When Hanh asked for sick leave, her broker and the restaurant owner urged her to sign a voluntary resignation that would cancel her unemployment benefits. She refused, and the employer handed her a dismissal notice. Later, exhausted and ill, she was fired outright.

Germany’s dual "Ausbildung" system advertises tuition‑free training and a monthly wage, attracting many Vietnamese since 2018‑2019. Today about 16,000 young Vietnamese are in vocational training, making up 21% of all foreign trainees, according to the Federal Employment Agency’s Migration Report 2024.

A study by the Minor institute (August 2025) found that 57% of Vietnamese trainees arrived through private brokers, paying fees between €6,000 and €15,000. Other research by Freie Universität Berlin (2024) and ARD suggests the total cost can rise to €20,000‑40,000.

German law obliges the hiring employer to cover recruitment fees, yet brokers continue to charge trainees large sums, creating a debt burden that contradicts the legal framework.

The same Minor study showed that 78% of Vietnamese trainees hold a B1 German certificate, but in practice they operate at A1 level because they studied only to pass the exam. This weak language skill limits their ability to read contracts, understand rights and negotiate wages.

Low net pay forces many trainees to share rooms without official contracts, miss important letters, and sometimes work off‑the‑books for less than the minimum wage. The combination of debt, language barriers and limited legal knowledge makes them dependent on brokers and unscrupulous employers.

Professors and NGOs warn that the debt cycle pushes trainees to take extra, often illegal, jobs instead of improving their German, deepening their vulnerability and undermining the promise of a stable future.