CV for School Students in Germany: Template and Examples
No work experience yet — and still a page to fill? No problem: school, internships, hobbies and volunteering count for more than you think. Here you'll find the structure, a complete sample and the typical mistakes in a school student's CV for Germany.
By Redaktion ·
Key takeaways
- As a school student in Germany you need a CV mainly for a school internship (Schülerpraktikum), an apprenticeship application or a part-time job — and in every case, one page is plenty.
- No work experience is no problem: school with favourite subjects, internships, clubs, volunteering, hobbies and computer skills all count as experience — the key is describing them concretely.
- The structure is always the same: personal details, education, practical experience, activities and interests, skills — in reverse chronological order, and primary school is left out.
- A serious email address made of your first and last name is a must — nickname addresses immediately look unprofessional to recruiters.
- In Germany, place, date and a signature belong at the end of the CV — before sending, check together with your parents that all details are up to date.
Your first application is coming up — for a school internship, an apprenticeship or a part-time job — and suddenly you need something you have never written before: a CV. The good news: a CV for school students in Germany follows simple rules, and nobody expects work experience from you. What counts is a clear structure and honest, concrete details. This guide gives you both — plus a complete sample to work from. The application letter for the internship is not covered here; that has its own guide.
When you need a CV as a school student
Three situations in Germany where a CV is expected:
- School internship (Schülerpraktikum): many companies want a short application with a CV even for a one-week placement.
- Apprenticeship (Ausbildung): here the CV is mandatory — alongside your school report it is the most important document in your application.
- Part-time or holiday job: even for a mini-job, a CV makes a good impression and sets you apart.
In all three cases: one page is enough. Nobody expects more — and you don't have more to tell yet. That is completely fine.
No work experience? These things count anyway
The most common sentence before a first application: “But I have nothing to show.” Almost never true. A lot of your everyday life is experience — you just have to write it down properly:
| What you do | How it reads in your CV |
|---|---|
| Tutoring classmates | Maths tutoring, year 6 (weekly, since 2024) |
| Babysitting for neighbours | Regular childcare (two children, since 2023) |
| Football, handball, dancing | Club sport at [club name], youth team (since 2019) |
| Editing videos and pictures | Video editing (CapCut), image editing (Canva) |
| School paramedic service, peer mediation | School paramedic service at [school name] (since 2023) |
On top of that: your school with favourite subjects (especially if they match the internship), school clubs, volunteering such as youth fire brigade or community work, and computer skills like Word or PowerPoint from school projects. Concrete beats generic:
- ❌ “Hobbies: gaming, meeting friends, music” → ✅ “School gaming club (organising tournaments), guitar since 2020”
- ❌ “IT skills” → ✅ “Word and PowerPoint (presentations and project work), Canva”
Sample: CV for a school internship
This is what the complete CV of a 15-year-old student applying for a school internship can look like — replace the details in square brackets with your own:
Lebenslauf (CV)
Personal details Lena Hoffmann [Street and number], [postcode, town] Phone: [mobile number] — Email: lena.hoffmann@[provider].de Born on [14 March 2011] in [Cologne]
Education since 2021: [Heinrich Böll Grammar School, Cologne] — currently year 9 Favourite subjects: biology and chemistry
Practical experience since 2024: maths tutoring for a year-6 pupil (weekly) 2025: helping at the summer fair of [Cologne animal shelter] (running a stall)
Activities and interests since 2023: school paramedic service (first-aid training) since 2019: handball at [TSV Musterstadt], youth team
Skills English (5th year), French (3rd year) Word and PowerPoint (presentations), Canva
[Cologne, 5 September 2026] [Signature]
Structure and length: one page, clear blocks
The order in the sample is the proven one: personal details, education, practical experience, activities and interests, skills. Within each block, sort in reverse chronological order — newest first. Choose a readable font (Arial or Calibri, 11 pt, for example), consistent spacing, and export as a PDF at the end. Leave out any section you have nothing for — an empty heading stands out more than a missing one.
For parents: the final look before sending
Many parents read the first application with their child — a good idea. Three things matter in that joint final check: are all details up to date (year group, address, phone number)? Are place, date and signature at the end — scanned in for online applications? And is the email address right: it should consist of first and last name; an address like sweetgirl2011@ immediately looks out of place at a company. If needed, set up a new, serious mailbox for applications — it takes five minutes.
Typical mistakes in a school student's CV
- Empty sections — headings like “Work experience” with nothing under them are better deleted entirely
- Listing primary school — everyone leaves it out; it says nothing about you
- Nickname email address — addresses like gamerboy_08@ cost you credibility instantly
- Outdated details — a wrong year group or old address will come up in the interview
- Exaggerating — babysitting twice does not make “several years of childcare experience”
Checklist: before the application goes out
- One page, clearly organised in blocks?
- All dates given with month or year, newest first?
- No empty sections, no primary school?
- Serious email address made of first and last name?
- Place, date and signature at the end?
- Spelling checked by a second person — your parents, for example?
If the formatting is driving you mad or you don't know how to phrase your experience: our AI CV generator turns your details into a cleanly designed PDF page and suggests wording — you review it, adjust it, and have your first CV finished in half an hour.
Frequently asked questions
- What goes in my CV if I have no work experience yet?
- Everything that shows who you are and what you can do: your school with favourite subjects, internships, school clubs, volunteering (for example youth fire brigade or a sports club), tutoring or babysitting, hobbies and computer skills. Stay concrete: “football at a club since 2019” says more than just “sport”.
- How long should a school student's CV be?
- Exactly one page. Recruiters don't expect a long career from a school student — one clear page with complete, up-to-date details looks better than two padded ones. Better to describe a few points concretely than to fill many half-empty sections.
- Does primary school belong in the CV?
- No. Everyone leaves primary school out — it is the same for everybody and says nothing about you. Your secondary school with location, dates and current year group is enough, plus favourite subjects or specialisations if they fit the application.
- Does a student CV in Germany need a signature?
- Yes, that is the custom in Germany: place, date and a handwritten signature go at the end of the CV. For an online application you can scan your signature or write it on a tablet and insert it as an image. The signature confirms that your details are correct.
- Should I include a photo in my CV?
- A photo is optional in Germany — under the anti-discrimination law (AGG), no employer may require one. If you use one, choose a friendly, tidy portrait against a calm background, not a selfie or holiday picture. When in doubt, a CV without a photo looks better than one with an unsuitable photo.