Career change as an optician
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 4 with on-the-job training and 4 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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Ophthalmic assistant
Also: Functional diagnostics assistant in an eye doctor's practice
With on-the-job training
In eye doctors' practices and eye clinics, you take over preliminary examinations such as refraction, eye pressure, visual field or retinal images and prepare patients for operations.
- What you bring:
- You determine visual acuity, know measuring devices for eyes and lenses and explain results clearly.
- How to get there:
- Eye doctors' practices and surgery centers hire opticians and train them for a few weeks to months. You generally do not need an additional qualification for this. For tasks such as drawing blood or billing, some practices later expect courses or the training to become a medical assistant (MFA).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€3,270gross per monthMedian salary
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Field sales representative for spectacle lenses
Also: Key account manager for optics
With on-the-job training
In the field sales team of a lens, frame or contact lens manufacturer, you look after optical businesses, present new products, train staff and clear up complaints.
- What you bring:
- You know lens types, frames, contact lenses and the procedures in the optician's shop from your own experience.
- How to get there:
- The manufacturer trains you, usually with a few weeks of product training. A journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief), often also a master craftsperson (Meister) qualification, and a class B driving license are expected, as is willingness to travel. Look for permanent employment: as a self-employed commercial agent, you mostly work on commission only and carry the risk yourself.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,456gross per monthMedian salary
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Application specialist for ophthalmic devices
Also: Medical device consultant for ophthalmology
With on-the-job training
As an application specialist at a manufacturer of ophthalmic devices or lenses, you train eye doctors' practices and clinics, support the introduction of new devices and advise sales on technical matters.
- What you bring:
- You operate measuring devices for eyes and glasses confidently, understand optics and explain technology clearly.
- How to get there:
- The manufacturer trains you, usually with a few months of product training. A master craftsperson (Meister) qualification or experience in an eye doctor's practice, good English and willingness to travel are often expected. Anyone who informs and instructs professionals about medical devices needs, under § 83 of the Medical Devices Law Implementation Act (Medizinprodukterecht-Durchführungsgesetz), a suitable vocational qualification and product-related training, which the manufacturer provides.*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
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Precision optician (Feinoptiker)
Also: Staff member in spectacle lens production
With on-the-job training
In the optical industry or in prescription lens labs, you make and test lenses, prisms or spectacle lenses on modern grinding, polishing and coating machines.
- What you bring:
- You know optical glasses, grinding, centering and measuring from the workshop.
- How to get there:
- Employers train you on the job, usually for a few weeks to months, and are mainly in optics regions, for example in Jena, Wetzlar or Oberkochen. For a qualification of your own, you can train to become a precision optician (Feinoptiker/in), which can be shortened on request with a journeyman certificate as an optician. Shift work occurs in production.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,229gross per monthMedian salary
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Master optician (Augenoptikermeister)
Also: Branch manager for optics
With further trainingPromotion
As a master craftsperson (Meister) or branch manager, you lead the team, are responsible for revenue, training and quality and take on difficult fittings such as progressive lenses and contact lenses.
- What you bring:
- You know eye tests, lens advice, workshop and sales from everyday life in the shop.
- How to get there:
- You take the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the optician 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). For your own shop or as the responsible manager of a branch, you need the master craftsperson qualification or an equivalent entitlement, because the trade requires a license.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Physically lightLots of contact with people -
Hearing aid acoustician (Hörakustiker)
With vocational training
As a hearing aid acoustician, you measure hearing, select hearing systems, adjust them on the computer, make earmolds and accompany customers through the adjustment period.
- What you bring:
- You advise people on an aid that they wear every day, measure precisely and fit products individually.
- How to get there:
- You train to become a hearing aid acoustician, 3 years. With a journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief) as an optician, a shortening is possible on request. There are chains that offer optics and hearing acoustics under one roof and support the change. Vocational school classes take place in blocks at a central school in Lübeck.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people -
Orthoptist
With vocational training
As an orthoptist, you examine and treat squint, nystagmus and visual impairment in eye clinics and practices, mainly in children, and work closely with eye doctors.
- What you bring:
- You know visual acuity, prisms and binocular vision from refraction and work precisely with measuring devices.
- How to get there:
- You train at a state-recognized school for orthoptics, usually at a university eye clinic, for 3 years with a state exam. Admission is with an intermediate school certificate, or with a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) and at least two years of vocational training. Apply to the schools early.*Regulated by law (Orthoptist Act (OrthoptG) §§ 1, 4, 5).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,097gross per monthMedian salary
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Trainer in the optician trade
Also: Trainer in an inter-company training facility
With further trainingPromotion
As a trainer, you accompany apprentices in the company or in courses of the chamber and prepare them for the journeyman exam (Gesellenprüfung).
- What you bring:
- You master refraction, workshop and advice in practice and can demonstrate manual skills well.
- How to get there:
- You take the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the optician trade, which also includes the trainer aptitude certificate (Ausbildereignung). It usually takes about a year full-time, longer alongside work, and is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG. The journeyman certificate is enough for admission to the exam, but for trainer positions, companies and education centers usually expect several years of practice.*Regulated by law (Crafts Code (HwO) § 22b).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,462gross 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 an optician without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Ophthalmic assistant, Field sales representative for spectacle lenses, Application specialist for ophthalmic devices and Precision optician (Feinoptiker).
Which retraining or further training suits me as an optician?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Master optician (Augenoptikermeister), Hearing aid acoustician (Hörakustiker), Orthoptist and Trainer in the optician trade.
What promotion options do I have as an optician?
Promotions include, for example: Master optician (Augenoptikermeister) and Trainer in the optician trade.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Application specialist for ophthalmic devices (€5,550 gross per month), Trainer in the optician trade (€4,462 gross per month) and Field sales representative for spectacle lenses (€4,456 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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