Career change as a crane operator

Career change paths

• Dispatcher in crane rental

  Also: Operations planner for mobile cranes and heavy transport

  With on-the-job training

  In the dispatching of a crane or heavy-haulage company, you plan operations, cranes, staff and escort vehicles, advise customers and organize permits for transports.

  What you bring:

  You know from practice which crane suits which load and location, how long setting up and relocating take and which permits are needed.

  How to get there:

  You can move into dispatching, with a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). Confident use of the PC and planning programs is expected. Crane experience is valued there, and you can acquire commercial knowledge through courses or further training.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,917gross per monthMedian salary

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• Trainer for crane operators

  Also: Instructor for lifting technology

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  As a trainer at a training center, crane rental company or manufacturer, you train prospective crane operators in theory and practice and conduct their exams.

  What you bring:

  You master various crane types safely and know load charts, rigging, wind limits and safety rules from practice.

  How to get there:

  Training centers of the construction industry, crane rental companies and training providers use experienced crane operators as trainers, usually after a trainer course of a few days to weeks. Teaching skill and confident knowledge of the regulations are needed. For training apprentices, such as construction equipment operators, you also need a suitable vocational qualification and trainer aptitude (Ausbildereignung).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekends

  €5,075gross per monthMedian salary

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• Rental consultant for cranes and work platforms

  Also: Field specialist consultant for lifting technology

  With on-the-job training

  In sales at a rental company or manufacturer, you advise construction companies, industry and trades, inspect sites, prepare quotes and look after regular customers.

  What you bring:

  You know from practice which crane or work platform suits which job and what customers on the construction site have to watch out for.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) at the rental company or manufacturer, usually lasting a few weeks to months, with product and sales training. A driving license class B and willingness to travel are expected. You can start in the inside sales of a rental station and later move to field sales. You can acquire commercial knowledge through courses or further training.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €3,237gross per monthMedian salary

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• Construction machine operator

  Also: Excavator operator

  With on-the-job training

  As a construction machine operator, you work with an excavator, wheel loader or crawler in earthworks, road or civil engineering, dig construction pits and level areas.

  What you bring:

  You control heavy equipment to the millimeter, confidently assess loads, ground and hazards and know the processes on construction sites.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) on the machine at the company, usually lasting a few weeks to months, often supplemented by courses for earthmoving machines at training centers of the construction industry, plus written authorization by the company. A qualification comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a construction equipment operator (Baugeräteführer/in), 3 years. After 4.5 years of practice, you can also get it through the external exam (Externenprüfung), and the chamber decides whether your work counts.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Little customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €4,089gross per monthMedian salary

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• Certified construction machinery master craftsperson

  Also: Certified site foreman (Polier)

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a site foreman (Polier) or construction machinery master craftsperson, you plan the use of crews, cranes and machines, ensure occupational safety and deadlines and coordinate with site management.

  What you bring:

  You oversee the construction site from above, know construction processes, material flow and the interplay of trades and know where bottlenecks arise.

  How to get there:

  Upgrading course to become a certified construction machinery master craftsperson (Geprüfte/r Baumaschinenmeister/in) or certified site foreman (Geprüfte/r Polier/in) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or a training center of the construction industry, part-time alongside work or full-time, eligible for Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). For construction machinery master craftsperson, you are admitted with a relevant qualification such as construction equipment operator (Baugeräteführer/in) and a total of at least 5 years of training and practice, with another industrial-technical qualification after 3 years of practice, or without a qualification after 6 years of practice on construction sites or in workshops. For site foreman, you are admitted with a construction occupation after 5 years, and otherwise after 6 years of practice related to foreman tasks.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Little customer contactLots of time outdoors

  €3,635gross per monthMedian salary

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• Crane fitter

  Also: Service technician for cranes

  With retraining

  As a crane fitter or service technician, you set up and dismantle cranes, service and repair them and check ropes, load-handling attachments and safety devices.

  What you bring:

  You know crane controls, ropes, brakes, hydraulics and safety devices from the daily check before starting work.

  How to get there:

  Crane rental companies and manufacturers partly deploy experienced crane operators in assembly teams and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). For service and repair, a qualification as an industrial mechanic (Industriemechaniker/in), agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics technician (Land- und Baumaschinenmechatroniker/in) or mechatronics technician (Mechatroniker/in) is usually expected. You reach the qualification through retraining (Umschulung), usually a good 2 years, which the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter can fund. Assembly and service mean a lot of travel and work at heights.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demandingLots of time outdoors

  €4,563gross per monthMedian salary

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• Truck driver with a loader crane

  Also: Heavy transport driver

  With further training

  As a truck driver with a loader crane, you deliver building materials, precast parts or machines and unload them yourself, and in heavy transport you bring oversized loads to the site.

  What you bring:

  You operate lifting technology safely, know load distribution and rigging and correctly assess ground and space at the construction site.

  How to get there:

  You need a driving license class C or CE and the accelerated basic qualification (Grundqualifikation) with an exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Together they usually take a few months. Funding with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is possible if the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter approves it. As a truck crane driver, you often already have the driving license. If driving becomes your main job, though, you need the basic qualification, and for the loader crane you need an instruction and authorization by the company.*Regulated by law (Driving License Ordinance (FeV), Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG), Professional Driver Qualification Ordinance (BKrFQV)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demanding

  €3,262gross per monthMedian salary

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• Train driver

  Also: Locomotive driver

  With further training

  In the driver's cab, you drive passenger or freight trains according to timetable and signals, check your vehicle before the trip and fix minor faults.

  What you bring:

  You control large machines in a focused and safe way, work to fixed safety rules and stay alert for many hours.

  How to get there:

  You qualify as a train driver (Triebfahrzeugführer) with a railway company or training provider, usually in about one year. Funding with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is possible if the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or Jobcenter approves it. The law requires a lower secondary school-leaving certificate (Sekundarstufe I), as a rule a minimum age of 20, and medical and psychological fitness. Some employers also expect a completed vocational training.*Regulated by law (Train Driver License Ordinance (TfV) § 5).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact

  €4,322gross 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.