Applying for an AVGS voucher: how to proceed

• You request an AVGS from your placement officer at the Job Center or the Employment Agency.
• In the conversation, explain your career goal, where you currently need support, and how coaching can help you.
• As a rule, there is no automatic legal entitlement to coaching. The AVGS-MAT is a discretionary benefit.
• An AVGS is an option in particular for people seeking vocational training, job seekers at risk of unemployment, and unemployed people.
• The validity period and other conditions are stated on your personal voucher.
• In principle, you can look for an approved coaching provider yourself. The specific measure must also be approved and match the conditions of your voucher.
• Only start the coaching after your specific participation has been approved in writing.
• If your participation is approved, the coaching measure costs you nothing.

AVGS stands for Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein, the Activation and Placement Voucher. It is issued by the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or the Job Center (Jobcenter). With it, you take part free of charge in an approved measure that supports you in entering or returning to work.

An AVGS measure is the specific offer you make use of, for example coaching, application training, or further training. For an offer to be funded through an AVGS, it must be officially approved.

This can include, for example:

• career orientation
• developing a realistic career goal
• support with application documents
• preparation for job interviews
• returning to work after a career break
• developing an application strategy
• support with a career change
• stabilization after starting a new job

The legal basis is Section 45 SGB III (in German).

The voucher does not automatically mean that every desired measure with every provider will be approved. The coaching offer, the provider, and the conditions of the voucher have to match. Your specific participation is checked once more before the start.

For coaching at Good Prospects, the relevant voucher is the AVGS-MAT, a measure with a training provider (Träger).

A “Träger” is the organization that delivers the coaching or training, for example Good Prospects. To be able to bill through an AVGS, a provider must be officially approved.

Good Prospects is a private, certified training and coaching provider. Good Prospects is not a private employment agency. The coaching supports you with career orientation, applications, returning to work, and planning your next professional steps, among other things.

You can read more about the content on the pages AVGS Coaching and Academic Coaching.

An AVGS is an option in particular for people seeking vocational training, job seekers at risk of unemployment, and unemployed people. People receiving basic income support who are supported by the Job Center can also be funded through an AVGS-MAT.

This can apply, for example, to people who:

• are unemployed and need professional support
• are at risk of unemployment, for example after a dismissal or before a fixed-term contract ends
• want to enter or return to work after university, parental leave, or a longer break and are registered as seeking work or unemployed
• need support with career orientation, job search, or applications

University, parental leave, or a career break alone do not automatically lead to funding. What matters is your current labor market situation, your specific need for support, and the assessment of your officer.

Not necessarily.

People at risk of unemployment can in principle also be considered for an AVGS. This can be relevant, for example, after a dismissal or before a fixed-term employment contract ends.

Someone who simply wants to change careers out of a permanent job, without being at risk of unemployment, does not automatically belong to the eligible group.

Actively receiving unemployment benefit is not always strictly required. What matters is whether you belong to the eligible group and whether your officer sees a specific need for funding.

Registering as a job seeker alone does not automatically lead to approval.

The Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) is often your point of contact if you:

• receive unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld)
• are registered as unemployed or seeking work
• are at risk of unemployment
• need support with a career change after a dismissal

Talk to your placement officer about professional coaching and ask whether an AVGS-MAT is an option in your situation.

The Job Center (Jobcenter) is usually responsible if you receive basic income support (Grundsicherung).

Here too, your integration or placement officer decides which support is suitable for your professional integration. That can be an AVGS. The Job Center may, however, also offer you another existing measure.

That is why it matters not only to ask for a voucher, but to explain clearly why individual coaching could fit your situation and your career goal.

How coaching via the Job Center works and which two funding paths exist is explained on our overview page.

In principle, there is no automatic legal entitlement to an AVGS for coaching.

The AVGS-MAT is a discretionary benefit.

“Discretionary” means: the authority decides case by case whether to approve the funding. There is no entitlement simply because you belong to a certain group. Your officer weighs up whether coaching is useful and necessary in your situation.

Your placement or integration officer checks, among other things:

• which career goals you are pursuing
• which support you need
• whether the coaching can improve your professional integration
• whether a suitable alternative measure is already available
• whether the content and scope of the desired measure are appropriate

Good preparation does not guarantee approval. But it can help you explain your need for support and the expected benefit of the coaching clearly and convincingly.

In connection with the AVGS, people often talk about a legal entitlement after six weeks of unemployment.

Under certain conditions, this possible entitlement applies exclusively to the AVGS for private job placement, the AVGS-MPAV. It does not automatically apply to professional coaching with an AVGS-MAT.

Since Good Prospects offers coaching and not private job placement, this entitlement does not apply to the coaching offered by Good Prospects.

First think about what you want to achieve professionally and what is currently making the next step difficult.

Possible questions are:

• Are you not yet sure which professional direction you want to take?
• Can’t you find jobs that match your experience?
• Do your applications go unanswered?
• Do you find it hard to name your strengths?
• Do you want to return to work after parental leave, illness, or another break?
• Are you looking for a suitable first job after university?
• Do you want to change careers but don’t know how yet?
• Do you feel unsure in applications or job interviews?

The more specifically you can describe your situation, the easier it is to assess whether coaching is suitable.

Bring up the AVGS with your placement or integration officer.

Depending on the office, this can happen, for example:

• in a personal consultation
• in a phone appointment
• via a message in the online portal
• via another contact channel provided by the office

The procedure for the first request is not the same everywhere. Your officer can tell you whether further details, documents, or forms are needed.

You don’t need to memorize a perfect justification. A simple three-part structure helps:

1. Your career goal

What do you want to achieve?

Example:

I want to return to my profession after parental leave.

2. Your current obstacle

What is making the next step difficult?

Example:

I’m unsure which jobs fit my current situation and how to explain my longer break well in applications.

3. The expected benefit of the coaching

How should the coaching concretely help you?

Example:

In the coaching I want to develop a realistic career goal, revise my application documents, and create a suitable strategy for returning to work.

You may bring up the voucher directly. What matters is that the conversation doesn’t stop at the sentence “I would like an AVGS.”

One possible wording is:

I want to clarify my professional situation in a targeted way and improve my chances of finding suitable employment. At the moment I find it particularly difficult to develop a clear professional direction and to present my experience convincingly in applications. Individual coaching would help me develop a realistic goal, a suitable application strategy, and concrete next steps. Could we please check whether an AVGS is an option for this?

For returning to work, you could say:

I want to return to work after my career break, but I’m unsure which jobs fit my current situation and how to prepare my return well. In the coaching I want to clarify my options, update my application documents, and develop a realistic plan. Could we discuss whether an AVGS is an option for this?

After university, the wording could look like this:

I have completed my degree, but I don’t yet see a clear professional direction and find it hard to translate my qualifications into specific jobs. Individual coaching could help me identify suitable fields and align my application strategy accordingly. That’s why I’d like to have it checked whether an AVGS is possible.

Please keep in mind: these are only general examples. Always adapt the wording to your actual situation.

If an AVGS is issued, you receive it from the Employment Agency or the Job Center.

Then check carefully which conditions it contains. These can include:

• the goal of the measure
• the desired coaching content
• maximum duration or scope
• individual or group measure
• validity period
• a possible regional restriction
• the form of delivery
• further conditions

The validity period is set individually. There is no standard period that applies to every AVGS.

The issued AVGS confirms in principle that funding is possible within the conditions stated on it. It is then checked whether the specific coaching measure with the provider you chose matches these conditions exactly.

So only start the coaching once you have received the written approval notice for your specific participation.

With an AVGS-MAT, you can in principle look for a suitable provider yourself.

Several requirements must be met:

• The provider must be approved to deliver such measures.
• The specific coaching measure must be approved.
• The measure must match the goals and conditions of your voucher.
• Your officer must approve your participation in writing.

Provider certification alone therefore does not mean that every coaching offer automatically matches your voucher.

Once you have found a suitable provider, the process usually continues like this:

1. You send the coaching provider your AVGS or the relevant details.
2. The provider checks whether the measure matches the conditions.
3. You receive the required confirmation of participation or further documents.
4. You submit the documents to your placement officer.
5. Your officer checks your specific participation.
6. You receive a written approval notice.
7. Then the coaching can begin.

Important: The issued AVGS alone does not mean you should start the measure right away. Wait until your specific participation has been approved in writing.

The following information can be helpful for the conversation:

• your current career goal
• your professional experience so far
• your vocational or university qualification
• your application activities so far
• specific difficulties in your job search or return to work
• the coaching content you would like
• the expected benefit for your professional integration
• details of a suitable approved coaching measure
• your preferred start period
• whether you prefer in-person or online coaching

Not all documents are strictly required in every situation. Your officer decides which information is needed for the assessment.

There is no standard processing time for the decision.

How long it takes can depend, among other things, on:

• when a consultation appointment is available
• which information is still needed
• whether a specific offer has to be checked
• how the respective office is organized
• whether follow-up questions arise

So raise your wish for coaching as early as possible. If you don’t hear back for a longer time, you can politely ask your advisor about the current status.

The validity period is stated directly on your voucher and is set individually.

After receiving it, check:

• from which date the voucher is valid
• by when a measure has to start
• whether further deadlines are mentioned
• whether the voucher is regionally restricted
• whether a specific form of delivery is specified

If the period is not sufficient or the voucher has expired, talk to your officer as early as possible. Whether a new or adjusted voucher can be issued is assessed again.

In principle, you can look for an approved coaching provider and a suitable approved measure yourself.

Free choice does not mean, however, that any measure has to be accepted automatically. Your officer checks whether:

• the measure fits your career goal
• the conditions of the voucher are met
• the provider and the measure are approved
• scope and content fit the funding decision

You can get to know and compare different providers in advance. Look not only at certificates, but also at whether the coaching really fits your situation.

Helpful questions to ask a provider are:

• Is the coaching one-on-one?
• Which content can be adapted to my situation?
• Who delivers the coaching?
• Is online coaching possible?
• Is on-site coaching available?
• In which languages is the coaching offered?
• How is it checked whether the measure matches my AVGS?
• Which documents do I receive for the authority?

If your participation has been approved in writing before the start, the coaching measure costs you nothing.

Travel costs or necessary childcare costs can also be covered under certain conditions. Clarify these additional costs with your Employment Agency or Job Center before the measure starts.

Do not start a paid measure expecting the costs to be reimbursed automatically later.

A negative decision can be disappointing, but it does not automatically mean that no other support is possible.

Proceed step by step where possible:

1. Ask for the reasons

First clarify why your officer does not consider the AVGS suitable.

Possible reasons can be:

• The specific need for support was not yet made clear enough.
• In the officer’s view, the desired coaching does not fit the career goal.
• Another existing measure is considered more suitable.
• The content or scope of the offer does not meet the funding requirements.
• Information or documents are still missing.
• The provider or the measure does not meet the required conditions.

2. Clarify whether a formal decision exists

A verbal assessment is not the same as a written notice.

In a written decision, you will find information on possible legal remedies and deadlines in the notice on legal remedies (Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung). For legal questions, contact an independent advice center or qualified legal counsel.

Good Prospects does not provide individual legal advice.

3. Review your justification

Check whether your career goal, your current obstacle, and the specific benefit of coaching came across clearly enough.

Instead of just saying:

I want help with applications.

you can be more specific:

Despite suitable qualifications, my applications have not led to interviews so far. In the coaching I want to review my documents, sharpen my professional positioning, and target my application strategy more precisely at suitable jobs.

4. Ask about alternatives

Ask your officer which other support is an option for your situation.

Depending on your needs, this can be, for example:

• a different coaching measure
• an existing measure of the Job Center or the Employment Agency
• further training
• a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher)
• support from the placement budget (Vermittlungsbudget)
• another form of career counseling

5. Raise the topic again later

Professional situations change. If new difficulties emerge after further job searching or your need for support changes, a later reassessment can make sense.

You have an AVGS, but the specific measure was not approved

It can happen that you have already received an AVGS, but participation in a specific measure is not approved. This does not automatically mean the voucher as a whole is invalid.

In principle, the AVGS remains valid in its original form. Within the validity period, you can look for another approved measure that better matches the conditions of the voucher.

Ask for an explanation of why the first measure was not accepted, and check these points with the next provider.

The AVGS has not been abolished. The new basic income support (Grundsicherung) has applied since July 1, 2026; the reform did not touch the legal basis of the AVGS in Section 45 SGB III. Measures for activation and professional integration continue to be funded.

Whether an AVGS-MAT is issued in a specific case remains an individual decision of the Job Center or the Employment Agency.

You can find more information in our article on the 2026 basic income reform (in German).

Last updated: August 2026

Good Prospects is a certified training provider for professional coaching in Berlin.

The offer is aimed, among others, at people who need support with:

• career orientation
• application documents and application strategy
• preparation for job interviews
• returning to work after a break
• starting a career after university
• a career change

Good Prospects does not decide on the issuing or approval of an AVGS. The funding decision always rests with the Job Center or the Employment Agency.

If you have already received an AVGS, we can check whether an approved measure from Good Prospects matches the conditions of your voucher. Contact us.

The coaching takes place on-site in Berlin and, depending on the approved measure, online as well.