Training for the Bundesbank’s Intermediate Service career path

Civil service career in the Intermediate Service

Our Regional Offices offer training as a civil servant in the Intermediate Service. As part of the training programme, you will acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills in such diverse areas as cash, cashless payments, banking operations, administration and accounting.

Length of the training programme

The training programme for the Deutsche Bundesbank’s Intermediate Service lasts two years.

Requirements

You can enrol for the Intermediate Service programme if you

• have a school-leaving certificate from a lower secondary school (Hauptschulabschluss) and relevant vocational training for this programme (eg business or commercial training) or a school-leaving certificate from an intermediate secondary school (Realschulabschluss),
• are a national of one of the member states of the European Union (German civil service law),
• have not yet reached the age of 32 at the time of recruitment or 40 if you are severely disabled (German civil service law),
• are physically fit (required for cash processing),
• have a good command of German and numeracy skills,
• are interested in economics and law,
• are a team player and
• are prepared to work anywhere in Germany.
  

Applications

The next entry date for the Intermediate Service training programme is 1 September 2012. Positions are scheduled to be advertised in Germany’s major daily newspapers at the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012 and on our Job opportunities page from December 2011. Applications may be submitted from then onwards.

Please apply online. A link to the application form is included in the respective job description on the Job opportunities page. Online applications should include the usual supporting documents (covering letter, copies of the last two school certificates). If you do not have the technical facilities to apply online, you may alternatively send your application (above-mentioned documents and a CV in tabular form) to the Human Resources Division of the appropriate Regional Office (see Contact below).

Selection procedure

Before a decision about your appointment is made, a selection procedure will be conducted to determine whether you have the necessary knowledge, skills and personality for the training programme and subsequent tasks. The selection procedure includes a written test, a group activity, a structured interview and a further written exercise and takes place at the Bundesbank Regional Office to which you are applying.

Please see our selection guideline for further details.

Recruitment

You will be recruited by the competent Regional Office as a "trainee Bundesbank middle-ranking civil servant" (Bundesbanksekretäranwärter/in) with a revocable appointment. The standard starting date is 1 September and, depending on location, there will be an additional starting date of 1 March. Where you are employed during and after your training will depend on the Bank’s requirements although your personal wishes will be taken into consideration as much as possible.

Example of pay during training (as at January 2011)

Note: married trainee civil servants and those with children receive a family allowance.

Training: theory

During the theoretical part of the training programme, you will acquire the specialist knowledge required to perform your future tasks independently and become a generalist in your chosen career category. Practice-oriented teaching sessions and central training programmes, for example in our Training Centre in Eltville am Rhein, will provide you with the theoretical foundations, focusing on the following subjects.

• Cash processing
• Payment systems
• Banking operations
• Organisation, tasks and operations of the Deutsche Bundesbank
• Office organisation
• Law
• (Banking) mathematics
• Accounting
  

Training: practice

During your practical training, which lasts approximately 18 months, you will be familiarised with the tasks and specialist areas in the Intermediate Service as well as the relevant procedures. Practical training generally takes place at the relevant Regional Office, in the associated branches or in Central Office.

Examination

During your practical and theoretical training, you will be called on to put your new-found knowledge to the test in exams and course work. Your training will culminate in a career development examination for the Intermediate Service, which consists of a written and an oral exam.

Probationary period

Once you have passed the career development examination for the Intermediate Service, you may, if you are considered suitable, be appointed as a “candidate for the post of Bundesbank middle-ranking civil servant” (Bundesbanksekretär/in) and accepted into the civil service on probation.

Permanent civil servant

Once you have successfully completed your probationary period – which generally lasts three years – you will enter into the civil service on a permanent basis provided that the other relevant conditions stipulated under civil service law are fulfilled.

Career prospects

Once you have successfully completed your training, you will take on responsible tasks in cash management at our branches. You will, as part of a team, operate state-of-the-art machines used to process banknotes and coins and provide services for the entire economy. During your career, you will – depending on your qualifications and performance and on our requirements – have the opportunity of taking on a managerial role in the areas cash handling and vaults.

Contact

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions on the deadlines for application or on the structure and/or contents of the training course.

For questions on the application process please contact:

For questions on the contents of the training programme, please contact:

• Timo Straßenmeyer
• +49 69 9566 5143
• Timo.Strassenmeyer@bundesbank.de



• Dajana Dewitz
• +49 69 9566 5124
• Dajana.Dewitz@bundesbank.de