Career change as a police officer

Career change paths

• Corporate security manager

  Also: Site manager at a security service provider

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In corporate security or at a security service provider you plan protection concepts and duty rosters, lead security staff and are the contact for police, fire service and clients.

  What you bring:

  From your police service you know dangerous situations, operations planning, working with authorities and acting within the law during incidents.

  How to get there:

  Security service providers, industry, airports and large event venues hire former police officers as operations or site managers and give them a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Under the Security Services Ordinance (Bewachungsverordnung), your career exam replaces the briefing course (Unterrichtung) and the expertise exam (Sachkundeprüfung) under § 34a GewO. For management jobs in larger companies, further training as a certified master for protection and security (Geprüfter Meister für Schutz und Sicherheit) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) is often expected. It is possible alongside work and can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). Without a recognized vocational occupation, you need 4 years of suitable work experience for the first exam part; with an earlier vocational qualification, 2 years. For the second exam part you need another year in each case, plus trainer aptitude (Ausbildereignung) by the last exam. The IHK decides whether your police service counts as suitable work experience. When you leave civil servant status, you are covered retroactively in the statutory pension insurance (Nachversicherung); the federal government and some states offer an Altersgeld instead. Get advice on this beforehand.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically light

  €6,256gross per monthMedian salary

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• Police operational training instructor

  Also: Lecturer for security staff at a training provider

  With on-the-job training

  As a trainer you teach police officers operational training, shooting or conflict resolution, or at training providers you prepare security staff for the briefing course and the expertise exam.

  What you bring:

  You are skilled in personal safety, intervention techniques, de-escalation and the legal grounds for taking action, from daily practice, and you can demonstrate techniques with confidence.

  How to get there:

  Within the police, you apply for trainer jobs after a few years of service and are trained in internal courses to become an operational or shooting trainer, usually over several weeks. Training providers for the security industry hire former police officers as lecturers, often first on a freelance basis. The trainer aptitude exam (Ausbildereignungsprüfung, AEVO) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) improves your chances; preparation usually takes a few weeks.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically demanding

  €4,952gross per monthMedian salary

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• Claims investigator at an insurance company

  Also: Insurance investigator

  With on-the-job training

  At an insurance company you check suspicious claims, for example staged accidents or faked burglaries, collect evidence, question those involved and prepare cases for rejection or a criminal complaint.

  What you bring:

  You record traffic accidents and take crime reports, question those involved and witnesses, and notice when statements do not fit together.

  How to get there:

  Insurers and specialized investigation services hire former police officers with investigation experience and give them a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in insurance terms and claims processes. Experience from accident recording or an investigation service helps, and a driving license class B and willingness to travel are part of it.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €4,797gross per monthMedian salary

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• Private investigator

  Also: Investigator at a business detective agency

  With on-the-job training

  At a detective agency you investigate on behalf of companies, law firms or private persons, for example in cases of suspected faked illness, theft at work or competition violations, and write reports that can be used in court.

  What you bring:

  You observe unobtrusively, record facts precisely in reports and know the legal limits of investigations.

  How to get there:

  There is no legally regulated qualification, and detective agencies usually train new staff themselves. Professional associations and training providers offer courses on law and investigation methods, usually lasting a few weeks. Work is often at irregular times, and you can also work self-employed or on a contract basis.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  €3,283gross per monthMedian salary

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• Road inspection officer

  Also: Clerk in the fines office

  With on-the-job training

  At the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität) you check trucks and buses for driving and rest times, load and tolls; in the fines office of a city or district, you process traffic violations through to the fine notice.

  What you bring:

  You know road traffic law, vehicle checks and the procedure for administrative offenses from patrol duty.

  How to get there:

  The Federal Office hires inspectors under a collective pay agreement (Tarif) and trains them in-house over several months in social regulations, road haulage law and dangerous goods law. Shift work and changing inspection sites are usual. Fines offices give career changers a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and some also expect an administrative course (Verwaltungslehrgang), which you take alongside work after being hired.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  €3,715gross per monthMedian salary

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• Weapons authority caseworker

  Also: Driving license authority caseworker

  With on-the-job training

  In the weapons or driving license authority you check applications and reliability, grant or withdraw permits and issue notices, usually during regular office hours.

  What you bring:

  You know weapons law, driving license law and administrative procedures from police service and deal confidently with citizens, even when a decision is uncomfortable.

  How to get there:

  Municipalities, districts and state authorities hire former police officers for such jobs and give them a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung); some additionally require an administrative course after hiring. If you are no longer fit for police duty, your employer (Dienstherr) can also transfer you into an administrative career. The details are regulated by the civil service law of the federal government and the states.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,822gross per monthMedian salary

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• Police inspector

  Also: Detective inspector

  With further trainingPromotion

  In the upper-level civil service you lead duty groups or operations, take on more difficult investigations, for example in the criminal investigation police, and carry more responsibility for staff and decisions.

  What you bring:

  You know patrol duty, operational situations, interviews and reports from practice and know how investigations and criminal proceedings work.

  How to get there:

  The standard route is promotion to the upper-level civil service after a selection procedure. It leads through a degree at the police university (Polizeihochschule), which you complete as a civil servant on your regular pay; at the Federal Police it takes at least 2 years, and you must start before your 50th birthday. Without a degree, the Federal Police only offers a shortened promotion with 6 months of training. It requires an official need, at least 10 years of service, 3 years as chief police sergeant (Polizeihauptmeister) and above-average appraisals, and it leads at most to the rank of chief police inspector (Polizeihauptkommissar). The states regulate promotion in their own career regulations, with other deadlines and age limits.*Regulated by law (Federal Police Career Ordinance (BPolLV) §§ 15, 16; career ordinances of the states).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift work

  €4,952gross per monthMedian salary

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• Driving instructor

  With further training

  As a driving instructor you prepare learner drivers in theory and practice for the test and accompany them until they pass the driving test.

  What you bring:

  You know road traffic law, causes of accidents and dangerous driving behavior from many operations and can explain rules calmly and clearly.

  How to get there:

  Training at a driving instructor training center takes at least 12 months for class BE, with a practice part at a training driving school, followed by an exam. Requirements include a minimum age of 21, a driving license class B held for at least 3 years and a completed vocational qualification or equivalent prior education. The licensing authority decides whether your police training counts. The training can partly be funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).*Regulated by law (Driving Instructors Act (FahrlG) §§ 2, 7).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,977gross per monthMedian salary

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• Paramedic

  Also: Emergency medical technician

  With further training

  In the emergency medical service you give patients medical care at the scene and on the way to the hospital.

  What you bring:

  You give first aid at accident scenes, stay able to act in confusing situations and work closely with the emergency medical service and fire service.

  How to get there:

  Paramedic (Notfallsanitäter): training of 3 years with training pay; an intermediate school-leaving certificate (mittlerer Schulabschluss) meets the entry requirement. Emergency medical technician (Rettungssanitäter): a course under state law, usually 520 hours or about 3 months full-time, which is a faster way into patient transport and the emergency medical service. To drive the ambulance, a driving license class C1 is often required.*Regulated by law (Paramedic Act (NotSanG) § 8; for emergency medical technicians, the emergency services acts of the federal states).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,175gross 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.