People who no longer have a future in their original profession and therefore want or need to reorient themselves should become active in terms of retraining and find out about the possibilities, for example at the employment office. For those who also enjoy the work of customs, retraining as a customs officer may be an exciting option.
The customs officer retraining creates the basis for a successful lateral entry into customs and opens up interesting perspectives for the participants. First, they should get to the bottom of the measure in question and research in depth. Here's how career changers can qualify for the customs service and start a second career with customs.
Customs officer – job description, career opportunities and earning potential
The fact that customs officers work in the customs service is not too much of a surprise and is obvious. Those interested should take a closer look at the job description and learn more about the duties of customs officers.
This reveals that the day-to-day work of customs officers involves monitoring the international movement of goods. In addition, federal taxes, money claims of the federal government and the fight against undeclared work also fall under the jurisdiction of customs.
Regardless of whether you work in the middle, upper or higher customs service, as a customs officer you can expect a varied daily work routine. As a civil servant, you also enjoy a high level of security and find employment opportunities in the following areas:
- Customs Investigation
- General customs directorates
- Main customs offices
Depending on the grade, the income situation of customs officers can vary. In principle, however, they can expect to earn an average salary of between around 24 and 25 percent.000 euros and 48.000 euros gross per year.
Retraining to become a customs officer or customs official
The lateral entry into the customs service cannot take place in the context of a retraining, because appropriate qualification measures do not exist. Ideally, aspiring customs officers simply complete a training program in customs that functions as a preparatory service and ends with the career exam.
Otherwise, for example, business people or people with other relevant training certainly have the opportunity to gain a foothold in customs as career changers. In this case, they do not even have to complete a retraining program.
It is therefore worthwhile to research carefully and not only seek advice from the employment office, but also to contact customs directly.
Requirements, duration and costs
In the absence of retraining as a customs officer, no information can be provided on the framework conditions for such measures. However, for career changers who see their future in the customs service, it may be interesting to look into the modalities of classical training in customs.
Requirements may vary depending on the entry level. Sometimes a secondary school diploma in combination with a completed apprenticeship is sufficient, while in other cases a secondary school diploma or university entrance qualification is required.
In addition, prospective customs officers must be fit and prove this with a sports badge.
The preparatory service for customs officers usually lasts two to three years and comes in the form of in-service training in the dual system or dual studies. There are no costs for the trainees, because these are taken over by the employer. There is also a training allowance.
What further training opportunities are available for customs officers?
Officials from the customs service have the opportunity to develop further by completing one or the other further training courses.
First of all, seminars and courses on, for example, the following topics should be mentioned here:
- Foreign trade
- Customs processing
- Import
- Export
- Taxes
- Management
- Secretariat
- Law
The dual study program at customs
School leavers and career changers alike have the opportunity to complete a dual course of study at customs.
In this way, they can respond adequately to the increasing academization and at the same time create the perfect basis for a career in the customs service. This is ensured by the training in the higher customs service, which goes hand in hand with the dual course of study.
This ends with the career examination, which also provides graduates with the university degree of Diplom-Finanzwirt/in.
How can customs officials study part-time?
In addition to traditional continuing education, part-time courses of study are also a major topic for customs officers. In this way, they can respond to academization and obtain an academic degree that almost guarantees them career advancement.
For example, the following subjects are worth mentioning here:
- Law
- Administrative science
- Security management
What are the alternatives to retraining as a customs officer??
In the course of the decision-making process, prospective retrainees should not commit themselves too much to customs, but should also think of possible alternatives.
So a new career start as a police officer, correctional officer or even a protection and security specialist can be an option.
Job offers for a lateral entry at customs
Joining customs can be done by apprenticeship or dual studies. When it comes to a career in customs, it's also worth taking a look at the current job offers.
In the course of this, it becomes apparent that not only people who have completed their training at customs have a chance of a career in the customs service. Administrative assistants, business people, civil servants from other areas of administration, technicians, craftsmen and IT specialists can apply externally and thus gain a foothold at Customs.
Attention! Tip from the editorial team
Part-time training is nowadays quite possible and increasingly on the rise. It can still be difficult to reconcile family and retraining for a career change.
Even people with disabilities sometimes find their handicap disruptive and obstructive when it comes to career planning. The following tip from our editorial team can therefore be very valuable.
Take advantage of career opportunities in customs for people with special needs!
If you are considering a career change in customs, you should not hide your special needs, but communicate them openly.
Customs warmly welcomes severely disabled people and offers them excellent career prospects if they have the right qualifications. People with children can also benefit from the positive working conditions, because Customs appears as a family-friendly employer.