Can I start my own small business with subsidiary protection?

Question

Hello again team,
I would like to ask if someone with subsidiary protection can start a small business, please advise and where can I apply for fund or sponsorship.

Again I would like to ask about ausbildung: is there any way university degree can be converted or equivalent to ausbildung to avoid to go back to study again and spending so much in studies. I have degree in economics, is there anyway I can convert my degree to ausbildung or how I can use my degree here in Germany? .

Regards

Comments

Hello @Malcolm, welcome back to our community and thanks for reaching out to us again. I will link our dear experts @mbeon-fardeen and @mbeon-Éanna. Maybe they can have a **** at your questions and get back to you with an answer. Best wishes, Julia

Answer 1

Hi @Malcom,

A person with subsidiary protection can start a business. Assuming you are registered and receiving financial support from the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter currently, you can receive extra funding from them if setting up your own business. Here is more about it:

https://***-arbeitsagentur-de.translate.goog/arbeitslosengeld-2/existenzgruendung?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

There are also various other programmes run to encourage people to set up a business. This can involve a mix of advice, coaching and money (either as a sponsorship or as a loan). Here is an example of the types of supports that are on offer in Berlin:

https://***-ibb-de.translate.goog/de/wirtschaftsfoerderung/kundengruppen/existenzgruender/existenzgruender.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Here is a good general information portal in English from the German government:

https://***.existenzgruender.de/EN/Home/inhalt.html

To my knowledge, there isn’t as such a mechanism for converting a university degree into an Ausbildung. An Ausbildung is usually a specific profession (e.g. baker, car mechanic) rather than  a general subject area such as economics. Is there a specific Ausbildung you wish to do? As you have a university degree, it may be possible to do a shorter form of training than the full 2-3 years of an Ausbildung. These are called Fortbildungen and Weiterbildungen and can be funded by the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter. They can also supply funding to have your degree translated and recognised as comparable wiih a German one. Here’s more information about that:

https://***.kmk.org/zab/statement-of-comparability.html

You can also apply directly for jobs or internships that require a background in economics. It is ultimately at the discretion of a particular company whether they wish to employ you.

Best,

Éanna