Career change as a chemical lab technician
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 4 with on-the-job training and 4 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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Laboratory technician in biotechnology
Also: Laboratory assistant in pharmaceutical research
With on-the-job training
There you work with cell cultures, enzymes or microorganisms, carry out test series and evaluate them.
- What you bring:
- Your experience with analysis, sample preparation and lab rules also counts in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research.
- How to get there:
- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies often train lab staff from chemistry in the biological methods over a few weeks. Experience with GMP or clean room work is an advantage. If you want a qualification of your own, look into a shortened retraining (Umschulung) to become a biology lab technician (Biologielaborant).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,005gross per monthMedian salary
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Plant operator in chemical production
Also: Shift worker in chemical production
With on-the-job training
In production, you operate reactors, mixers and filling plants from the control room, take samples and watch plant safety.
- What you bring:
- You understand chemical reactions, hazardous substances and measured values and quickly recognize when something deviates.
- How to get there:
- Chemical companies usually train lab staff at the plants over a few weeks to months, and the work is almost always in rotating shifts (Schichtdienst). With enough work experience, you can earn the qualification as a chemical plant operator (Chemikant) through the external exam (Externenprüfung) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Often at weekendsShift workLittle customer contact€4,942gross per monthMedian salary
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Field sales representative for laboratory supplies
Also: Sales representative for chemicals
With on-the-job training
At the manufacturer or dealer, you advise labs in industry, clinics and authorities, present products and look after customers up to the order.
- What you bring:
- You know from everyday lab work which devices, consumables and chemicals prove their worth and where things go wrong.
- How to get there:
- The manufacturer or dealer trains you on the job with product training, usually for a few weeks to months. A class B driving license and willingness to travel are generally expected. Look for permanent employment, because as a self-employed commercial agent you usually work on commission.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,456gross per monthMedian salary
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Operations staff member at a wastewater treatment plant
Also: Water treatment staff member
With on-the-job training
In sewage treatment plants or at water suppliers, you monitor the treatment stages, control pumps and dosing systems and evaluate lab results for operations.
- What you bring:
- You can take and analyze water samples and understand how chemical and biological processes influence the measured values.
- How to get there:
- Municipal utilities and water associations train career changers with lab experience over a few months. On-call duty is often part of the job. For a qualification of your own, you can train as an environmental technologist for wastewater management or for water supply (Umwelttechnologe/Umwelttechnologin für Abwasserbewirtschaftung oder für Wasserversorgung; formerly Fachkraft für Abwassertechnik or Wasserversorgungstechnik), after enough work experience also through an external exam (Externenprüfung).*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Shift workLittle customer contact€4,070gross per monthMedian salary
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State-certified chemical engineering technician
Also: Process technician in chemical production
With further trainingPromotion
As a technician in chemical engineering, you optimize processes, look after test and production plants and lead teams in the lab or the plant.
- What you bring:
- You know analyses, material properties and laboratory equipment and understand what happens chemically in reactors and plants.
- How to get there:
- You can take the upgrading course to become a state-certified technician (staatlich geprüfte/r Techniker/in) in chemical engineering at a technical college (Fachschule). It usually takes 2 years full-time or about 4 years alongside work, and it is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are usually admitted with a vocational qualification and work experience, and the federal state regulates the details.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Shift workLittle customer contact€6,281gross per monthMedian salary
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Medical laboratory technologist (Medizinische/r Technologe/Technologin für Laboratoriumsanalytik)
With vocational training
In the medical laboratory of a clinic or a laboratory practice, you examine blood, tissue and other samples whose results doctors need for diagnoses.
- What you bring:
- You work confidently with pipettes, analysis devices and quality controls and document measured values carefully.
- How to get there:
- Three-year training, at most five years part-time, at a state or state-recognized school. Whether parts of your lab training are credited is decided by the responsible authority on application. You may carry out the reserved activities in the medical laboratory only once you have the permit to use the professional title.*Regulated by law (MT Professions Act (MTBG) §§ 1 and 5).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Shift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,064gross per monthMedian salary
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Occupational safety specialist (Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit)
Also: Company environmental protection officer
With further trainingPromotion
As an occupational safety specialist or environmental protection officer, you inspect workplaces and plants, advise managers and make sure regulations are followed.
- What you bring:
- You know hazardous substances, limit values and measuring methods and know how to assess risks in the lab and in the plant.
- How to get there:
- For training as an occupational safety specialist at statutory accident insurance institutions (Berufsgenossenschaften) or training providers, you need a technician or master craftsperson (Meister) qualification followed by at least two years of practice, or, without this exam, at least four years of work as a technician or master craftsperson. Alongside work, the training takes one to two years depending on the provider. As an emission control officer, you generally need a degree in addition to a recognized expertise course and two years of practice at comparable plants. In individual cases, the authority can accept a technician or master craftsperson qualification with four years of practice.*Regulated by law (Occupational Safety Act (ASiG) § 7, DGUV Regulation 2 § 4; for emission control officers, Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) § 55 (2) and 5th BImSchV §§ 7, 8).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,948gross per monthMedian salary
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Apprentice trainer for chemical lab technicians
Also: Trainer in a training consortium (Ausbildungsverbund)
With further trainingPromotion
As a trainer in a chemical company or a training network, you teach apprentices methods and safety rules and prepare them for the exams.
- What you bring:
- You master lab work from sampling to evaluation and can explain work steps patiently.
- How to get there:
- You need the trainer aptitude certificate (Ausbildereignung), which you prove in an exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Preparation courses are optional, and their length depends on the provider. For full-time trainer positions, a technician or master craftsperson (Meister) qualification is often expected in addition.*Regulated by law (Vocational Training Act (BBiG) § 30, Trainer Aptitude Ordinance (AEVO)).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contact€4,462gross per monthMedian salary
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a chemical lab technician without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Laboratory technician in biotechnology, Plant operator in chemical production, Field sales representative for laboratory supplies and Operations staff member at a wastewater treatment plant.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a chemical lab technician?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: State-certified chemical engineering technician, Medical laboratory technologist (Medizinische/r Technologe/Technologin für Laboratoriumsanalytik), Occupational safety specialist (Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit) and Apprentice trainer for chemical lab technicians.
What promotion options do I have as a chemical lab technician?
Promotions include, for example: State-certified chemical engineering technician, Occupational safety specialist (Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit) and Apprentice trainer for chemical lab technicians.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: State-certified chemical engineering technician (€6,281 gross per month), Occupational safety specialist (Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit) (€4,948 gross per month) and Plant operator in chemical production (€4,942 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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