Career change as a parcel sorter

Career change paths

• Delivery driver

  Also: Courier driver

  Start right away

  As a delivery driver with a van, you load your vehicle, drive routes and hand over the goods to the customer.

  What you bring:

  You are used to scanning shipments, securing cargo and physical work.

  How to get there:

  This is possible with a driving license class B after a short introduction. For vehicles up to 3.5 metric tons, no professional driver qualification is needed.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,262gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Dispatcher

  Also: Delivery control employee

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In dispatching and delivery control you assign districts, vehicles and staff, clarify disruptions, and keep in contact with delivery staff and customers.

  What you bring:

  From your own delivery work you know how districts are divided, what fits into a route and where things get stuck with illness or volume peaks.

  How to get there:

  This is often an internal promotion at the delivery base or depot after some time in delivery, with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the planning software. Confident computer skills and good German are expected. You can earn a recognized qualification through vocational training (Ausbildung) or retraining (Umschulung) as courier, express and postal services clerk (Kaufmann für Kurier-, Express- und Postdienstleistungen). The external exam after four and a half years requires relevant commercial work experience, and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) decides whether your work counts.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,917gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Traffic warden

  Also: Employee in the municipal public order service

  With on-the-job training

  In traffic monitoring or the public order service of a city you check for parking violations and other administrative offenses, document them and talk to the people concerned.

  What you bring:

  You know the streets of your district, walk in all weather, and work independently and reliably.

  How to get there:

  Cities and municipalities also hire career changers for traffic monitoring as employees under collective pay agreements (Tarif) and train them in courses lasting a few weeks. For the public order service more is often required, for example experience in the security service or administrative training. What exactly applies is stated in the job ad.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLots of contact with peopleLots of time outdoors

  €3,200gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Forklift driver in a letter or parcel center

  Also: Intralogistics employee

  With on-the-job training

  As a forklift driver you load and unload swap bodies and trucks, supply sorting systems with load carriers, and bring shipments to the loading gates.

  What you bring:

  You know roll containers, pallets, sorting systems and the time pressure in letter and parcel centers from daily work.

  How to get there:

  You need a forklift license under DGUV Principle 308-001, which takes a course of usually one to three days, followed by instruction at the company and a written driving authorization. Some letter and parcel centers train their own employees themselves. The switch is often possible within your location, and shift work (Schichtarbeit) and night work remain common.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €3,198gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Crane operator

  Also: Overhead crane operator

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  As a crane operator, you move material and cargo with overhead, loading or construction cranes.

  What you bring:

  You know rigging, stacking and securing heavy loads and have an eye for hazards in warehouse operations.

  How to get there:

  You get your crane license through a course under DGUV Principle 309-003 (DGUV Grundsatz 309-003). For overhead cranes it usually takes a few days, and for tower cranes on construction sites longer. Written authorization by the company is added.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact

  €4,153gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Machine and plant operator

  Also: Packaging machine operator

  With on-the-job training

  At packaging and filling plants, you set up machines, monitor operation and fix simple faults.

  What you bring:

  You know packaging, labels, barcodes and working in shift rhythm from shipping.

  How to get there:

  You can start as a machine operator with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the company, usually lasting a few weeks. You can also reach the qualification as a machine and plant operator (Maschinen- und Anlagenführer/in; training 2 years) through retraining (Umschulung) or as an external exam (Externenprüfung) under § 45 para. 2 BBiG.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €3,941gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Professional driver (Berufskraftfahrer)

  Also: Truck driver

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a truck driver you drive goods between warehouses, distribution centers and customers, and you are largely on your own on the road.

  What you bring:

  You work reliably according to plan in all weather, handle shipments carefully and keep to time limits.

  How to get there:

  You need a class C or CE driving license plus the accelerated basic qualification (140 hours of classes), which ends with an exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). This usually takes a few months in total. Funding through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is possible if the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter approves it. Postal and parcel service providers partly train drivers themselves for traffic between their centers. Alternatively, you can do vocational training (Ausbildung) as professional driver (Berufskraftfahrer), which takes three years.*Regulated by law (Driving License Ordinance (FeV), Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG), Professional Driver Qualification Ordinance (BKrFQV)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift work

  €3,262gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Bus driver in scheduled service

  Also: Tram driver

  With further training

  In scheduled service you drive fixed routes according to the timetable, and you are responsible for the safety of your passengers.

  What you bring:

  You know the streets of your area exactly, work punctually to fixed times and deal in a friendly way with people at the door every day.

  How to get there:

  You need a class D driving license and the accelerated basic qualification for passenger transport, which usually take a few months in total. Some transport companies train career changers themselves, including the driving license. Otherwise, funding through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is possible if the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter approves it. For trams, the transport companies train drivers in-house.*Regulated by law (Driving License Ordinance (FeV), Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG), Professional Driver Qualification Ordinance (BKrFQV)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,585gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Train driver (Triebfahrzeugführer)

  Also: Locomotive driver

  With vocational training

  In the cab of a locomotive or railcar you drive according to the timetable and signals, and you bear responsibility for passengers or freight.

  What you bring:

  You work independently and with concentration, keep to schedules, and are used to early shifts and any weather.

  How to get there:

  You qualify as a train driver at a railway company or training provider, which usually takes about one year. The law requires a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss), as a rule a minimum age of 20, and medical and psychological fitness. Some employers also expect completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung).*Regulated by law (Train Driver License Ordinance (TfV) § 5).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact

  €4,322gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Warehouse specialist (Fachlagerist)

  Also: Warehouse logistics specialist (Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik)

  With retrainingPromotion

  In warehouse logistics you receive goods, check and store them, put orders together, and prepare shipping.

  What you bring:

  You sort shipments quickly and without errors, work with scanners and know the processes in distribution centers.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational training (Ausbildung) as warehouse specialist (Fachlagerist), which takes two years, or as warehouse logistics specialist (Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik), which takes three years. Both are also possible as retraining (Umschulung), which the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter can fund. With work experience in the warehouse of at least one and a half times the training period, you can also take the exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) without training (§ 45 para. 2 BBiG).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,235gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Head of a delivery base

  Also: Shift leader in a letter or parcel center

  With further trainingPromotion

  In the management of a delivery base or a shift in the sorting center you plan staff and districts, ensure quality and occupational safety, and lead a team.

  What you bring:

  You know delivery, sorting, working hours and the problems of daily business from your own work.

  How to get there:

  You usually get there through the deputy role or team leadership after some years, with in-house management training. You can earn a recognized qualification with the further training course for certified logistics master (Logistikmeister) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). You can take it alongside a job, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Without a vocational qualification you are admitted only after several years of work experience.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workLittle customer contact

  €4,707gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Train conductor

  Also: Customer service employee in local transport

  With training or an exam

  On the train you check tickets, inform passengers about delays, help travelers, and take on tasks at departure and in emergencies.

  What you bring:

  You are on the move a lot, deal with people in a friendly but firm way and work reliably according to fixed rules.

  How to get there:

  You qualify at the railway company, which usually takes a few weeks to a few months, with an exam and a medical fitness examination. Shift work (Schichtdienst) and weekend duty are part of the job.*Regulated by law (Railway Construction and Operating Regulations (EBO) §§ 47, 48).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,568gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

• Security guard

  Also: Plant security guard

  With further training

  In property or plant security, you check access roads and ID cards, do rounds and respond correctly to disruptions.

  What you bring:

  You know shift work, logistics centers, truck dispatch and access rules at gates and ramps.

  How to get there:

  Briefing under § 34a GewO (Unterrichtung) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) takes 40 teaching hours, plus a reliability check by the authority. For inspection rounds in publicly accessible areas, protection against shoplifters or admission to discos, you need the expertise exam (Sachkundeprüfung) at the IHK instead.*Regulated by law (Trade Regulation Code (GewO) § 34a, Security Services Ordinance (BewachV)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workLots of contact with people

  €3,200gross per monthMedian salary

  View job

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.