third of the trainees were satisfied with their allowance and qualified it as "very good" (9%) or "about right" (24%). The majority (67%), however, were dissatisfied and assessed their earnings as "too low". Whether trainees are satisfied with their remuneration or not strongly depends, as expected, on the net amount: if trainees receive more than 700 euros a month, the chances of their being satisfied are 17 times greater than if they receive only 300 euros or less.
But the satisfaction of young people does not depend on the level of remuneration alone. Many other factors play an important role. Of particular importance, according to the BIBB analysis, is how high the trainees assess the work they do for the enterprise. The second year trainees often have the feeling that they are already being deployed in the enterprise as skilled workers. As they see it, a large proportion of their company working hours - 43% on the average - consists of work they already do just as well and just as quickly as their fully trained workmates.
More than half the trainees (59%), according to the BIBB study, reported doing overtime on a regular basis - about 4.8 hours per week on average. The overtime, according to the young people, was not always compensated for by free time or extra pay - although this is required by law. Forty per cent of the trainees who regularly work overtime indicated that it was made up for only partially or not at all.
The more the trainees see themselves as fully fledged workers, the more they expect correspondingly higher reimbursement. Since training allowances are significantly lower than the wages of skilled workers, however, that expectation is seldom met, resulting in greater discontent. Conversely, however, the trainees highly appreciate it if the enterprises provide them with high-grade training. Then the young people are more satisfied with their pay - even if it is relatively low.
Around a quarter (27%) of the trainees in the second year of training regularly do paid work on the side. The reason that one in four has a casual job is that otherwise there would not be enough money for basic requirements (such as rent and food). Thirty-eight per cent of the young people with secondary jobs say they need the supplementary income both to meet their basic needs and to satisfy additional individual requirements. Thirty-five per cent use the extra money exclusively to meet their individual requirements.
On average, young people work 9.2 hours per week in addition to their training. However, the time worked at side jobs varies substantially: for about 38%, it is kept within limits at up to five hours a week. But for 15% of the young people the time devoted to part-time jobs is substantial: more than 15 hours per week.
Part-time jobs for trainees may have some positive effects. For example, they offer the young people opportunities to put the abilities and skills they have acquired to use in other vocational environments. But this must not endanger their educational success or lead to a deterioration in the health of these young people because of the lack of time off.
Further information is contained in the new BIBB REPORT, No. 14/10 on "Money plays a role! Are trainees satisfied with their pay?" The volume can be downloaded free of charge at the BIBB website at www.bibb.de/bibbreport .
Information can be obtained at the BIBB from:
Andreas Krewerth, Phone: 0228 / 107-1110, E-mail: krewerth@bibb.de
Voucher copy requested.
