Career change as a telephone operator

Career change paths

• Customer adviser in customer service

  Also: Chat and email support employee

  With on-the-job training

  In the customer service of utilities, insurers or online retailers you answer questions, solve problems yourself in the system, and advise on contracts and products.

  What you bring:

  You are friendly on the phone, stay calm even with dissatisfied callers and can quickly understand what they need.

  How to get there:

  Companies and service providers give you a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in products and software. There are also jobs you can do from home. If you want a qualification of your own, you can do retraining (Umschulung) as dialog marketing clerk (Kaufmann für Dialogmarketing), which usually takes about two years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible

  €2,819gross per monthMedian salary

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• Hotel receptionist

  Also: Reception employee at a holiday resort

  With on-the-job training

  At the hotel reception you check guests in and out, take bookings, answer questions and deal with complaints.

  What you bring:

  You are used to handling many calls and requests at the same time in a friendly way and keeping reservations up to date in the system.

  How to get there:

  Hotels give you a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the reception and in the booking system. English skills and willingness to work early, late and weekend shifts are expected. If you want a qualification of your own, you can do the vocational training (Ausbildung) as hotel specialist (Hotelfachmann), which takes three years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,034gross per monthMedian salary

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• Dispatcher at a taxi center

  Also: Dispatcher in patient transport

  With on-the-job training

  In dispatching you take ride orders and assign them to drivers by software and radio, adjust routes and clarify questions.

  What you bring:

  You can take calls quickly, separate the important from the unimportant and keep track of things even under pressure.

  How to get there:

  Taxi centers, ride services and patient transport companies give you a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in software, local knowledge and processes. Shift work (Schichtdienst) and weekend duty are common, and you work sitting at a screen.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €4,414gross per monthMedian salary

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• Customer adviser at a health insurance fund

  Also: Clerk in a pension insurance service center

  With on-the-job training

  At health insurance funds and pension insurance providers you advise insured people on the phone and on site, process simple applications and pass difficult cases on to the specialist departments.

  What you bring:

  You listen well, ask targeted questions and can pass on information clearly.

  How to get there:

  Social insurance providers hire career changers with experience in customer contact and train them in internal courses over a few months. The jobs are covered by collective pay agreements (Tarif), and part-time work is usually possible.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,964gross per monthMedian salary

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• Patient admission employee

  Also: Reception employee in a company

  With on-the-job training

  At the reception of a clinic or company you greet visitors, record patient data, issue visitor badges and route inquiries.

  What you bring:

  Telephone and reception often go together, and you know how a switchboard works.

  How to get there:

  Clinics and companies give you a few days to a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in software and processes.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,673gross per monthMedian salary

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• Employee in an emergency call and service control center

  Also: Reception and security employee

  With training or an exam

  In the emergency call and service control center of a security service you receive alarms from burglar and fire alarm systems, notify the police, fire department or response teams, and document operations.

  What you bring:

  You are used to taking calls according to fixed procedures and acting calmly in an emergency.

  How to get there:

  You take the briefing course (Unterrichtung) under § 34a GewO at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), which takes at least 40 teaching hours. You also need German skills at level B1 or higher and must pass a reliability check by the authority. After that the control center gives you a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in alarm systems and processes. Shift work (Schichtdienst) is common.*Regulated by law (§ 34a Trade Regulation Act (GewO), Security Services Ordinance (BewachV) § 6).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,200gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical assistant (Medizinische Fachangestellte)

  With retraining

  As a medical assistant you receive patients, schedule appointments, assist with examinations, take blood and handle billing.

  What you bring:

  Telephone work, appointment scheduling and friendly dealings with nervous people are in demand in every doctor's practice.

  How to get there:

  You do vocational training (Ausbildung) as medical assistant (Medizinische Fachangestellte, MFA). It takes three years, or usually about two years as retraining (Umschulung), and ends with an exam at the Medical Association (Ärztekammer). Jobs are also available part-time.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLots of contact with people

  €3,270gross per monthMedian salary

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• Office management clerk (Kaufmann für Büromanagement)

  Also: Office clerk

  With retrainingPromotion

  As an office management clerk you take over correspondence, appointment planning, orders, invoice checking and simple bookkeeping.

  What you bring:

  You know office processes, work with the computer and phone system, and have contact with all departments.

  How to get there:

  You can do retraining (Umschulung) as office management clerk (Kaufmann für Büromanagement), which usually takes about two years, includes an internship and ends with an exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). It is often funded through an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). With several years of office experience, you can also take the external exam (Externenprüfung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,810gross 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.