ds (16) wants to drop out of school

What about schemes like working in a summer camp somewhere abroad, say the USA? Usually you have to pay for flights but then it's free board and lodging for a couple months, and you earn enough for a bit of travel before going home. Or being a chalet maid in a ski resort? Lots of young people around though probably have to be 18.
There are distance learning A-level courses you can do from home, which I know some teenagers in Europe are doing - might be worth considering?

Make clear that you are happy for him to live at home rent-free while he works towards his goals, but access to perks like snacks, pocket money and WiFi depends on meeting the standards any landlord would want of their lodger - no being drunk and generally helping keep the place clean and tidy.

These days you need a university degree to do any sort of office/desk job. Leaving school at 16 will shut the door to office work. It is hard to make money in translating and it is dull and tedious work. And requires a degree and professional qualifications most of the time.

I have a few friends who have faced this OP.

The first convinced her DS to take A levels and go to university. But he dropped out after year 1. Started again elsewhere but dropped out again.

University simply wasn't for him. At least not at 18 or 19.

He's working now. Not on a particularly well paid job. But he seems happy enough.

The second friend's son left school to start a business ( which he was convinced would make him a fortune). It has done well but not nearly well enough to leave home, like his degree educated brothers.

Tell him to get some work experience over the summer to see if this translation idea will fly. For a start does he mean translation (written) or interpretation (oral), and what does he think this entails? Who does he think will use the services of a 16 y.o.?
I knew someone (years ago; it may have changed but I doubt it) who did translation. It involved translating hundreds of pages of technical manuals - not the sort of thing that would appeal to someone with ADD and not the sort of thing that you would trust to a youngster (and that's even assuming that he could get PII insurance).
If you employ someone as a translator/interpreter then you need someone you can rely on to ensure that the correct message gets through to the other side. That involves building up trust and relationships (like any other business) and is incompatible with flitting about travelling. He is either (a) doing solid and dependable work which involves him being solid and dependable or (b) he is doing lightweight stuff which they can probably get GoogleTranslate to do for free.
Basically, I think the translation idea is dead in the water.

He would be more suited to be a multilingual host eg do the ski season or PGL or something like that. But, again, you have responsibilities and who would trust a 16 y.o.?

I agree with OurBlanche: get him to explain how this will work because it doesn't sound feasible to me. Is there someone he respects who can come to Tuesday's meeting? - if you pose the "what-if" questions then he will think you are being obstructive/negative but if someone else does it then he might listen.

There is a difference between being bored with school because it doesn't suits his personality and therefore looking at other ways to 'educate' himself to prepare for the future and being bored because of not accepting making efforts and just wanting to have fun (travelling).

It is only natural to be worried and it is hard to accept that our children are becoming people of their own making their own decisions, but the reality is that indeed, there comes a time when we can't just tell them what to do and that is the end. However, there are still young, naive and vulnerable and therefore need our support and guidance. Maybe he is headstrong because you/partner are too and he feels it is the only way to fight against doing what you want him to do.

Maybe it is time to accept your son how he is and work with him to consider his future. If it was my child, I would say to them that I would support them coming out of school and looking at other options, but having fun as an alternative is in no way one of them. I would remind him that travelling is a reward, not a due. Therefore, I would tell him that I would only be prepared to support him if he came up with realistic plans about setting out for his future, ie. the message is 'I am worried about you not continuing with mainstream education, but I love you and respect you wanting to take control of your life, so will support you, however, trading school for a life of leisure is in no way an option at this stage of your life'.

Says he finds studying hard, though he is very bright but he cannot concentrate and he is bored by school.

Have you considered having him assessed for something like dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD. Is the German system set up to cope with this sort of thing?

For a bit of balance, one of my nephews started A levels and decided he just didn't want to do them. He did have a degree in mind, and found it didn't need A levels, so he left school and worked at McDonalds for two years (and worked at night with am dram groups to build his show reel). He got into the course he wanted and has just graduated and gone straight into a really fabulous job - so it can work out.

🇩🇪 Aha!

That's right Davros. The legal leaving age was raised a couple of years ago. Kids must now be in some kind of education, leading to a recognised certificate until they are 18. Including apprenticeships and on the job, proper, qualifications... like day release.

But OP is in Germany!

DD announced to me the other day that you can't leave education at 16 in the UK anymore like in my day! Not that she is planning it.
Lots of good advice here, good luck

Look where he wants to travel, the rules and how is he going to finance it .... In most countries he won't be able to drive as not able to hire car, America he won't be able to drink or in UK .... will he need a locus parentis if so who will it be?

I guess when his friends return and he is left alone his ideas may change.

Is a vocational school/college a possibility. Is this the same Ds who wasn't happy a while back? Would living in UK for a while, taking a college based course here be an option? Does he have sufficient qualifications so far to be employed?

I would be all for it but put in a proviso that for example he doesn't drink. Say he can live rent free and you will pay for his phone etc for the first month to get him going but then he needs to start earning x amount per month. Work out how much he needs to make and work out how he will make that amount

Can he set up his business alongside school work?

Or is it the travel bug that's really fueling this?

So on Tuesday you sit down with a laptop and look at the travelling and work with him to make a real plan, starting with how much it will cost and what he can do to earn the necessary money... same with anything else he comes up with.

Ad hoc translating Great idea! let's look at where you can find work, advertise yourself, how much it will bring in.

Not staying on at school? OK! So how will you pay for your food, rent, bills etc? You can't live at home for free, we will subsidise your essential living costs but no cash, no phone, etc... how will you pay for those things?

Basic job? Great. let's see what is available and get some applications in,

What? You want a summer holiday? OK, how will you pay for it? You can't live at home out of school, earning nothing.

Don't get angry or impatient. Be wholly supportive, enthusiastic even... but don't let him sidestep a question... if he wants it how will he pay for it in real life?

Having taught 16 - 19 year olds for years I wish many parents had done this instead of foisting their disinterested child on me!

It really could be the making of him!

My brother dropped out of school at 16 as he was sick of studying and wanted to earn money. My parents said fine but he needed to get a job. He ended up working in McDonalds. He stuck it for just over a year before he decided he wanted more from his life. He went back to college and then uni. He did an MBA in the US and then came back here and got a job in the City. He always says that leaving school at 16 and getting a minimum wage job was the best thing he could have done as it showed him the reality of the workplace.

What age does it become non compulsory for them to be in some form of education? Could he look at apprenticeships, they can be a great way to see the world and do different things if you find the right one!

Education brings choices

Very true. Can you say that you will support him in his choices, maybe help him do a bit of research to show you are taking him seriously, look at potential earnings (immediate and projected future) and then go through a list of things that he will need to pay for (as you won't be) once he leaves school - rent, phone, transport, clothes, toiletries etc etc

This is what I did with DS last year - surprise, surprise despite my "support" for him leaving school, he finished his A levels and will be heading off to uni in September.

Just to put the other case - my ExH truanted from school from age of 14 years, left without a single qualification and is now very wealthy owning numerous properties over London & south east England - so lack of education is not a barrier to success. ExH was, however, even more exasperated than I was with DS's attitude towards education.

I would tell him he can leave education but leaving means an end to you funding him so he needs to pay X amount rent and bills and if he wishes you to continue to feed him y amount for food. Give him a month to find something ( only funding essentials). Good luck

Look into an advanced or degree apprenticeship. Do a job and get a degree paid for you with no fees. Win win.