Career change as a theologian
With your experience you can switch to 11 jobs in Germany: 7 with on-the-job training and 4 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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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 -
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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Ministry policy officer
Also: Research assistant to a member of parliament
With on-the-job training
As a policy officer in a ministry, party or foundation or for members of parliament, you prepare positions, speeches and briefing papers.
- What you bring:
- You can evaluate sources, weigh arguments and summarize complex topics concisely.
- How to get there:
- Members of parliament, parliamentary groups and political foundations hire humanities graduates with a master's degree directly, and experience from internships or volunteering helps a lot. For the higher civil service (höherer Dienst), ministries usually require a master's degree.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€6,457gross per monthMedian salary
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HR officer
Also: Recruiter
With on-the-job training
As a recruiter or HR officer, you select applicants, hold job interviews and look after employees in HR matters.
- What you bring:
- You listen well, can size people up and lead conversations.
- How to get there:
- Companies and staffing agencies train humanities graduates in recruiting. Courses on employment law help, and the length depends on the provider.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an officeHome office possible€5,147gross 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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Curator
Also: Research associate at a museum
With training or an exam
In museums, memorial sites and archives, you research holdings, plan exhibitions and work on publications.
- What you bring:
- As a historian, you can put sources and objects in context and present history in an accessible way.
- How to get there:
- The usual way in is a scientific traineeship (wissenschaftliches Volontariat) at a museum, usually two years. For archives in the public sector, there are separate preparatory services. When you apply, ask whether the position is fixed-term.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact -
German as a second language teacher
Also: Teacher in integration and orientation courses
With further training
As a teacher, you teach immigrants in integration courses and vocational language courses.
- What you bring:
- You express yourself precisely and can explain language and society, and in the orientation course also history and politics.
- How to get there:
- For integration courses you need approval from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge). With a degree in history, philosophy or politics, it requires 600 teaching units of language teaching experience in adult education or a recognized certificate in German as a foreign language, plus the additional qualification in German as a second language (Zusatzqualifizierung Deutsch als Zweitsprache) of 140 teaching units or an equivalent recognized certificate. Some teachers work on a freelance basis.*Regulated by law (Integration Course Ordinance (IntV) § 15 (1)).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€3,890gross per monthMedian salary
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a theologian without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Religion teacher, Funeral speaker, Head of a Diakonie or Caritas facility, Education officer in adult education, Fundraiser, Ministry policy officer and HR officer.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a theologian?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Grief counselor, Mediator, Curator and German as a second language teacher.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Mediator (€7,208 gross per month), Ministry policy officer (€6,457 gross per month) and Head of a Diakonie or Caritas facility (€5,771 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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