Auto Assistance

As a skilled person in roadside assistance you are the one who goes out when a driver is stranded. You start a dead motor change a punctured wheel free a car from a ditch or salvage a damaged vehicle safely home. You become trained to help people in a stressful situation — both technically and humanely — and to do it safely in the middle of traffic.

§What do you do in everyday life?

Your day is rarely the same. You receive calls about everything from a flat battery to major accidents drive out to the site and quickly assess what is needed. Sometimes you solve the problem on the spot other times you load the vehicle on the recovery truck and drive it to the workshop. You often work in shift work because people need help around the clock.

• 01You learn roadside troubleshooting and quick repairs on the spot.
• 02You learn to recover and secure vehicles correctly on a tow truck.
• 03You learn to work safely in traffic and mark an accident site.
• 04You learn to operate winches, cranes, and recovery equipment.
• 05You learn customer service and how to calm a stressed driver.
• 06You learn basic vehicle technology on both gasoline, diesel, and electric cars.

§How do you get started?

You take a basic course at a vocational school and then apprentice with an emergency road service or recovery company. Here you alternate between school stays and practice where you ride along on tasks and learn the trade in practice. You get apprentice wages throughout the course and driving licenses for the relevant vehicles are an important part of the package.

§The way forward

As fully trained you can work in a rescue company or salvage firm. With experience you can take responsibility for larger salvages specialise in heavy vehicles or build further towards for example mechanic work or a leadership role in a dispatch centre.

“When everyone else drives by you are the one who stops and helps.”