Career change as a hearing aid acoustician
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
-
Specialist consultant in dental supply
Also: Product specialist for hearing systems or orthopedic technology
With on-the-job training
At the manufacturer or dealer, you advise labs, practices and specialist shops, present new products and software and train users.
- What you bring:
- You know materials, devices and work procedures in the lab, workshop or specialist shop and know what matters to professionals about products.
- How to get there:
- Manufacturers and the specialist trade hire craftspeople with a journeyman certificate and master craftspeople (Meister) with practical experience and train them on their products for a few weeks. Under § 83 MPDG, your training in a technical or medical profession together with this training counts as expertise. A class B driving license and willingness to travel are almost always expected.*Regulated by law (Medical Devices Law Implementation Act (MPDG) § 83).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,550gross per monthMedian salary
-
Specialist consultant for medical aids at a health insurance fund
Also: Dentures case officer at a health insurance fund
With on-the-job training
At a health insurance fund, you check applications for medical aids, hearing systems or dentures, advise insured persons and clarify questions with service providers.
- What you bring:
- You know fittings, cost estimates and treatment and cost plans from practice and know what is medically necessary and appropriate.
- How to get there:
- Health insurance funds hire orthopedic technicians, hearing acousticians and dental technicians to check medical aids and dentures and train them in social insurance law and internal procedures, usually for a few months. The work takes place in the office, often with regular working hours.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office€3,964gross per monthMedian salary
-
3D printing technician
Also: CAD design engineer for medical devices
With on-the-job training
In additive manufacturing or design, you prepare 3D data, set up printers, check and finish printed parts, for example for medical technology, prototypes or small series.
- What you bring:
- You work with scanners, CAD software and milling or printing processes and make parts digitally to measure.
- How to get there:
- 3D printing service providers and manufacturers of medical devices train specialists with experience in digital manufacturing for a few weeks to months, often with manufacturer training for printers and software. For design outside medical technology, courses in common CAD programs help. Positions exist mainly in industry and at specialized service providers.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact -
Quality assurance associate at a medical device manufacturer
Also: Quality inspector in the dental industry
With on-the-job training
In the quality assurance of a manufacturer, you check materials and products, maintain technical documentation and test protocols and handle complaints.
- What you bring:
- You know materials, manufacturing steps and the documentation duties for custom-made devices under medical device law.
- How to get there:
- Manufacturers of dental products, medical aids or medical technology train specialists from the health trades in their quality management for a few weeks to months. Courses on quality management and medical device law at training providers usually take a few days. The work takes place mostly at a desk and in the testing lab.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,159gross per monthMedian salary
-
Support specialist for dental software
Also: Technical support for hearing aid fitting software
With on-the-job training
In the support team of a software or device manufacturer, you help labs and specialist shops by phone and remote maintenance, train users and test new versions.
- What you bring:
- You work every day with scanning, design or fitting software and know typical errors and questions from the lab or specialist shop.
- How to get there:
- Software and device manufacturers hire specialists from the trades and train them in their products for a few weeks to months. IT basics and English for international teams help. The work is mostly at a screen, without the physical strain of the workshop.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible€5,568gross per monthMedian salary
-
Master dental technician (Zahntechnikermeister)
Also: Master orthopedic technician (Orthopädietechniker-Meister)
With further trainingPromotion
As a master craftsperson (Meister), you run a lab or workshop, plan orders and staff, are responsible for quality and documentation and train apprentices.
- What you bring:
- You make individual medical devices such as dentures, prostheses or orthoses precisely from impressions, measurements or scans and know materials and manufacturing technology.
- How to get there:
- You take the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the dental technician or orthopedic technician trade. It usually takes about a year full-time or 2 to 3 years alongside work and is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are admitted with the journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief). For your own business, you need the master craftsperson qualification or an equivalent entitlement, because these health trades require a license.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLittle customer contact€4,620gross per monthMedian salary
-
Branch manager for hearing acoustics
Also: Branch manager of a medical supply store (Sanitätshaus)
With further trainingPromotion
As branch manager, you run a specialist shop with a team, are responsible for revenue, customer satisfaction and procedures and are often also professionally responsible for the fittings.
- What you bring:
- You advise customers, fit hearing systems or aids individually and know billing with the health insurance funds.
- How to get there:
- You take the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the hearing acoustician, orthopedic technician or orthopedic shoemaker trade. It usually takes about a year full-time, longer alongside work, and is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are admitted with the journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief). Chains and medical supply stores look for master craftspeople mainly for the professional management of their branches.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people -
Trainer at an inter-company training facility
Also: Practical-skills teacher (Lehrkraft für Fachpraxis) at a vocational school
With further trainingPromotion
As a trainer, you look after apprentices in inter-company courses, in the company or as a practical-skills teacher at the vocational school and prepare them for the exams.
- What you bring:
- You master the working techniques of your trade and can demonstrate manual skills and materials science in an understandable way.
- How to get there:
- You take the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in your own trade, which also includes the trainer aptitude certificate (Ausbildereignung). It usually takes about a year full-time and is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG. Education centers of the trade guilds (Innungen) and vocational schools usually expect several years of practice. As a practical-skills teacher, you are hired by the federal state under its own rules, often with teacher training alongside work.*Regulated by law (Crafts Code (HwO) § 22b).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLittle customer contact€5,075gross 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 hearing aid acoustician without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Specialist consultant in dental supply, Specialist consultant for medical aids at a health insurance fund, 3D printing technician, Quality assurance associate at a medical device manufacturer and Support specialist for dental software.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a hearing aid acoustician?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Master dental technician (Zahntechnikermeister), Branch manager for hearing acoustics and Trainer at an inter-company training facility.
What promotion options do I have as a hearing aid acoustician?
Promotions include, for example: Master dental technician (Zahntechnikermeister), Branch manager for hearing acoustics and Trainer at an inter-company training facility.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Support specialist for dental software (€5,568 gross per month), Specialist consultant in dental supply (€5,550 gross per month) and Trainer at an inter-company training facility (€5,075 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.
Your job is not listed?
One sentence from you is enough.
Enter what you do today, in your own words if you like.
You see right away where you can switch to.