Career change as a pharmacist
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 7 with on-the-job training and 1 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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Medical science liaison
Also: Key account manager in the pharmaceutical industry
With on-the-job training
As a medical science liaison or key account manager, you inform hospitals and specialist practices about medicines and studies and stay in contact with professional societies.
- What you bring:
- You know active substances, studies and treatment guidelines and can talk to doctors as an equal.
- How to get there:
- Pharma companies hire pharmacists directly and train them in indications and regulations. You already bring the expertise that drug law requires for informing professionals. For medical science liaison positions, a doctorate is often expected. Willingness to travel is always expected.*Regulated by law (Medicinal Products Act (AMG) § 75).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€6,758gross per monthMedian salary
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Official pharmacist (Amtsapotheker)
Also: GMP inspector in medicines surveillance
With on-the-job training
In the medicines surveillance of a state or district, you inspect pharmacies, manufacturers and wholesalers and check whether they maintain quality and safety.
- What you bring:
- You know the manufacture, storage and dispensing of medicines and the rules for them from practice.
- How to get there:
- States and districts hire licensed pharmacists (approbierte Apotheker) and train them on the job in inspection procedures. For inspections at manufacturers, industry experience is often expected. Depending on the state, you work as a civil servant or as an employee under a collective pay agreement (Tarif).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€5,234gross per monthMedian salary
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Quality manager in the pharmaceutical industry
Also: Quality manager for medical devices
With on-the-job training
In the quality management of a pharma or medical device manufacturer, you maintain the quality system, prepare audits and handle deviations and changes.
- What you bring:
- You work precisely, know the pharmacopoeia, manufacturing rules and documentation and think about risks for patients.
- How to get there:
- Manufacturers also hire pharmacists without industry experience and train them on the job in GMP and standards. Courses on these take a few days to a few weeks. You mostly work in an office at regular hours.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€6,611gross per monthMedian salary
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Teacher at a PTA school (school for pharmaceutical-technical assistants)
Also: Lecturer in pharmacology
With on-the-job training
At PTA schools, you teach future pharmaceutical-technical assistants (PTA) in theory and lab work.
- What you bring:
- You master pharmacology, pharmaceutics and counseling and can teach them clearly.
- How to get there:
- PTA schools hire licensed pharmacists as teachers, often part-time alongside the pharmacy, and schools and chambers offer further training in teaching.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€5,140gross per monthMedian salary
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Medicines supply policy advisor
Also: Policy advisor at a pharmacists' chamber
With on-the-job training
At chambers, associations, health insurance funds or ministries, you assess legislative projects, advise on medicines issues and help develop care contracts.
- What you bring:
- You know drug law, billing and local care and see where things get stuck.
- How to get there:
- These employers hire licensed pharmacists with work experience directly. You learn political processes and contract law on the job.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible -
Specialist editor for pharmacy
Also: Medical journalist
With on-the-job training
At trade publishers, pharmacy magazines or health portals, you write articles, training texts and patient information.
- What you bring:
- You can present medicines knowledge, studies and new rules for pharmacies clearly.
- How to get there:
- Pharmaceutical trade publishers hire pharmacists as editors or offer a traineeship (Volontariat). First texts as a freelancer help you get started.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€4,728gross per monthMedian salary
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Pharmacy consultant
Also: Healthcare consultant
With on-the-job training
As a consultant at wholesalers, cooperatives or consulting firms, you support pharmacies with key figures, product range, staff and digitalization.
- What you bring:
- You know business management, billing and the organization of a pharmacy from your own experience.
- How to get there:
- Wholesalers, pharmacy cooperatives and consultancies that focus on pharmacies hire pharmacists with management experience. Business courses add to your knowledge.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light€6,768gross per monthMedian salary
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Chemistry teacher through the alternative route (Seiteneinstieg)
Also: Biology teacher
With a degree
At secondary schools, you teach as a career changer, mainly chemistry and, depending on the state, biology.
- What you bring:
- You have studied chemistry, biology and pharmacology and can explain expert knowledge clearly.
- How to get there:
- The states regulate the alternative route into teaching (Seiteneinstieg) differently. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the preparatory service (Vorbereitungsdienst) alongside work takes 24 months and requires a university degree, two years of work experience and two teaching subjects. The state decides whether your pharmacy degree is recognized for one or two subjects.*Regulated by law (State law: teacher education acts and alternative-route regulations of the German states).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light€5,466gross per monthMedian salary
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a pharmacist without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Medical science liaison, Official pharmacist (Amtsapotheker), Quality manager in the pharmaceutical industry, Teacher at a PTA school (school for pharmaceutical-technical assistants), Medicines supply policy advisor, Specialist editor for pharmacy and Pharmacy consultant.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a pharmacist?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Chemistry teacher through the alternative route (Seiteneinstieg).
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Pharmacy consultant (€6,768 gross per month), Medical science liaison (€6,758 gross per month) and Quality manager in the pharmaceutical industry (€6,611 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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