Training as an office assistant at the Deutsche Bundesbank's Regional Office in Baden-Württemberg

Length of the training programme

The office assistant training programme at the Deutsche Bundesbank's Regional Office in Baden-Württemberg lasts 2,5 years. This is reduced to 2 years in the case of school-leavers with A levels.

Requirements

Are you currently studying for your A levels ("Abitur"), certificate of aptitude for higher education ("Fachhochschulreife") or general certificate of secondary education ("Mittlere Reife")? Are you sociable, independent and a team player? If you have a good command of German spelling and have a basic knowledge of English then you are just the kind of person we are looking for! We are looking for committed young people, who are open-minded and creative. What is important for us is that you have initiative, can accept responsibility and adapt flexibly to varying demands.

Selection procedure

Before a decision about your appointment is made, a selection procedure will be conducted to determine whether you have the necessary knowledge and personality for the training programme and subsequent functions. The selection procedure is in two parts. The first part consists of a written aptitude test involving logical thinking and concentration exercises, memory and imagination tests and a spelling and arithmetic test. The second part of the selection procedure helps us to learn more about your personality. This takes the form of a one-on-one interview.

Recruitment

We enrol trainees for our office assistant training programme every year. The starting date is 1 September.

Example of pay during training (as of January 2011)

Training: theory

You will gain part of the specialist knowledge needed to perform your future tasks independently in courses at a vocational business school. In addition, we will provide intensive professional supervision.

Training: practice

Practical training will involve working on various tasks and projects in selected departments of a Regional Office (eg personnel, administration, credit operations banking supervision) for several weeks at a time. In addition you will receive up to one year's training at one of our branches. A visitor training course of around four weeks at a local commercial or production enterprise is also planned for the second year of training.

Examinations

At the end of your first year of training, you will sit an intermediate examination at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Special examination preparation will ensure that you are well equipped to sit both the intermediate examination and the final examination at the end of the 2 or 2,5-year training period. Your training will end when you sit the office assistant examination at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Applications

Planned intakes are advertised in the major German daily newspapers and on our Job opportunities page (in the summer months over a year before the training programme is due to start) and the employment offices are notified accordingly. Applications should be made using our online application form; the relevant web link is given in the advertisement on our Job opportunities page. Online applications should include the usual supporting documents (letter of application and copies of the last three school certificates) as file attachments.

If you do not have the technical facilities to apply online, you can send your application (above mentioned documents and a CV in table form) to the Deutsche Bundesbank’s Human Resources Division at the Regional Office in Baden-Württemberg. The Human Resources Division can also provide you with further information in connection with your application (eg precise application dates).

Contacts

If you have any questions about the structure and content of the training programme, please contact:

• Ms Karin Mergenthaler
• +49 711 944 1274
• karin.mergenthaler@bundesbank.de

• Mr Dieter Maier
• +49 711 944 1222
• Dieter.Maier@bundesbank.de

Career prospects

After successfully passing the final examination, the Deutsche Bundesbank offers exceptional trainees a permanent contract (depending on current staffing requirements) and thus the chance to take on commercial and organisational assignments as a junior bank official in our Intermediate Service. (Currently, this opportunity is only available at our Central Office in Frankfurt am Main.) Your future role with us could involve working at a computer, managing data, working in a booking team, placing orders and processing invoices. Click on the following link Career prospects in the Intermediate Service to see what other opportunities a career with the Deutsche Bundesbank could offer you.

Trainees whom we are unable to offer a permanent contract at the end of the training course are usually still offered a six month limited-term contract to gain initial work experience and to plan their next career moves. Successfully completing our office assistant training programme provides you with a key for your future career, which will open the door to a successful future within the administration department of companies in every industrial sector. You may even wish to specialise in a particular field (eg financial accounting) or undertake additional training (eg office administrator). A wide range of opportunities are opened up to you!