VBE

What VBE does

VBE (Verband Bildung und Erziehung - Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein e.V.) is a state-level teachers' professional association and registered union (eingetragener Verein) headquartered on Muhliusstrasse 65 in Kiel, Germany. Founded in 1975, it is the Schleswig-Holstein state branch of the national VBE Bundesverband — a network of more than 100,000 members across Germany — and is affiliated with the Deutscher Beamtenbund (DBB), the German civil-service federation. The organisation represents teachers, teacher trainees, pensioners, and education-sector civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein, advocating for their professional, economic, and pension interests.

The organisation's revenue model is a tiered monthly membership subscription: €1 for students, €3.50 for teacher trainees, €11.50 for pensioners, €12–€13.50 for part-time employees at grades EG9–10, and €14.50–€23 for active teachers across salary grades A11–A15. Its product set comprises policy advocacy (most notably the August 2025 achievement of the A13 salary grade for elementary teachers after a 50-year campaign), professional training delivered through the VBE-Länder-Akademie partnership, member publications (active through May 2026), pension calculation and advisory services, and digital communications via website and Facebook. Operational scale is small, with 1–10 employees, and leadership is provided by Chair Annette Jeß, Deputy Chair Martina Heitmann, and Martje Gummert heading the 'junger VBE' (young educators) department.

The business model is non-profit and member-funded: there are no disclosed enterprise customers, no product revenue, and no investment capital. Strategic activity centres on lobbying the Schleswig-Holstein state government on salary, pension, and education-policy issues, federated coordination with the national VBE and DBB, and European-level engagement through ETUCE. The most significant recent commercial-style event is the August 2025 A13 salary-grade outcome, which functions as both a member-value catalyst and a recruitment lever for the under-penetrated trainee segment targeted by the junger VBE department.

Name

VBE

Legal name

Verband Bildung und Erziehung – Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein e. V.

Website

https://vbe-sh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VBE is the Schleswig-Holstein state branch of the German teachers' union VBE, founded in 1975 and based in Kiel. It represents teachers, trainees, and pensioners in the state, funded entirely by tiered monthly membership dues, with advocacy, training, and pension advisory as core services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: VBE generates revenue through monthly membership fees from teachers, teacher trainees, students, and pensioners. Fee structure is based on employment status and salary grade, ranging from €1.00/month for students to €23.00/month for senior positions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VBE Schleswig-Holstein is a non-profit teachers' union (e.V.) that provides membership-based services to educators, including legal protection in civil service matters, pension calculation and advisory services, professional publications (position papers, newsletters), and in-person training for staff representatives. The organization also advocates for teachers' education policy interests at the state and federal levels and represents members in collective bargaining via DBB affiliation.

Product overview

VBE Schleswig-Holstein is a professional union organization for teachers and educational staff. The organization provides a unified portfolio of membership services including professional representation, pension calculation services, publications (VBE Standpunkte papers, Seniorenbrief newsletters), training programs for staff representatives, and specialized programs for young teachers and student members. The core offering is membership in the union, which provides legal protection, professional support, and advocacy services. No distinct software product or technology platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VBE Schleswig-Holstein Membership Services Union membership services for teachers, including legal representation in civil service matters, pension advice, and professional support. Available to active teachers, teacher trainees, students, and pensioners across Schleswig-Holstein.
• Pensionsberechnung (Pension Calculation Service) Service that calculates pension claims for VBE members, covering current pension, retirement at statutory retirement age, early retirement, disability retirement, and pension after occupational accident. Free for VBE-SH members; fee-based for non-members.
• Personalr\u00e4teschulungen (Staff Representative Training) Training seminars for staff representatives covering topics including co-determination, overtime, time recording, transfers, and current legal issues. Held at various locations across Schleswig-Holstein including Nortorf, Itzehoe, L\u00fcbeck, Kiel, and Treia.
• Young Teachers Program (Junge Lehrkr\u00e4fte) Support and representation services for newly qualified teachers entering the profession, including legal advice, training support, and professional development. Managed by the Referat junger VBE.
• Student Program (Studenten/Studentinnen) Free membership program for student teachers at \u20ac1.00/month, providing legal protection, publications, and professional support during university studies.
• Beitrittsformular (Membership Application) Online membership application form with tiered categories including students (\u20ac1/month), trainees (\u20ac3.50/month), pensioners (\u20ac11.50/month), and various civil servant salary grades (\u20ac12\u2013\u20ac23/month). Available as Word/PDF forms on the website.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutscher Beamtenbund (DBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBE is a member of the DBB (German Civil Servants' Association), the umbrella organization for civil servants' associations in Germany. Through this membership, VBE participates in collective bargaining processes, advocates for beamtenrecht (civil service law), and coordinates with other professional associations on public sector employment issues.
• VBE Bundesverband (National VBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBE Schleswig-Holstein is a state-level association of the national VBE (Verband Bildung und Erziehung). The national organization coordinates policy positions, conducts nationwide surveys (e.g., teacher workload surveys), and represents teachers at the federal level.
• ETUCE (European Trade Union Committee for Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBE holds a seat at ETUCE through alternation with GEW (Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft), enabling participation in European education policy discussions and influence on European teacher policy.
• BAGSO (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBE participates in BAGSO, the national association of senior organizations, representing retired teachers and advocating for senior citizens' interests in areas such as digital inclusion, healthcare, and social participation.
• VBE-Länder-AkademieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVBE-Länder-Akademie provides training and professional development services for VBE members, including staff representative training and continuing education programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bundeselternrat: Federal council of parent representatives. Engages in the same education policy debates (workload, Lehrkräftemangel, school quality) and participates in policy advocacy alongside teachers' unions like VBE.
• Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK): Conference of German state education ministers that sets cross-state education policy. VBE engages with KMK as a counterpart rather than a competitor, shaping teacher policy and standards.
• BAGSO (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen): National senior citizens' umbrella organization in which VBE participates via its retired members. Comparable membership-association structure serving senior welfare, pensions, and digital inclusion.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Beamtenbund (DBB): Federal umbrella federation for civil servant associations in Germany. VBE is a member; DBB provides collective bargaining infrastructure and broader public-sector political representation.
• ver.di (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft): Large German services union with significant education sector membership. Competes for teacher members in some states and overlaps on civil servant and public-sector labor issues.
• VBE Bundesverband: National umbrella of VBE state associations, including VBE Schleswig-Holstein. Sets federal policy positions, runs nationwide teacher surveys, and coordinates cross-state advocacy.

Direct peers

• GEW (Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft): Germany's largest teachers' and education workers' union, directly competing with VBE for the same teacher membership pool in Schleswig-Holstein and across Germany. Alternates with VBE for the ETUCE seat.
• Philologenverband: German association for Gymnasium-level teachers. Competes for the same teacher pool at a different school tier; shares civil-service collective bargaining concerns and ETUCE-aligned policy positions.

Regional players

• Bayerischer Lehrer- und Lehrerinnenverband (BLLV): Bavarian teachers' association and fellow VBE state peer, representing educators in another German federal state. Comparable structure, member services, and advocacy model.

Emerging players

• VBE-L\u00e4nder-Akademie: VBE-affiliated training and professional development provider for staff representatives and teachers. Adjacent peer operating under the VBE umbrella, offering Personalr\u00e4teschulungen and continuing education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BildungundErziehungSH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vbe-verband-bildung-und-erziehung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VBE