Changing careers - your new career with purpose
A fulfilling new start in the health and care sector
If you feel stuck professionally or simply want more meaning in your everyday life, then a Job change to nursing could be just the right step for you. Throughout Austria and Germany, the demand for dedicated nursing staff is rising sharply - not only due to demographic change, but also because these professions are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
In this article you will learn how to work as Transitioning into nursing - without any previous experience. We'll show you which training paths are right for you, what funding is available and why this new career start is not only financially rewarding, but also personally enriching.
Why nursing is so attractive for career changers
Secure job with a future
The care sector is one of the most crisis-proof professional fields of all. According to AMS Austria, the demand for nursing staff will continue to increase significantly until 2025 and beyond. Hospitals, nursing homes, mobile services - they are all desperately looking for motivated employees. Anyone interested in changing jobs to nursing can look forward to a stable and long-term career path - with many opportunities for further development.
Sensible work with emotional impact
Care is about more than just a job: it's about people. It's about encounters, dignity, closeness and support. You experience every day that your work counts - whether in a hospital, nursing home or mobile care. For many career changers, this is precisely the reason why they consciously decide to make a new start in nursing.
Challenges and Stresses in Nursing - A Realistic View
Care is meaningful - but it is also demanding. Dealing with illness, death or demential Change requires emotional stability. Nursing staff are also under great physical strain: Lifting, transferring beds, night and weekend duties are often part of everyday life.
Shift work, time pressure and personal understaffing can become a burden. But there are strategies:
- Ergonomic working and aids can reduce back strain.
- Supervisions or peer groups provide space for emotional relief.
- Good team culture and open communication help to identify stress at an early stage.
What's important: Those who want to take good care of others must also be allowed to take good care of themselves.
Experience report: Sigrid's journey from retail to care
Sigrid from Graz worked in retail for twelve years. "I advised people - but somehow I missed the feeling of really making a difference," she says. At 39, she decided to train as a care assistant at WIFI Graz. "Returning to the classroom was unusual, but I quickly knew: this is my path." Today, she works in a care home and says: "I have never experienced so much gratitude and genuine appreciation as I do now."
More insights: Markus and Leila's new start in nursing
Markus, a former carpenter from Salzburg, had difficulty continuing to work in his old profession after suffering a slipped disc. Today, he uses his manual skills in everyday care work: he builds small everyday aids for people in need of care and has blossomed in his new role as a care assistant.
Also Leila, a former office administrator from Nuremberg, found her new path through training as a care assistant. Her Communication skills help her now when dealing with relatives - she is regularly praised for her empathetic nature.
Your entry opportunities as a career changer:in nursing
Nursing Assistant - the quick start
The one-year Nursing Assistant Training combines theory with 530 hours of practice in retirement homes, hospitals or rehabilitation centers. It teaches important basic knowledge in hygiene, mobilization, nutrition and documentation.
Prerequisites: positive compulsory school leaving certificate (9. School level) and knowledge of German at B2 level. Providers such as BFI, WIFI, Caritas or the Red Cross regularly offer this training.
Ideal for anyone who wants to get into nursing quickly and gain their first professional experience.
Nursing assistant - more responsibility, more opportunities
If you are more confident, you can train to become a nursing assistant in two years. Contents include the administration of infusions, wound care, ECG/EEG and medical assistance. The practice takes place in several clinics and care facilities.
This path is ideal for those who want a long-term perspective and deeper medical responsibility - also as preparation for later specializations.
Study Healthcare and Nursing - for long-term careers
The three-year Bachelor's degree course combines theory and 11 months of practical experience. It provides in-depth knowledge in ethics, nursing science, patient psychology and clinical practice. Ideal for anyone who wants to take on management responsibility or specialize in intensive care, oncology or education.
Degree: Professional qualification for the upper service of health care and nursing.
Financial support & salary prospects
Funding and scholarships
Austria supports career changers:inside by:
- Nursing Scholarship up to €1.400/month during training.
- educational leave & continuing education allowance for professionals
- Land Grants in OÖ, Tirol u. a.
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Fee transfers by BFI/WIFI under certain conditions
Salary after training
Source: Salary Compass AMS, Statistik Austria
Allowances for night shifts, public holidays and 13th/14th salary are additional./14th salary are additional. The salaries listed are average values (as of 2024) and may vary depending on qualifications, experience, institution and region. You can find an up-to-date overview in the Salary Compass of the AMS or at the Statistik Austria.
Nora's tip box: How to make the switch to nursing
- Inform yourself early on about funding such as the nursing scholarship and possible grants.
- Start with the nursing assistant training if you want to get started quickly - an upgrade is possible at any time.
- Network with other career changers, e.g. in forums or info boards. e.g. in forums or information events.
- Use platforms like noracares to get in touch with families directly - without any agency fees.
- Believe in your strengths: Even without previous experience, you bring valuable skills such as empathy, communication skills and life experience.
Regional differences: funding and salary structures in Austria and Germany
Funding, apprenticeships and also salaries differ depending on the federal state - both in Austria and in Germany.
There are, for example in Vienna additional funding for 24-hour care, while in Upper Austria the state specifically promotes training places in the field of mobile care.
In Bavaria In turn, care workers in rural areas benefit from special incentive programs to ensure care outside the cities.
You can find a good overview of funding opportunities at:
- AMS - Fostering Care
- Land Tirol - Pflegeausbildung
- Pflegeförderung Wien
Your future in nursing starts now! Regardless of whether you used to work in an office, in retail or in a trade - in nursing you will find a career with meaning, security and a future. A career change is easier than many people think and is actively encouraged.
What you need to bring? The desire to help other people. You can learn everything else.
And as soon as you're ready, we'll be by your side: On noracares you can register for free, create your profile and get in touch directly with people in need of care or relatives - fair, transparent and self-determined.
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- Nursing Assistant: One-year basic training for work in nursing homes, hospitals or mobile services.
- Nursing Assistant: Two-year training with medically extended tasks such as infusions or ECG.
- AMS: Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich - offers support with retraining and job search.
- Nursing Scholarship: Financial support from the AMS during nursing training (up to €1.400/month).
- BFI & WIFI: Leading educational institutions in Austria with nursing courses for adults.
- Nursing Professions: umbrella term for Healthcare and nursing professions - from assistance to specialist care.
- Care facilities: hospitals, nursing homes and mobile services where caregivers work.
- Nursing leave: Temporary Leave from work to care for relatives - with financial support from the Ministry of Social Affairs.
- Educational leave: opportunity to further your professional training and receive AMS support at the same time.
- Regional Care Promotion: Financial assistance awarded by states in addition to federal programs.
- noracares: Digital platform where caregivers are matched directly with families - transparent, commission-free and fair.
