Accounting/remuneration

The remuneration of occupational therapy, i.e. of remedial services, is based on the remuneration lists agreed between the professional associations and the social insurance. These lists specify not only the exact prices of the individual therapies, but also, in the case of which diagnosis, which quantities of a remedy usually lead to medically appropriate and economical care. The costs of the treatment, i.e. the remuneration of the therapist, are largely covered by the statutory health insurance in Germany. In addition, certain treatment costs are also covered by accident and pension insurance, nursing care insurance or a trade association. For persons who are exempt from compulsory insurance in Germany, i.e. who are privately insured, the settlement is usually covered by the health insurance.

Vacancies/Jobs

The health care industry, including occupational therapy, is one of the growth areas that will create jobs. This has to do with the change in the population structure in Germany. People are living longer and longer and are more willing to do something to maintain their health.For this reason, more and more specialists from the medical field are needed, and the demand for occupational therapists is constantly growing accordingly.

This results in a very abundant job offer. The offers range from employee status, freelance work or self-employment in an own practice to self-employment in a group practice. The job offers can be in outpatient care, i.e. in a practice, in outpatient clinics or in the form of mobile occupational therapy.

Jobs in partial inpatient care are also possible. This includes day hospitals – and sites, workshops, residential homes, kindergartens or special schools. Furthermore, there are also jobs in inpatient care, such as in clinics or retirement homes.

Salary/Earnings

Occupational therapy training is a school-based training that is not paid for every three years of apprenticeship. If one is a state-approved occupational therapist, the monthly salary is about 1600 to about 2900 Euros gross. However, the remuneration can vary by several hundred euros depending on the region, as it is not regulated uniformly throughout Germany.

The lower salary figure is often found in private institutions in the federal states such as Thuringia, Sachen, Sachen-Anhalt, Brandenburg or Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Accordingly, occupational therapists earn more on average in the “old” federal states. In addition, there is also a salary difference between the individual specialties.

If you work as an occupational therapist in the public sector, such as in a hospital, you are paid according to a fixed tariff. If an occupational therapist has become independent in his own practice, the fees for treatment can be freely negotiated, which may mean that more can be earned. Furthermore, the monthly earnings can be improved by further training and education.