Recognition in Germany / Anerkennung in Deutschland

Hi Richard,


Many thanks for your reply. I’ve been through much the same process myself, although am still waiting to hear back from the Bezirksregierung in Detmold. My claim to the title of Ingenieur is predominantly based on my experience on my CV and my recognition as IEng. I included my BSc(Hons) in Engineering Management as well, and I’ve been told that it may not be recognised (although the mention of The Bologna rules seemed to sort that). 


As Alec has pointed out above, I may simply give up on trying to get recognition, as a lot of the larger companies recognise most Western European qualifications without translations. I even had my first rejection letter yesterday for being over qualified, which is something I didn’t expect to happen!


James

Hi,


I went through getting my MEng degree recognised last year (Anerkennung der Berufsbezeichnung Ingenieur), because I was worried about what consequences Brexit might have.

What I had to do was apply to the relevant body for my Land, in my case the Architekten- und ingenieurkammer Schleswig-Holstein. I found their website quite informative, so maybe you'll it useful as well, even though you don't live in Schleswig Holstein:
https://www.aik-sh.de/zustaendige-stelle-2/


What I had to do was fill out a form and provide translated documentation, in total (in German, copied straight from the application form):

1) Antragsformular

2) Kopie des Personalausweises

3) Beglaubigte Übersetzung und Kopie des ausländischen Abschlusszeugnisses

4) Beglaubigte Übersetzung und Kopie der ausländischen Urkunde

5) Lebenslauf

6) Aktuelle Meldebestätigung

7) Frankierter Briefumschlag zum Rücksenden der Unterlagen


After a bit of back and forth and a couple of phone calls, I got the documentation back about 4 weeks later.


I found the official translator via this website: https://suche.bdue.de/


I hope this is of some help.


Richard

Alec, Rob,


Again, thanks for the replies. I'm in the group, but read more than I post. Unfortunately my experience of FB has been that some people tend to write answers to questions they don't fully understand, hence the post here in communities. Sensible answers rather than "Karen from Marketing" putting her tuppance! Thank you both though and Alec, I have a relative who works for Siemens - he's asked within his HR department; as an international company, they're not interested in the conversion of qualifications, unless they're from countries where the education system is known to be "lacking" compared to European norms. I shall wait and see what the Bezirksregierung comes back with, but until then, continue to apply for jobs where I feel I fit the job description.


James

Good advice from Rob. Thinking about it, does it really matter what the Bezirksregierung thinks? International companies don't need to be told about qualifications and even the famous German Mittelstand is much more outward-looking than it used to be. I'm not even sure that "Ingenieur" as opposed to "Diplom-Ingenieur" is a recognized prenomial.

Alec Clelland BSc FIET

Hi James: you might want to post your query into the "British in Germany" Facebook group if you have not already done so. There are a number of ex-military members who may be able to share their experiences. I'm one of the moderators of the FB group - let me know if/when you post something and I'll make sure that it becomes public. Rob.

Alexander,


Thank you for your reply. I applied the the Bezirksregierung with the hope that I would be considered under the EU regulations before the transition period came to an end. However, I appear to be experiencing exactly what you’ve suggested!


My IEng recognition has been awarded through experience and my military apprenticeship, which is very difficult to translate into a format understandable in Germany. I have my fingers crossed that the Bezirksregierung will eventually recognise me as an Ingenieur, but in the meantime, I will be forced to rely on my CV, which will hopefully be sufficient. 


I am immensely proud of my military service and of the qualifications and experience I have gained whilst serving. Our use of post-nominals in the UK remains on my Lebenslauf and so far has been a conversation starter. 


Again, thanks for your reply and if I am accepted as an Ingenieur, I’ll post here and let you know. 

Hi James. I'm retired and was hoping that someone more up-to-date would answer you, but for what it's worth I was for many years responsible for interviewing IET candidates in Germany for IEng and CEng status. The short answer is not very encouraging I'm afraid: the EU Directive no longer applies after Brexit. In the absence of bilateral agreements the German authorities are no longer obliged to accept UK qualifications as equivalent. In addition, my impression was that the Germans implemented the Directive through clenched teeth: understandable, given that a German Hochschule engineering degree (Dipl. Eng) is usually 6 years. I'm not sure whether the new B.Sc. degrees on offer in Germany are equivalent to the older German Dipl.Eng.(FH) but I suspect not as even the Fachhochschule courses were at least 4 years. Someone in the university system would have to answer that.


So: I'm not surprised that the Bezirksregierung doesn't know what to do with you. In the old days German companies liked recruiting British engineers because they had a good reputation but could be paid less than equivalent German engineers because their qualifications were considered lower. Even so, I do wonder how much it matters: a good CV will cover a multitude of sins. Experience counts, maybe not as much as in the UK, but you won't know until you've dipped a toe in the water.