Career change as a receptionist

Career change paths

• Front office manager

  Also: Head receptionist (Empfangschef), Rooms division manager

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  As head receptionist or front office manager you plan shifts, lead the reception team, and manage occupancy and guest satisfaction.

  What you bring:

  You know check-in, reservations, complaints, cash closing and hotel software from every shift.

  How to get there:

  This is an internal promotion through shift leadership or the deputy role, usually after a few years. For management jobs, training as hotel specialist (Hotelfachmann) is usually expected. Alongside your job, the further training course for certified senior specialist in hospitality (Fachwirt im Gastgewerbe) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or the technical college course for state-certified hotel business administrator (staatlich geprüfter Hotelbetriebswirt) helps. Both can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with people
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• Travel consultant

  Also: Tourist information employee

  With on-the-job training

  In a travel agency, at a tour operator or in the tourist information office you advise on trips and offers and book services.

  What you bring:

  You know booking systems, reservations and guests from many countries, and you like giving tips about the city and region.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in booking systems and offers, usually lasting a few weeks. Foreign languages and experience from the hotel industry are valued. For travel agencies, a qualification as tourism clerk (Tourismuskaufmann) is usual, which is a three-year vocational training (Ausbildung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,291gross per monthMedian salary

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• Event assistant

  Also: Conference and banquet coordinator

  With on-the-job training

  In event planning you organize conferences, celebrations and events from the first inquiry to billing.

  What you bring:

  You coordinate guest wishes, rooms, departments and schedules and keep track of everything even when groups arrive.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the banquet or event department of a hotel, often starting as an assistant. If you want a qualification, you can do retraining (Umschulung) as event management clerk (Veranstaltungskaufmann), which usually takes two years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Lots of contact with people

  €3,438gross per monthMedian salary

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• Office manager

  Also: Executive assistant to the managing director

  With on-the-job training

  As an assistant you organize appointments, trips, meetings and correspondence for the management or a team.

  What you bring:

  You handle many requests at the same time, write emails in several languages and stay discreet and reliable with guests.

  How to get there:

  With hotel training and foreign languages, you can start with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), for example as a team assistant. Without a commercial qualification, retraining (Umschulung) as office management clerk (Kaufmann für Büromanagement) helps. It usually takes two years and can often be funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,810gross per monthMedian salary

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• Rental customer service employee

  Also: Rental agent at serviced apartments

  With on-the-job training

  In rental you look after prospective tenants and tenants, hold viewings and process contracts, for example at housing companies or apartment providers.

  What you bring:

  You know reservation systems, occupancy planning, check-in and dealing with complaints.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at a housing company, property management firm or serviced apartment provider, usually lasting a few weeks. If you work in a property management firm directly on managing rental apartments or condominiums, you must complete legally required further training: 20 hours in three years. You can earn a qualification through vocational training (Ausbildung) as real estate clerk (Immobilienkaufmann), which takes three years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,940gross per monthMedian salary

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• Hotel accounting employee

  Also: Income auditor

  With on-the-job training

  In hotel accounting you check revenues, post invoices and prepare figures for monthly closings.

  What you bring:

  You do daily closings, settle cash and card payments, and know invoices and payment methods from everyday hotel life.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the accounting department of a hotel or hotel group, often via the night shift with the night audit. A financial accounting course, usually lasting a few weeks to a few months, makes the switch easier.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €4,010gross per monthMedian salary

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• Hotel revenue manager

  Also: Revenue analyst

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In revenue management you set prices and quotas, watch the market and manage occupancy.

  What you bring:

  From reservations you know booking channels, rates, cancellations, and how demand varies by weekday and around trade fairs.

  How to get there:

  You usually get there through the reservations department and internal on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), supplemented by seminars or certificate courses in revenue management. Good Excel skills and a feel for numbers are required. Hotel chains partly prefer applicants with a hotel business administration qualification (Hotelbetriebswirt) or a university degree.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office
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• Secretary

  Also: Team assistant

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In the secretariat or as team assistant you take over correspondence, appointment planning, travel bookings and minutes for a department or the management.

  What you bring:

  You organize appointments, visitors, mail and phone and keep track of things even when it is busy.

  How to get there:

  One option is an internal switch from the reception to the secretariat, with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Confident skills in word processing, spreadsheets and email are expected. Without a commercial qualification, you can get a recognized qualification through retraining (Umschulung) as office management clerk (Kaufmann für Büromanagement), which usually takes two years, or, after four and a half years of office work, through the external exam (Externenprüfung) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) (§ 45 para. 2 BBiG).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,810gross per monthMedian salary

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• Citizens' office clerk

  Also: Vehicle registration office clerk

  With on-the-job training

  In the citizens' office or the registration office you process applications for ID cards, registrations or vehicles, and you work with the administration's specialist software for this.

  What you bring:

  You meet many people every day, check IDs and documents, and explain processes in a friendly and precise way.

  How to get there:

  Municipalities also hire career changers for citizens' offices and registration offices as employees under collective pay agreements (Tarif) and give them a few weeks to a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). You are often expected to attend administrative course I (Verwaltungslehrgang I) alongside the job. Completed vocational training is usually required, and the job ad states exactly what applies.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,822gross per monthMedian salary

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• Customer adviser at a health insurance fund

  Also: Social insurance specialist (Sozialversicherungsfachangestellte)

  With on-the-job training

  At a health insurance fund or pension insurance provider you advise insured people in person or by phone, take in applications and process benefits.

  What you bring:

  You listen to concerns in a friendly way, explain processes clearly and stay calm even when it is busy.

  How to get there:

  Health insurance funds also hire career changers for service centers and customer advice and train them in-house, often for several months. Completed commercial training is usually expected. The recognized qualification is vocational training (Ausbildung) as social insurance specialist (Sozialversicherungsfachangestellte), which takes three years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,964gross per monthMedian salary

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• Inside sales specialist

  Also: Inside sales representative

  With on-the-job training

  In inside sales you take inquiries and orders, write quotes, maintain customer data in the CRM system and support field sales.

  What you bring:

  You look after customers by phone and in person in a friendly and reliable way and pass inquiries quickly to the right person.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the manufacturer or wholesaler, usually lasting a few weeks with product training. Commercial training, for example in wholesale and foreign trade management or office management, is often expected. Without a qualification, jobs with many telephone contacts, for example making appointments for field sales, are a possible way in.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible

  €4,456gross per monthMedian salary

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• HR clerk

  Also: Personnel administration employee

  With on-the-job training

  In personnel administration you create personnel files, prepare contracts and certificates, keep track of working hours and vacation, and answer employees' questions.

  What you bring:

  You handle data confidentially, organize appointments and are often the first contact for visitors and new employees.

  How to get there:

  You switch to the HR department with on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), often supplemented by courses on labor law and personnel administration lasting a few weeks. Commercial training is usually expected. Later, you can take the further training course for certified HR specialist (Personalfachkaufmann) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), which can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €4,513gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical secretary

  Also: Ward secretary

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In the ward or doctor's secretariat you type doctors' letters from dictation, organize admissions, examinations and discharges, and manage patient files.

  What you bring:

  You admit patients or visitors, schedule appointments, maintain data and keep track of things at the front desk even when it is busy.

  How to get there:

  Clinics and practices give reception staff with healthcare experience a few weeks to a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). You learn medical terms and documentation in courses at training providers, usually lasting a few weeks to a few months, also alongside a job. Without experience in healthcare, commercial training or training as a medical assistant (MFA) is often expected.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,270gross per monthMedian salary

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• Flight attendant

  With training or an exam

  On board, you also handle safety tasks, cabin service and first aid.

  What you bring:

  You look after guests from all over the world in a friendly and confident way, also at night, on weekends and in stressful situations.

  How to get there:

  You do basic training at an airline, usually lasting a few weeks, with an exam for the cabin crew attestation (Flugbegleiterbescheinigung). You also need an aviation medical examination and good English.*Regulated by law (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Annex V (Part-CC)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €3,307gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical assistant (Medizinische Fachangestellte, MFA)

  With retrainingPromotion

  As a medical assistant (MFA), you also take blood samples, apply bandages, perform ECGs, assist with examinations and bill the health insurance funds.

  What you bring:

  If you work at the reception of a practice or clinic, you know appointment scheduling, patient admission, insurance cards and how to deal with sick or worried people.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational training (Ausbildung), which takes three years and can be shortened on request, especially with the Abitur or completed vocational training. Or you do retraining (Umschulung), which usually takes about two years and which the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter can fund. After four and a half years of work in a doctor's practice, you can also take the exam at the Medical Association (Ärztekammer) without training. The chamber decides whether your work is recognized.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLots of contact with people

  €3,270gross 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.