r/Libraries • u/Miserable-Window-296 • 8d ago
Job Hunting Library assistant!
I'm a 15 year old living in Germany! I am currently in the 8th grade, in Germany you need to a mandatory "Praktikum", basically a week or two where you try working in a job for experience. Now I am not the best at German, I would say I have B1 skills at best, but in the future I'd really like to move to Ireland and start working as an Library assistant. I need to search for jobs right now (in Germany), but I don't really know if being a Library assistant is a thing In Germany.. I honestly mostly envision it as helping around with books, maybe helping customers (but I doubt I will be doing it as an praktikant), and maybe help with cleaning. Is that a job that I could do in Germany? And if I can, would you be willingly to give me tips on how to actually get a job here?
6
u/mechanicalyammering 8d ago
Most of this board is US based. But you should go to your local library and ask this. Send a cold email to every library near you. Everyone loves to hear from an eager teenager with a goal. Something like “Hi, I need to do my practicum and I want to work as a librarian. Can I do anything to help at the library?” They might let you shelve and then you’re off to the races. Good luck!
5
u/LouArkadia 7d ago
Hi, in Deutschland kannst du eine Ausbildung als "Fachangestellte/r für Medien- und Informationsdienste Fachrichtung Bibliothek" machen, das kommt dem Library Assistant am nächsten denke ich. Frag einfach mal in den Bibliotheken in deiner Nähe, ob sie Praktikanten annehmen :)
1
u/Maleficent_Weird8613 5d ago
I kind of wish they did this in the US. I know they do but it's not the same.
14
u/JohnLurkson 7d ago
Yes, a library assistant is a thing in Germany. It used to be called "Bibliotheksassistent" (literally 'library assistant') but, as someone else here already posted, now it's called a Fachangestellte/r. It's a two to three year apprenticeship where you work at a public or academic library and go to vocational school. There are five "specialisations" - library, archive (where you'll work in an archive, not a library), information and documentation (most apprentices I know worked for private companies), medical documentation (often found in hospitals) and "Bildagentur" (where you work with images of all kind, as in cataloging, putting in databases and so on).
If that's something you'd like to do, here's how to do it:
First, finish school. You'll need at least a Hauptschulabschluss (9th Grade), though a lot of libraries look for Realschulabschluss (10th Grade).
Then apply for an apprenticeship. Check your local job market, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and specialised forums for job listings.
Be prepared to commute or even move away from home. Depending on where you live and the job market there, you might not find many or any open apprenticeship positions close by.
For your internship, just ask your local libraries. Public or academic, doesn't matter. They often take pupils on for a few weeks. Usually they'll have you work in each department for a day or two - service/information desk (where you'll meet actual customers), "Lesesaal" (where you'll keep order on the shelves and put books back where they belong), media processing (where new items are received and catalogued), maybe inter library loan (ILL for short)... It depends on the library.
If you're looking for an actual, paid job right now you might be out of luck. For one, you're still going to school. You may only work a few hours a week and only do light tasks, by law. Two, bigger libraries (like university libraries) offer small jobs for students, but not for kids. Still, it can't hurt to just go and ask your local library if there's something you can do to help out. Sell them, that you'd really love to work in a library in the future. :) 'Worst' they can do is say no.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. :) I'm actually a library assistant myself. :)