Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Bochum

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Employment Agency in Bochum is responsible (Universitätsstraße 66, 44789 Bochum; phone 0800 4555500). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), your local Jobcenter Bochum is responsible. In both cases your caseworker decides on the AVGS. In-person visits are only possible by appointment; we prepare you flexibly online for the conversation.

You can find an official list of AZAV-certified providers in the KURSNET of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). We, UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, are an AZAV-certified provider (provider certificate Z-000392-2, area 1) based in Leverkusen that offers AVGS programs nationwide. Our programs are delivered entirely online, flexibly and without travel. We offer two programs: “Businessweg” (Z-000482-2) for start-up coaching and “JobWeg” (Z-001366-3) for applicant & job coaching.

The approval time depends on your caseworker and the current workload of the Employment Agency in Bochum. It typically takes 2–4 weeks from application to approval. For well-prepared applications with a clear rationale and a viable concept, the approval rate is considerably higher. We prepare you for the conversation with your caseworker, online and at flexible times that suit you.

Bochum has transformed from a long-established mining and heavy-industry city into a modern knowledge and technology location in the heart of the Ruhr area. Today the city is shaped by Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, and a lively IT and cybersecurity scene around locations such as the Technology Center and the Health City (Gesundheitsstadt) Bochum. Particularly strongly represented are IT, software, and cybersecurity (including VW Infotainment, ETAS/Bosch, and numerous university spin-offs), the healthcare industry and medical technology around the university hospitals, and trade, logistics, and creative businesses around the Bermuda3eck and the Jahrhunderthalle. Pavel Deuble and his nationwide team have supported many founders from Bochum in these industries, entirely online and regardless of location.

Primarily ALG I recipients whose caseworker sees a need for counseling get an AVGS. People receiving basic income support (ALG II) can also receive an AVGS in certain cases. Issuing the AVGS is at the caseworker’s discretion; there is no legal entitlement to start-up coaching. Important: you must apply for the AVGS BEFORE the counseling begins, otherwise later funding is not possible.

With an AVGS voucher: 100% funded after written approval, so you pay nothing at all. The costs are billed entirely through your activation voucher. If you do not receive an AVGS, there are alternative routes: BAFA-funded consulting with a reduced personal contribution, or self-pay consulting. In the free initial consultation we clarify which route fits your situation.

AVGS coaching comprises up to 120 teaching units (UE), spread over 2–6 months. The exact number is stated in your AVGS voucher. We align the schedule flexibly with your availability, for example 2–3 sessions per week of 90 minutes, online via Zoom or Teams. Content: business plan, financial plan, marketing, and preparing the start-up grant application.

The AVGS is a COUNSELING voucher for coaching (for example start-up coaching). The start-up grant is direct FINANCIAL support for your living costs during the start-up phase (6 months of ALG I plus €300 per month). The two can be combined: AVGS coaching can be exactly the way to prepare your start-up grant application professionally.