Career change as a pastoral worker

Career change paths

• Religion teacher

  Also: School chaplain

  With on-the-job training

  As a religion teacher or school chaplain, you teach at schools and are a point of contact for students, parents and staff.

  What you bring:

  You can talk with young people about faith, ethics and life questions, and you have studied theology.

  How to get there:

  With a completed theology degree, you can teach through your church, as a school chaplain or as a religion teacher in church service. For this you need the church teaching permit. Moving into the state school service requires either the preparatory service (Vorbereitungsdienst) or the alternative route into teaching (Seiteneinstieg), depending on the federal state.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €5,466gross per monthMedian salary

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• Funeral speaker

  Also: Freelance speaker for funerals and weddings

  With on-the-job training

  As a freelance speaker, you lead ceremonies for people without church ties, usually on behalf of funeral directors or families.

  What you bring:

  You have conducted many funeral services and weddings and can put life stories into words with dignity.

  How to get there:

  The activity is not protected, and funeral homes usually recommend speakers they know. Short seminars on speechwriting and presenting help. If you work as a freelancer, expect a start-up period.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people
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• Head of a Diakonie or Caritas facility

  Also: Local managing director of a welfare association

  With on-the-job training

  At Diakonie, Caritas or other providers, you run a facility or an association, manage staff and are responsible for services and budget.

  What you bring:

  You have led a congregation with paid staff and volunteers, chaired committees and started social projects.

  How to get there:

  Church providers also fill management positions with theologians, and further training in social management alongside work makes the change easier; the length depends on the provider. You learn employment law and the financing of social services on the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €5,771gross per monthMedian salary

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• Education officer in adult education

  Also: Program director at an academy

  With on-the-job training

  At church academies, education institutes or adult education centers (Volkshochschulen), you plan seminars, conferences and courses and recruit speakers.

  What you bring:

  You can prepare topics on ethics, society and faith for groups and lead discussions.

  How to get there:

  Church education institutions also fill such positions with theologians, and further training in adult education helps you get in. Positions are advertised publicly and are often tied to a provider.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €4,155gross per monthMedian salary

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• Fundraiser

  Also: Public relations officer

  With on-the-job training

  As a fundraiser, you attract and look after donors, foundations and funders for aid organizations, churches or nonprofit organizations.

  What you bring:

  You can win people over to a cause, speak well in front of an audience and have often organized donation campaigns already.

  How to get there:

  Nonprofit organizations train career changers, and various providers offer courses in fundraising alongside work; the length depends on the provider. Experience with volunteers and networks helps you.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €5,318gross per monthMedian salary

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• Grief counselor

  Also: Bereavement counselor

  With further training

  As a grief counselor, you work with individuals and groups for hospice services, funeral homes or counseling centers, as an employee or self-employed.

  What you bring:

  You have accompanied many people through dying and grief and know what helps in such times.

  How to get there:

  Hospice associations and training providers offer further training in grief counseling alongside work. The large basic qualification (Große Basisqualifikation) certified by the Federal Association for Grief Counseling (Bundesverband Trauerbegleitung) comprises at least 200 teaching units. The title is not protected. Permanent positions, part-time work or a side activity are possible.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,374gross per monthMedian salary

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• Mediator

  Also: Conflict consultant

  With further training

  As a mediator, you guide conflicts in families, neighborhoods, organizations or inheritance disputes toward a shared solution.

  What you bring:

  You have mediated between people in congregations, families and teams and can listen without taking sides.

  How to get there:

  The length of mediation training at a training provider depends on the provider. For the title certified mediator, the Ordinance on the Training of Certified Mediators (Zertifizierte-Mediatoren-Ausbildungsverordnung) requires a course of at least 130 hours of in-person instruction and five supervised mediations. You can work as a freelancer or offer mediation alongside another activity.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €7,208gross 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.