In Germany there are various school-leaving certificates that offer different qualification options for further training.
A Bundesbank survey has determined the gross salary of people without a school-leaving certificate, with a secondary school diploma, a secondary school diploma or a university degree.
The median of the reference groups shows that those who have a higher school qualification earn more.
“There is only one thing that is more expensive than education in the long run: no education.” This quote comes from former US President John F. Kennedy and describes the attitude of many to school education. Professional opportunities and thus financial security are still associated with the degree today. According to the Federal Statistical Office, almost a third of the 15-year-old and older population in Germany had a technical college or university entrance qualification in 2019.
A higher educational qualification does not automatically mean a highly paid one Salary at work. Nevertheless, a Bundesbank survey shows that those who have better school qualifications generally earn more money. A total of 4119 citizens were surveyed between April 2021 and January 2022. The median gross and net annual income of the respondents was considered. The median is a measure that determines which value falls squarely in the middle of the data series and helps avoid overweighting large outliers.
Gross salary without school leaving certificate
According to the results of the 2019 microcensus, 4.2 percent of the 15-year-old and older population did not have a general education qualification. The proportion of women and men was therefore the same. As a rule, school leavers who have not successfully completed the ninth grade are considered to be without a school-leaving certificate. In the media, the reference persons without school qualifications therefore earn an annual gross income of 24.000 Euro.
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Salary with high school diploma
In Germany, the general school leaving certificate is referred to as the Hauptschule leaving certificate. This is acquired at the end of the ninth or tenth grade (depending on the type of school or the length of compulsory schooling). In the study, the survey participants with a secondary school diploma earn a median salary of 34.900 Euro ugly.
Salary with high school diploma
Depending on the federal state and the school system, the secondary school leaving certificate has different designations such as intermediate school leaving certificate or intermediate school leaving certificate. As a rule, the secondary school leaving certificate is obtained with the completion of the tenth grade or secondary level 1. The reference persons in the study earn a median gross salary of 48.700 Euro.
Salary with (technical) university entrance qualification
In everyday language, the general higher education entrance qualification is known as the Abitur and entitles you to attend a university or college. It is the highest school-leaving qualification in Germany. There is also the subject-specific higher education entrance qualification, which qualifies you to study certain subjects at a university or all subjects at universities. In addition, there is the Fachhochschulreife, which entitles you to study at colleges and, in some federal states, at universities. In the study, the reference persons with a (technical) university entrance qualification in the media earn a gross salary of 57.900 Euro.
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