Few exiles had the international prominence or the financial wherewithal - e.g. of the Mann family, Lion Feuchtwanger or Bertolt Brecht - to engage in their previous artistic activity while in exile. Many refugees, therefore, were forced to reconsider how to support themselves financially. Alternative work had to be found. The choice of occupation was largely dependent on the situation in the exile countries and on the category of art. Artists whose work was dependent on the German language, such as actors or writers, had to change more than musicians or photographers, for instance.

Prime examples of changes of occupation: Clement Moreau, who worked in Argentina as an illustrator for the advertising industry and as an art teacher, Lola Landau, who worked in Palestine as an English teacher, or Peter Weiss, who made a living as a textile pattern designer in Sweden. Eric Isenburger also found a position in the USA as an art teacher, while poet Mascha Kaleko received a low income from writing advertising copy for bras, soaps and cosmetics. And in Argentina the painter Oscar Zügel worked as a farmer, putting his artistic work into the background.

Pursuing work was often dependent upon having a work permit, which was frequently not forthcoming, and so many worked illegally or were dependent on the support of individuals and charitable organizations.