You never stop learning: between five and ten days of educational leave are possible. Which employees may have a harder time and how to ask superiors about it without fear.
In the middle of the everyday maelstrom between "work, private life and things you have to do, it is often difficult to find a pause button". But there is also the question of what you actually expect from working life. That's what happened to Lara Körber until she heard about the possibility of taking educational leave. For them, it offers the opportunity to improve the working and private lives of employees in Germany by law. This knowledge has changed a lot: Together with Anian Schmitt, she founded the platform Bildungsurlauber.de. Lara Körber has merkur.de from IPPEN. MEDIA reveals how employees can ask their superiors about educational leave without fear.
27 million beneficiaries and only two percent use it – educational leave in Germany
Anian Schmitt and Lara Körber at "Der Höhle der Löwen". There they provide the platform Bildungsurlauber. © RTL/Bernd-Michael Maurer
In 14 out of 16 federal states, educational leave, sometimes also called educational leave or training time, is enshrined in law, according to the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). Employees are therefore entitled to five days per year for education in addition to their vacation. In Bavaria and Saxony there is no legal regulation.
However, educational leave is not really well known. Bildungsurlauber.de writes that 27 million people in Germany are entitled, two percent take advantage of the offer. The offer is particularly well-known among large companies with works councils. Bildungsurlauber.de, for example, once asked the car manufacturer VW. In 2021, one in two people there had already taken educational leave.
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Mentally overwhelmed or lazy: What does the boss think when you want to take educational leave?
One in five people between the ages of 25 and 34 is thinking of quitting their job, according to a recent survey by ZDF. One of the reasons is stress at work, say 27.7 percent of respondents. Educational leave can counteract this, but employees have reservations:
Many people are afraid to ask their boss if they can take educational leave. The concern is that the choice of seminar will suddenly call into question one's own professionalism – for example, will they be perceived as mentally overwhelmed if they want to learn about resilience?
Lara Körber from Bildungsurlauber in an interview with merkur.de from IPPEN. MEDIA
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Depending on the course, the anxiety may be different. If employees want to take a yoga class as an educational leave, they may be worried about being considered lazy because they don't do it in their free time. The environment often knows nothing about the back pain that one would like to improve or preventively avoid with this course. The key, however, is communication, says Körber. It is best to do this on both sides.
Without fear to educational leave: It works with three steps
If you are afraid as a worker, you can try to convince your superiors in various steps. Above all, it is important that others understand the reasons for educational leave. "Educational leave is support and not absenteeism," says Lara Körber from bildungsurlauber.de. This has to be received by the superiors.
Educational leave is a holistic project, it is certified by the federal states and thus employees receive a didactic offer with added value. By the way, employers continue to pay wages, as in the case of a recreational holiday. The costs for further training, teaching materials, travel or accommodation are borne by the workers, DGB informs on its own website. Subsequently, the costs can be claimed in the tax return.
However, it can also be valuable for supervisors, because "educational leave is a 360-degree tool for one's own satisfaction and an engine for growth and appreciation in the company," says Lara Körber. Physical or mental illnesses can be prevented, the workforce is motivated and the support that the employer allows can strengthen the emotional education to the company. Productivity is also increased, informs bildungsurlauber.de. But it's also important: "Educational leave can be fun."
Bildungsurlauber.de on "Die Höhle der Löwen"
Lara Körber and Anian Schmitt can be seen in the season finale of "Die Höhle der Löwen" on Vox on May 29. With the Bildungsurlauber.de platform, they want to close a knowledge gap among the population. Employees can choose from 14,000 course dates on the site. Among them are courses on "nonviolent communication, marketing, language courses or yoga". There are also bundled official application documents for educational leave. The founding duo needs 150,000 euros and offers ten percent of the company's shares.
