What are you good at, what interests you – and which career might suit you? In years 7 to 9, you discover your strengths, try practical tasks from different jobs and plan your next step. BO stands for Berufsorientierung, meaning careers guidance.
Your journey from years 7 to 9
How to read the plan: a bar shows which year an activity is planned for, not its duration or an exact date. The placement weeks shown are the total for each year group. Your class teacher will tell you the dates and arrangements. A dash means the activity is not planned for that year.
| Activity | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strengths | — | — | |
| Workshops | — | — | |
| Placement | — | ||
| BOM | — | — | |
| BerEb | — | ||
| Careers fairs | — | — | |
| BO evening | — | ||
What does each term mean?
- Potenzialanalyse – discover your strengths
Through a range of exercises, you explore your abilities and interests. Trained staff observe how you approach the tasks and discuss your strengths with you. They give you personal feedback and recommendations.
At our school: year 7.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 11- Werkstatttage – try out jobs in workshops
In the workshops, you try tasks from different fields of work for yourself. Trainers guide you and give you feedback. This practical experience helps you find out which tasks suit you.
At our school: year 7. In the BO-Check, look under “Praxisorientierte BO-Tage” for information about exploring different fields of work through practical tasks.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 11- Praktikum – experience everyday working life
A work placement gives you an insight into everyday working life: you get to know the tasks, routines and people in a workplace. Afterwards, you discuss your experiences at school and use them to help you choose a career.
At our school: a total of three weeks in year 8 and one week in year 9. If you have questions about finding or organising a placement, ask your class teacher.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 22- BOM – Berufsorientierungsmaßnahmen (career exploration programmes)
BOM adds to your careers guidance: you discover your talents, explore fields of work and prepare your next steps. The BO-Check explains the modules “Talente entdecken”, “Talente entwickeln” and “Talente fördern”.
At our school: year 8. The school will tell you which module is offered and how you can take part.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 9–10- BerEb – Berufseinstiegsbegleitung (individual transition support)
With BerEb, you have a dedicated adviser alongside you. They help you work towards your school-leaving qualification, choose a career, write applications and move into vocational training. Support can continue after you leave school.
BerEb is for young people in years 8 and 9 who need extra support. Places are limited, and the school selects participants: the programme is not automatically for everyone. Taking part is voluntary and free. Your parents must give written consent.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 9- Messe(n) – meet employers at careers fairs
A careers fair is a chance to meet employers and trainees. Ask about everyday work, vocational training or work placements, and use these conversations to help you choose a career.
At our school: year 8. The school will tell you which fair you will visit and whether you need to register.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 16–17- BO-Abend – careers information evening for parents
At the BO-Abend, parents learn about options after school and can ask questions. The evening helps them plan the next steps together with their child.
At our school: years 8 and 9. The school will announce the date and topics and let you know whether young people are invited too.
Read more in the BO-Check (German) · p. 18
How parents can help
Talk with your child about jobs that interest them. You can arrange an appointment with the careers advice service in Fürth (Berufsberatung.Fuerth@arbeitsagentur.de) or explore planet-beruf.de together. The website offers ways to:
- Explore strengths and areas for development
- Get to know different jobs
- Learn about work placements and applications
- Use videos, tests and application materials
Student coaching
Schülercoaching offers 1:1 support from a volunteer as a young person works towards their German school-leaving qualification. Participation is voluntary and free of charge, with parental consent. Each young person has one coach. Find out more at der-schuelercoach.de. Your contact in Fürth is Diethart Bischof, diethart.bischof@der-schuelercoach.de, 0176 45530787.
BO-Check, school year 2026/27
The BO-Check booklet from the City of Fürth’s Bildungsbüro explains careers guidance and support for the move from school to work. It is dated 31 August 2026. The explanations above link to the relevant pages.
The employment agency offers consultation times at school. The youth advice centre JuBe (ELAN, Kohlenmarkt 1, 0911 239935-40, jube-online.de) helps young people aged 14 and over with applications and vocational training. Since March 2026, the JBA-Laden in the city centre has also offered advice without an appointment.
Questions about the booklet: Sabine Rehm, Bildungsbüro Fürth, 0911 974-1018, sabine.rehm@fuerth.de.
BO-Check PDF City of Fürth downloads
Employment agency
Contact: careers advice for Mittelschulen in Fürth, or Berufsberatung.Fuerth@arbeitsagentur.de.