Coming to Berlin as an educator or teacher

Early-years educator (C1), side entry into daycare, teaching with two subjects (C2), social work: recognition by the Senate Department for Education.

Early-years educators (Erzieher:innen), teachers and social workers work in regulated professions in Berlin. You need recognition before you may work fully as a qualified professional. For all three the competent office is the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family (SenBJF). Language requirements are high: C1 for educators and social work, C2 for a permanent teaching post.

In short: the jobs and the usual routes

Educator: recognition under the Berlin Professional Qualifications Assessment Act (BQFG Bln) and the Social Professions Recognition Act (SozBAG). With partial recognition you can start in a daycare centre (Kita) while the procedure is still running.
Teacher: recognition under the Teacher Qualifications Assessment Act (LQFG Bln). In Berlin, teacher training always covers at least two school subjects.
Social work / social pedagogy: state recognition at SenBJF (short section below).

Suitable residence permits

Permit	For	Main requirements	BA approval
§ 18a AufenthG	Educator with vocational training	Job offer, recognition granted or promised (§ 18 (2) no. 3)	yes, as a rule
§ 18b	Teacher, social worker, educator with a university degree	Job offer, recognition or licence; no fixed salary threshold under age 45	yes, as a rule
§ 18g (EU Blue Card)	With a university degree	Teachers (ISCO group 23) are on the shortage list: €45,934.20 gross a year (2026) with BA approval. Social work is not on the list: €50,700, except for recent graduates (degree no more than 3 years ago)	yes for the lower threshold
§ 16d (1) / (3)	Adaptation course, aptitude test or working during recognition	(1): decision showing a gap; (3): recognition partnership with an employer. As a rule at least "adequate" German (A2); at most 3 years	yes, if employment is part of it

Aged 45 or over: the first permit under § 18a/§ 18b needs a salary of 55 percent of the contribution ceiling (2026 about €55,770) or adequate pension provision (§ 18 (2) no. 5 AufenthG). Check the exact amount before relying on it. Early childhood educators (ISCO 2342) belong to ISCO group 23. How the BA classifies the specific job: check before relying on it. More: Residence permits overview (German), Recognition partnership (German).

Educator: recognition and side entry

Competent office: SenBJF, Bernhard-Weiß-Straße 6, 10178 Berlin, [email protected]. Fee: €145. German at least C1. You need, among other things, an extended police certificate and documents in German; documents originally issued in English need no translation (Service Berlin).
Childhood education degree (Kindheitspädagogik): separate recognition, fee €196, also C1 (Service Berlin).
Side entry with a foreign qualification (SenBJF): if your qualification was found partly equivalent and your application is pending, B2 is enough to start. You then work as a "professional in the recognition procedure" and count fully as a qualified professional in the Kita staffing ratio. This applies for 2 years and can be extended once by 2 years. Full recognition must be in place after 4 years.
With a related pedagogical degree, side entry is possible with C1 (start with B2 and a C1 course); 6 months of work experience are required, followed by a course and 9 months of practice.

Teacher: recognition of teaching qualifications

Competent office: SenBJF, Recognition Office for International Teacher Qualifications, Klosterstraße 71, 10179 Berlin, [email protected]. Applications only online via BundID (Service Berlin).
Fee: €340 (detailed decision), €85 (short decision or rejection). Time: about 4–6 months.
Two subjects: if you studied only one subject, the second subject counts as a difference you must make up (SenBJF FAQ).
Compensation: a school-based adaptation course (length set in the decision) or an aptitude test: two demonstration lessons with an examination interview plus an oral exam on the Berlin school system and school law. Beforehand you teach for 4 weeks, unpaid, in the classes where you will be examined. A retake is possible. You cannot switch between the two.
Even with the short decision you can work as a substitute teacher, native-language teacher or "teacher under the law of the home country" (SenBJF).
Credits from Berlin's side-entry teacher programme (StEPS) do not count towards recognition.

Social work and social pedagogy (short)

State recognition at SenBJF, fee €196, German C1, about 3 months. English documents do not need to be translated (Service Berlin).

More: Recognition of foreign qualifications (German), Regulated professions (German).

German

Educator, childhood education, social work: C1 for full recognition; B2 to start in the side-entry route.
Teacher: C2 at the latest for a permanent post. If C2 is missing when the adaptation course starts, the course is extended by 6 months.
Info: Language and the workplace (German).

Steps

Get free advice: from abroad at the Central Service Office for Professional Recognition (ZSBA); in Berlin at the Berlin recognition counselling (IQ Network).
Apply to SenBJF and learn German.
Find a Kita, school or provider as employer. With the decision, apply for the visa at the German mission abroad.
Your employer can start the fast-track procedure for skilled workers (§ 81a, fee €411) at the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA).
After arrival: register your address, get the residence permit at the LEA, complete the compensation measure. See Entry and first steps (German).

Staying and family

A settlement permit is possible under § 18c: the requirements are 3 years with a § 18a/§ 18b permit, 36 months of pension contributions and German B1; with a Blue Card after 27 months (A1) or 21 months (B1). Family: Family reunification (German).

Watch out

Nobody can "sell" you recognition. Only SenBJF decides.
Read fixed-term contracts during recognition and repayment clauses carefully.
General minimum wage 2026: €13.90 an hour, from 1 January 2027: €14.60 (BMAS).
Free help with employer problems: Faire Integration and, in Berlin, BEMA (Berlin Advice Centre for Migration and Good Work).

Sources

A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.