The statutory pension insurance in Germany is a form of social insurance that ensures financial security for employees in old age, in the event of an accident at work or an occupational disease. There are pension entitlements in various groups, for example a disability pension, widow's pension, orphan's pension, child-raising pension and many more. A social security clerk specializing in pension insurance takes care of the claims themselves and the amount of these payments. The activity of a social security clerk is a recognized training occupation. The training lasts three years and is learned in a company and at a vocational school.

Remuneration during training

A training allowance is paid in the amount of 717 euros in the first year , in the second it is 776 euros and in the third year of training the amount is increased to 835 euros. A social security clerk specializing in pension insurance clarifies insurance relationships and entitlements for insured persons, calculates membership fees, initiates payment of contributions, monitors their receipt and processes contribution refunds. She advises members on questions relating to insurance law and financing issues. She is responsible for processing applications for pensions and benefits for occupational or medical rehabilitation. The social security clerk works very closely with doctors, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing services. Your job is usually with a statutory pension insurance institution.

What is important for them?

Careful execution when checking and calculating the services is important in her work, and she is also obliged to absolute confidentiality, as this is about data protection. You should be able to communicate, have good sociability and not show any shyness in dealing with strangers.

Requirements are:

Target group: pensioners Since the social security clerk is responsible for calculating and checking benefits, because the sums have to be exactly right, good grades in mathematics and very good knowledge of German (when writing business letters, the sentence structure, spelling and the correct expression). A certain basic knowledge of data processing should also be available, since day-to-day work requires dealing with various software programs. Otherwise there should be an interest in organizing and managing and in social advisory activities.

conditions for training

Independent work is required under the supervision of the trainer, this includes distributing information brochures, making appointments on the phone and filling out forms for applications and benefits on the computer. Furthermore, it is extremely important that evidence of training is kept, which is subject to constant monitoring. They are a prerequisite for being admitted to an examination at all.

At the vocational school

Understanding legal books The theoretical lessons at a vocational school take place two to three times a week. Classwork and tests are written and there is preparation for the intermediate and final exams.

Training in a company

In the first and second year of training you learn about human resources, self-administration and supervision, you hear about labor and service law, about calculating employee contributions, benefits, family insurance and financing. In the middle of the second year of training there is a written intermediate examination. In the third year of the apprenticeship, topics such as pension entitlements, the amount of the pension and its payment, additional benefits and account clarification are added.

The final exam

Written examinations are taken in the subjects: insurance and financing, benefits and economics and social studies. Here the examiners see whether it is possible for the trainees to analyze facts correctly and to carry out a legal assessment and procedural processing. In addition, the amount and payment of a pension must be calculated.

Oral Exam

A conversation of approx. 30 minutes is conducted here. The trainee should discuss practical processes and problems and contribute to a solution. Once you have passed the exam, you can call yourself a social security clerk specializing in pension insurance. It is possible to apply to a statutory health insurance company, the pension insurance company or other social security institutions. But if you want to go further, further training as a business economist or specialist is an option.

(Image source: Federal Employment Agency)

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