Career change as a sales agent
With your experience you can switch to 9 jobs in Germany: 6 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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Head of sales
Also: Field sales team leader
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As head of sales you lead a team in the field or in the office, set targets and territories, plan prices and promotions, and report to management.
- What you bring:
- You know customers, markets and closing deals from hands-on experience, and you know what makes a sales conversation work.
- How to get there:
- This is usually an internal promotion after several successful years, often by taking on responsibility for a region or a key account team. Alongside your job, further training courses at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) can strengthen your application: certified senior business specialist (Wirtschaftsfachwirt) or certified senior specialist for marketing (Fachwirt für Marketing). Both can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Large companies more often expect a university degree for heads of sales.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light€7,515gross per monthMedian salary
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Real estate agent
Also: Sales representative at a property developer
With on-the-job training
In real estate brokerage you appraise properties, prepare property brochures, hold viewings and support buyers and sellers up to the notary appointment.
- What you bring:
- You win customers, take sales conversations through to closing and organize your own schedule.
- How to get there:
- You can start at brokerage offices, property developers or the real estate subsidiaries of banks. They provide on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), usually lasting a few weeks to a few months. Courses of a few weeks teach you the basics of property valuation, tenancy law and purchase contracts. If you become self-employed, you need a permit under § 34c of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO). A recognized qualification is the further training course for certified senior real estate specialist (Immobilienfachwirt), which you can take alongside your job. To be admitted, you need three-year commercial vocational training (Ausbildung) plus two years of work experience in the real estate industry.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€3,940gross per monthMedian salary
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Buyer
Also: Strategic buyer
With on-the-job training
In purchasing you select suppliers, negotiate prices and delivery terms, conclude framework agreements and secure the supply of goods and materials.
- What you bring:
- You know negotiations, pricing and terms from the sales side, and you know how suppliers argue their case.
- How to get there:
- You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in purchasing, usually lasting a few weeks to a few months. Product knowledge from your industry is an advantage, and the switch often works out within your own company or with a former customer. Alongside your job, you can take the further training course for certified senior specialist for purchasing (Fachwirt für Einkauf), which can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). With three-year commercial vocational training (Ausbildung) you are admitted directly.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€4,200gross per monthMedian salary
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Staffing coordinator
Also: Recruitment consultant
With on-the-job training
In recruitment or temporary staffing you win client companies, look for suitable candidates, interview them and look after them during their assignments.
- What you bring:
- You are used to holding conversations, finding out what clients need and closing deals against targets, including by phone.
- How to get there:
- Staffing agencies give new staffing coordinators a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) and teach them labor law and temporary agency work law (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung). Winning new customers is a core part of the job there. Later, you can take the further training course for certified senior specialist for personnel services (Personaldienstleistungsfachwirt) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) alongside your job.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,046gross per monthMedian salary
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Sales trainer
Also: Sales coach
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As a sales trainer you train field and inside sales teams in conversation skills, negotiation and customer retention, either in-house at a company or for training providers.
- What you bring:
- You have held many sales conversations, you know the typical objections and you know what new colleagues need to learn.
- How to get there:
- People usually move into training after several successful years in sales, often starting by training new colleagues in-house. Trainer courses from private providers take a few weeks to a few months. A recognized qualification is the further training course for certified vocational and continuing education trainer (Aus- und Weiterbildungspädagoge) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). It requires work experience and the trainer aptitude certificate (Ausbildereignung). You can also work freelance as a trainer, and then your workload can vary a lot.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light€5,254gross per monthMedian salary
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IT account representative
Also: Software account manager
With on-the-job training
As an account manager you look after business customers, present software or IT solutions and work with technical experts who clarify the details.
- What you bring:
- You are good at winning new customers, analyzing needs and negotiating, and these skills matter just as much when selling software and IT services.
- How to get there:
- You can start at software providers or IT system integrators, with product training that usually lasts a few weeks to a few months. Basic technical understanding and a willingness to learn are expected. The path can begin in inside sales or in cold calling to win new customers.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleHome office possible€6,745gross per monthMedian salary
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Pharmaceutical sales representative
Also: Pharmaceutical field sales consultant
With further training
As a pharmaceutical sales representative you visit doctors' offices, clinics and pharmacies, inform them about your company's medicines and record reports of side effects.
- What you bring:
- You plan your own routes, hold expert-level conversations and build relationships with customers over years.
- How to get there:
- Pharmaceutical advisers may only work if they have the expertise required by law. Without a pharmaceutical or science qualification, you prove it by passing the exam for certified pharmaceutical representative (Pharmareferent) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). To be admitted, you need commercial vocational training (Ausbildung) related to the exam content plus two years of work experience, which can also come from sales, or five years of work experience. The exam regulations also require a preparation course of 1,000 teaching hours unless you prove the knowledge in another way. Full-time this usually takes six months to one year, and longer alongside a job. Experience in the health market helps.*Regulated by law (§ 75 Medicinal Products Act (AMG), Ordinance on the Examination for the Recognized Qualification Certified Pharmaceutical Representative § 2).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,550gross per monthMedian salary
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Insurance agent
Also: Insurance broker
With further training
As an insurance intermediary you advise private or business customers on protection and planning ahead, arrange suitable contracts and look after your existing customers, including when they file a claim.
- What you bring:
- You win new customers, find out what they need and guide conversations through to a signed contract.
- How to get there:
- To sell insurance you need to pass the expertise exam (Sachkundeprüfung) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Preparation courses take a few weeks. If you are self-employed, you also need a permit from the IHK and professional liability insurance. As a tied agent of one insurer you do not need your own permit, but the company usually requires the same exam. After that, you must complete 15 hours of further training per calendar year.*Regulated by law (§ 34d Trade Regulation Act (GewO), Insurance Intermediary Ordinance (VersVermV)).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,797gross per monthMedian salary
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Marketing specialist
Also: Product manager
With further training
In marketing or product management you plan campaigns, trade fairs and sales materials, monitor the market and develop offers together with the sales team.
- What you bring:
- From many customer conversations you know which arguments work, what competitors offer and which products are in demand.
- How to get there:
- The switch often works within your own company, for example by moving first into product marketing or trade fair marketing. Some jobs require a university degree, but practical knowledge from sales is useful. You can earn a recognized qualification alongside your job with the further training course for certified senior specialist for marketing (Fachwirt für Marketing), which can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). To be admitted, you need three-year commercial vocational training (Ausbildung) and one year of marketing-related work experience.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€5,385gross 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 sales agent without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Head of sales, Real estate agent, Buyer, Staffing coordinator, Sales trainer and IT account representative.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a sales agent?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Pharmaceutical sales representative, Insurance agent and Marketing specialist.
What promotion options do I have as a sales agent?
Promotions include, for example: Head of sales and Sales trainer.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Head of sales (€7,515 gross per month), IT account representative (€6,745 gross per month) and Pharmaceutical sales representative (€5,550 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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