Route: vocational training (Ausbildung) and THAMM Plus
Legal basis: § 16a AufenthG. Most training in Germany is dual: work at a company plus vocational school (in Berlin an OSZ). A side job of up to 20 hours a week is allowed.
No agent can sell you a training place or a visa. A real place comes with a training contract from a named company. Read Avoiding scams.
What you need
- A training contract or confirmation from the company or school.
- German: B1 is required only if the training institution does not test the language itself (§ 16a (3)); with a preparatory German course attached to the training, no language proof is needed (§ 16a (3) sentence 2).
- Living costs: €959 a month for company-based and for school-based training (Federal Gazette notice BAnz AT 29.08.2025 B1). Lower figures such as €822 net / €1,048 gross appear only as practical values on Make it in Germany. If the pay is lower, a blocked account covers the gap.
- School certificates and papers: Documents.
What you earn
Minimum training pay (BIBB): for training starting in 2026 €724 / €854 / €977 / €1,014 a month in training years 1 to 4; starting in 2027 €764 / €902 / €1,031 / €1,070. Collective agreements are often higher (BIBB).
How to apply in Tunis
The Embassy (tunis.diplo.de) lists Ausbildung under the online application through the Auslandsportal, with recognised or required qualifications checked beforehand; persons with prior approval under § 81a book directly at TLScontact. Older notices speak of direct TLScontact booking for training; the current Embassy page governs. Check it. See Visa and Embassy.
THAMM Plus (programme with Tunisia)
According to GTAI (29 August 2025), THAMM Plus is the successor of THAMM, run by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) with GIZ and Tunisian authorities; Tunisian needs are agreed between the Tunisian employment agency ANETI and the BA, in sectors with a skilled-worker surplus in Tunisia. It has run since 2024 with a three-year term; more than 500 people were placed in three years, 300 of them from Tunisia. The project names the B1 level as a high hurdle, and German demand lower than hoped (GTAI; BA page: THAMM Plus).
- Apply only through the official channels (ANETI, GIZ, BA). Current places, selection rounds, trades for Tunisia, whether language courses are free for candidates and the visa channel: not confirmed.
Visa to look for a training place (§ 17)
Under 35, German at B1, a school certificate that would give university access in Germany or in the country where it was earned (§ 17 (1) AufenthG), and money for the stay. Whether the Embassy in Tunis issues this in practice is not confirmed.
After training: a skilled-worker permit (§ 18a), see Skilled worker.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.