Career change as a baker

Career change paths

• Bakery advisor

  Also: Application technician for baking agents

  With on-the-job training

  At mills, baking agent or machine manufacturers you advise bakeries, demonstrate products in the test bakery or at the customer's and help with problems.

  What you bring:

  You know from practice how flours, baking agents and ingredients behave in doughs and why baking results fail.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training from the manufacturer (Einarbeitung) with product training, usually for a few weeks to months. For specialist advice and application technology the master qualification is often expected, plus a driving license class B and willingness to travel. Working hours are mostly during the day.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €5,550gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Cook in institutional catering

  Also: Cook in a company canteen

  With on-the-job training

  In canteens, hospitals or school kitchens you prepare food and desserts, with working hours mostly during the day instead of at night.

  What you bring:

  You work exactly to recipe, know hygiene rules and are used to producing large quantities under time pressure.

  How to get there:

  In large kitchens, entry is often possible with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), usually for a few weeks. A qualification comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a cook (Koch/Köchin), often shortened with your journeyman certificate, or from retraining (Umschulung), which usually takes 2 years and can often be funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demanding

  €3,058gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Pharmaceutical technician

  Also: Chemical production specialist

  With on-the-job training

  In pharmaceutical or chemical production you make medicines or chemical products on systems, monitor processes and document every step.

  What you bring:

  You work exactly to recipe, weigh and dose carefully and keep to strict hygiene rules.

  How to get there:

  You start as a production employee with on-the-job training and training on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and shift work is usual. A qualification comes from retraining (Umschulung) as a pharmaceutical technician (Pharmakant/Pharmakantin), which usually takes a good 2 years, or as a chemical production specialist (Produktionsfachkraft Chemie), which usually takes about 16 months. Both can often be funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €4,942gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Food technology specialist

  Also: Machine operator at an industrial bakery

  With on-the-job training

  In the food industry you control and monitor dough preparation, ovens and packaging systems, check quality and fix minor faults.

  What you bring:

  You know doughs, fermentation and baking processes and quickly notice when a product is not right.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training on the systems (Einarbeitung), usually for a few weeks; shift work is usual, depending on the company also at night. With work experience in industry, you can reach the qualification of food technology specialist (Fachkraft für Lebensmitteltechnik) through shortened vocational training or the external exam (Externenprüfung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,565gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Master baker or master pastry chef

  Also: Production manager at an industrial bakery

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a master craftsperson (Meister) or production manager you plan production and staff, develop recipes and ensure quality and food safety.

  What you bring:

  You know doughs, recipes, baking processes and hygiene rules and know how a bakery runs efficiently.

  How to get there:

  The master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the baker or pastry chef trade takes usually a few months to a year full-time and longer alongside work. Alternatively, you can take further training as a certified industrial foreman, specialization food (Geprüfter Industriemeister Fachrichtung Lebensmittel). Both can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). With your journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief) you are admitted to the master craftsperson exam and to the first part of the industrial foreman exam, and to the second part after another year of work experience.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact
  View job

• Food inspector

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a food inspector (Lebensmittelkontrolleur) you check businesses for the authority, from snack bars to factories, take samples and make sure defects are put right.

  What you bring:

  You know hygiene rules, raw materials, allergens and typical weak points in food businesses from practice.

  How to get there:

  First you need a further training exam, for example the master craftsperson exam in the baker or pastry chef trade, the industrial foreman exam in food (Industriemeister Lebensmittel), or a qualification as a state-certified technician in a food occupation. After that comes a course at the authority of at least 24 months with theory and practice, ending with an exam. The work usually takes place during the day, and districts and cities advertise the jobs.*Regulated by law (Food Inspector Ordinance (LKonV) §§ 2, 3).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekends

  €3,908gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• State-certified food technician

  Also: Employee in product development, baked goods

  With further trainingPromotion

  In quality assurance or product development at a food manufacturer you test raw materials and products, develop recipes further and support trials in production.

  What you bring:

  You know flours, dough management, recipes and baking processes and immediately recognize errors in the finished product.

  How to get there:

  The vocational college for food technology (Fachschule für Lebensmitteltechnik) takes 2 years full-time or about 4 years alongside work and can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Access is usually with a qualification in a food occupation and at least one year of work experience; the federal state sets the exact rules.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLittle customer contact

  €4,327gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Instructor in the baker or pastry chef trade

  Also: Instructor at an inter-company training facility

  With further trainingPromotion

  As an instructor you work with trainees in the business or in courses and prepare them for the journeyman exam.

  What you bring:

  You are skilled in dough making, shaping, baking and decorating in practice and can demonstrate techniques well.

  How to get there:

  The master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the baker or pastry chef trade also includes trainer aptitude (Ausbildereignung), and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Full-time instructor jobs exist, for example, at inter-company training facilities and bakery trade schools. You can also train apprentices alongside your regular work as a master craftsperson.*Regulated by law (Crafts Code (HwO) § 22b).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demandingLittle customer contact

  €4,462gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

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.