BAMF-funded specialist language courses (DeuFöV) versus education voucher (BGS)-funded courses offered by employment agencies and job centers: What is the difference and why does the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions focus on BGS-funded courses?
The German state is strongly committed to the professional integration of people who have arrived from abroad through various support systems. After receiving a residence permit, the aim is to make them available to the labor market quickly. The aim is to give newcomers a valid chance of successfully entering the job market and achieving social integration. And this is achieved first and foremost through the acquisition of the German language and, above all, the specialist language skills required for the job.
It is in the nature of things that the various support systems are often difficult for outsiders to understand. Therefore, we would like to compare the two funding systems DeuFöV and Bildungsgutschein (BGS according to AZAV) in the context of acquiring the German license to practice medicine, dentistry and pharmacy and also explain why we at brmi-Akademie für Heilberufe focus primarily on the courses funded by Bildungsgutschein.
We have been working intensively for some time on the question of whether we, the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions, should also offer specialist language courses funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) (certificate of eligibility, DeuFöV) in addition to our proven range of specialist language courses funded by education vouchers.
Until recently, the BAMF's general language courses were only offered for language levels A1 to B2 and various training providers were commissioned to run these courses. For some time now, the BAMF has also been offering “job-related German language courses” for medical professionals. Funding for such courses is then possible via the job center or the employment agency in the form of a “certificate of eligibility” (DeuFöV § 45a AufenthG).
The Academy management and our scientific advisory board continuously review the educational program of the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions and adapt it to the requirements and latest developments in the field of promoting medical healthcare professions. After intensive discussion and weighing up the pros and cons, we continue to recommend that prospective medical professionals who wish to obtain their German license to practice as a doctor, dentist or pharmacist should apply for funding via the education voucher. The brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions will therefore focus on this type of funding in order to provide the best possible support for our participants. The reasons are
1. the DeuFöV courses contain 600 teaching units (UE), with a maximum of 5 UE per day. Such a course therefore lasts 120 days = 24 weeks, i.e. a good 6 months. This period may be extended by public vacations and/or vacation days.
2. the courses we currently offer for C1 technical language currently comprise 520 units, spread over just under 13 weeks. This means that the medical professional reaches “technical language maturity” within 3.25 months, as we hold at least 8 lessons a day.
3. if a medical professional is not yet ready to take the specialist language exam within these 13 weeks, the participant can go on to our other modules without restriction, e.g. work shadowing in a clinic/practice/pharmacy etc., so that there is another opportunity to apply and practise the language learned for a further 3 months. This procedure greatly increases the chances of passing the specialist language examination!
You can then go to an advice center or the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions, receive a provisional confirmation or offer from there, and then apply again to the Job Center or Employment Agency as the service provider for a regular education voucher (BGS) for the professional preparation for the knowledge test (licensing examination). This process can take a further 6-8 months.
4. a medical professional (all academic health professions) who takes part in a C1 specialist language course with a DeuFöV authorization certificate loses a lot of time. Why is this? Only when the BAMF course has been completed after 6 months can this person register for the Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) at the respective chamber. The chambers currently allocate examination dates between
2 to 6 months waiting time, depending on the chamber. The medical professional must then first pass the examination, go to a counselling center or the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions with this result, if necessary, receive a provisional confirmation or offer from there, and then apply again to the job center or employment agency as the service provider for a regular education voucher (BGS) for the professional preparation for the knowledge examination (licensing examination). This process can take a further 6-8 months.
5. Thus, the medical professional has needed a good 12 months just to complete the “Fachsprache C1”. Only now can preparation for the knowledge test (licensing examination) begin. The challenge for medical professionals in the interim period between the end of the BAMF course and the issue of an education voucher is to bridge this time sensibly and also to finance it.
6. The advantage for medical professionals participating in the BGS-sponsored programs of the brmi Academy for Healthcare Professions is a concentrated, compact presence - without interruption and without loss of time. With continuous participation over 9.5 months, at least the specialist language examination can be taken during this time and the preparation for the knowledge examination can be completed with a qualified certificate. After this, it is possible to work in a clinic or practice with a professional license in accordance with §10 BÄO, §13 ZHG etc., or to go directly to the knowledge test (KP).
7. In addition to the DeuFöV courses, the brmi-Akademie für Heilberufe also offers advice on the recognition procedure and further support when registering for the specialist language or knowledge examination. These are certified, fixed components of our BGS courses. Our BGS measures also include support from our social program from day one, such as sponsorships, social counseling, psychological learning counseling and much more.
Conclusion
We very much welcome the fact that the BAMF offers integration and language courses for all target groups. However, we are convinced that our certified, BGS-funded courses are much more effective for the specific group of academic healthcare professionals when it comes to obtaining a German license to practice more quickly and reliably. This benefits both the practices and clinics affected by the shortage of specialists, the German state in the form of the service providers and, ultimately, the healthcare professionals themselves, who are motivated to put their qualifications into practice here in Germany as quickly as possible.
We are therefore currently sticking to our proven and scientifically supported quality concept and continue to prepare all medical professionals for their (specialist) language and knowledge examinations with BGS or as self-payers. However, ongoing reviews of the framework conditions and market requirements may also lead to different assessments in the future.
Frankfurt, February 2023
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