Career change as a companion for older people

Career change paths

• Nursing assistant

  Also: Nursing specialist assistant

  With on-the-job training

  As a nursing assistant you also take on personal care and help with eating and mobilization.

  What you bring:

  You support people who need care in daily life and handle dementia, restlessness and relatives confidently.

  How to get there:

  You start as a nursing aide after a basic nursing course (Pflegebasiskurs) of a few weeks. A qualification comes from training as a nursing specialist assistant (Pflegefachassistenz). From 2027 it will be the same across Germany and takes 18 months full-time, with training pay. With work experience in nursing, it can be shortened.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,296gross per monthMedian salary

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• School support worker

  Also: Integration assistant

  With on-the-job training

  As a school support worker you help a child with a disability or special support needs in class and during breaks.

  What you bring:

  You patiently guide people who need support through their day and work with relatives and professionals.

  How to get there:

  You start with an independent provider of youth services or integration assistance (freier Träger), with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), often including a course of a few days to weeks. The jobs are usually tied to a school year and often part-time. For educational assistant jobs at schools, each federal state has its own hiring rules.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €3,340gross per monthMedian salary

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• Registered nurse

  Also: Registered nurse in elderly care

  With vocational trainingPromotion

  As a registered nurse you take on medical treatment care, manage medication and plan the care, and you bear the professional responsibility.

  What you bring:

  You know the daily life, wishes and habits of people who need care and work closely with the nursing team.

  How to get there:

  Vocational training (Ausbildung) as a registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann) takes 3 years full-time or up to 5 years part-time, with training pay. You can specialize in long-term care. Access is with an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss), or with a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) and at least two years of vocational training or a nursing aide or nursing assistant training.*Regulated by law (Nursing Professions Act (PflBG)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,421gross per monthMedian salary

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• Disability support worker

  With further trainingPromotion

  Disability support workers (Heilerziehungspfleger) work with people with disabilities in residential groups, schools and workshops, combining educational work with care.

  What you bring:

  You support people in daily life, organize activities and know how much independence is possible.

  How to get there:

  Training at a vocational college (Fachschule) under state law usually takes 3 years. Depending on the state and college, it is also offered integrated with practice and paid, or you can do it alongside work. Each federal state sets the access requirements, usually an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss) plus vocational training or several years of relevant work experience.*Regulated by law (State law: state recognition under the vocational college regulations of the federal states).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,461gross per monthMedian salary

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• Childminder (Tagesmutter or Tagesvater)

  With further training

  In childminding (Kindertagespflege) you look after up to five children on your own, in your home or in rented rooms.

  What you bring:

  You structure days, cook, play and reliably look after others, often in family households.

  How to get there:

  If you look after other people's children away from their parents' home for pay, for more than 15 hours per week and for longer than three months, you need a care permit (Pflegeerlaubnis) from the youth welfare office (Jugendamt). The permit is limited to 5 years. The youth welfare offices require a qualification course, whose length differs by state, for example about 300 teaching units, partly before and partly during the work. They also require suitable rooms and an enhanced criminal record certificate (erweitertes Führungszeugnis). You usually work self-employed.*Regulated by law (§ 43 Social Code VIII (SGB VIII)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,340gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical assistant (MFA)

  With retraining

  In the doctor's practice, you also handle scheduling and billing, draw blood and assist with examinations.

  What you bring:

  You deal with older and sick people, observe closely and talk with relatives and doctors.

  How to get there:

  Vocational training (Ausbildung) takes 3 years and can be shortened on request, especially with the Abitur (university-entrance diploma) or a completed vocational qualification. Alternatively, you can retrain (Umschulung), which usually takes about 2 years and can often be funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €3,270gross per monthMedian salary

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• Occupational therapist

  With further training

  Occupational therapists address this in a targeted way on a doctor's prescription, for example after a stroke or with dementia.

  What you bring:

  You get people active with memory training, movement and activities, and you see what is hard for them in daily life.

  How to get there:

  Training at a vocational school (Berufsfachschule) takes 3 years and ends with a state exam. Access is with an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss) or with a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) plus at least two years of vocational training. Depending on the federal state and school, tuition fees may still apply.*Regulated by law (Occupational Therapists Act (ErgThG)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLots of contact with people

  €4,001gross per monthMedian salary

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• Home economics manager

  Also: Master of home economics

  With retrainingPromotion

  In household management you plan meals, cleaning and laundry for a facility or shared apartment and lead a team.

  What you bring:

  You know shopping, cooking, laundry and cleaning in the household of people who need care and adapt to their habits.

  How to get there:

  As a rule, you first earn a qualification as a home economics worker (Hauswirtschafter): vocational training (Ausbildung) takes 3 years, and the alternatives are retraining (Umschulung) or the external exam (Externenprüfung) under § 45 para. 2 BBiG after 4.5 years of work experience in home economics. Then comes further training as a master of home economics (Meister der Hauswirtschaft), which is possible alongside work and can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Without home economics training, admission is possible after at least 5 years of work experience related to home economics, and the responsible body decides whether your work is recognized.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  €3,996gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.