Career change as a train driver

Career change paths

• Dispatcher in transport control

  Also: Staff dispatcher for train drivers

  With on-the-job training

  In the transport control or dispatching of a railway company, you plan vehicles and staff, quickly find replacements when there are disruptions and coordinate with the network and workshops.

  What you bring:

  You know from your own experience what delays, vehicle damage and missing staff mean for rotations and connections.

  How to get there:

  You can move internally, with a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Confident use of the PC and dispatching software is expected. Dispatching usually works around the clock in shifts, but without driving duty. For later management tasks, further training at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) helps, depending on your area as certified senior specialist in passenger transport and mobility (Geprüfte/r Fachwirt/in für Personenverkehr und Mobilität) or in freight transport and logistics (für Güterverkehr und Logistik).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €3,929gross per monthMedian salary

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• Commissioning technician for rail vehicles

  Also: Commissioning engineer in vehicle technology

  With on-the-job training

  At the manufacturer or maintainer, you commission new or modernized vehicles, carry out tests and trial runs, document faults and work with development and the workshop.

  What you bring:

  You know the behavior of trains in operation, brakes, control technology and fault messages from the driver's cab.

  How to get there:

  Manufacturers of rail vehicles use experienced train drivers in commissioning and trial runs and give them a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). For technical troubleshooting, a qualification in an electrical or mechatronics occupation is usually also expected. Travel to test tracks and customers is often part of the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €4,188gross per monthMedian salary

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• Emergency manager on the railway

  With on-the-job training

  As an emergency manager, you go to the scene in the event of accidents, personal injuries or major disruptions, secure railway operations, coordinate fire brigade, police and railway staff and make sure the line is cleared again.

  What you bring:

  You know operating procedures, safety rules and events on the track from your own experience and stay able to act in stressful situations.

  How to get there:

  Operators of the rail infrastructure fill these jobs with experienced employees from railway operations, for example train drivers or train dispatchers, and qualify them internally over a few weeks to months. Round-the-clock standby duty, a driving license class B and mental resilience are part of the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift work
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• Trainer for train drivers

  Also: Train driving instructor

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a trainer, you teach prospective locomotive drivers in theory, on the simulator and on the line and prepare them for their exams.

  What you bring:

  You know vehicles, routes, brakes and operating regulations from practice and can explain difficult situations in the driver's cab clearly.

  How to get there:

  As a trainer, you need your own recognition by the responsible authority, or you work for a recognized training body. In both cases, the requirements for practical training include at least 3 years of work experience as a train driver within the last 10 years, teaching knowledge that you acquire in a course, and regular further training. Jobs are available at railway companies, their training centers and private training bodies. You become an examiner only with your own recognition, among other things from age 26 and after at least 4 years in railway operations service within the last 5 years.*Regulated by law (Train Driver License Ordinance (TfV) §§ 14, 15).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically light

  €5,075gross per monthMedian salary

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• Train dispatcher

  Also: Signal box operator

  With training or an exam

  In the signal box or an operations center, you regulate train traffic on your section as a train dispatcher, set points and signals and decide when there are disruptions.

  What you bring:

  You know signals, routes, operating regulations and the interplay between train and signal box from the driver's cab.

  How to get there:

  You qualify with the operator of the rail infrastructure, usually over several months, with an exam and on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the signal box. Your operating knowledge helps you here. The change makes sense if you no longer want to or are allowed to drive. The health requirements partly differ from those for train drivers (Triebfahrzeugführer), and shift work remains.*Regulated by law (Railway Construction and Operating Regulations (EBO) §§ 47, 48).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact

  €3,929gross per monthMedian salary

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• Electronics technician in rail vehicle maintenance

  Also: Mechatronics technician in a railway works

  With retraining

  In maintenance, you inspect, service and repair multiple units and locomotives, read out fault memories and work on electrics and electronics.

  What you bring:

  You know drives, brakes, door systems and typical faults of the vehicles and can describe faults precisely from the driver's cab.

  How to get there:

  With a qualification in an electrical or metal occupation, maintenance works give you a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Without a suitable qualification, retraining (Umschulung) as a mechatronics technician (Mechatroniker/in) or electronics technician for operations technology (Elektroniker/in für Betriebstechnik) gets you there. It usually takes a good 2 years, and the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter can fund it.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €4,309gross per monthMedian salary

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• Tram driver

  With training or an exam

  As a tram driver, you drive in city traffic between cars, cyclists and pedestrians, keep to the schedule and help passengers.

  What you bring:

  You drive rail vehicles according to signals and timetable, know braking behavior and faults and are used to shift work.

  How to get there:

  Transport companies train you internally, usually for a few weeks to a few months, and then test your suitability. Requirements are a minimum age of 21 and medical fitness. The change makes sense if you want fixed routes in your city and no overnight stays away. In road traffic you have to be alert in a different way than on the railway.*Regulated by law (Tram Construction and Operating Regulations (BOStrab) §§ 11, 12).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,585gross 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.