Career change as a bailiff
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 5 with on-the-job training and 3 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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Claims handler in legal expenses or liability insurance
Also: Claims recovery clerk
With on-the-job training
At insurers you review benefit cases, correspond with lawyers and customers, decide on cost coverage and settle claims.
- What you bring:
- You know contracts, liability questions, fees and court proceedings, and you are confident writing legal submissions and letters.
- How to get there:
- Legal expenses and liability insurers also hire paralegals and judicial clerks (Rechtsanwalts- und Justizfachangestellte) and give them a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in insurance terms and systems. Regular working hours and working from home are possible.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible€4,797gross per monthMedian salary
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Objections clerk at a health insurance fund
Also: Recourse clerk at a social insurance provider
With on-the-job training
At health insurance funds, pension insurance providers or employers' liability insurance associations you process objections, assert claims for compensation against third parties and prepare proceedings before the social court.
- What you bring:
- You are confident with laws, files and deadlines and know objection and court procedures.
- How to get there:
- Social insurance providers hire assistants from law firms and the judiciary and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in social law and specialist procedures, often with internal courses lasting several months. Jobs are usually advertised as positions under collective pay agreements (Tarif) with regular working hours.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€3,964gross per monthMedian salary
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Clerk in the fines office
Also: Clerk in the public order office
With on-the-job training
In fines offices and public order offices you process proceedings, review objections, issue permits and hand cases over to courts or enforcement.
- What you bring:
- You know procedures, service of documents, deadlines and enforcement, and you write clear notices and letters.
- How to get there:
- Municipalities hire assistants from the judiciary and law firms as employees under collective pay agreements (Tarif) and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in specialist procedures. Employers often let you take administrative course I (Verwaltungslehrgang I) alongside the job. If you are a judicial clerk (Justizfachangestellte), you can also switch within the public service through internal job postings.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€3,822gross per monthMedian salary
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Loan workout clerk at a bank
Also: Receivables management clerk
With on-the-job training
At banks and savings banks you look after non-performing loans, negotiate installment payments, realize collateral and carry out compulsory enforcement.
- What you bring:
- You know dunning procedures, compulsory enforcement and insolvency from hands-on experience, and you are confident with enforceable titles, deadlines and courts.
- How to get there:
- Banks, savings banks and receivables service providers give paralegals and judicial clerks (Rechtsanwalts- und Justizfachangestellte) a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in lending business and systems. There you compete with trained bank clerks, but your experience with enforcement is useful there.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office€5,219gross per monthMedian salary
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Legal assistant in a corporate legal department
Also: Assistant in contract management
With on-the-job training
In the legal department of a company you support in-house counsel, manage contracts and deadlines, prepare board meetings and look after files and registers.
- What you bring:
- You know legal processes, written submissions and deadline control, and you work carefully with confidential documents.
- How to get there:
- Companies with their own legal department hire paralegals (Rechtsanwalts- und Notarfachangestellte) and give them a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in contract databases and internal processes. Some companies want good English.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€3,421gross per monthMedian salary
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Certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt)
Also: Head of law firm office
With further trainingPromotion
As a senior legal specialist or office manager you run the firm's office, lead employees, bill cases and handle demanding matters on your own.
- What you bring:
- You know deadlines, case procedures, fee law and compulsory enforcement from daily work at a law firm.
- How to get there:
- Alongside your job, you can take the further training course for certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt), with the exam at the Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer). The duration depends on the provider, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are generally admitted after passing the final exam as paralegal (Rechtsanwalts- oder Notarfachangestellte) and a few years of work experience. For notary offices there is the equivalent certified senior notary specialist (Notarfachwirt).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office -
Pension adviser (Rentenberater)
With further trainingPromotion
As a pension adviser you check pension notices, advise insured people on pensions, reduced earning capacity and pension equalization (Versorgungsausgleich), and represent them before the pension insurance provider and the social courts.
- What you bring:
- You work precisely with laws, notices and deadlines and know objection and court procedures.
- How to get there:
- For pension advice you need to be registered with the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz). You prove theoretical expertise, usually through an expertise course of at least 150 hours, and practical expertise, as a rule at least two years of work under supervision, for example with a pension adviser. You also need professional liability insurance; after that you work self-employed or in law firms and associations.*Regulated by law (Legal Services Act (RDG) §§ 10, 12; Legal Services Ordinance (RDV) §§ 2 to 5).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office€6,417gross per monthMedian salary
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Property manager
Also: Condominium property administrator
With further training
In a property management firm you look after residential complexes, prepare owners' meetings and statements, and take care of contracts, defects and claims.
- What you bring:
- You know contract law, dunning and deadlines, and you communicate confidently with owners, tenants and lawyers.
- How to get there:
- Property management firms give assistants from law firms on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Regular further training is mandatory for this work, and to run your own property management business you need a permit from the responsible authority. For managing condominiums, a certified property manager (zertifizierter Verwalter) generally has to be appointed, and you take the exam for this at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK); the IHK and training providers offer preparation courses.*Regulated by law (Trade Regulation Act (GewO) § 34c (1) and (2a); Condominium Act (WEG) §§ 19 (2) no. 6, 26a).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office€3,940gross 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 bailiff without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Claims handler in legal expenses or liability insurance, Objections clerk at a health insurance fund, Clerk in the fines office, Loan workout clerk at a bank and Legal assistant in a corporate legal department.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a bailiff?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt), Pension adviser (Rentenberater) and Property manager.
What promotion options do I have as a bailiff?
Promotions include, for example: Certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt) and Pension adviser (Rentenberater).
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Pension adviser (Rentenberater) (€6,417 gross per month), Loan workout clerk at a bank (€5,219 gross per month) and Claims handler in legal expenses or liability insurance (€4,797 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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