Career change as a caretaker
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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Property manager in facility management
Also: Technical property manager
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As property manager you coordinate caretakers, cleaning and specialist companies for several buildings, plan maintenance, and keep contracts and costs in view.
- What you bring:
- You know buildings, building technology, cleaning, outdoor areas and the concerns of tenants and users from everyday life.
- How to get there:
- You usually get there after some years as a caretaker or building technician at a facility service provider or housing company. Part-time further training in facility management with a certificate from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or an association takes a few months. A craft or commercial qualification is usually expected.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light -
Technical property caretaker
Also: Clerk in property management
With on-the-job training
In property management you take care of damage reports, hire craftspeople, check invoices, and support apartment handovers and owners' meetings.
- What you bring:
- You know the buildings, the technology and the typical concerns of tenants and owners first-hand.
- How to get there:
- You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in a property management firm or housing company, often starting in technical property care. If you work in a property management firm directly on managing condominiums or rental apartments for third parties, you must complete legally required further training: 20 hours in three years (§ 34c para. 2a GewO). This does not apply to a housing company's own stock. Later you can take the exam for certified property manager at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or do retraining (Umschulung) as real estate clerk (Immobilienkaufmann).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people -
Building technician for heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Also: Operations technician in building technology
With on-the-job trainingPromotion
As a building technician in large buildings you maintain these systems yourself, adjust controls, and fix faults.
- What you bring:
- You know the heating and ventilation systems of your buildings, read fault messages, and work with maintenance companies.
- How to get there:
- For these jobs a craft or technical qualification is usually expected. With it, on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) and vendor training are often enough. Without a suitable qualification, the way in is retraining (Umschulung), for example as plant mechanic SHK or as mechatronics technician for refrigeration technology. It usually takes a good two years and can often be funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). For work on the refrigerant circuits of air conditioning systems you also need a certificate of expertise, which requires technical or craft vocational training.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Physically demandingLittle customer contact€3,797gross per monthMedian salary
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Employee at a wastewater treatment plant
Also: Waterworks operator
With on-the-job training
At wastewater treatment plants and waterworks you monitor plants and readings, maintain pumps and valves, and take samples.
- What you bring:
- You know pumps, heating and water systems, make inspection rounds, and keep maintenance lists reliably.
- How to get there:
- Municipalities and special-purpose associations hire people with craft experience and train them in courses run by the professional associations, for example for wastewater treatment plant operators, usually lasting a few weeks. If you want a qualification of your own, you can do vocational training (Ausbildung) or retraining (Umschulung) as environmental technologist for wastewater management or for water supply (formerly specialist for wastewater technology or water supply technology). On-call duty is common.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact€4,070gross per monthMedian salary
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Fire safety officer
Also: Service technician for fire extinguishers and fire doors
With on-the-job training
As a fire safety officer or service technician in fire protection you test and maintain these facilities, find defects, and train employees.
- What you bring:
- You know escape routes, fire extinguishers, fire doors and smoke detectors in your buildings and check them regularly.
- How to get there:
- You take a course to become a fire safety officer, usually 64 teaching units, or vendor training for testing fire extinguishers and fire doors, which lasts a few days. After that you get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the employer or a fire protection service provider. Fire safety officers are needed mainly in clinics, homes and large businesses.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekends€4,969gross per monthMedian salary
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Gardener in garden and landscape construction
Also: Employee in green space maintenance
With on-the-job training
In garden and landscape construction or in municipal green space maintenance, this is your main task, and you also lay out plantings, paths and walls and work with larger machines.
- What you bring:
- You mow, trim hedges, care for beds, and take care of paths and winter service (snow and ice clearing).
- How to get there:
- You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the business or at the city. There are short courses for chainsaws and special machines. You can earn a qualification through vocational training (Ausbildung) or retraining (Umschulung) as gardener, specializing in garden and landscape construction. Without training, you can take the external exam (Externenprüfung) after four and a half years of suitable work experience (§ 45 para. 2 BBiG).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursPhysically demandingLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors€3,208gross per monthMedian salary
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Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (Anlagenmechaniker SHK)
With retrainingPromotion
With a qualification in sanitary and heating technology you install and maintain systems professionally and can get jobs as a building technician or in customer service.
- What you bring:
- You change seals, bleed heating systems, descale fittings, and know the building technology of your buildings.
- How to get there:
- You can do retraining (Umschulung) as plant mechanic SHK (Anlagenmechaniker SHK), which usually takes a good two years and can often be funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). The regular vocational training (Ausbildung) takes three and a half years. If you already have another craft qualification, it can often be shortened.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Physically demanding€3,797gross per monthMedian salary
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Electronics technician for energy and building technology
With retrainingPromotion
As an electronics technician you install, test and repair electrical systems yourself and can get jobs in building technology and customer service.
- What you bring:
- You change light bulbs, know distribution boards and building technology, and know which work you must not do without electrical training.
- How to get there:
- You can do retraining (Umschulung) as electronics technician for energy and building technology, which usually takes a good two years and can often be funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). The regular vocational training (Ausbildung) takes three and a half years. A shorter option is the course to become an electrically skilled person for defined tasks (Elektrofachkraft für festgelegte Tätigkeiten), which allows you to take over certain recurring work.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Physically demanding€3,675gross 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 caretaker without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Property manager in facility management, Technical property caretaker, Building technician for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, Employee at a wastewater treatment plant, Fire safety officer and Gardener in garden and landscape construction.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a caretaker?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (Anlagenmechaniker SHK) and Electronics technician for energy and building technology.
What promotion options do I have as a caretaker?
Promotions include, for example: Property manager in facility management, Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (Anlagenmechaniker SHK), Electronics technician for energy and building technology and Building technician for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Fire safety officer (€4,969 gross per month), Employee at a wastewater treatment plant (€4,070 gross per month) and Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (Anlagenmechaniker SHK) (€3,797 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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