Training as an administrative assistant

The content on this page was translated automatically.

Your cookie settings have blocked this video

What does an administrative assistant do at the University of Kassel?

Image: Paavo Blåfield

As an administrative assistant, you will investigate facts and apply legal regulations, advise students and/or customers of the university administration and carry out administrative tasks in a service and customer-oriented manner and according to aspects of economic efficiency.
You will also acquire sufficient knowledge to deal with personnel and financial matters. The use of modern information and communication systems is now standard in training.

During your training as an administrative assistant, you will learn how a state administration works and what the legal basis for administrative action is. As this is a dual apprenticeship, you will get to know the day-to-day work in the practical part of the apprenticeship, while the theory is taught at vocational school.

During your apprenticeship as an administrative assistant, you will rotate through various departments and areas to really get to know the tasks and structure of the university administration. This means that your daily routine will change from time to time during your training and you can find out during your apprenticeship which area you would like to work in later. Of course, this also makes your apprenticeship all the more interesting and varied.

In the Human Resources and Organization Department, for example, you will learn how new staff are selected and hired. In the Finance department, you will get to know financial accounting and post invoices. And in the Studies and Teaching Department, you will learn how student administration works. You will therefore work a lot with people, which always requires a certain tolerance for stress and frustration. You should also be able to deal with dissatisfied customers and not take criticism personally. Friendliness, a respectful manner and strength of character are therefore qualities that you can use in your training as an administrative assistant.

When does training as an administrative assistant at the University of Kassel begin and where does it take place?

The training begins on September 1st of each year and takes place in the Departments of the Central University Administration, in a departmental administration and in the University of Kassel's University Relations Office. In addition, an internship at a municipal or city administration is planned.
Theoretical training is provided by the vocational school (Friedrich-List-Schule Kassel) and the Hessischer Verwaltungsschulverband, Verwaltungsseminar Kassel.

At the start of the apprenticeship, you should have a secondary school leaving certificate (Realschulabschluss). Your grades in German, English, politics, economics and mathematics should be at least "satisfactory" or better.

As an administrative assistant in the university administration, you usually have flexible working hours. This means that you can determine the start and end of your working hours yourself within certain framework conditions.

Training as an administrative assistant takes three years.

In the second year of training as an administrative assistant, you will take your intermediate examination in the areas of "Training company, work organization and office management processes", "Budgeting and procurement" and "Economic and social studies".

At the end of your training, you will take the final examination in the subject areas of "Administrative business administration", "Human resources", "Administrative law and administrative procedures" and "Economic and social studies".

At vocational school, you will learn the theoretical knowledge corresponding to your specialization in job-specific subjects. This includes, for example, how different charges arise and how you calculate them. You will also receive general education lessons, such as economics and social studies.

A monthly training allowance is paid in accordance with Section 8 (1) of the collective agreement for trainees in the state of Hesse (TVA-H BBiG). This currently amounts to

  • EUR 1,126.85 in the 1st year of training.
  • EUR 1,181.43 in the 2nd year of training.
  • EUR 1,23151 in the 3rd year of training.

Administrative assistants must be able to work carefully and accurately and need analytical skills. This is important in order to be able to create evaluations or understand facts. They must also be willing to learn. Reliability, commitment, sociability, a sense of responsibility, diligence and confidentiality as well as PC skills are also among the qualities that are welcome in this profession.

Interview with Emely, trainee administrative assistant at the University of Kassel

What do you deal with in your training?

In practice, I mainly deal with staff personnel matters, such as absence processing or maintaining current personnel master data. In the department, I work on doctoral procedures and help with the planning and organization of events. Moving through the various departments always makes the working day in administration varied.

Portrait picture
Emely in conversation

I am also involved in the youth and trainee representative body, which gives me the opportunity to be directly involved.

I learn the theory of the job profile at vocational school and at the administration seminar. There we deal with the necessary legal bases and how local, state, federal and church administrations work. We also work with the Word and Excel programs.

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship and this one in particular?

For me, a secure future was particularly important after leaving school. As I had always enjoyed working independently at school and had often dealt with laws through the PoWi course, I discovered the profession of administrative assistant for myself.
The apprenticeship has also given me a good practical foundation for further studies, as well as other opportunities for further professional training.

What else would you like to pass on to others?
I would like to convince you that university is not just about studying! Training as an administrative assistant at the University of Kassel is very extensive and interesting. You will gain a lot of knowledge by working in many areas and departments. You will also learn and work with many different people. This makes it easier to find out during your training which area you would like to work in later.
You should enjoy working with computers and the various legal bases.
So if you are interested in learning a lot of new things and have a good grasp of things, training as an administrative assistant is just right for you!

Apply now for an apprenticeship as an administrative assistant at the University of Kassel

Application deadline: 30.09.2025

Apply now for an apprenticeship as an administrative assistant at the University of Kassel: Read More

How do I apply?

Tips and hints

How do I apply?: Application portal of the University of Kassel

Ask yourself beforehand whether you ...

  • you like dealing with numbers.
  • you appreciate regular working hours.
  • you find it easy to keep to plans and deadlines.

Or whether ...

  • you prefer to work outside all the time.
  • patience is not one of your strengths.
  • you have difficulty concentrating on the same task for a long time.

Go-Link of this page: https://www.uni-kassel.de/go/ausbildung-verwaltungsfachangestellter