Applying
The German CV and Motivation Letter for an Ausbildung
A German CV (Lebenslauf) is one to two pages, reverse-chronological, with a photo in most cases, and it is signed and dated at the bottom. It contains no personal statement, no objective and no references section. For an Ausbildung application it is submitted in German alongside a Motivationsschreiben and your certificates, usually as a single PDF.
A CV that ignores German convention does not just look different — it reads as someone who did not prepare. Given that the pile on the recruiter’s desk contains applications from people who did, the format is worth an hour of your time.
What goes in a German Lebenslauf
| Section | German heading | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Header | — | Full name, address, phone with country code, email, date and place of birth, nationality. A professional photo top right is conventional in Germany. |
| Education | Schulbildung / Ausbildung | Schools and qualifications, most recent first, with months and years. Name the qualification in its original language and add a short German gloss. |
| Work experience | Berufserfahrung | Roles with dates and two or three bullet points each. Care, health or customer-facing work first. |
| Internships / practical | Praktika | Any hospital, clinic or care placement. Give this real space — it is the most relevant thing you have. |
| Languages | Sprachkenntnisse | Each language with its CEFR level, and the certificate and date for German. This is the first line a recruiter looks for. |
| Other skills | Kenntnisse / EDV-Kenntnisse | Computer skills, first aid certificates, driving licence. |
| Interests | Interessen | Optional, two lines maximum, and only if genuinely relevant or humanising. |
| Signature | — | Place, date, and your signature. German CVs are signed. |
What to leave out
- A personal statement or career objective. That content belongs in the Motivationsschreiben. On a Lebenslauf it reads as padding.
- “References available on request.” Not a German convention. If they want references they will ask.
- Decorative design. Colour blocks, icons, skill bars and infographics are the fashion elsewhere; German care employers overwhelmingly expect a clean, plain, readable document.
- Unexplained gaps. German CVs are expected to be complete and chronological. A gap you do not explain invites the question; a one-line explanation (“Sprachkurs Deutsch, Vollzeit”) closes it.
German anti-discrimination law does not require a photo, and you are entitled to omit one. In practice most German CVs still carry a professional headshot, and for care roles it remains conventional. If you include one, make it a proper photo: plain background, neutral clothing, no holiday crop.
I keep an updated list of the exact documents each Bundesland asks for. It is in the community. Have a look →
The Motivationsschreiben is not a cover letter
This is where applicants from English-speaking traditions go wrong. A German motivation letter for an Ausbildung is a one-page argument with a specific job: convince the reader that you have chosen this profession and this employer deliberately, and that you will still be there in three years.
The structure that works:
- Why nursing. Concretely. Not “I love helping people” — what you have actually done, seen or experienced that led here. A specific story beats a sentiment every time.
- Why Germany, and why this employer. Name something real about them: the intake, the department, the training structure, the region. This sentence is the one that separates you from a mass mailing.
- What you bring. Your German level and certificate, your school certificate and its assessment status, any care experience, and the personal qualities you can evidence rather than assert.
- Your practical situation. Where you are, what your document status is, when you could start. Recruiters hiring internationally want to know this early, and volunteering it reads as competence.
- A clear closing. That you look forward to an interview, and that you are available by video.
One page. In German. Written by you, not by a translation tool run over an English letter — that is recognisable, and it undermines the language certificate you just attached.
How to package the application
German employers expect a complete, ordered set. Send one PDF unless the advert says otherwise, named clearly:
Bewerbung_Ausbildung_Pflegefachmann_Nachname_Vorname.pdf- Order inside: Motivationsschreiben, Lebenslauf, German language certificate, school certificates with certified translations, any care-experience references, certificate assessment if you already have it.
- Keep it under about 10 MB. Scan documents properly rather than photographing them at an angle.
- Subject line:
Bewerbung Ausbildung Pflegefachmann 2027 – [Your Name]
If the employer uses an online portal, use the portal. Applications emailed to someone who asked for a portal submission get lost.
Reviewing it yourself before you send
You will not usually have a German colleague to check your documents, so build the habit of reviewing them properly yourself. Work through these in order, with a break between writing and checking:
- Read the CV aloud in German. Anything you stumble over, a recruiter will too.
- Check every date is in German format (TT.MM.JJJJ) and that there are no unexplained gaps.
- Confirm your German level and certificate appear in the first half of page one.
- Check the employer’s name is spelled correctly and appears in the motivation letter — the single most common copy-paste failure.
- Confirm the letter names something specific about this employer.
- Run a German spellchecker, then read once more for the errors a spellchecker approves of (der/die/das, case endings).
- Check the PDF opens, the pages are in order, and nothing is upside down.
- Confirm the file name has your actual name in it.
Common questions
How long should a German CV be?
One to two pages. For an Ausbildung applicant without a long career history, one page is usually right and two is acceptable if you have substantial care experience.
Do I need a photo on my German CV?
It is not legally required and you may omit it. In practice most German CVs include a professional headshot and it remains conventional for care roles. If you use one, make it a proper studio-style photo with a plain background.
Should my CV be in German or English?
German. The training and the workplace are German-speaking, so a German application is itself evidence of readiness. Imperfect German written by you is better received than polished English.
Does a German CV need to be signed?
Yes — place, date and signature at the bottom is standard German practice and its absence is noticed. A scanned signature inserted into the PDF is fine.
What if I have no work experience at all?
That is normal for an Ausbildung applicant — it is entry-level training. Lead with your education, your German, and any voluntary, family-care or internship experience, and use the motivation letter to explain why you are choosing this profession.
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Inside the community you get the employer shortlist, the German-style CV and motivation letter templates, the self-review guide you use to check your own documents, the interview question bank and the visa document checklists. You do the applying. I show you exactly how.
Sources and further reading
- Uniklinik Ulm academy — required application documents for applicants from abroad (cover letter, CV, language certificate, translated school certificates)
- pflegeausbildung.net — information for applicants from abroad