👩💻 Free Courses for Tech Jobs in Berlin
Find out if you'd like to be a programmer, data analyst, UX designer, or online marketer—in a course that's completely free of charge.
"For an IT guy, LinkedIn is like a reverse dating site. Girls write to you, and you ignore them." – a tweet that made the rounds in December. And of course, this is true for women in IT as well.
Yet, if you have never worked in tech, it may seem either very difficult or very boring – or even both.
But is it true? You don’t need to guess. Just take a free (orientation) course. It will show you the different fields in IT (it’s not only about programming!), and you’ll even meet people working in the industry.
Here, two programs are described in detail, and at the bottom, you can find a list of even more courses.
Techlabs: 4 Months Part-Time
Techlabs is a non-profit organization founded in 2017, now offering courses in 8 countries and 8 cities in Germany. Each city team has a somewhat different offer, so this overview will focus on Berlin. (Read here about other locations.)
What all courses have in common: They are completely free; you don’t even need a voucher. You only need to apply, show your motivation and background, and get approved by Techlabs.
And: You can do them while still working or doing something else. You need only 10 hours per week for the next 4 months.
What Will I Learn?
Techlabs’ Berlin course offers four tracks:
You apply for one of these tracks and will focus on it for the entire semester. If you are interested in another field, you can apply next semester. (Successfully completing one semester greatly increases your chances of being approved for another.)
The Techlabs course is split into two main parts:
- During the study phase, you will work through online courses mostly by yourself. But don’t worry; there are weekly Zoom calls with your teachers and other participants, and a Slack channel where you can ask questions and connect with fellow learners.
- In the project phase, you will join members from the other 3 tracks to create an actual IT product: an app or website solving a real problem, which your team will present to everyone at the end.
Find more questions answered here.
Who Can Apply?
Everyone. Techlabs will assess your motivation and background and select those who seem engaged and interested enough. If approved, you can take the course for free.
How to Apply?
To start this summer semester’s course, fill out this form by March 7. (The next opportunity will be in September.)
StartSteps: 1-Month Orientation (Full-Time)
Another option is StartSteps, founded in summer 2020. Instead of focusing on a specific tech field, this program provides an overview of tech jobs.
What Will I Learn?
During a 4-week full-time course, you will learn about tech skills such as:
- Coding & programming basics
- Fundamentals of website/app building
- Basic (online) marketing tools & methodologies
- Data studies & visualization
And non-tech skills such as:
- Communication & leadership skills
- Project management basics for digital work
- Workflow knowledge in a remote work/tech job setting
Find more details in the course flyer (PDF).
This course will not qualify you for an actual tech job, but it will help you determine if you want to work in tech at all, and if so, in which field. StartSteps will also direct you to more government-funded training providers in Germany.
Who Can Apply/Get the Voucher?
Unlike Techlabs, this course is not free. However, it can be free for you if you receive a voucher from the German Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit / Jobcenter). The German taxpayer will cover the cost of the course for you.
How can you get one? If you qualify for German social welfare (e.g., Arbeitslosengeld), you probably also qualify for this voucher. Your chances are good if:
- You have previously worked in Germany and paid taxes, and are now about to lose your job or have already lost it, or
- You have refugee status, or
- You hold a long-term visa (e.g., as a spouse of someone).
Your chances are not good if:
- You are overqualified, e.g., have a degree in computer science, or
- You are in Germany only on a work&study visa or doing an Erasmus program, or
- You have never paid income tax in Germany (and have no refugee status), or
- You are younger than 24 years.
How to Apply?
Fill out the online form on StartSteps. StartSteps will contact you for a phone call to assess your chances of obtaining the voucher. If your chances look good, they will guide you on how to contact the Jobcenter and help you secure the voucher. This process can take from 3 days to 3 weeks, so make sure to apply early. A new course starts every month.
If you are approved but lack a laptop, StartSteps will even lend you one for free.
More Tech Courses
If you want to dive into a tech field right away, here’s a list of additional courses. All use the voucher system similar to StartSteps:
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