Career change as a German as a foreign language teacher
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 6 with on-the-job training and 2 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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Translator
Also: Specialist translator
With on-the-job training
As a translator, you translate texts for companies, agencies or authorities, often with translation software and from home.
- What you bring:
- You master your languages confidently and know how grammar, style and specialist vocabulary work together.
- How to get there:
- The title is not protected, but agencies look for experience, specialist fields and test translations. Courses in translation software take a few days. For certified translations, you also need an exam and an authorization or swearing-in under state law.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€3,730gross per monthMedian salary
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Trainer for intercultural communication
Also: Communication trainer
With on-the-job training
As a trainer, you prepare professionals for assignments abroad, train international teams and coach presentations and negotiations in the foreign language.
- What you bring:
- You know other cultures and languages and know where misunderstandings arise in conversations.
- How to get there:
- Training providers and companies often hire language teachers with experience abroad directly. A certificate in intercultural training usually takes a few days to a few weeks. You can also work self-employed.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,254gross per monthMedian salary
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E-learning author for language courses
Also: Instructional designer
With on-the-job training
As an e-learning author, you develop digital language courses, learning apps and exercise material for publishers, language platforms or companies.
- What you bring:
- You know how people learn languages and which exercises really help.
- How to get there:
- Publishers and platforms train language teachers on authoring tools and learning platforms. Short courses on these usually take a few days to a few weeks. There are also positions that allow working from home.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€5,254gross per monthMedian salary
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Student exchange coordinator
Also: Clerk in the International Office
With on-the-job training
In an International Office, you organize exchange programs, advise students and look after partner universities, with predictable hours.
- What you bring:
- You can communicate with people from many countries and know the concerns of learners in a foreign country.
- How to get there:
- Universities advertise such positions publicly and train you on the job in funding programs such as Erasmus and in administration. A university degree and very good English are usually expected.*
* 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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Head of a language school
Also: Head of the languages program area at an adult education center (Volkshochschule)
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As head, you plan the course offering, recruit and look after teachers and ensure quality and capacity utilization.
- What you bring:
- You know course planning, placement tests and exams from practice and know what makes good language courses.
- How to get there:
- Adult education centers and language schools advertise such positions and expect teaching and organizational experience. You learn administration and funding programs on the job. If you offer integration courses, additional requirements of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees apply.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€5,151gross per monthMedian salary
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Editor for foreign languages (Lektor)
Also: Editor for language textbooks
With on-the-job training
At a publisher, you look after textbooks, dictionaries or translations, check texts and work with author teams.
- What you bring:
- You have a precise eye for language and know which textbooks work in class.
- How to get there:
- Language and education publishers hire experienced language teachers as editors, sometimes after a traineeship (Volontariat). Freelance assignments as an editor are a good way in.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€4,237gross per monthMedian salary
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Foreign language teacher
Also: Heritage language teacher
With a degree
At schools, you teach English, French, Spanish or a heritage language and guide young people through to their qualification.
- What you bring:
- You can teach language in a lively way and have experience with different learning groups.
- How to get there:
- With a suitable master's or Diplom degree, you can enter, depending on the state, through the alternative route into teaching (Seiteneinstieg) with training alongside work, and a second subject is often required; in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the training under the OBAS lasts 24 months and ends with the state examination (Staatsprüfung). For heritage language instruction, North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, also hires teachers with a foreign teaching qualification or a degree in the language, in some cases initially on a fixed-term basis and with mandatory further training.*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
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Integration companion
Also: Language and integration mediator
With training or an exam
As an integration companion or language mediator, you accompany families to authorities, schools and doctors, mediate between languages and help them find their way in everyday life.
- What you bring:
- You know the language and the life situation of many immigrants from your teaching.
- How to get there:
- Municipalities, welfare associations and migration services hire such companions, and there are part-time qualifications lasting several months for language mediation. Permanent positions often depend on funding programs.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€3,374gross 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 German as a foreign language teacher without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Translator, Trainer for intercultural communication, E-learning author for language courses, Student exchange coordinator, Head of a language school and Editor for foreign languages (Lektor).
Which retraining or further training suits me as a German as a foreign language teacher?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Foreign language teacher and Integration companion.
What promotion options do I have as a German as a foreign language teacher?
Promotions include, for example: Head of a language school.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Foreign language teacher (€5,466 gross per month), Trainer for intercultural communication (€5,254 gross per month) and E-learning author for language courses (€5,254 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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