Get information about voluntary social year

Have you completed your compulsory schooling and want to try your hand at social, cultural or sporting activities? The voluntary social year might be something for you.

The Voluntary Social Year (FSJ) gives young people who have completed their school education the opportunity to spend a year trying out whether their chosen career in the social, cultural or sporting field matches their ideas and interests. The FSJ can therefore also be seen as a year of education and orientation.

It offers young people between the ages of 17 and 26 (in exceptional cases also from the age of 16) the opportunity to gain an insight into a wide range of social and care professions and to try them out under the guidance of specialists before starting a course of study or training - including abroad. Some institutions recognize the FSJ as a pre-study internship.

Inquiries about available FSJ places and applications should be addressed directly to the respective sponsors, who decide independently on the allocation of places.
You can find a list of sponsors here.

Applications must be submitted informally directly to the responsible body.

Act on the Promotion of Youth Volunteer Services (JFDG)

The application deadlines are not identical for all providers and/or in all federal states. It is therefore recommended that you contact the approved organizations immediately. The FSJ usually begins in August/September.

The FSJ lasts up to twelve consecutive months. An extension of a further six months is possible. The minimum duration of the commitment is six months. It is not permitted to do an FSJ more than once.

Further information on the Voluntary Social Year can be found below.