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The Employment Agency pays the costs of the MeCademy to the following people because they are eligible people and can apply for and receive an activation and placement voucher (AVGS):

• Unemployed people who receive ALG I or ALG II
• Jobseekers at risk of unemployment

Specifically, this means that you must meet at least one of these criteria:

• you receive ALG I (after a 6-week waiting period)*
• you receive ALG II**
• you have a 1 euro job
• you are returning to work after parental leave
• you are an earner
• you are or want to become self-employed or start a business
• you are not receiving any benefits or you have just completed school/vocational training
• You have already received notice of termination from your employer
• you have been released from work by your employer until the end of the notice period

* If you haven’t completed the 6-week wait yet, try to convince your supervisor that MeCademy is what will get you into work quickly. It is up to his/her discretion to issue the voucher to you early. If he/she declines, apply anyway for the next iteration of MeCademy. This also applies if you top up ALG I with ALG II. It is important that you are in the ALG I system.

** As a recipient of ALG II you have no legal claim to AVGS. But: the job center has a discretion to issue you a voucher. If you, as a job seeker, show initiative and request an AVGS, the chances of getting it are not bad.

In the event that your ALG entitlement expires shortly before the start of the MeCademy: The most important thing is: ASK & ARGUMENT and always be professional and polite. In this way you can achieve more with your supervisor than is permitted by law. If the supervisor cancels anyway: the next MeCademy round starts on March 29th. With ALG II and with the help of our 3 documents, you should have enough arguments to convince your supervisor of the importance of the program for you.

In the event that you are on parental leave: Please ask your supervisor whether you can already use a measure during your parental leave. The offer should also apply to women who want to return to work after parental leave.

Unfortunately, you are not an AVGS-eligible person if you are not officially looking for a job and are unemployed, i.e. you are not registered with the employment agency. This is the case, for example, if you want to change your current position with your employer for personal reasons, for which you receive salary.

The activation and placement voucher (AVGS) is a free funding guarantee from the employment agency or the job center. It serves to “improve the chances of integration into the labor market” (DS 17/6277 – DS 17/7065). The AVGS will therefore pay you for professional advice and/or coaching from a certified provider of measures (in technical jargon the advice is called a “measure”).

In our case, MentorMe is the approved provider of measures according to § 45 paragraph 4 SGB III. The MeCademy is the measure for professional training and coaching (MAT). The AVGS is therefore the voucher with which the employment agency covers the costs of your participation in the MeCademy.

What does the AVGS include? It consists of a funding commitment, a confirmation to be filled out by the person responsible for the measure and some information on possible restrictions based on the duration, scope and regionality of the measure.

The aim of every measure should be to support the unemployed and job seekers in reintegrating into the labor market.

If you are already completing a measure via the employment agency or the job center, please ask your supervisor whether you can take part in the MeCademy at the same time or at a time after your current measure.

An education voucher (BGS) is for measures for further vocational training.

An activation and placement voucher (AVGS) is used for job placement measures (MPAV), for internships or trial work (MAG) and for professional training and coaching (MAT) that MeCademy offers. The AVGS serves to “improve the chances of integration in the labor market” (DS 17/6277 – DS 17/7065).

Here are the steps to get your MeCademy participation funded with AVGS:

1. Sign up for the MeCademy here .

2. Apply for the AVGS in writing (via e-mail) to your supervisor at the employment agency or the job center. Use the information package that we will send you via email after registration (see step 1) or, if you have already registered, via email. Tip: Since there is no legal entitlement to an AVGS, be friendly and professional!

3. Receive the AVGS from your supervisor after an internal check. The supervisor decides on the granting, time limit and regional restriction of the AVGS. You will also receive the leaflet “Notes on the AVGS” including all information. Note: Your supervisor cannot dictate which provider of measures you choose, as he/she is obliged to remain neutral.

4. Redeem the AVGS with us via email within 3 months, because we are AZAV-certified as an educational institution. We redeem the AVGS at the Federal Employment Agency. You will not incur any costs.

The duration of the validity of the activation and placement voucher (AVGS) is not regulated by law, but can be determined by the supervisor of the employment agency or the job center be limited in time (often around three months) . This is to ensure that you get the missing knowledge acquire promptly . Because the ultimate goal of your supervisor is yours start work as soon as possible.

Basically yes! However, a regional restriction can be imposed by the supervisor at the employment agency or the job center. If you don’t live in Berlin, argue why we are the best provider for you: MentorMe has good and reliable contacts with employers all over Germany!

You must take action in writing against a rejection (that is why you should also submit a written application beforehand) and give good reasons why you need the AVGS in order to be able to reintegrate into the labor market as quickly as possible.

Your AVGS is no longer valid in these situations:

• When taking up employment subject to social security contributions
• When your entitlement to unemployment benefits expires
• At the end of unemployment by taking up self-employment
• When unemployment ends due to other factors such as maternity leave

Alternative cost bearers are the pension insurance institutions, the Federal Volunteer Service, rescue companies, business transferors and you yourself. For the latter, we would be happy to make you an offer. write to us !

We rely – especially in these challenging times – on online advice: Both the program itself and the individual coaching take place online. If necessary, you can agree with your coach to have the coaching sessions take place in person.

The MeCademy starts every two months. It is important that the AVGS is approved in advance or that an alternative payer is available. Our start dates for the 8-week courses in 2022 are:

• Monday, January 10th
• Monday, March 7th
• Monday, May 2nd
• Monday 11 July
• Monday 05 September
• Monday 31 October

The MeCademy starts every 2 months, as we are exclusively dedicated to a limited number of participants in each round.

The scope is about 1.5 hours/day, Mon. until Fri. for 8 weeks (one 1.5 hour block per week is used for personal coaching and four 1.5 hour blocks take place online – some with flexible times – and in group chats).

You have to clarify this with your supervisor at the employment agency or the job center, but the probability is very high.

For your individual 8-week one-on-one coaching, we provide the coach based on the personal “fit” and the availability of our coaches. We consciously rely on only experienced coaches! If there are still personal differences here, we will assign you to another coach.

Do you have your own coach that you would like to use? Then your coach can contact us and we will be happy to include him/her in our pool.

The aim of the MeCademy as a measure is to support female unemployed and job-seeking graduates in reintegrating into the labor market. The 8-week program includes A) an online program and B) an individual one-on-one coaching.

Re A) Online program

In the online part of the MeCademy, which takes place on the Quofox learning platform, we accompany you through your application process on a weekly basis. Weekly we offer you:

1) Comprehensive expert insights, tips & tricks, exercises incl. Worksheets (which you can view and work on flexibly in terms of time and whenever it suits you).

2) 1-2 moderated group chats for personal exchange and feedback with other participants and our MeCademy management (which are timed). The scope of the online program is approx. 6 hours (= 8 units) per week.

The thematic blocks of the online program are:

• Week 1: You become clear about your professional passion
• Week 2: You draw up a plan and define your dream job
• Week 3: You create a CV that presents you in the best possible way
• Week 4: You write a cover letter that sets you apart from other applicants
• Week 5: You learn the 3 important factors and practice your job interview
• Week 6: You get negotiation tips and practice for your salary negotiation
• Week 7 & 8: You position yourself as an expert with personal branding

Further details on the MeCademy program overview can be found here .

To B) Individual one-to-one coaching

Individual coaching also takes place weekly. Scope is 1.5 hours (= 2 units) per week. You can arrange the coaching sessions flexibly with your coach.

All of our coaches have completed coaching training. Most of them have also been working as coaches for years. Before they can be included in our pool of coaches, they have to submit their qualifications and certificates to us.

Do you have your own coach that you would like to use? Then your coach can contact us and we will be happy to include him/her in our pool.

Yes, you will receive a certificate of participation after successful completion.

We are happy to give all MeCademy graduates a special deal for membership with MentorMe: Pay only instead of €708 €78 incl. VAT. You can get more information from our Community Manager Nadine.

All coaches we work with meet clearly defined qualifications. These include well-founded coaching training and experience in exercising it, as well as a focus on the subject of professional orientation and reorientation. In addition, they all have extensive professional experience. The matching takes place after a preliminary discussion with the course participant, in which the initial situation is specified to fulfill the perfect matching.