CV Example for German Apprenticeship — See Exactly What German Employers Expect, Wherever You’re Applying From
A CV that gets you noticed at home can quietly work against you in Germany — not because it’s wrong, but because German recruiters scan for very specific things nobody tells you about. Below is a full CV Example for German Apprenticeship, plus exactly what changes depending on where you’re applying from.
Why this CV Example for German Apprenticeship isn’t country-specific: the CV a German employer wants to see is the same whether you’re applying from Lagos, Kampala, Manila, Tashkent, or Casablanca. What differs is what you were taught to do at home — and that’s exactly what trips candidates up. So instead of writing this guide twenty times, we wrote it once, properly, with a full working example.
Watch: Enrico walks through a real CV, line by line
A short walkthrough of exactly what a German employer scans for in the first ten seconds — and the small changes that make the biggest difference.
CV Example for German Apprenticeship: The Full Sample
Amaya Azubine
Applying for: Ausbildung zur Fachkraft im Gastgewerbe (Hospitality Apprenticeship) · German level B1Personal Details
Education
Work Experience & Internships
Language Skills
IT Skills
CV Example for German Apprenticeship: How Habits Differ by Country
| CV Element | Vietnam | Uganda | Ghana | Morocco | German Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo | Usually expected, often studio-style | Common, sometimes informal | Common, professional headshot expected | Common, formal portrait | Optional today, but if used: neutral background, business attire, no filters |
| Length | Often condensed to 1 page | 1–2 pages, sometimes longer with full detail | 1–2 pages | Often 1 page, dense formatting | Exactly 1–2 pages, clean layout, generous white space |
| Personal details | Age, sometimes marital status included | Age, religion, tribe occasionally listed | Age, marital status, sometimes nationality/religion | Age, marital status, sometimes nationality | Name, address, contact, date of birth. No religion, marital status, or ethnicity — standard under German anti-discrimination law (AGG) |
| References | Named referees with phone numbers, listed directly | Named referees, often 2–3 with contacts | Named referees expected on the CV itself | Sometimes listed, sometimes „available on request“ | Not listed on the CV at all — German employers expect Arbeitszeugnisse (reference letters) attached separately |
| Structure | Often narrative-style, paragraphs | Mixed — some narrative, some list-based | Often narrative with objective statement up top | Narrative-style common, decorative formatting | Strict reverse-chronological table (tabellarischer Lebenslauf) — dates on the left, no gaps, no paragraphs |
| Signature | Rarely required | Rarely required | Rarely required | Sometimes expected at the bottom | A handwritten or digital signature with place and date at the bottom is still expected by many employers |
None of the home-country habits above are wrong — they’re simply built for a different reader. A Vietnamese, Ugandan, Ghanaian, or Moroccan HR manager is scanning for different signals than a German one. The goal isn’t to judge either approach; it’s to help you switch conventions on purpose, the same way you’d switch currencies before a trip.
Your Checklist: CV Example for German Apprenticeship
- Reverse-chronological table format, most recent first
- 1–2 pages maximum, generous margins, one clean font throughout
- No gaps in your timeline — explain any break in one short line
- No religion, marital status, or ethnicity listed
- Photo optional; if included, plain background and business attire
- Language levels stated honestly using CEFR scale (A1–C2), not „fluent“
- Certificates and Arbeitszeugnisse attached separately, not summarised as references in the CV
- Signed and dated at the bottom, with your city
Frequently Asked Questions — CV Example for German Apprenticeship
Can I use this CV Example for German Apprenticeship directly?
Use the structure and section order exactly as shown in this CV Example for German Apprenticeship — that part is deliberately standard. But every bracketed detail needs to be your own real information; a CV copied word-for-word instead of adapted is easy for an employer to spot and will do more harm than good.
Do I really need to remove my photo, age, or marital status?
The photo is optional either way — including one won’t hurt you. But age, marital status, religion, and ethnicity are worth leaving out. German anti-discrimination law (AGG) means many HR departments are trained to look past these details anyway, and including them can read as unfamiliar with local norms rather than help you stand out.
How long should my CV actually be?
One page if you’re a recent school leaver with little formal experience, two pages if you have internships, part-time work, or vocational training to show. Never more than two — German recruiters read dozens of these a day, and a three-page CV signals you don’t yet know the format.
Should I list references directly on my CV, like the sample doesn’t?
No. In Germany, this is handled differently: attach your actual Arbeitszeugnisse (formal reference letters) or school certificates as separate documents instead. Listing a person’s name and phone number on the CV itself isn’t the local convention and can look out of place to a German reader.
How do I describe my German level correctly?
Use the CEFR scale — A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 — rather than vague words like „fluent“ or „good.“ A German employer reads „B1“ instantly and knows exactly what to expect; „good German“ tells them nothing verifiable.
What documents should I prepare alongside my CV?
Your motivation letter, your school certificates (with certified translations where required), and any language certificates. Exactly which documents you’ll need for both your application and your visa depends partly on your home country — see our full Documents Guide for the complete breakdown.
Should my CV be in German or English?
Match the language of the job posting. Many German employers hiring international apprentices accept English CVs at the application stage, but a German-language CV alongside it — even a modest one — signals real commitment and is rarely a bad idea once your German reaches B1.
What’s the single biggest mistake international candidates make?
Writing the CV as a narrative or story instead of a scannable table, like the sample above. German HR staff are trained to scan a CV in under thirty seconds looking for dates, gaps, and structure — a paragraph-style CV, however well written, forces them to slow down and read, which works against you rather than for you.
Continue Your Application — More Free Guides
- → Motivation letter example for German apprenticeship (coming soon)
- → Job interview questions for German apprenticeship (coming soon)
- → Ausbildung in Deutschland ohne Agentur — the full overview
- → Which documents you need for your application and visa
- → Flights and travel planning to Germany
- → How to avoid Germany recruitment scams
- → Vocational training visa for Germany
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