(Cultivated; 05-03; p.2)

For teenagers and young adults a decision about their further careers - apprentice, trainee or student - will come up. Therefore, a short sketch - without some teacher's warning tone - will be drawn and societal realities and functionalities shown.

 

Realities

German pupils face two basic decisions within their careers: the first after finishing four years of primary school and the second after finishing secondary forms of school and embarking on vocational education or university. They are fundamental for further careers and can hardly be revised.

To shed light on one result already yet: These decisions are not at all independent from the respective social class and some patterns of decision remain unchanged since decades although the over-all level of education has become remarkably higher (This article is strongly based on a sociological review of Germany: Geißler, R: Die Sozialstruktur Deutschlands, Bonn 2002, pp. 333-364.)

After primary school, pupils mainly have to choose between three forms of secondary education:
1. "Hauptschule" that is left after tenth class and ideally is followed by vocational training including vocational education - this specific form is called "dual" system, because four days are spent in a firm and one in a vocational school; about a quarter of German pupils choose this career;
2. some sort of "Realschule" that as well is left after tenth class to be followed by vocational training; after unification however, different mixed forms of "Hauptschule", "Realschule" and "Gymnasium" (which will be introduced next) had been established within the sixteen federal states; they offer e.g. a unified middle-ranking degree or even the German equivalent of A-levels, the "Abitur"; about 40% of pupils choose some sort of this category;
3: "Gymnasium" that is left after thirteenth class with the Abitur - which in contrast to A-levels is usually a general degree and so allows to study every subject in Germany; since the requirements of the work-world have become higher, it is not an exception anymore that Gymnasiasts start a vocational career as trainee rather than go to university; about 30% of pupils choose this form. (read on here)