Career change as a master joiner

Career change paths

• CAD designer for furniture and interior finishing

  Also: Work planning employee

  With on-the-job training

  In design and work planning you draw furniture and interior finishing on the computer and create parts lists and programs for CNC machines.

  What you bring:

  You can read drawings, think through designs and know how a piece of furniture is made and assembled.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training in the company (Einarbeitung), plus a CAD or CNC course of a few weeks to months, which can often be funded with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). The vocational college for wood technology, where you become a wood technician (Holztechniker), takes 2 years full-time or longer alongside work and can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). It gives you access to jobs in planning and project management.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €3,821gross per monthMedian salary

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• Installer in timber construction

  Also: Window and door installer, Stair builder

  With on-the-job training

  In timber construction or at window, door and stair builders you make and install larger components, often in a team and a lot on construction sites.

  What you bring:

  You work precisely with wood, wood-based materials and machines and know installation on the construction site.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training at the timber construction or window construction company (Einarbeitung), and the journeyman certificate as a joiner is usually valued in these businesses. A qualification of your own as a carpenter (Zimmerer/Zimmerin) comes from a shortened vocational training.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,883gross per monthMedian salary

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• Kitchen planner

  Also: Interior planner

  With on-the-job training

  In a kitchen or furniture store you advise customers, plan kitchens and furnishings on the computer and accompany the order through to installation.

  What you bring:

  You know furniture construction, dimensions, fittings and installation and know what can really be implemented in a room.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training in the kitchen or furniture store (Einarbeitung), plus training on the planning software and on appliances, usually for a few weeks; enjoyment of selling is important. Professional associations and training providers offer further training as a kitchen specialist advisor.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,357gross per monthMedian salary

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• Funeral specialist

  Also: Funeral director

  With on-the-job training

  At the funeral home you care for the deceased, organize memorial services, advise relatives and take care of formalities.

  What you bring:

  You work carefully and calmly with your hands, know wood as a material and stay composed even in stressful situations.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training at the funeral home (Einarbeitung), and businesses also hire career changers with a trade qualification. A qualification comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a funeral specialist (Bestattungsfachkraft), which takes 3 years, or later from the master craftsperson exam in the funeral director trade (Bestatter-Handwerk), which requires no license.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people
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• Stage craftsperson

  Also: Stage technician

  With on-the-job training

  In the theater or at events you set up and rebuild stage sets, operate stage technology and repair decorations.

  What you bring:

  You build, install and repair confidently with wood and tools and work exactly even under time pressure.

  How to get there:

  Theaters and event businesses hire stage craftspeople with a completed trade qualification and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung); evening and weekend duty is part of the job. Later, further training as a certified master for event technology (Geprüfter Meister für Veranstaltungstechnik) is possible.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,740gross per monthMedian salary

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• Caretaker

  Also: In-house craftsperson

  With on-the-job training

  As a caretaker or in-house craftsperson at municipalities, schools, hospitals or housing companies you keep buildings in good shape and also take care of technology, grounds and winter maintenance (snow clearing).

  What you bring:

  You repair doors, windows, furniture and floors properly and work independently and cleanly.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training from the employer (Einarbeitung), and for technical tasks in the building, building services courses of a few weeks help. The journeyman certificate is an advantage. Working hours are usually more predictable than in the workshop or on installation, and on-call duty can come on top.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demanding

  €3,260gross per monthMedian salary

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• Master joiner

  Also: Production manager in furniture manufacturing

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a master craftsperson (Meister) or production manager you plan jobs and manufacturing, calculate offers, lead the team and train new staff.

  What you bring:

  You know design, machines, materials and installation from your own work in the workshop and on the construction site.

  How to get there:

  The master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the joinery trade takes about one year full-time and 2 to 3 years alongside work, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are admitted with the journeyman certificate (Gesellenbrief). For your own business you need the master qualification or an equivalent entitlement, because the trade requires a license.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekends
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• Instructor in the joinery trade

  Also: Instructor at an inter-company training facility

  With further trainingPromotion

  As an instructor you show trainees in the business or in courses of the chamber how to work safely and exactly.

  What you bring:

  You are skilled in hand tools, machines and design in practice and can explain work steps patiently.

  How to get there:

  The master craftsperson exam (Meisterprüfung) in the joinery trade also includes trainer aptitude (Ausbildereignung). It takes about one year full-time and longer alongside work, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You can take the exam with the journeyman certificate, but for instructor jobs companies and training centers usually expect several years of work experience.*Regulated by law (Crafts Code (HwO) § 22b).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €4,462gross per monthMedian salary

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• Fire officer at a professional fire department

  With further training

  In the fire service you also handle firefighting, technical assistance and emergency medical service, and your knowledge of timber structures helps, for example, when shoring up and opening.

  What you bring:

  You have a trade qualification and work physically, confidently with tools and machines and in a team.

  How to get there:

  Training at a professional fire department as a civil servant usually takes 1.5 to 2 years, depending on the federal state, and often includes the emergency medical technician course. The requirement is usually a completed trade or technical vocational qualification, plus a sports test, medical fitness and maximum age limits, which differ by state and city.*Regulated by law (Career and training ordinances of the federal states for the technical fire service).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demanding

  €4,118gross per monthMedian salary

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• Project manager, interior finishing

  Also: Construction manager, shop and trade fair construction

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a project or construction manager in interior finishing and in shop and trade fair construction you plan jobs, coordinate with architects and other trades, manage fitters and deadlines and accept the work.

  What you bring:

  You know measuring, production and installation of built-in units and know where things get stuck between workshop and construction site.

  How to get there:

  This usually follows the master craftsperson exam in the joinery trade or the vocational college for wood technology (state-certified technician, 2 years full-time), both of which can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are admitted to the master craftsperson exam with the journeyman certificate; for the vocational college you usually need one year of work experience in addition. In trade fair construction, travel and deadline pressure before fairs are part of the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Fixed daytime hours

  €4,664gross 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.