Career change as a financial controller
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 1 right away, 7 with on-the-job training and 0 with training or a course. This also applies to tax adviser.
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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Head of finance and accounting
Also: Commercial director
Start right awayPromotion
As head of finance, you are responsible in a company for bookkeeping, closing, planning and financing, and you advise the management.
- What you bring:
- You know annual financial statements, taxes and control systems in detail and have seen many companies from the inside.
- How to get there:
- Companies hire experienced auditors, tax advisors and controllers directly, often through recruitment consultancies. You trade the variety of clients for a single company and usually get more predictable working hours, without an audit season.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€8,334gross per monthMedian salary
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Management consultant
Also: Restructuring consultant
With on-the-job training
At a consultancy, you support companies with restructuring, cost reduction, buying and selling, or building finance processes.
- What you bring:
- You can read figures quickly, spot weak points in companies and back up your findings clearly.
- How to get there:
- Consultancies and the consulting divisions of audit firms hire experienced auditors and controllers and train them internally in consulting methods. Expect project work and travel.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€6,768gross per monthMedian salary
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Tax auditor in the tax administration
Also: Clerk in large-company tax auditing
With on-the-job training
In the tax administration, you audit the bookkeeping and taxes of businesses, with predictable working hours.
- What you bring:
- You know balance sheets, tax returns and typical structures from the companies' side.
- How to get there:
- Some states hire economists with a master's degree and tax-related work experience, for example from tax advising, as career changers in the tax administration and train them in-house. Each state regulates the area of work, the conditions and possible civil servant status (Verbeamtung) itself. Watch for the job ads of the state tax administrations.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€4,744gross per monthMedian salary
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Lecturer in tax law and accounting
Also: Lecturer in courses for balance sheet accountants
With on-the-job training
At chambers, technical schools and training providers, you prepare adults for exams such as certified balance sheet accountant (Bilanzbuchhalter), certified tax specialist (Steuerfachwirt) or controller.
- What you bring:
- You can explain accounting, tax law and controlling with real cases.
- How to get there:
- Chambers and training providers engage experienced practitioners as lecturers, often on a freelance basis first, alongside their main job. A course in adult education can help, and its length depends on the provider. Whether there are permanent positions depends on the training provider.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,075gross per monthMedian salary
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Financial analyst
Also: Analyst for company acquisitions
With on-the-job training
As an analyst, you value companies, acquisition targets and financing for banks, investors or investment companies.
- What you bring:
- You can evaluate financial statements, spot risks and assess the value of a company.
- How to get there:
- Banks and investment companies hire auditors with experience in transactions or valuation, and certificates in financial analysis help. The workload can be high during transactions.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€6,570gross per monthMedian salary
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IT auditor
Also: IT audit specialist
With on-the-job training
As an IT auditor, you check access permissions, interfaces and data security of financial and ERP systems and advise on weak points.
- What you bring:
- You audit control systems systematically and know how bookkeeping and closing depend on IT systems.
- How to get there:
- Audit firms and internal audit departments train auditors with an interest in IT. For certificates such as the CISA, you pass an exam and also need several years of work experience in IT auditing, control or security. You should bring basic knowledge of databases and ERP systems.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€4,656gross per monthMedian salary
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Compliance manager
Also: Money laundering prevention officer (Geldwäschebeauftragter)
With on-the-job training
As a compliance manager or money laundering prevention officer, you make sure at banks, insurers or companies that rules are followed, and you report suspected cases.
- What you bring:
- You know control systems, internal policies and audits and can assess risks soberly.
- How to get there:
- Banks and companies train experienced auditors on the regulations of their industry. Courses to become a compliance or money laundering prevention officer usually take a few days to a few weeks. At banks, the supervisory authority checks that you are professionally suitable for this function.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€7,039gross per monthMedian salary
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Credit analyst
Also: Corporate client advisor for financing
With on-the-job training
At a bank, you analyze loan applications from companies, assess risks and prepare lending decisions.
- What you bring:
- You can read annual financial statements and planning figures confidently and assess the economic situation of a company.
- How to get there:
- Banks train tax advisors, auditors and controllers on the job in lending processes and internal rules, usually over a few weeks. The work is generally more predictable than during the audit season.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€5,690gross 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 financial controller without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Head of finance and accounting, Management consultant, Tax auditor in the tax administration, Lecturer in tax law and accounting, Financial analyst, IT auditor, Compliance manager and Credit analyst.
What promotion options do I have as a financial controller?
Promotions include, for example: Head of finance and accounting.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Head of finance and accounting (€8,334 gross per month), Compliance manager (€7,039 gross per month) and Management consultant (€6,768 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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