Apprenticeships in hospitality: where you are needed
The situation in autumn 2026
Not enough staff? Not when it comes to apprentices
Hotels and restaurants have complained for years that they lack staff. The figures now show a more accurate picture. For fully trained workers, the situation in Germany has eased: in July 2026, the Federal Employment Agency reported 18,769 vacancies in hospitality. That is less than half of 2019.
For apprenticeships, it looks very different. In restaurants and catering, there were only 43 applicants for every 100 reported apprenticeship places in the 2024/25 training year. In Austria, the number of tourism apprentices has fallen from 9,075 to 7,149 since 2015. If you are looking for an apprenticeship in the kitchen, in service or in a hotel right now, you can often choose your employer.
Four figures that show where you are needed
What you earn during your apprenticeship
You get paid from the very first year, and it grows every year. Many employers in holiday areas also provide a room in the staff house and meals.
Germany, legal minimum
724 €per month in year 1Year 2: 854 €, year 3: 977 €. Every employer has to pay at least this much (2026).
Germany, collective agreement North Rhine-Westphalia
1.200 €per month in year 1Year 2: 1.300 €, year 3: 1.400 € under the collective agreement for hospitality in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Austria, hotels and hospitality
1.090 €per month in apprenticeship year 1Year 2: 1.220 €, year 3: 1.445 € under the collective agreement from 1 October 2026.
Gross amounts. What a room in the staff house costs is written in the job ad, or you can ask the employer.
A look behind the complaints
Why employers still complain about missing people
The working hours
People work in the evenings, at weekends and on public holidays. Because of this, many young people choose another job.
The costs
Labour costs in hospitality rose by 34.9 % from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025. Many employers save money and hire more carefully.
The dropouts
About 43 % of apprenticeships as restaurant or hotel specialist are ended early. Across all jobs, it is just under 30 %. If you stay the course, you are urgently needed.
The room
In holiday areas, flats are rare and expensive. Employers with a staff house find apprentices more easily, so we only show jobs with accommodation.
How to find the right apprenticeship
In four steps
- 1Choose a job: cook, hotel specialist, restaurant service specialist or hospitality specialist.
- 2Choose a region: the mountains in Austria or the coast and islands in Germany.
- 3Pick out jobs with a room and write to the employer directly.
- 4Apply briefly: a few sentences about you, plus your CV.
What to look out for
- Is the room in the contract, and what does it cost per month?
- How high is the pay in each year of the apprenticeship?
- Where is the vocational school, and how do you get there?
- How long is the probation period?
Apprenticeships with a room
A selection from our ads, each one posted directly by the employer.
All details come from the employers' ads and were checked by us.
You train apprentices and still have free places?
List your apprenticeships with accommodation on Job & Stay. We show them to young people from all over Europe, in ten languages, and free of charge until the end of 2026.
Sources: Federal Employment Agency, statistics by industry (vacancies July 2026) and training market 2024/25; BIBB, Data Report 2025 and dropout rates 2024; Destatis, labour cost index; BMBF, minimum apprenticeship pay 2026; DEHOGA NRW, collective agreement; WKO, apprenticeship statistics 2025 and collective agreement for hotels and hospitality 2026. As of 30 October 2026. · Photos: PantheraLeo1359531 (Söll, CC BY 4.0), Klaus Bärwinkel (Heringsdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons
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