Start Your Business for Free with AVGS Coaching in Mönchen­gladbach

That depends on your benefit. If you receive ALG I, the Employment Agency in Mönchengladbach is responsible (Lürriper Str. 56, 41065 Mönchengladbach; phone 0800 4555500). If you receive basic income support (ALG II), your local Jobcenter Mönchengladbach 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 Mönchengladbach. 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 Mönchengladbach, you can reach the Employment Agency at 0800 4555500 and the Jobcenter at 02161 9488-0.

The start-up scene in Mönchengladbach is closely networked. Together with Krefeld, the Viersen district, and the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, the city forms the Gründungsregion Niederrhein, a network of more than 20 partners with a shared events calendar. Meeting places include the Gründungsfabrik in Rheydt and the #meetupMG of the nextMG association. The HNX start-up service of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences supports students and staff. In 2025, there were 2,464 business registrations for new start-ups in Mönchengladbach, 10% more than the year before (IHK start-up report 2026).

That depends on your postal code and your age. From the age of 25, the Jobcenter Zentrum at Fliethstraße 57 supports you for the postal codes 41061, 41063, 41065, 41066, 41068, 41069, 41169, and 41179. For 41189, 41199, 41236, 41238, and 41239, the Rheydt location at Limitenstraße 144-148 is responsible. If you are under 25, go to the Jugendberufsagentur at Lürriper Straße 56. If you want to start a business, the “Selbständige / Existenzgründer” team in Rheydt advises you; appointments are available at 02161 9488-0.

Yes. The Employment Agency Mönchengladbach serves the city and the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district, together around 700,000 inhabitants. In addition to the Employment Agency at Lürriper Straße 56, there are branch offices in Neuss (Marienstraße 42), Grevenbroich (Lindenstraße 43), and Dormagen (Römerstraße 25). The hotline 0800 4555500 applies to all of them.

The IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein charges €80 for the viability certificate for the start-up grant. For the start-up grant itself, you need, among other things, a remaining entitlement to unemployment benefit I of at least 150 days, and you must start the business as your main occupation. The Employment Agency leaves the choice of qualified body to you and does not cover the costs. In AVGS coaching, we prepare the business plan and financial plan so that the qualified body can review them.

The STARTERCENTER NRW at the IHK at Bismarckstraße 109 offers a free initial consultation (02161 241-134). The Gründungsfabrik of the WFMG and the IHK provides advice free of charge in Rheydt, Mühlenstraße 2-4, until June 30, 2027. For start-ups in the skilled crafts, the Handwerkskammer Düsseldorf is responsible; you can reach its business advice service at 0211 8795-555. If you receive unemployment benefit I or basic income support, start-up coaching with an AVGS may also be an option, provided your placement specialist approves the voucher. The coaching supports you until your business plan is finished.

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. In September 2026, 219 people in the district of the Employment Agency Mönchengladbach were receiving the start-up grant.