Career change as a concrete worker

Career change paths

• Concrete tester

  Also: Employee in a building materials testing lab

  With on-the-job training

  At ready-mix concrete plants or testing labs you test fresh concrete, make test specimens, measure strengths and document results, and the work is physically much lighter than on the construction site.

  What you bring:

  You know concrete types, consistency and typical mistakes in placing from practice.

  How to get there:

  Concrete plants and testing labs give practitioners a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and courses for concrete testers at professional associations take a few days. A qualification of your own comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a building materials tester (Baustoffprüfer/Baustoffprüferin) or, with work experience, from an external exam (Externenprüfung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact
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• Construction machine operator

  Also: Excavator operator

  With on-the-job training

  As a construction machine operator you operate excavators, wheel loaders or crawler tractors, and your body gets a break because the heavy manual work falls away.

  What you bring:

  You know construction site routines, foundations and earthwork and work confidently between machines.

  How to get there:

  Construction companies and rental firms train experienced construction workers on the machines, and courses with a certificate of competence take a few days to weeks. A qualification of your own comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a construction equipment operator (Baugeräteführer/Baugeräteführerin) or, with work experience, from an external exam (Externenprüfung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €4,089gross per monthMedian salary

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• Employee at a precast concrete plant

  Also: Machine operator at a concrete plant

  With on-the-job training

  At a precast or concrete block plant you make walls, ceilings or blocks under a roof, with regular working hours and without the weather and without changing sites.

  What you bring:

  You know formwork, reinforcement and concreting and can do this work in a hall as well.

  How to get there:

  Precast plants usually give concrete workers on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) directly at shuttering tables, mixing plants and cranes, and a crane license is often earned in the company. The work is partly in shifts.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,840gross per monthMedian salary

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• Field technical advisor, ready-mixed concrete

  Also: Sales advisor in the building materials trade

  With on-the-job training

  At concrete plants, manufacturers or in the building materials trade you advise construction companies, take orders and look after construction sites.

  What you bring:

  You know which concretes, screeds and admixtures prove themselves on the site and what questions foremen have.

  How to get there:

  Manufacturers and dealers give practitioners product courses over a few weeks to months as on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). A driving license class B is expected. In the building materials trade you often work first in sales at the counter or in the warehouse.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €4,456gross per monthMedian salary

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• Caretaker

  Also: Property caretaker

  With on-the-job training

  As a caretaker at housing companies, schools or businesses you keep buildings and grounds in good shape and carry heavy loads less often than in construction.

  What you bring:

  You can pitch in, repair and work independently, even without constant instruction.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training from the employer (Einarbeitung). A journeyman or skilled worker certificate is an advantage, and for heating and electrics, building services courses of a few weeks help. Winter maintenance (snow clearing) and on-call duty can come on top.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hours

  €3,260gross per monthMedian salary

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• Works foreman

  Also: Site foreman in building or civil engineering

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a works foreman (Werkpolier) or site foreman (Polier) you lead a crew, assign work, check execution and talk to the site management.

  What you bring:

  You know formwork, reinforcement, concreting and curing from your own work and know how processes on the site are connected.

  How to get there:

  You take further training to become a certified works foreman (Geprüfter Werkpolier) and then a certified site foreman (Geprüfter Polier) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer), alongside work or in full-time courses. It can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are admitted to the site foreman exam with a qualification in a construction occupation if your training and work experience together add up to at least 5 years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demandingLittle customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €5,136gross per monthMedian salary

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• State-certified construction technician

  Also: Estimator at a construction company

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a construction technician you calculate offers, plan construction processes, bill services and work mostly in the office or as a construction manager.

  What you bring:

  You know what concrete construction needs in practice in terms of time, material and people.

  How to get there:

  You take further training to become a state-certified construction technician (staatlich geprüfter Bautechniker) at a vocational college (Fachschule). It usually takes 2 years full-time or about 4 years alongside work, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are generally admitted with a journeyman or skilled worker certificate and work experience.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €5,500gross per monthMedian salary

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• Concrete mixer truck driver

  Also: Professional driver in building materials transport

  With further training

  As a concrete mixer truck driver you deliver ready-mixed concrete, unload it on the site and coordinate with the foreman and the pump.

  What you bring:

  You know how concrete has to arrive on the site and how construction site access works.

  How to get there:

  You need a driving license class C or CE and the basic qualification as a professional driver, usually as the accelerated basic qualification with an exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Funding with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is possible if the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or the Jobcenter approves it.*Regulated by law (Driving License Ordinance (FeV) §§ 4 and 6, Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG) §§ 2 and 3).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  €3,262gross 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.