Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Dortmund

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Employment Agency in Dortmund is responsible (Steinstr. 39, 44147 Dortmund (opposite the main station, north exit); phone 0800 4555500 (toll-free) / 0231 842-0). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), the Jobcenter Dortmund is your point of contact (Königshof 1 (entrance Steinstraße 42), 44147 Dortmund). 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; on request, an in-person meeting at our office in Dortmund is possible. 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 Dortmund. 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. In Dortmund, you can reach the Employment Agency at 0800 4555500 and the Jobcenter’s customer service at 0231 842-1110.

Dortmund’s start-up scene has a strong technology focus. At the TechnologieZentrumDortmund (TZDO), founders and companies meet regularly at the “3rd Wednesday” networking evening. Since 2001, the Economic Development Agency has run the start2grow competition, and it operates a STARTERCENTER NRW and a center for women founders (Gründerinnenzentrum). The largest share of business registrations is in trade: in 2025, this accounted for just over a quarter of the 5,069 registrations (IT.NRW).

For cash benefits and job placement, there are two locations in Dortmund: the Jobcenter at Königshof (Königshof 1, entrance Steinstraße 42) and the Jobcenter at Kaiserhain (Am Kaiserhain 1). Customer service at 0231 842-1110 will tell you which one is responsible for you. If you are under 25, the Jugendberufshaus at Steinstraße 39 supports you. You can handle short matters without an appointment at the Aktionsbüros at Borsigplatz and in Hörde, Scharnhorst, and Westerfilde. You send messages and documents via jobcenter.digital.

The STARTERCENTER NRW of the Economic Development Agency Dortmund at Grüne Straße 2-8 issues viability certificates, for example for the start-up grant or the entry allowance (phone 0231 50 29 244). The IHK zu Dortmund prepares the expert opinion for prospective trade business owners and requires an individual business plan with planning over 24 months. For the start-up grant, you choose the qualified body yourself; the law names chambers, professional associations, and credit institutions only as examples. For the entry allowance, the Jobcenter assesses viability itself or commissions a qualified body, free of charge for you. In AVGS coaching, we prepare the documents so that the body can review them.

Dortmund has four tax offices: Dortmund-Hörde (Niederhofener Straße 3), Dortmund-Ost (Auf dem Hohwart 2), Dortmund-Unna (Trakehnerweg 4, located in Dortmund despite its name), and Dortmund-West (Märkische Straße 249). Which one is responsible for you depends on your address. The tax office finder of the NRW tax administration shows you. You can reach all four at 0211 1655 1655.

No. Lünen belongs to the Employment Agency Hamm, which has a branch office there at Münsterstraße 45, and, for basic income support, to the Jobcenter Kreis Unna. The Employment Agency Dortmund serves the city of Dortmund. Bochum and Castrop-Rauxel do not belong to the Employment Agency Dortmund either. So your place of residence determines where you apply for the AVGS.

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. After the first six months, the Employment Agency can pay a further nine months of €300 each if you prove your business activity. In Dortmund, three out of four unemployed people are supported by the Jobcenter. If you do not receive unemployment benefit I, you will not get a start-up grant; at the Jobcenter, the entry allowance may then be an option, a discretionary benefit under § 16b SGB II.