Recognition of Social Education professions earned abroad

The Social Education professions

• Early childhood educator
• Social worker/ Social education worker (B.A.)
• Special needs educator (B.A.)

are regulated by state recognition. The equivalence of your professional qualification with the professions listed above is assessed upon application.

The following application documents will be required:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. proof of identification (copy of passport or identity card)
3. copy of registration in the state of Berlin. In the case of applications from abroad / from another federal state, an informal, signed declaration of intention to purchase in the state of Berlin will be accepted.
4. copy of proof of name change (e.g. marriage certificate)
5. copy of the original diploma of the professional qualification
6. copy of the overview of subjects and grades in the original language (e.g. diploma supplement, study book)
7. if applicable, proof of relevant professional experience (e.g. job references) and other proof of qualifications (e.g. further training)
8. certificate of authorization to practice the profession in the country of training, if the profession is regulated in the country of training
9. copy of translations of the documents under 4. to 8. in German by a publicly appointed or sworn interpreter or translator (if necessary with transliteration of the name of the profession and the course of study in Latin letters according to ISO standard)

The Social Education professions

• Child and youth care worker
• Special needs educator

are regulated by state recognition. The equivalence of your professional qualification with the professions listed above is assessed upon application.
- Completed application form

1. Curriculum vitae
2. proof of identification (copy of passport or identity card)
3. copy of registration in the state of Berlin. In the case of applications from abroad / from another federal state, an informal, signed declaration of intention to purchase in the state of Berlin will be accepted.
4. copy of proof of name change (e.g. marriage certificate)
5. copy of the original diploma of the professional qualification
6. copy of the overview of subjects and grades in the original language (e.g. diploma supplement, study book)
7. if applicable, proof of relevant professional experience (e.g. job references) and other proof of qualifications (e.g. further training)
8. certificate of authorization to practice the profession in the country of training, if the profession is regulated in the country of training
9. copy of translations of the documents under 4. to 8. in German by a publicly appointed or sworn interpreter or translator (if necessary with transliteration of the name of the profession and the course of study in Latin letters according to ISO standard)

Please note: You must always submit your application in the federal state in which you are resident.

Address for applicants residing in Berlin
Please do not send your application documents by e-mail, as receipt cannot be guaranteed with large amounts of data. Send your complete application documents by post to:

Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family V F 11 Bernhard-Weiß-Straße 6, 10178 Berlin

Translations
No German translation is required for documents that were originally issued in English.

Translations of foreign documents that are not written in Latin script must also contain a transliteration of the professional title in accordance with the ISO standard.

Other pedagogical professional qualifications
Foreign teacher training courses cannot be equated with the above-mentioned social pedagogical professions. An exception applies to preschool teachers. Please refer to the scheme for providers of child daycare facilities for further information on the recognition of foreign pedagogical professional qualifications.

With a positive notice of assessment, which determines the result of the equivalence test, you already have the opportunity to be employed during the recognition procedure as part of the lateral entry program. You can find information on lateral entry into the daycare sector here.

For other fields of work, the hiring institution can apply for an exceptional permit for the employment of a so-called lateral entrant from its responsible specialist supervisor. You can find more information on lateral entry into other fields of work here.

We will be happy to advise you on applications for equivalence assessment of social pedagogical qualifications acquired abroad.

Tue: 2-4 p.m.
Thu: 10-12 a.m.