Career change as a library assistant

Career change paths

• Care worker in the open all-day school program

  Also: Reading promotion employee at schools

  With on-the-job training

  In all-day care at primary schools you look after children after lessons, help with homework and offer reading and media activities.

  What you bring:

  You know children's and youth media, have led class tours and reading hours, and get along well with children.

  How to get there:

  School authorities and independent providers hire people with educational experience and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), often with short qualification courses. An extended police clearance certificate (erweitertes Führungszeugnis) is mandatory. There are also part-time jobs.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,340gross per monthMedian salary

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• Web editor

  Also: Content manager

  With on-the-job training

  As a web editor you maintain the websites of authorities, associations or companies in the content management system, write and edit texts, and pay attention to accessibility.

  What you bring:

  You can organize content, describe it clearly and make it easy to find, and that is the core of a good website.

  How to get there:

  Courses in web editing and content management systems at training providers take a few weeks to a few months and can often be funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). Employers give you on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in their system, and a work sample helps with your application.*

  * 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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• Publishing clerk

  Also: Information and knowledge management employee

  With on-the-job training

  At publishers or companies you maintain title and product data, research information for departments, and look after licenses and databases.

  What you bring:

  Research, metadata, licenses and databases are part of your everyday work in the library.

  How to get there:

  Publishers, information services and larger companies give people with library experience a few weeks to a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Good English and confident use of databases improve your chances.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €3,750gross per monthMedian salary

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• Archive employee

  Also: Document management clerk

  With on-the-job training

  In archives, authorities or companies you organize files, digitize collections, maintain the document management system, and answer inquiries.

  What you bring:

  You organize and index documents, find them again quickly and work precisely with filing systems.

  How to get there:

  Archives and administrations give people with library experience a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), also for tasks related to the switch to electronic files. If you want a qualification of your own, you can do the archive specialization of the vocational training (Ausbildung) as media and information services specialist (Fachangestellter für Medien- und Informationsdienste).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLittle customer contactIn an office

  €3,707gross per monthMedian salary

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• Certified senior specialist for media and information services (Fachwirt für Medien- und Informationsdienste)

  Also: Head of a district or community library

  With further trainingPromotion

  With the further training you take on management tasks in smaller libraries, plan collection, staff and budget, and organize programs for schools and families.

  What you bring:

  You know lending, cataloging, media processing and events in a library from everyday work.

  How to get there:

  You take the further training course for senior specialist for media and information services (Fachwirt für Medien- und Informationsdienste), which is not offered in every state; in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, it is run through the Bezirksregierung Köln. There you are admitted with a qualification as media and information services specialist (Fachangestellter für Medien- und Informationsdienste) and two years of work experience. Management jobs in larger libraries usually require a university degree.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €4,878gross per monthMedian salary

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• Administrative employee in the cultural office

  Also: Clerk in the municipal administration

  With further training

  In the municipal administration you process applications, funding or event permits, and work with citizens and clubs.

  What you bring:

  If your library belongs to the city or district, you already know budget rules, procurement and administrative processes to some extent.

  How to get there:

  Municipalities offer employees a part-time course at a study institute, called administrative course I (Angestelltenlehrgang I or Verwaltungslehrgang I, depending on the state), which often takes about two years and qualifies you for casework. Often you can switch internally even before that and get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). The details are set by each state and each employer.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,822gross per monthMedian salary

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• Early childhood educator (Erzieher)

  With further training

  As an early childhood educator (Erzieher) in a daycare center (Kita), after-school care center (Hort) or all-day program you look after children in everyday life, promote their language and development, and plan activities for the group.

  What you bring:

  You can inspire children with books and stories and have experience with groups and parents.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational college training (Fachschulausbildung) under state law, which full-time normally takes three years including practice. Depending on the state and college, it is also offered practice-integrated with pay, and Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications) is possible. You usually need an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss) and completed vocational training. If your training is not in education, the states also require practical experience in social education settings, and each state sets how much.*Regulated by law (State law: state recognition under each state's vocational college regulations).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,995gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical documentation assistant

  With further training

  In clinics, research institutions or registries you document diagnoses and treatments, maintain study data and evaluate it for billing and research.

  What you bring:

  You can organize and index information and maintain it cleanly in databases.

  How to get there:

  You train as a medical documentation assistant (Medizinischer Dokumentationsassistent) at a vocational school (Berufsfachschule), which usually takes two to three years. You usually need an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss). Employers include clinics and cancer registries, and working from home is partly possible.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €4,447gross 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.