Career change as a flight attendant

Career change paths

• Cabin crew trainer

  Also: Flight attendant instructor

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  As a trainer you train new flight attendants in emergency procedures, firefighting, first aid and service, and lead the annual recurrent training.

  What you bring:

  You have mastered safety and emergency procedures, first aid on board and cabin service, and you can explain processes calmly.

  How to get there:

  This is an internal switch after several years of flying experience, often as a purser, with a trainer course lasting a few weeks at the airline or its training center. Jobs exist at airlines and training centers, and some trainers keep flying part-time.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  €5,075gross per monthMedian salary

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• Crew scheduler

  Also: Crew planning employee

  With on-the-job training

  In the crew scheduling of an airline you assign crews, quickly find replacements in case of illness or disruptions, and keep track of flight duty and rest times.

  What you bring:

  You know duty rosters, rest times, rotations and the consequences of delays and cancellations for the crew from your own experience.

  How to get there:

  Airlines also fill crew control and operations planning with former cabin crew and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) internally, usually lasting a few weeks to a few months, with training in planning systems and flight duty time rules. Confident computer skills and English are expected. Work is often around the clock in shifts (Schichtdienst), but on the ground.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office
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• Passenger handling employee

  Also: Air transport clerk (Luftverkehrskaufmann)

  With on-the-job training

  On the ground you check in passengers, handle boarding at the gate, clarify rebookings, and help with delays or lost luggage.

  What you bring:

  You know processes at the airport, bookings, security rules and dealing with passengers under time pressure.

  How to get there:

  Airports, ground handling services and airlines give new employees a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in check-in, gate and ticketing. For the security area you need, as in flight service, a reliability check under the Aviation Security Act. You can earn a recognized qualification through vocational training (Ausbildung) as air transport clerk (Luftverkehrskaufmann), which takes three years. Shift work (Schichtdienst) remains, while nights away from home no longer apply.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workLots of contact with people

  €3,307gross per monthMedian salary

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• Event manager

  Also: Event organizer

  With on-the-job training

  In event management you plan and run conferences, trade fairs, company parties or group trips, coordinate with hotels, caterers and technology companies, and are the contact for guests on site.

  What you bring:

  You look after many people at the same time, stay calm when things go wrong and keep to fixed processes and schedules.

  How to get there:

  You start at agencies, conference hotels or tour operators for group and company travel, usually with a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). English and service experience help there. You can earn a recognized qualification through vocational training (Ausbildung) or retraining (Umschulung) as event management clerk (Veranstaltungskaufmann). Evening and weekend assignments are often part of the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsLots of contact with people

  €4,165gross per monthMedian salary

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• Team leader in customer service

  Also: Customer service manager

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  As team leader in the customer service of an airline, tour operator or other company you lead a team, plan assignments, ensure service quality, and take over difficult cases.

  What you bring:

  You deliver service under time pressure, deal confidently with complaints and, as a purser, may already have led a crew.

  How to get there:

  With leadership experience as a purser, you can also apply directly for team leader jobs. More often, people start in customer service on the ground and move up internally to team leader, usually after one to two years. Good English helps, and courses in leadership and customer service at chambers and training providers support your promotion.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €4,604gross per monthMedian salary

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• Travel guide

  Also: Guest host on cruise ships

  With on-the-job training

  As a travel guide or guest host you accompany groups on round trips, cruises or in the club, organize excursions and transfers, and solve problems on site.

  What you bring:

  You look after guests from many countries in a friendly and confident way, speak foreign languages, and stay calm with delays and incidents.

  How to get there:

  Tour operators, cruise lines and holiday clubs usually give new travel guides on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) a few weeks before the season. Good foreign language skills and flexibility are expected. Jobs can be seasonal, fixed-term and abroad, and on ships you often work on board for several months at a time.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsLots of contact with people
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• Receptionist

  Also: Guest relations employee at a hotel

  With on-the-job training

  At the reception or in guest relations of a hotel you check guests in and out, manage reservations, fulfill requests, and look after regular guests.

  What you bring:

  You greet guests confidently, speak foreign languages and clarify complaints in a friendly way, even under time pressure.

  How to get there:

  Hotels, especially in the upscale segment, give applicants with service experience a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the reservation and cash system. Shift work (Schichtdienst) with evening, weekend and holiday work remains, while nights away from home no longer apply. From the reception, you can move into reservations or guest relations.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,034gross per monthMedian salary

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• Registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann)

  With vocational training

  In nursing you care for sick people and people in need of care, monitor their condition, carry out doctors' orders, and plan care in the team.

  What you bring:

  You are trained in first aid, stay calm in emergencies, and are used to shift work (Schichtdienst) and dealing with many people.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational training (Ausbildung) as a registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann). It takes three years full-time or up to five years part-time, and you receive a training allowance. You need an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss), or a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) plus at least two years of vocational training, or at least one year of training in nursing assistance.*Regulated by law (Nursing Professions Act (PflBG) §§ 1, 11).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,421gross per monthMedian salary

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• Paramedic (Notfallsanitäter)

  Also: Emergency medical technician (Rettungssanitäter)

  With further training

  In the emergency medical service you treat injured and acutely ill people at the scene, take them to the clinic, and document the missions.

  What you bring:

  You have regularly practiced emergency and first aid procedures, act in critical situations according to fixed procedures, and work closely in a team.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational training (Ausbildung) as a paramedic (Notfallsanitäter), which takes three years full-time, and you receive a training allowance. You need an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss), or a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) plus at least two years of vocational training. A faster way in is the course to become an emergency medical technician (Rettungssanitäter) under state law, which takes about 520 hours depending on the state and mainly prepares you for patient transport.*Regulated by law (Paramedic Act (NotSanG) §§ 5, 8; emergency medical service laws of the states).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,175gross per monthMedian salary

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• Customs officer in the mid-level civil service

  With vocational training

  At customs you inspect travelers and goods, for example at the airport, process customs declarations, or check businesses for undeclared work.

  What you bring:

  You know entry and exit rules, inspections and security procedures at airports, and you stay polite but firm even in conflict situations.

  How to get there:

  After a selection procedure, you start the preparatory service as a customs officer candidate (Zollsekretäranwärter) in a revocable civil servant relationship (Beamtenverhältnis auf Widerruf), which as a rule takes two years. You need an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss), or a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) with completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung). You must also meet the general requirements for becoming a civil servant, such as health suitability. The customs administration decides where you are deployed.*Regulated by law (Ordinance on the Preparatory Service for the Federal Mid-Level Non-Technical Customs Service (MntZollDVDV), Federal Career Ordinance (BLV)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workLots of contact with people

  €4,985gross 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.