Career change as a miner

Career change paths

• Tunnel miner

  Also: Skilled worker in tunneling and specialist foundation work

  With on-the-job training

  In tunnel construction, you work on the advance, support and lining of road, rail and utility tunnels.

  What you bring:

  You know underground work, tunnel advance, ground support, drilling rigs and strict safety rules.

  How to get there:

  Tunnel construction firms also hire experienced miners and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) on the construction site. Work is often done in shifts and on assignments away from home. The work stays physically hard.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,918gross per monthMedian salary

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• Construction machine operator

  Also: Excavator operator in civil and road construction

  With on-the-job training

  As a construction machine operator, you drive excavators, wheel loaders or bulldozers in civil engineering, road construction, quarries or renaturation projects.

  What you bring:

  You operate heavy machines safely and know earthworks, rock and safety distances.

  How to get there:

  Construction firms usually give experienced equipment operators from mining brief on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Courses with a certificate of competence for earthmoving machines take a few days to weeks. Retraining (Umschulung) as a construction equipment operator (Baugeräteführer) gives you a recognized qualification.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Little customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €4,089gross per monthMedian salary

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• Drill rig operator for geothermal energy

  Also: Well and specialist drilling worker

  With on-the-job training

  At drilling companies, you drill for geothermal probes, wells and ground investigations and install probes and pipes.

  What you bring:

  You know drilling technology, rock and working with heavy drilling rigs.

  How to get there:

  Drilling companies usually train experienced drill miners (Bohrhauer) on the job (Einarbeitung) on the construction site. Retraining (Umschulung) as a well builder (Brunnenbauer) gives you a recognized qualification. Drilling is done for heat pumps and geothermal energy, among other things.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demandingLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors
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• Mine water drainage worker

  Also: Plant operator in wastewater treatment

  With on-the-job training

  At water suppliers, sewage treatment plants or in the water drainage of closed mines, you monitor pumps and treatment, take samples and maintain plants.

  What you bring:

  You know pumps, water drainage and the monitoring of plants from mining.

  How to get there:

  Operators give technically experienced miners a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Retraining (Umschulung) as an environmental technologist for wastewater management (Umwelttechnologe/Umwelttechnologin für Abwasserbewirtschaftung) or for water supply (für Wasserversorgung) gives you a recognized qualification. The work is mostly close to home and physically less demanding than underground.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €4,070gross per monthMedian salary

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• Service technician for wind turbines

  Also: Mechatronics technician

  With retraining

  As a service technician, you maintain and repair wind turbines, work at great heights and document inspections.

  What you bring:

  You work safely with machines, hydraulics and electrics under difficult conditions and know strict safety rules.

  How to get there:

  Manufacturers and service companies usually require a qualification in mechatronics, electrical engineering or industrial mechanics. Without one, the way in is retraining (Umschulung) of usually just over 2 years. A safety training for working at heights, lasting a few days, is also required.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors
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• Industrial mechanic

  Also: Maintenance mechanic

  With retraining

  In maintenance at an industrial company, you service and repair machines and plants, remove and install assemblies and mostly work in production halls.

  What you bring:

  You know conveyor systems, hydraulics and heavy machinery and have often fixed faults underground yourself.

  How to get there:

  With a mining qualification you can often do a shortened retraining (Umschulung) as an industrial mechanic (Industriemechaniker), and the chamber decides how much of your previous training is credited. Some companies also deploy experienced miners in maintenance without a new qualification.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €4,205gross per monthMedian salary

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• Professional driver

  Also: Driver for building materials and bulk goods

  With further training

  As a professional driver, you transport building materials, bulk goods or other goods in local and long-distance traffic.

  What you bring:

  You work reliably in shifts, know heavy vehicles and loads and follow safety rules.

  How to get there:

  You need a driving license class C or CE and the basic qualification for professional drivers (Grundqualifikation). Driving schools provide it in a few weeks to months, and the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter often funds it. After that, further training is compulsory every 5 years.*Regulated by law (Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG) §§ 2, 3 and 5, Driving License Ordinance (FeV) § 6).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €3,262gross per monthMedian salary

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• Site foreman (Polier) in civil and tunnel construction

  Also: Lead hand in specialist foundation engineering

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a site foreman (Polier), you lead work crews on the construction site, plan the use of staff and equipment and check quality and safety.

  What you bring:

  You know advance, support, equipment and occupational safety and have experience leading a crew under difficult conditions.

  How to get there:

  The upgrading course to become a certified site foreman (Geprüfte/r Polier/in), with a focus on civil engineering, is offered by the responsible chamber. It usually takes 1 to 2 years part-time alongside work and is eligible for Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are usually admitted with a vocational qualification and several years of practice, and the chamber decides whether experience from mining is credited.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €5,941gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.