Time for change - my personal path

As I mentioned before, even before my apprenticeship I had the attitude that studying was completely superfluous and that you don't need a degree to do a job. However, after my final apprenticeship exam, I somehow felt the need for a change, especially because my dream job at the time ended up giving me nightmares. So I decided to bring forward my community service and found myself in the social sector.

After nine months of community service, I was offered the opportunity to continue working as a carer. What sounded impressive at first was no longer what it used to be after two years. However, I liked the social sector. However, you can only really gain a foothold here if you have at least a Bachelor's degree. So I jumped over my shadow and decided to do my A-levels.

Further education jungle - the variety of offers

If, like me, you decide to catch up on your A-levels, you should get your machete out first, because otherwise you'll get lost in the jungle of further education. Whether it's self-study from home or face-to-face lessons on site: preparatory courses, evening grammar schools, Matura schools, Matura courses - many names for one and the same goal. But they usually differ in their small details:

Prerequisites:
In principle, anyone who has completed an apprenticeship or a vocational secondary school can attend a preparatory course. By passing the required additional qualification examinations (German, maths, English and an additional subject such as physics, biology, geography or history), you acquire the authorisation to complete a degree course.

Duration:
The duration of the courses is usually specified as 2 semesters (i.e. one year), although this also depends to a certain extent on your own motivation to learn, as examination subjects can also simply be learnt through self-study without attending a course.

Costs:
The preparatory course at FH Burgenland is free of charge. A deposit of € 350 is required at the start of the course, which will be refunded after successfully passing the exams during the first year of study.

Notes:It should also be mentioned that the preparatory course is usually* restricted to one degree programme as well as the respective university of applied sciences.

Here you can find more information about the preparatory programme at FH Burgenland.

*From time to time, however, this restriction is not taken into account! -> Just try :)!

University entrance qualification examinations

As with the preparatory course, the university entrance qualification examination enables students to take examinations for ONE specific degree programme. Preparation can also take place in self-study or in preparation courses, whereby preparation in courses at the respective institutes (for example the adult education centre (VHS) , the Berufsförderungsinstitut (bfi), or the WIFI) is subject to a fee.

Duration:

The duration of the courses is usually specified as 2 semesters (i.e. one year), although this also depends to a certain extent on your own motivation to learn, as examination subjects can also be learnt simply through self-study, without attending a course.

Costs:
On average, you can expect to pay around €1000 for all subjects and examinations.

Notes:The university entrance qualification examination is tailored to ONE degree programme, but is not restricted to a specific university.

Vocational matriculation examination

In order to take the Berufsreifeprüfung, you generally need a valid apprenticeship contract or a final apprenticeship examination (there are also further regulations in the BRP Act, §1). The Berufsreifeprüfung also consists of four partial examinations in the subjects German, maths, English and a subject area. The subject area varies depending on the training programme.

Duration:

The duration of the courses is usually specified as 2 semesters (i.e. one year), although this also depends to some extent on your own motivation to learn, as examination subjects can also simply be learnt through self-study without attending a course.

Costs:
Here, too, you can expect average costs of around €1,000.

Notes:Vocational school-leaving examinations can also be taken at so-called "Matura schools". These are usually organised in such a way that the timetable runs from Monday to Friday.

Evening grammar school

Anyone who has previously attended a secondary school (Gymnasium or BHS, completion of 4th grade Gymnasium) or has a Hauptschule qualification (but no apprenticeship qualification), is employed or is registered as a jobseeker with the AMS has the opportunity to attend an evening grammar school.

Further information on the evening grammar school.

Unfortunately, there is not only a jungle of further education, but also a real jungle of subsidies. In order to receive funding, you need to have the right main place of residence. At this point, however, I would like to refer you to a very good external advice centre:

Not sure if you've found the right one?

For those of you who are partially familiar with the topic but still need more information, I can warmly recommend the online education counselling service. Here you can get advice quickly and easily by e-mail or now even via an online chat.

Good luck on your second educational path!