Career change as a violin maker

Career change paths

• Furniture maker at a joinery

  Also: Furniture restoration specialist

  With on-the-job training

  In joineries, furniture restoration workshops or interior finishing you make and restore furniture, built-in units and wooden parts.

  What you bring:

  You work very precisely with wood, glue, veneer and surfaces and have an eye for fine detail.

  How to get there:

  Joineries usually give instrument makers on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) directly on machines and in processes, and your wood knowledge is a clear advantage there. With work experience, you can also get a qualification in the joinery trade through the external exam (Externenprüfung) or a shortened vocational training.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demanding

  €3,249gross per monthMedian salary

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• Sound engineer

  Also: Employee in sound reinforcement

  With on-the-job training

  As a sound engineer you record music and speech, mix at concerts and events and set up sound reinforcement systems.

  What you bring:

  You understand sound, resonance and room acoustics and hear the finest differences in pitch and timbre.

  How to get there:

  Recording studios, event companies and theaters give career changers with a trained ear on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and courses at sound engineering schools take a few months. A recognized qualification comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as an event technology specialist (Fachkraft für Veranstaltungstechnik). Expect evening and weekend work.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demanding

  €3,400gross per monthMedian salary

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• Specialist salesperson in a music store

  Also: Advisor for musical instruments

  With on-the-job training

  In a music store you advise musicians, schools and parents, set instruments up ready to play and look after the workshop or rental instruments.

  What you bring:

  You know instruments in detail, can play them, adjust them and do small repairs yourself.

  How to get there:

  Music stores and specialist dealers give instrument makers on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in the range and the till. Good contacts in the regional music scene help you there.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Lots of contact with people
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• Precision engineering specialist

  Also: Employee in the manufacture of surgical instruments

  With on-the-job training

  In precision engineering you make, assemble and adjust precise components and instruments, for example for medical technology, optics or measuring technology.

  What you bring:

  You work very exactly with metal, solder and fine mechanisms, for example on keys, valves or hammer actions.

  How to get there:

  Precision engineering and medical technology companies give manually skilled career changers a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at their workplaces. A qualification comes from retraining (Umschulung) as a precision mechanic (Feinwerkmechaniker/Feinwerkmechanikerin), which usually takes a good 2 years.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLittle customer contact

  €4,000gross per monthMedian salary

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• Production manager in instrument making

  Also: Workshop manager

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a production or workshop manager at an instrument maker you lead a team, plan jobs and processes and are responsible for quality and deadlines.

  What you bring:

  You know materials, production steps and quality standards in instrument making and can plan work exactly.

  How to get there:

  The master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in your instrument-making trade can be taken alongside work or full-time, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). For business tasks, further training as a certified business economist in the crafts (Betriebswirt nach der Handwerksordnung) can follow.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsLittle customer contact

  €6,633gross per monthMedian salary

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• Instructor in instrument making

  Also: Teacher at a vocational school for musical instrument making

  With further trainingPromotion

  As an instructor you work with trainees in the workshop, at vocational schools for instrument making or in inter-company courses, up to the journeyman exam.

  What you bring:

  You are skilled in woodworking or metalworking, tuning and voicing and can explain techniques step by step.

  How to get there:

  In the organ and harmonium building trade, which requires a license, you generally need the master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) to train apprentices, and it includes trainer aptitude (Ausbildereignung). In instrument-making trades that require no license, a journeyman certificate, work experience and the trainer aptitude exam are enough. Jobs also exist at technical and vocational schools.*Regulated by law (Crafts Code (HwO) § 22b, Trainer Aptitude Ordinance (AEVO)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLittle customer contact

  €5,075gross per monthMedian salary

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• Expert for musical instruments

  Also: Appraiser for string or keyboard instruments

  With further training

  As an expert you assess instruments for insurers, dealers, heirs or courts, evaluate damage and write valuation reports.

  What you bring:

  You recognize construction, condition, repairs and value of instruments and can give professional reasons for defects.

  How to get there:

  You usually work as an expert only after the master craftsperson exam and long practice, often alongside your own business. You are publicly appointed and sworn after the Chamber of Crafts has checked your special expertise. The demand is small and regional.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light
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• Hearing aid acoustician

  With retraining

  As a hearing aid acoustician you measure hearing ability, fit hearing systems, make earmolds and advise people with hearing loss.

  What you bring:

  You have a very fine ear, understand acoustics and sound and work carefully with the smallest components.

  How to get there:

  Vocational training (Ausbildung) as a hearing aid acoustician (Hörakustiker/Hörakustikerin) takes 3 years; as retraining (Umschulung), it is partly shortened and often funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). For your own shop you later need the master qualification, because the hearing aid acoustician trade requires a license.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people
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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.